Theme: 3 WHITE THINGS
17A: 3 white things: WATER BREAD HOUSE
61A: 3 white things: LIE SOX CHOCOLATE
3D: 3 white things: RAT ELEPHANT MEAT
11D: 3 white things: SAUCE COLLAR WALL
And some NECCO wafer (52D) and some unagi sushi rolls (25D: EEL). YUM! (40D: Dee-lish!)
This puzzle felt like it was originally constructed for TV guide, very movie-concentrated. I was annoyed by the inconsistency in the cluing of actors'/actresses' names. If you clue ABLA as Jessica, ADAM as Comic Sandler, EMIL as Actor Jannings, then 58A: MAE should be simply clued as Actress West, no need to mention the movie title (West of "My Little Chickadee"). The cluing for the role parts is pretty consistent, everyone of them has the movie/TV title: "Casablanca" heroine (ILSA), "Damn Yankees" vamp (LOLA), Ted's "Cheers" role (SAM).
Anyway, I tanked again today. I guess I was still dazed by yesterday's ULRIC/SHIV puzzle. And this vast field of Movie/TV related entries is definitely my TERRA INCOGNITA. I've got to find a way to turn this Achilles' heel into strength, somehow.
I threw in the towel very quickly, oh, probably after 15 minutes of floundering, then started my hot and heavy flirting with Mr. Google! Did not enjoy this puzzle at all.
Across clues:
4A: Ms. Andress: URSULA. Alright, let's start with her picture in Dr. No.
10A: Atlas section: ASIA
14A: Physician's org: AMA. Told you yesterday I was IATROPHOBIC. But I guess it will drive some people nuts if it's clued as "Japanese pearl diver". I wonder why most of the AMA Divers are women.
15A: Self-assured: POISED
19A: Date tree: PALM. Clue is not accurate, should add "Some". Look at these dates, they don't grow on palm trees.
20A: Foes: ENEMIES. They are us.
23A: Preserve, in a way: CAN
23A: "The Persistence of Memory" and others: DALÍS. Need to add "Painter" in the clue. Here is the painting.
24A: Founding Shaker: ANN LEE. Mother ANNE LEE. I've never heard of her.
26A: Late-night news hour: ELEVEN. I wish the entry were ÉLÈVES. It would be a perfect match for 65D: ÉCOLES.
29A: Tiny particles: SPECKS
36A: Approaches a red light: SLOWS
37A: Qatar's capital: DOHA. Today is the last day of DOHA Forum.
39A: Willy follower: NILLY. I thought of WONKA first, but quickly dismissed it.
41A: Smelting waster: SLAG
42A: Warning sound: ALARM. I put ALERT there for a long time.
44A: Remove errors from: DEBUG. "Remove errors" is sufficient, not need to add "from".
47A: Lunatic: MANIAC
49A: 1936 Loretta Young title role: RAMONA. Had no idea about this film. I am surprised by the specificity of the clue though, is 1936 that essential to string together the answer?
53A: __ incognita: TERRA. Unknown land. The plural form is TERRAE incognitae.
56A: Ted's "Cheers" role: SAM (Malone). Ted Danson role. No idea. But I am pleased that the Editor decided to put the pianist SAM on the DL today.
58A: West of "My Little Chickadee": MAE. Filled in MAE simply because she is the only West in Hollywood. Have never heard of the movie. (Update from superfrey: Adam West is the original Batman)
59A: Corridor: HALLWAY
64A: Aleutian island: ADAK. No idea. Looks like ATKA is also an island here. (Update from Dennis: ATTU is another Aleutian island)
65A: Schools near Seine: ÉCOLES
68A: Burns or Browning: ROBERT
69A: Pres. or CEO.: LDR (LEADER). No, nope, not familiar with this abbreviation at all.
Down clues:
1D: Spoke crow? CAWED. I like this clue a lot.
2D: Appliance maker: AMANA
4D: Rebels: UPRISES. Verb form here.
8D: Memorize: LEARN
9D: Extras: ADD-ONS
12D: "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA. OK, she said "Play it, Sam". Now I am waiting for RICK to appear in the next puzzle.
18D: Actor Jannings: EMIL. I vaguely remember I saw his mug before. Maybe his name came up when I was searching for Runner Zatopek.
24D: Moose toppers: ANTLERS. I prefer the clue to have "?".
28D: "National Velvet" author Bagnold: ENID. "Author Bagnold" should be sufficient!
30D: "The Bridge on the River __": KWAI. No, total stranger to me.
31D: Certain N. C. O. : SSGT
32D: Comic Sandler: ADAM. Mr. Deeds.
33D: "Damn Yankees" vamp: LOLA
35D: Actress Jessica: ALBA. She and mkat both eat peach for breakfast! Isn't she beautiful?
38D: "Tosca" tune: ARIA. Puccini work.
43D: Swedish city opposite Copenhagen: MALMO. Alright, here is the map. See Copenhagen (København) on the left?
45D: Had to ask directions: GOT LOST
48D: Cajoler: COAXER
50D: Jodie Foster film: NELL
52D: Tasty wafter brand: NECCO (Acronym for New England Confectionery Company).
55D: Per annum: A YEAR. Groan!
56D: Criticize severely: SLAM. Hmm, Hillary, I wonder who is the real "Elitist" here? Not someone who attended Wellesley College? Not someone who spent years working for the ""the ultimate establishment law firm"? Not someone who earned over $100 million in the past 8 years?
57D: Verdi opera: AIDA. The only Verdi opera I know.
60D: Maple genus: ACER. Also a big PC manufacturer
62D: Jamaican music: SKA. Nope. I only like Bob Marley & his Reggae.
63D: Fireplace shelf: HOB
C.C.
17A: 3 white things: WATER BREAD HOUSE
61A: 3 white things: LIE SOX CHOCOLATE
3D: 3 white things: RAT ELEPHANT MEAT
11D: 3 white things: SAUCE COLLAR WALL
And some NECCO wafer (52D) and some unagi sushi rolls (25D: EEL). YUM! (40D: Dee-lish!)
This puzzle felt like it was originally constructed for TV guide, very movie-concentrated. I was annoyed by the inconsistency in the cluing of actors'/actresses' names. If you clue ABLA as Jessica, ADAM as Comic Sandler, EMIL as Actor Jannings, then 58A: MAE should be simply clued as Actress West, no need to mention the movie title (West of "My Little Chickadee"). The cluing for the role parts is pretty consistent, everyone of them has the movie/TV title: "Casablanca" heroine (ILSA), "Damn Yankees" vamp (LOLA), Ted's "Cheers" role (SAM).
Anyway, I tanked again today. I guess I was still dazed by yesterday's ULRIC/SHIV puzzle. And this vast field of Movie/TV related entries is definitely my TERRA INCOGNITA. I've got to find a way to turn this Achilles' heel into strength, somehow.
I threw in the towel very quickly, oh, probably after 15 minutes of floundering, then started my hot and heavy flirting with Mr. Google! Did not enjoy this puzzle at all.
Across clues:
4A: Ms. Andress: URSULA. Alright, let's start with her picture in Dr. No.
10A: Atlas section: ASIA
14A: Physician's org: AMA. Told you yesterday I was IATROPHOBIC. But I guess it will drive some people nuts if it's clued as "Japanese pearl diver". I wonder why most of the AMA Divers are women.
15A: Self-assured: POISED
19A: Date tree: PALM. Clue is not accurate, should add "Some". Look at these dates, they don't grow on palm trees.
20A: Foes: ENEMIES. They are us.
23A: Preserve, in a way: CAN
23A: "The Persistence of Memory" and others: DALÍS. Need to add "Painter" in the clue. Here is the painting.
24A: Founding Shaker: ANN LEE. Mother ANNE LEE. I've never heard of her.
26A: Late-night news hour: ELEVEN. I wish the entry were ÉLÈVES. It would be a perfect match for 65D: ÉCOLES.
29A: Tiny particles: SPECKS
36A: Approaches a red light: SLOWS
37A: Qatar's capital: DOHA. Today is the last day of DOHA Forum.
39A: Willy follower: NILLY. I thought of WONKA first, but quickly dismissed it.
41A: Smelting waster: SLAG
42A: Warning sound: ALARM. I put ALERT there for a long time.
44A: Remove errors from: DEBUG. "Remove errors" is sufficient, not need to add "from".
47A: Lunatic: MANIAC
49A: 1936 Loretta Young title role: RAMONA. Had no idea about this film. I am surprised by the specificity of the clue though, is 1936 that essential to string together the answer?
53A: __ incognita: TERRA. Unknown land. The plural form is TERRAE incognitae.
56A: Ted's "Cheers" role: SAM (Malone). Ted Danson role. No idea. But I am pleased that the Editor decided to put the pianist SAM on the DL today.
58A: West of "My Little Chickadee": MAE. Filled in MAE simply because she is the only West in Hollywood. Have never heard of the movie. (Update from superfrey: Adam West is the original Batman)
59A: Corridor: HALLWAY
64A: Aleutian island: ADAK. No idea. Looks like ATKA is also an island here. (Update from Dennis: ATTU is another Aleutian island)
65A: Schools near Seine: ÉCOLES
68A: Burns or Browning: ROBERT
69A: Pres. or CEO.: LDR (LEADER). No, nope, not familiar with this abbreviation at all.
Down clues:
1D: Spoke crow? CAWED. I like this clue a lot.
2D: Appliance maker: AMANA
4D: Rebels: UPRISES. Verb form here.
8D: Memorize: LEARN
9D: Extras: ADD-ONS
12D: "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA. OK, she said "Play it, Sam". Now I am waiting for RICK to appear in the next puzzle.
18D: Actor Jannings: EMIL. I vaguely remember I saw his mug before. Maybe his name came up when I was searching for Runner Zatopek.
24D: Moose toppers: ANTLERS. I prefer the clue to have "?".
28D: "National Velvet" author Bagnold: ENID. "Author Bagnold" should be sufficient!
30D: "The Bridge on the River __": KWAI. No, total stranger to me.
31D: Certain N. C. O. : SSGT
32D: Comic Sandler: ADAM. Mr. Deeds.
33D: "Damn Yankees" vamp: LOLA
35D: Actress Jessica: ALBA. She and mkat both eat peach for breakfast! Isn't she beautiful?
38D: "Tosca" tune: ARIA. Puccini work.
43D: Swedish city opposite Copenhagen: MALMO. Alright, here is the map. See Copenhagen (København) on the left?
45D: Had to ask directions: GOT LOST
48D: Cajoler: COAXER
50D: Jodie Foster film: NELL
52D: Tasty wafter brand: NECCO (Acronym for New England Confectionery Company).
55D: Per annum: A YEAR. Groan!
56D: Criticize severely: SLAM. Hmm, Hillary, I wonder who is the real "Elitist" here? Not someone who attended Wellesley College? Not someone who spent years working for the ""the ultimate establishment law firm"? Not someone who earned over $100 million in the past 8 years?
57D: Verdi opera: AIDA. The only Verdi opera I know.
60D: Maple genus: ACER. Also a big PC manufacturer
62D: Jamaican music: SKA. Nope. I only like Bob Marley & his Reggae.
63D: Fireplace shelf: HOB
C.C.
34 comments:
Good morning........I tanked on this one again today. I agree that LDR for 69 A is a stretch. And yes, Jessica Alba is beautiful. I got about half of the puzzzle, I think I didn't get enough sleep, my brain just couldn't go there this morning. Yawn!
I was away in DC the last few days for a wedding and the Cherry Blossom Festival.. glad to be back in Naples.
I thought this one was fairly easy. I only missed 64A Adak. I do think that 69A LDR is a very weak clue and have never seen such an abbreviation for Pres. or CEO.
C.C. There is another West in Hollywood, of course it does not fit this clue.... Adam West the original Batman.
Have a great day !
Good morning CC and others!
Not too bad for me today after yesterday's fiasco. Some days the answers just pop up, which strikes me as odd.
I also concur that 69A was a weak clue. Never knew that a "hob" is a fireplace shelf. I had to do a double-take when I saw that answer form.
I did like 1D and 24D. A lot of Hollywood references - I like seeing "Casablance" clues as that is one of my favorite movies.
Superfrey: how was the Cherry Blossom Festival? I haven't been down to see the cherry blossoms in a few years. In my college days, I was down there every year for the rowing event.
Have a fabulous day all!
Katherine,
I just sent you an email a few minutes ago (your gmail account).
Superfrey,
Good to see you back. I was wondering where you had been. Thanks for the Adam West information. I did not know that before.
mkat,
Does 55D: Per annum (A YEAR) sound like a solid clue to you? I wanted it to be YEARLY.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - Wow, Ursula Andress & Jessica Alba in the same puzzle! Felt like I needed a cigarette after doing the puzzle, and I don't smoke.
C.C., Attu is another Aleutian island that pops up occasionally in the puzzles. Also thought 'ldr' was extremely weak.
Hope everyone's having a great week.
CC,
I wouldn't say it's a solid clue, but it's better than some of the other weak/questionable ones we've seen. :o) Now that I think about it, "yearly" was my first thought. It would have been a better answer, since (to me) "a year" seems to be a direct translation, so to speak.
MKat
C.C. Glad to be back.
MKATESQ... the Cherry Blossom Festival was mobbed... we also went to see the rowing event which was great but it was raining then.
I think Verna Suit could have changed that LDR clue to something else... maybe making it an LDS clue (Moromon Church) and reworking 55A and 66A.
Check 61A... can't have lies and sox. Has to be lie and sox, unless you are gonna squeeze two letters into one square, like my wife.
Hi,
Tried this a couple weeks ago to no avail, so I'll try again.
69a, LDR is no worse than NLER for National leaguer! I thought there was no connection there either.
61a; lies, ox and chocolate, or lie sox and chocolate?
I guess either works.
Love this spot and even tho I wasn't able to post I've been here for a couple of months just lurking.
I believe it is common in art to refer to a painter's painting by their name, e.g., a Picasso, a Rembrandt, a Dali, etc. I think LDR was a reach in that corner as well as "a year." Definition of per annum is by the year, yearly, annually. Bridge on the River Kwai starred Alec Guiness of Star Wars fame. Dang! Had to google a couple of these-adak, Malmo. Pastoral setting had me for a while as I always think of a lea as a meadow. Why pastoral?
Dennis & Superfrey,
I've added ATTU & Adam West to the blog entry. Thanks.
RE: LDR
It will be too complicated to change LDR into LDS. Could somehow re-work the clue around the idea of "Long Distance Relationship" (LDR). Any idea from anyone?
Anonymous @ 6:58am,
I've corrected my mistake. Thanks.
Bill,
Every theme entry is in singular form, so it can not be White LIES. I do love your idea of White Ox though.
drdad,
LEA is meadow, but it could also be "land used for a few years for pasture or for growing hay, then plowed over and replaced by another crop."
Got your point on DALIS. Still need some convincing though.
Dennis, very funny............I got a good laugh for the day!
Good morning everyone. This was somewhat of a problem today particularly the lower right corner. I did not like 69A and think it was a poor clue and answer. Had trouble with 52D because I tried to put Nabisco in and that obviously was too many letters. Cc I liked two of your links very much ala Ursula and Alba.
I tried ATTU for 64A which did not allow the down clues to work and had to Google to find other islands in the Aleutions. We have been having more sunny days in the Berg than usual. Hope it keeps up for the next seven months. Have a great day .
C.C.,
Never thought about all of them being singular. Makes sense now that you point it out.
Most days I really struggle on these. Haven't done crosswords on a regular basis for years so the memory is like a slow computer.....lacking!!
Good morning, everyone. This is sooo much better than yesterday, but I still had my shiv ready, just in case. Guess I can file my "talons" back now.
Dennis, that was sooo funny. You're a hoot!
Agree with you all on lea,a year, and esp ldr. I did like that Ilsa and Sam were in the same puzzle, keeping the casablanca theme alive, unintentionally though it may have been.
Unintentionally perhaps also was an undercurrent of political "affairs" as in white: water, house, lie, then debug, and of course "willy". One could also include "lit" as in "I'm just glad it wasn't lit!"
Tax day.."The IRS" is really "theirs" and boy, is that the truth!
Have a good day, everyone.
Boy! You learn things on this site. I was thinking that pastoral had something to do with pastor of a church. Didn't know it referred to shepherds and pastoralism (the raising of livestock). Now it makes perfect sense. Thanks for the info.
I had to google to complete. The two words I checked were both cities-DOHA, Qatar and MALMO, Sweden. Guess I better play more of this. Also did not know (but was able to get from the down clues) HOB, ADAK, ANN LEE and DALIS (should have-I've seen the picture, just forgot its title!). Had GOADER instead of COAXER for 48D Cajoler which didn't help. Actually did better on the NYT puzzles the last two days!
RAMONA
ILSA
LOLA
Lois,
White Water, LIE and Water House did bring the Clintons back to my mind earlier in the morning. But I missed on the important Willy, otherwise I would've written the sub-theme as the Clintons. I would've also added COAXER rather than DEBUG (that's for Nixon).
Thank you for pointing it out!
I got all willy nilly about "LDR". One thing did screw me up for a bit. I put "HORSE" for HOUSE since white horse did make sense, so I messed up for SAUCE (SARCE didn't make sense though). Good puzzle today.
I also had a difficult time, especially with the lower left and lower middle. I never like these "3 things" puzzles because you can't tell where one word ends and the other begins. I've never heard of the abbreviation "ldr" for leader and I've worked for many a CEO and Pres. Also never heard of an Acer Maple.
Good morning, everyone! A bit more of a struggle today. Lower left and lower right caused problems. Had ATTU for 64A, but that really messed things up. Then couldn't get a grasp on WALL as a white thing until I remembered whitewall tires -- don't see much of them anymore. Ursula Undress in "Dr. No" -- a teen-aged boy's fantasy, LOL!! 28A refers to the paintings, not the artist, CC, thus the plural. Don't think I've seen LDR as a legitimate abbreviation, but it does make sense. Never knew that NECCO was an acronym -- save the brown ones for last (chocolate). Just under 19 minutes. Welcome Bill, good to see you come out of lurk mode. MH, all maples are acer something in their Latin nomenclature.
I got a few of these by the crossing words and still didn't know what they were, i.e. SKA, ACER, ANNLEE (founder??), HOB. I did manage to finish without assistance from a tome.
I was glad to see ADAK instead of ATTU.
Someone should create a dictionary of words that are only used in puzzles. Every now and then I will try to use one of these in a conversation just to see the blank stares. I'm still waiting for someone to ask me if I'm a cross word solver. - - nobody yet.
Good morning, everyone.
This one didn't flow well, did it? It was heavy on proper names, and I agree that LDR was a weak clue. Luckily, I was able to infer a lot of the names to get through.
I think my crossword puzzle pet peeve is when two proper names cross. It always seems like I can't get either one, so I have nothing to go on.
I looked back at your archive, C.C., and her last puzzle was also heavy on names.
Crockett1947,
I understand what drdad said earlier, a DALI, A Picasso. But plural? I just don't get it. 2 DALIS, 3 DALIS? It sounds so weird!
Thank you for the ACER information. Learned a new word "nomenclature" from you today.
Jim,
"Founding Shaker" is an intentionally misleading clue. "Shaker's Founder" would be too bland.
Let's start the dictionary. First word ATIP.
Ellie,
Yes, I agree with you. But not so actress/actor intensive! She does have a political sense of humor. Last time's KARL & SCOOTER made me laugh!
Aloha Spirit in Seattle,
Forgot to say "Welcome back" to you yesterday. Hope you enjoyed your vacation.
I really dislike these "3 things" puzzles. There is no real connection among the three items, so there is no way to get the entire answer all at once.
It's so much more enjoyable to come up with "Uniform Insignia", than it is to find 3 words that are each 4 or 5 letters.
"Eels" doesn't work very well for "sushi fish". You almost never see a type of fish pluralized, unless you're talking about different species or varieties (or whatever the correct term is).
"Moray and conger" would have been much better.
But you know how picky I am.
johnboy,
The clue is 3 WHITE Things.
"Moray and conger" does sound better.
Thanks for the welcome back and so glad to be back!!!
Today's puzzle made me feel better about yesterday's puzzle. Today tanked on NY's...I'm OK with that.
Bottom right hand corner messed up pretty badly. I put 'wash' for 'wall (11d), so until I got here I had 'sea' for 'pastoral setting' and 'hdr' for 'Pres. or CEO'...huh? Surely wouldn't have gotten LDR myself.
Every time I see 1A "Saturn or Mercury" my mind goes immediately to the planets...only got 'car' by finishing the down clues.
I too had 'horse' instead of 'house' and had 'area' for 10A "Atlas section'...but 'rauce' didn't make any sense and obviously now 'sauce' makes more sense. Argh! Overall, it was these few that didn't allow me to have 100% today.
TTFN, ~AlohaSpirit~ (late again in commenting) sigh!
Well, I actually did better on today's than yesterday's… the only section I had trouble with was the top left for some reason…Even though I didn't know some of the clues, I managed to get them from crosses today. I think I found it easier because I am a huge movie trivia fan it seemed to be a bit movie heavy on the clues today.
Didn't enjoy it though.. 3 things puzzles suck. It would be cleverer (yes it's a word! What? It isnt? Well wouldn't you know?!) if the 3 things made up a pun-like variation on well-known phrases. Don't ask me for an example, because I don’t have one, which is why I am a crossword SOLVER and not CONSTRUCTOR. I'm sure it's possible though!
Mkat - I was at the cherry blossom festival a couple of weeks ago!! I got some great pictures which I put on my blog here. I was there for peak bloom weekend, how long did the blossom last in the end? It was so beautiful! My first time in DC and I definitely want to go back!
Def. liked this puzzle better than yesterdays. Agree ..about "Hob"..never knew that and I am a fire place nut..agree about LDR..in all the puzzles I have done I have never seen this for Pres. or CEO. However, after yesterdays..this was a piece of cake. ..Kim in NJ
at the end here as usual...it took me awhile to figure the 3 things clues...getting slow here...thanks for the starlet pix...malmo was an easy for me since my daughter lives there (sweden's third largest just across the bridge from CPH)...wow, no etui today, but lea pops up again as she is wont to do! cheers! (not to Ted but to all at the blog)
stayed up late and completed wednesday...warning to c.c.--be careful when you google your picture for the tiny bird! this went fast though I was at a loss to know who or what stimpy was until i googled him (it?) Surprised to run across la rente in a puzzle...eh bien, c'est la guerre...
littlelj,
Wow, I always thought it was "More Clever". Turns out you are right!
Kim,
Point taken on HOB. Thanks for stopping by.
Thomas,
I peeked at your comment while doing today (Wednesday)'s puzzle. I should have NOT. Felt extra slow after reading your "FAST" summary.
Update to NYT-Anon 8:06am link:
From Emily:
Here's a working alternative I found on Google: https://www.crazygames.com/game/traveler-iq-challenge
Here is the link again.
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