Theme: On the Fly
21A: Genesis no-no: FORBIDDEN FRUIT (Fruit Fly)
43A: Flower named for a legendary best: SNAP DRAGON (Dragonfly)
51A: Fruity spread: APPLE BUTTER (Butterfly)
69A: Unstable, metaphorically: BUILT ON SAND (Sandfly)
79A: Stylish but simple dress color: BASIC BLACK (Black Fly)
101A: 1964 Burt Lancaster thriller: SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (Mayfly)
30D: Take some heat: COME UNDER FIRE (Firefly)
34D: Put away platefuls: ATE LIKE A HORSE (Horsefly)
Ah, I believe I can fly. This puzzle is so doable. Must be an eased-up one.
All of them are insects, aren't they? Sandfly, black fly and mayfly are all new to me. I wonder why Noah Webster did not change fruit fly and black fly into one word during his spelling reform.
I like the golf referrences on this Masters Sunday:
20A: Golfing countryman of Seve: SERGIO. Dubbed as "The Best Golfer Never to Win a Major". This should be gimme to those who read my blog regularly. I like SERGIO Garcia a lot. He plays with passion. Close friend of Rafael Nadal (Tiger's buddy is of course Roger Federer). Seve Ballesteros is fighting brain tumor now. What a genius around the green!
43A: Putting concession: GIMME. You should never concede to those who yip.
59D: __ game: golf competition: SKINS. For some reason, Fred Couples dominates the SKINS Game. Only 4 players are invited to this match-play style competition. Each hole has a different value.
I got IGN (14D: Starter: Abbr.) because Argyle blogged it last time. Wayne Williams once clued it as "Elec. switch". Most of the other clues are quite straightforward. Several clue/Answer repetitions in today's grid. A WHILE is the answer for 85D: "For a little bit". Then it's part of clue for TOMES (110A: They took a while to read). I've never read a TOME, unless you count my dictionary as one.
"Madama Butterfly" accessory would be a great clue for OBI (27A) on any other day, but as BUTTER (fly) is part of the theme answer for 51A, I think a simple "Kimono closer" works better. The button-like fixture on man's kimono is called netsuke. Remember these highly collectible erotic netsukes I linked last time? The small case attached to kimono is called INRO.
Across:
5A: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" actor Tamiroff: AKIM. Stranger to me. Wikipedia says he is the first Golden Globe Award-winning actor for Best Supporting Actor (1944). Emil Jannings is the first Oscar winner for Best Actor (1927).
9A: Early bird?: EGG. Of course! I should eat a worm, as I did not get it until the very end.
12A: Ben Franklin's belief: DEISM. How is it different from theism? And why single out Ben Franklin? Somehow I thought he advocated self-discipline.
17A: "A Chapter on Ears" essayist: ELIA. Easy guess. I've never heard of this essay. Since TIN EAR (66A: Musical liability) is an answer in the grid, I wish the clue were just a simple "Charles Lamb's pen name".
19A: Lot, often: ACRE
24A: Stat: PRONTO. Stat here is doctor's "Immediately". From Latin statim. I was thinking of baseball stat.
25A: "My Fair Lady" girl: ELIZA. ELIZA Doolittle. And Professor "Enry Higgins.
26A: Bars bought dry: SOAPS. Not the bars I was picturing. Good clue.
31A: Former French coin: ECU. I put SOU first.
32A: Exercise done on a bench?: ETUDE. Why? Do pianists call their chair "bench"?
33A: Luggage checker: SKYCAP. A portmanteau of Sky and Redcap.
38A: Maine campus town: ORONO. We have a city named ORONO here in MN too.
40A: From __: slight progress: A TO B. Is it a slang? I am not familiar with this phrase.
45A: Bridge expert Culbertson: ELY. No idea. According to Wikipedia, this guy was the most significant American Contract Bridge personality and was widely regarded as "the man who made contract bridge". What is contract bridge?
49A: Skirt feature: SLIT. Too much?
50A: Dallas school: SMU. The new Bush Libary will be here. It's Laura Bush's alma mater.
55A: A-list: ELITE
56A: Two-time Golden Lion winner: ANG LEE. He won for "Brokeback Mountain" (2005) & "Lust, Caution" (2007). Golden Lion is Venice Film Festival's best film award, just like Palme d'Or in Cannes. I would not have got the answer without down fills. ANG/AN means "Peace" in Chinese. My favorite ANG LEE movie is "Eat Drink Man Woman".
58A: Scrub the launch: ABORT
59A: Quenches: SLAKES
60A: Hinder: DETER
61A: Old Greek assembly area: AGORA. I am used to the marketplace clue, you know, Socrate's shopping mall. Had no idea it can refer to a political assembly area.
62A: Perform using blades: SKATE
65A: Trial answers: PLEAS. Consist of "Guilty", "Not guilty" and "No contest", correct?
72A: Carpooler's __ Lane: HOV (High-Occupancy Vehicle)
74A: Flabby: SOFT. Made me think of Greenspan and his "We've hit a soft patch".
75A: Mediation agcy: NLRB (National Labor Relations Board). New agency to me.
77A: Studio stance: POSE. Say "Qiezi" (eggplant)! Chinese way to elicit a smile. Like our "Cheese".
78A: ABC dramedy "__ Stone": ELI. Have never heard of this TV series. Dramedy (Drama & Comedy) is a new word to me.
83A: Long eared bounders: HARES. What's the difference between HARES and Rabbits? Latin for hare is lepus.
84A: Old Italian bread: LIRA. Or LIRE. Bread here is slang for money.
86A: Enzyme suffix: ASE. Our old editor liked to clue ASE as "Peer Gynt's mother".
88A: Assembles: SETS UP
89A: Last to come out: NEWEST
91A: Flip call: HEADS
92A: "... the grace of God __": GO I. No idea. Is it a very famous Bible quote?
93A: Superfund enforcer: Abbr.: EPA. I did not know that superfund is the US environmental policy. But since SUPER is the answer for 43D: "Very, in slang", I am not fond of this clue. So many ways to clue EPA. The old "Air quality org." works just fine.
94A: Word heard before hiking?: HUT. Big stumper for me. I don't understand football at all. I might have heard of the "hut, hut, hut" noise though.
95A: "__ porridge hot ...": PEASE. Nursery rhymes stumps me often too. Peas/PEASE porridge does not sound appealing to me.
96A: Steinbeck family: JOADS. From "The Grapes of Wrath''. I learned it from doing Xword. I finally watched "East of Eden" the other day. Now I will remember James Dean's Cal (Caleb).
98A: Horror dubbed "Mistress of the Dark": ELVIRA. No idea. She looks very calculating. Wikipedia says ELVIRA is Arabic for "white".
106A: Gob: SAILOR. Did not know "gob" is a slang for SAILOR. Salt and tar, yes.
107A: Seine sights: ILES
111A: Old map letters: SSR. On pre-1991 maps.
112A: Old Sinclair rival: ESSO
Down:
1D: Exec often seen in his PJs: HEF. Hugh Hefner, publisher of Playboy magazine. Thought of Chris in LA's Playboy GROTTO visit.
2D: Band with the 1977 album "Out of the Blue": ELO. Here is the album cover. I guessed.
4D: Broccoli __: RABE. Very popular veggie in southern China. Also called rapini. It needs to be blanched because of the bitter taste. Cantonese like to stir-fry Broccoli RABE with a little garlic (no red pepper flake), then serve it as a side dish to seafood. See also STALK (62D: Broccoli part), though I call it as stem. STALK is for celery.
5D: Nut: ADDICT
6D: Invasive Asian vine: KUDZU. Japanese origin.
7D: It can be half-baked: IDEA. I like this clue.
9D: Home of the volcano Chimborazo: ECUADOR. Chimborazo (inactive) is ECUADOR's highest summit, according to Wikipedia. Cotopaxi (active) is the second highest summit.
11D: Laughs at: GETS. One of the reasons I don't watch TV series is because it's difficult for me to get the jokes.
12D: Rounded felt hat: DERBY. Also known as bowler hat.
13D: Symphony that includes a funeral march: EROICA. Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. Originally dedicated to Napoleon. EROICA is Italian for "heroic".
15D: Watch the kids: SIT
20D: Pacific Northwest metropolis: SPOKANE. Mine was SEATTLE. Wikipedia says SPOKANE means "Children of the Sun" in Salish, whatever it is. And Gonzaga University is located here.
22D: Graff of "Mr. Belvedere": ILENE. No idea. It's 80's TV show. She is wearing purple, Mr. Belvedre is the one with the moustache.
23D: SLR setting: F-STOP
33D: Smith, at times: SHOER. SHOER is a person who shoes horses or other animals.
37D: Places to see smileys, briefly: IMS (Instant Messages)
38D: Scott Turow memoir: ONE L. It's about his first year in Harvard. Very intense reading.
39D: Lace end: AGLET
41D: Memory units: BYTES
44D: Media workers' org: AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). Union representing professional actors, dancers, singers, and broadcasters. Another new org. for me.
47D: Celerity: SPEED. I kept reading the clue as "Celebrity".
49D: Roofing material: SLATE. Also the name of the online Ezine SLATE.com.
52D: Bread that's boiled before it's baked: BAGEL. BAGEL & lox, sandwich in heaven.
53D: Lusitania sinker: U- BOAT
54D: Trunk: TORSO
55D: Savanna grazer: ELAND. The spiral-horned antelope.
57D: "The Maids" playwright": GENET (Jean). Have never heard of "The Maids". It's about two housemaids who construct elaborate sadomasochistic rituals when their mistress is away., according to Wikipedia. Sounds awful. Not familiar with the author either. Looks like a hard man.
61D: Defendant's need: ALIBI. Hmm, perp's need. Our jargon "perp" simply means perpendicular.
63D: Lemon of the '50s: EDSEL. Collectible item now, correct?
64D Concertmaster's instrument: VIOLIN
65D: Race prize: PURSE. I wanted medal.
67D: Rebelled: ROSE UP. The answer feels like a clue, the clue feels like an answer.
69D: Big blowout: BLAST
70D: Creeps up on: NEARS
73D: "Roman Holiday" scooter: VESPA. Loved the movie. Can't remember the name of the scooter. It's manufactured by the Piaggio, which has operations in 50 countries, including China.
75D: LeBron James, e.g.: NBA STAR
80D: Chop chopper: CLEAVER
81D: Reasons for recusal: BIASES
83D: Fictional Swiss miss: HEIDI. Shirley Temple is so lovely as HEIDI. This real German Heidi (Klum) is lovely too.
88D: In order that one might: SO AS TO
90D: Cypriot currency since 2008: EUROS. Easy guess. I was unaware that Cyprus adopted EURO on Jan 1, 2008. It joined EU in 2004. Now Turkey wants to join EU too.
91D: Cads: HEELS
92D: "The Nude Maja" and "The Clothed Maja": GOYAS. Gimme to you, correct? I've linked both "The Nude Maja" and "The Clothed Maja" several times before. Both are housed in Museo del Prado.
95D: Omega preceders: PSIS
96D: Penny holders: JARS. Also holders for pickles.
98D: Ballpark fig.: EST (Estimate). ERA, RBI are Ballpark fig. too.
99D: Mekong River native: LAO. See this map. Their language is called LAO as well. See the China part? We call it Lancang River.
100D: Pep: VIM. Reminded me of JFK's special way of pronouncing "vigor".
102D: Capital of Denmark?: DEE. First letter of Denmark, which is capitalized. Good clue.
103D: "Cool" amount: MIL. Who says this? Those millionair rappers?
105D: Archery wood: YEW. I wonder how they get rid of the poisonous element when making archery bows.
Answer Grid.
C.C.
21A: Genesis no-no: FORBIDDEN FRUIT (Fruit Fly)
43A: Flower named for a legendary best: SNAP DRAGON (Dragonfly)
51A: Fruity spread: APPLE BUTTER (Butterfly)
69A: Unstable, metaphorically: BUILT ON SAND (Sandfly)
79A: Stylish but simple dress color: BASIC BLACK (Black Fly)
101A: 1964 Burt Lancaster thriller: SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (Mayfly)
30D: Take some heat: COME UNDER FIRE (Firefly)
34D: Put away platefuls: ATE LIKE A HORSE (Horsefly)
Ah, I believe I can fly. This puzzle is so doable. Must be an eased-up one.
All of them are insects, aren't they? Sandfly, black fly and mayfly are all new to me. I wonder why Noah Webster did not change fruit fly and black fly into one word during his spelling reform.
I like the golf referrences on this Masters Sunday:
20A: Golfing countryman of Seve: SERGIO. Dubbed as "The Best Golfer Never to Win a Major". This should be gimme to those who read my blog regularly. I like SERGIO Garcia a lot. He plays with passion. Close friend of Rafael Nadal (Tiger's buddy is of course Roger Federer). Seve Ballesteros is fighting brain tumor now. What a genius around the green!
43A: Putting concession: GIMME. You should never concede to those who yip.
59D: __ game: golf competition: SKINS. For some reason, Fred Couples dominates the SKINS Game. Only 4 players are invited to this match-play style competition. Each hole has a different value.
I got IGN (14D: Starter: Abbr.) because Argyle blogged it last time. Wayne Williams once clued it as "Elec. switch". Most of the other clues are quite straightforward. Several clue/Answer repetitions in today's grid. A WHILE is the answer for 85D: "For a little bit". Then it's part of clue for TOMES (110A: They took a while to read). I've never read a TOME, unless you count my dictionary as one.
"Madama Butterfly" accessory would be a great clue for OBI (27A) on any other day, but as BUTTER (fly) is part of the theme answer for 51A, I think a simple "Kimono closer" works better. The button-like fixture on man's kimono is called netsuke. Remember these highly collectible erotic netsukes I linked last time? The small case attached to kimono is called INRO.
Across:
5A: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" actor Tamiroff: AKIM. Stranger to me. Wikipedia says he is the first Golden Globe Award-winning actor for Best Supporting Actor (1944). Emil Jannings is the first Oscar winner for Best Actor (1927).
9A: Early bird?: EGG. Of course! I should eat a worm, as I did not get it until the very end.
12A: Ben Franklin's belief: DEISM. How is it different from theism? And why single out Ben Franklin? Somehow I thought he advocated self-discipline.
17A: "A Chapter on Ears" essayist: ELIA. Easy guess. I've never heard of this essay. Since TIN EAR (66A: Musical liability) is an answer in the grid, I wish the clue were just a simple "Charles Lamb's pen name".
19A: Lot, often: ACRE
24A: Stat: PRONTO. Stat here is doctor's "Immediately". From Latin statim. I was thinking of baseball stat.
25A: "My Fair Lady" girl: ELIZA. ELIZA Doolittle. And Professor "Enry Higgins.
26A: Bars bought dry: SOAPS. Not the bars I was picturing. Good clue.
31A: Former French coin: ECU. I put SOU first.
32A: Exercise done on a bench?: ETUDE. Why? Do pianists call their chair "bench"?
33A: Luggage checker: SKYCAP. A portmanteau of Sky and Redcap.
38A: Maine campus town: ORONO. We have a city named ORONO here in MN too.
40A: From __: slight progress: A TO B. Is it a slang? I am not familiar with this phrase.
45A: Bridge expert Culbertson: ELY. No idea. According to Wikipedia, this guy was the most significant American Contract Bridge personality and was widely regarded as "the man who made contract bridge". What is contract bridge?
49A: Skirt feature: SLIT. Too much?
50A: Dallas school: SMU. The new Bush Libary will be here. It's Laura Bush's alma mater.
55A: A-list: ELITE
56A: Two-time Golden Lion winner: ANG LEE. He won for "Brokeback Mountain" (2005) & "Lust, Caution" (2007). Golden Lion is Venice Film Festival's best film award, just like Palme d'Or in Cannes. I would not have got the answer without down fills. ANG/AN means "Peace" in Chinese. My favorite ANG LEE movie is "Eat Drink Man Woman".
58A: Scrub the launch: ABORT
59A: Quenches: SLAKES
60A: Hinder: DETER
61A: Old Greek assembly area: AGORA. I am used to the marketplace clue, you know, Socrate's shopping mall. Had no idea it can refer to a political assembly area.
62A: Perform using blades: SKATE
65A: Trial answers: PLEAS. Consist of "Guilty", "Not guilty" and "No contest", correct?
72A: Carpooler's __ Lane: HOV (High-Occupancy Vehicle)
74A: Flabby: SOFT. Made me think of Greenspan and his "We've hit a soft patch".
75A: Mediation agcy: NLRB (National Labor Relations Board). New agency to me.
77A: Studio stance: POSE. Say "Qiezi" (eggplant)! Chinese way to elicit a smile. Like our "Cheese".
78A: ABC dramedy "__ Stone": ELI. Have never heard of this TV series. Dramedy (Drama & Comedy) is a new word to me.
83A: Long eared bounders: HARES. What's the difference between HARES and Rabbits? Latin for hare is lepus.
84A: Old Italian bread: LIRA. Or LIRE. Bread here is slang for money.
86A: Enzyme suffix: ASE. Our old editor liked to clue ASE as "Peer Gynt's mother".
88A: Assembles: SETS UP
89A: Last to come out: NEWEST
91A: Flip call: HEADS
92A: "... the grace of God __": GO I. No idea. Is it a very famous Bible quote?
93A: Superfund enforcer: Abbr.: EPA. I did not know that superfund is the US environmental policy. But since SUPER is the answer for 43D: "Very, in slang", I am not fond of this clue. So many ways to clue EPA. The old "Air quality org." works just fine.
94A: Word heard before hiking?: HUT. Big stumper for me. I don't understand football at all. I might have heard of the "hut, hut, hut" noise though.
95A: "__ porridge hot ...": PEASE. Nursery rhymes stumps me often too. Peas/PEASE porridge does not sound appealing to me.
96A: Steinbeck family: JOADS. From "The Grapes of Wrath''. I learned it from doing Xword. I finally watched "East of Eden" the other day. Now I will remember James Dean's Cal (Caleb).
98A: Horror dubbed "Mistress of the Dark": ELVIRA. No idea. She looks very calculating. Wikipedia says ELVIRA is Arabic for "white".
106A: Gob: SAILOR. Did not know "gob" is a slang for SAILOR. Salt and tar, yes.
107A: Seine sights: ILES
111A: Old map letters: SSR. On pre-1991 maps.
112A: Old Sinclair rival: ESSO
Down:
1D: Exec often seen in his PJs: HEF. Hugh Hefner, publisher of Playboy magazine. Thought of Chris in LA's Playboy GROTTO visit.
2D: Band with the 1977 album "Out of the Blue": ELO. Here is the album cover. I guessed.
4D: Broccoli __: RABE. Very popular veggie in southern China. Also called rapini. It needs to be blanched because of the bitter taste. Cantonese like to stir-fry Broccoli RABE with a little garlic (no red pepper flake), then serve it as a side dish to seafood. See also STALK (62D: Broccoli part), though I call it as stem. STALK is for celery.
5D: Nut: ADDICT
6D: Invasive Asian vine: KUDZU. Japanese origin.
7D: It can be half-baked: IDEA. I like this clue.
9D: Home of the volcano Chimborazo: ECUADOR. Chimborazo (inactive) is ECUADOR's highest summit, according to Wikipedia. Cotopaxi (active) is the second highest summit.
11D: Laughs at: GETS. One of the reasons I don't watch TV series is because it's difficult for me to get the jokes.
12D: Rounded felt hat: DERBY. Also known as bowler hat.
13D: Symphony that includes a funeral march: EROICA. Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. Originally dedicated to Napoleon. EROICA is Italian for "heroic".
15D: Watch the kids: SIT
20D: Pacific Northwest metropolis: SPOKANE. Mine was SEATTLE. Wikipedia says SPOKANE means "Children of the Sun" in Salish, whatever it is. And Gonzaga University is located here.
22D: Graff of "Mr. Belvedere": ILENE. No idea. It's 80's TV show. She is wearing purple, Mr. Belvedre is the one with the moustache.
23D: SLR setting: F-STOP
33D: Smith, at times: SHOER. SHOER is a person who shoes horses or other animals.
37D: Places to see smileys, briefly: IMS (Instant Messages)
38D: Scott Turow memoir: ONE L. It's about his first year in Harvard. Very intense reading.
39D: Lace end: AGLET
41D: Memory units: BYTES
44D: Media workers' org: AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). Union representing professional actors, dancers, singers, and broadcasters. Another new org. for me.
47D: Celerity: SPEED. I kept reading the clue as "Celebrity".
49D: Roofing material: SLATE. Also the name of the online Ezine SLATE.com.
52D: Bread that's boiled before it's baked: BAGEL. BAGEL & lox, sandwich in heaven.
53D: Lusitania sinker: U- BOAT
54D: Trunk: TORSO
55D: Savanna grazer: ELAND. The spiral-horned antelope.
57D: "The Maids" playwright": GENET (Jean). Have never heard of "The Maids". It's about two housemaids who construct elaborate sadomasochistic rituals when their mistress is away., according to Wikipedia. Sounds awful. Not familiar with the author either. Looks like a hard man.
61D: Defendant's need: ALIBI. Hmm, perp's need. Our jargon "perp" simply means perpendicular.
63D: Lemon of the '50s: EDSEL. Collectible item now, correct?
64D Concertmaster's instrument: VIOLIN
65D: Race prize: PURSE. I wanted medal.
67D: Rebelled: ROSE UP. The answer feels like a clue, the clue feels like an answer.
69D: Big blowout: BLAST
70D: Creeps up on: NEARS
73D: "Roman Holiday" scooter: VESPA. Loved the movie. Can't remember the name of the scooter. It's manufactured by the Piaggio, which has operations in 50 countries, including China.
75D: LeBron James, e.g.: NBA STAR
80D: Chop chopper: CLEAVER
81D: Reasons for recusal: BIASES
83D: Fictional Swiss miss: HEIDI. Shirley Temple is so lovely as HEIDI. This real German Heidi (Klum) is lovely too.
88D: In order that one might: SO AS TO
90D: Cypriot currency since 2008: EUROS. Easy guess. I was unaware that Cyprus adopted EURO on Jan 1, 2008. It joined EU in 2004. Now Turkey wants to join EU too.
91D: Cads: HEELS
92D: "The Nude Maja" and "The Clothed Maja": GOYAS. Gimme to you, correct? I've linked both "The Nude Maja" and "The Clothed Maja" several times before. Both are housed in Museo del Prado.
95D: Omega preceders: PSIS
96D: Penny holders: JARS. Also holders for pickles.
98D: Ballpark fig.: EST (Estimate). ERA, RBI are Ballpark fig. too.
99D: Mekong River native: LAO. See this map. Their language is called LAO as well. See the China part? We call it Lancang River.
100D: Pep: VIM. Reminded me of JFK's special way of pronouncing "vigor".
102D: Capital of Denmark?: DEE. First letter of Denmark, which is capitalized. Good clue.
103D: "Cool" amount: MIL. Who says this? Those millionair rappers?
105D: Archery wood: YEW. I wonder how they get rid of the poisonous element when making archery bows.
Answer Grid.
C.C.
44 comments:
Morning, all!
Taking the family over to my father's place for Easter Sunday, so I figured I'd get up extra early to do the puzzle.
Pretty smooth sailing for me! A couple of unknowns (SERGIO & AKIM), but they were both gettable via the perps. AGLET is probably my favorite obscure bit of trivia, and so, even though I only knew it as "shoelace tip" before, I was happy to see it in the puzzle.
I basically did the puzzle in about 13 minutes flat today. Unfortunately, I didn't get the TADA! when I entered the last letter and so spent another 3-4 minutes looking for my error. Which I couldn't find. I finally toggled the Regular/Master switch and realized I had put BUILT OF SAND / FEARS instead of BUILT ON SAND / NEARS. Oops. Well, it seemed to make sense at the time (I actually never even noticed the clue for NEARS since BUILT OF SAND seemed obviously correct to me). Anyway, by the time I fixed my mistake I was at exactly 16:59.
Anyway, it was a good puzzle and a bit easier than I was expecting. Fun to do, though!
Barry,
Can't believe you missed SERGIO. He had a very high-profile relationship with Martina Hingis. Lemonade mentioned the other day that the new golf sensation Rory McIlroy might be just another SERGIO.
Clear Ayes,
I really hope Star Tribune will change to LAT puzzle. I like the newspaper feel.
Windover,
Remember MULCT? Rich Norris clued it as "Punish with a fine" in a March puzzle and stumped many. I think you should be MULCTED for your "curiosity" error. How about some some acorn coffee? Or a few worms? Or better, some bugs, as in today's puzzle? Seriously, it's fun reading your posts.
Terry 313,
Hope Argyle's post cleared up your confusion. Bruce Venzke & Stella Daily are indeed the authors for yesterday's LAT puzzle. Doug Peterson constructed the ACE Saturday Stumper puzzle for Stan Newman's Newsday.
Garymon,
Thanks for stopping by. I agree with Lola, don't give up on the late week puzzles. Be perseverant, you might be surprised by how much you improve in a few weeks' time.
Anon @ 9:02pm,
It seems that both Yasser Arafat and YASIR Arafat are correct.
Jeannette & Col Mustard,
Hey! Look forward to more comments from you guys.
Sallie,
Change is hard and can be very uncomfortable. I am struggling too. But I truly believe LAT is an intellectually superior puzzle.
Kazie,
I pronounce H in both hotel and herb.
@c.c.
I know Martin answered your question already about Mei-Gwo and America, I just thought I'd add that nearly all of the Chinese names for foreign countries are phonetic. Ing-Gwo for England, In-Du for India, etc. (sorry I can't type Chinese on this computer).
Today was like a walk in the park compared to the last couple of days. Favorite clue was "bars bought dry".
Happy Easter to all:
I think the puzzle is creeping into my synapses. I managed to fill in all but Sergio and Pronto. I know nothing about golf and I kept trying to come up with a statistic that would fit the spaces allowed. I am still enjoying the mind exercise that this puzzle affords. I'm looking forward to Monday and Tuesday so I can catch my breath.
TTFN
Fun puzzle today, although I had a terrible time with the NE corner. I could only think of Prompt for stat rather than pronto. I do not follow golf, so sergio was not coming to me either. I had Deist rather than deism for Franklin belief, eventually it worked itself out... Took longer than usual though.
Is Mr. McInturff a real name or just a stge name. Does anyone Know. I donot remember any puzzles by him before. It was a fine crossword. I worked it, but did not et the main theme until the end. it was somewhat vague. I alos like the word "aglet". It is a scrabble word that i use often. I did miss 110 A because I thought it meant the " Times " newspaper.
abogato in Alabama
C.C. Yes, a person definitely sits on a piano bench when playing. It's not a chair, no backs or sides, and is wide to accommodate movement side to side.
Never heard of SKYCAP. That was my only cheat, once I had that, I finally was able to fill erioca and derby in the NW corner, otherwise stumped.
I never have used from a to b myself, but I can see how 1/26th is slight progress.
Re: slit (and other) pics, I sometimes wonder why you link such pretty women photos, but then I think I shouldn't mention anything about it or you'll stop...
"There but for" the grace of God go I is the full quote, attributed to John Bradford while imprisoned, seeing another prisoner being executed.
Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) was a late night TV hostess for horror films. Her only real "acting" talents were the two she didn't hide very much.
Other than that, I made pretty much the same gaffs as Barry
From yesterday, yes, my daughter does speak Japanese...and other words too, like banana, automobile, and elephant ;-)
Really, though, she's sort of learning on her own, and knows quite a few courtesy and common phrases, which she uses all the time, so it seems like she knows a lot.
Abogato:
Jack McInturff is real. Most of his puzzles have appeared in The La Times. He's had over 120 puzzles published since 2003. He's one of their most prolific constructors.
c.c.,
Good for you! I'll be back after our Easter meal later on today. I think after one short glance, I should try the puzzle online today. looks like most of us are busy that way today, or else just giving up.
Happy Easter to all who celebrate it! (and others too)
Terry 313 said
C.C. & Argyle thanks for clearing my confusion.
This puzzle had a good feel today. Am starting to get the subtle clues. Thought soaps was a hoot.
HALLELUJAH
Good morning CC and all
Happy Easter... what a bummer. I saved that link just for today, " St Francis de la Sissies" and I've FINALLY linked and it is not there.
Enjoy the day!
Good Morning All, I filled in all the puzzle answers with only two coffee breaks. That is pretty good for me, for a big puzzle. I still never would have figured out the theme if I hadn't come here. I guess I am concentrating so much on the puzzle that the theme just "FLIES" by me.
Today's level of difficulty was just about right for me. As usual, I jumped around filling in perps until I got all the fills. There were some things that were new to me. I had no idea that the first chair VIOLIN and concertmaster are the same. I had never heard of a HOV lane. It's always "carpool lane" to us. I had no problem with any of the golf clues...G.A.H. keeps me better informed than I need to be.
I enjoyed the clues, "Early bird?", for EGG, "Bars bought dry" for SOAPS and "Smith at times" for SHOER. AHA moments for all three.
Kazie, there were several versions of the silent monks' "singing" Hallelujah Chorus on YouTube. I don't know which one you preferred, but any of them is funny.
Martin,
"The bible also says he spent three days and three nights entombed in the earth".
It is stated by some scholars that given the time in which that was written, this means that he was in the tomb on three separate days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; it does not mean that he was in the tomb for three twenty-four hour periods.
I don't know. Calef.
Martin,
"The bible also says he spent three days and three nights entombed in the earth".
It is stated by some scholars that given the time in which that was written, this means that he was in the tomb on three separate days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; it does not mean that he was in the tomb for three twenty-four hour periods.
I don't know. Calef.
Hi C.C. & ...
My wife and I finished 99% before she had to start cooking for today's event.
It was definitely an easier puzzle than yesterdays!
I found this link:
From A to B and Back Again for you C.C.
22:52 today. I never saw the theme.
Ha ha. I had FORBBIDEN FRUIT for the longest time. Took me forever to see my misspelling (which would never happen if I were just writing--only in crosswords would I make that kind of mistake). As I'm sure you know, once you fill in the grid it can be quite difficult to find an error.
c.c.: 33D: Smith, at times: SHOER. SHOER is a person who shoes horses or other animals.
I always want farrier for a horseshoer, as that is what they're called in these parts.
98D: Ballpark fig.: EST (Estimate). ERA, RBI are Ballpark fig. too.
Actually, in the sense used here, ERA and RBI aren't "ballpark fig."s, but ATT (attendance) would be because attendance is often estimated. Very nice bit of wordplay.
Sorry to JD (and Kazie too). I just read your post and for some unfathomable reason when I responded, I addressed the Hallelujah Chorus link to Kazie. I think I was in a hurry to get outside on this gorgeous April morning! Now I am really heading out there!
Wishing everyone a joyous day and Happy Easter.
For the second time, I found the Sunday puzzle easier than the Friday and Saturday puzzles. This one was quite enjoyable. I had sao for ecu (former french coin) and ERA for est. (Ballpark figure). Came back to the puzzle after taking our parents for breakfast and realized my errors.
The Easter traditions continue. "Ten Commandments" was on last night and "Ben-Hur" is on now. They don't make movies like these any longer. The chariot race is coming up soon and it stills amazes me.
Again, hope everyone enjoys this beautiful Spring day. Stay safe.
Fred,
Are you a friend of Jack McInturff? How do you know that he has had over 120 puzzles published since 2003?
Terry,
I understand the phonetic in Yinguo (England) & Faguo (France). No such thing in Meiguo though. The translation is just a pure beautiful imagination of a beautiful country.
Capt. Laura,
Welcome. Are you with the military?
Al,
Thanks for all the answers. Awesome! I'd better link more SLIT style pictures for you. Ah ya, the power of beauty! What does "There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford" mean? And how old is your daughter?
Happy day all bloggers. I, like others, had built of sand and therefore fears until I went online for solving and got the red letters that made me think a bit more. I never did get the 1964 Burt Lancaster thriller. But I agree that this one was easier than Saturday's.
However, I do not like "Stylish but simple dress color". I easily got black, but I kept trying to get a modifier for the color, since that is what is asked for. Basic is not a color!
P.S. I also don't agree with obi for "Madama Butterfly" accessory. An obi holds your gown or robe together. It's more like a belt I think. I wanted fan for an accessory. She uses one to great effect.
C.C. please correct me if I'm wrong about an obi.
JD,
Hey you've made a quantum leap! Practice a few more, you will get the perfect link.
Warren,
Holy moley! You sure can find interesting links. I have a question: Why is DORM clued as "Rice pad"?
Embinen,
Farrier is a new word to me. I learned SHOER only because Enzo Ferrari. He was a mule-SHOER once. Got your point on RBI, thanks.
Cabrini,
"Old French coin" is always SOU or ECU.
I thought of this poem yesterday, when there were so many comments about the numbers assigned to days of the week, but I couldn't find it. It also seems appropriate for today, whether you are celebrating Easter, enjoying a spectacular spring day, or both. I certainly hope the eastern and mid-west residents among us have seen the last of snow and ice for the year. (Is that lake ice finally melting, Jeannie?)
Even If You Grab A Piece of Time
Conjure something glowing
Take this day
You were born with hands for spinning
Talent for dreams and making them real
Roll the hours like yarn
Spin something that makes you feel full
And big and open to talk
Make this day your own square
In your own life quilt
So shining it brighten the whole of your years
This far
Make this day like one of God's seven.
- Ruth Forman
Clear Ayes, thanks! It was the 6 min one with an even funnier introduction.. lots of great words. It was St Francis de la Sissies.
Planted tomatoes and cucumbers today.Too beautiful to stay inside.
Sallie,
I read your letter to the newspaper. Thanks for mentioning my blog. Dictionary explains accessory as "an article or set of articles of dress, as gloves, earrings, or a scarf, that adds completeness, convenience, attractiveness, etc., to one's basic outfit." So I guess the clue for OBI is legit. Maybe "Madama Butterfly" costume piece is more accurate?
Argyle,
I BAGLE & lox you. Tremendous help this morning.
C. C., I don't know if it is a Biblical phrase right off the bat. I only know that my father said it all my life. He would say things to make us realize how fortunate we are and to teach us not to make fun or light of those less fortunate. Dad made us think.
The full quote for 92 across is, "There but for the grace of God go I". As full as my father ever said.
The other mantra he repeated often when we might see some infirm person would be out of their hearing. He would say, "I griped because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet". As a survivor of the Depression, my father literally did not have shoes at times. But he was happy for what he did have.
Happy Easter to you.
Steve
C.C., right back at cha'.
Why is DORM clued as "Rice pad"?
Rice University, Houston, TX ?
On this day April 12th...
Okay...31...here you go.
1606 England adopted the Union Jack as its flag.
1861 The Civil War began as Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
1877 The catcher for Harvard's baseball team, James Tyng, wore a modified fencing mask behind the plate. It is believed to be the first time a catcher's mask was used during a game.
1955 The Salk vaccine against polio was declared safe and effective.
1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the Earth once before making a safe landing.
1981 The space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on its first test flight.
1983 Harold Washington was elected Chicago's first African-American mayor.
1985 Sen. Jake Garn of Utah became the first senator to fly in space as the shuttle Discovery lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
1989 Former middleweight boxing champion Sugar Ray Robinson died at age 67.
1992 Euro Disneyland, a $4 billion theme park, opened in Marne-La-Vallee, France.
1999 U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright found President Bill Clinton in contempt of court for giving "intentionally false" testimony in a lawsuit filed by Paula Jones about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
2001 Cincinnati Mayor Charles Luken declared a state of emergency amid an outbreak of racial violence.
2002 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resigned under pressure from the country's divided military. (He was returned to office two days later.)
2004 Barry Bonds hit his 660th home run to tie Willie Mays for third on baseball's career list. (Bonds is now the career leader in home runs.)
2007 A suicide bomber breached security in Iraq's parliament and blew himself up in the dining hall; a Sunni parliament member was killed.
Sorry, no witty comments included; too full. I also didn't do the puzzle today and just ushered my guests outside. We are all enjoying "after dinner" drinks and cigars on the patio 55-60 degree weather and sunny.
C.C. In the Wiki page, the quote has John Bradford speaking about himself in third-person syntax. He was a martyr who was imprisoned on a trivial charge of stirring up the masses with his strong belief in God. In the quote, he is essentially saying that he believes that it is only due to God's influence that he was not among a group going on their way to be executed. Kind of ironic if you think about it. If he had not been out and about espousing his belief, he wouldn't have been in prison in the first place (he was eventually burned at the stake.) The quote: "There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford" has been altered to be "There, but for the grace of God, go I" by others, wanting to use the quote themselves, to declare their own devoutness and as a sort of internal reassurance pointing out that their own situation could be much worse than it is now.
My daughter is juuroku, and very much her own person.
CC et al:
My baby son`s third wife is a keeper! She cooked the family meal today...and what a meal it was! I 34d! It was so nice to have younger hands (and backs) do the meal!
What little I could solve early was mostly by google...69a came easy because of the "foolish man vs the wise man." Enzyme suffix was a "gimme" as well as 42a. Wanted "tiger lily" for "snapdragon" and it threw me for a while. (tiger as in Jungle Book)
The "theme" helped but had to come here to get it. More ink than pencil today... but I`m not whining!
While I`ve heard "herb" pronounced with and without the silent "h"...I`ve never heard "historic" pronounced with a silent "h" except by Eliza Dolittle. I stand by my "an historic" as opposed to "a historic" and "a" before a long "u" as in "a university."
Still, it riled me that someone would criticize the blog master on her own blog and be so gutless as to do it "anonymously". Somehow, you bring out the "mother-hen" in me, CC :)
Why is DORM clued as "Rice pad"?
Ayup, definitely a reference to a dormitory at Rice university. A "pad" is slang for an apartment, so a pad at Rice university would be a Dormitory (abbreviated as DORM).
I've seen this clue before and boy did it ever stump me the first time I saw it!
Happy Easter to all.
I worked the puzzle online today while sitting and watching the Masters. What a tournament it is - however it is lacking both Seve and the presence of Sergio. I liked the puzzle, but was thinking that they were asking for Seve's country, not his countryman. I did finally figure that out though.
We all ate like horses this morning for brunch. That one should be a GIMME for me as I have two teenage boys who do nothing but eat like horses.
I loved the Early Bird? clues as well as the Bars bought dry. Soap was what was coming to mind but I just couldn't commit to it. I didn't get HUT until you explained it, and never caught the theme, even though I filled in all the answers. I also liked the Exercise done on a bench?
I thought the superfund clue was fair, as they are funds used to clean up environmentally hazardous sites (where corporations dump toxic waste, etc) and the EPA would be the agency that regulates that.
I never miss the Maine college town living close to Orono, MN. Edina MN is often clued too.
All in all a good puzzle. Now I have to watch and see who takes over - Angel or Kenny. Great Masters viewing today.
Good evening, C.C. and gang - fun puzzle today - did it this morning, just under 11 minutes, and have been on the go ever since. I agree, 'early bird' and the dry bar clue were the best, and the puzzle had a nice mix of the fresh and the familiar.
Happy Easter to everyone.
11 and a wakeup until the warm Florida sun!
Good evening, all,
I had this very good puzzle solved by 8:30 this morning, but Easter celebration and Masters viewing kept me away from the blog til now. Way to go, Angel! I was rooting for Campbell, but his putting was suspect all day.
I agree with the majority of posters about the clever clues and lack of difficulty. I never cottoned to the theme, however. Do you figure these out yourself, C.C., or are you informed by the constructor?
Glad to hear some of you are getting some Spring at last. It has been so warm, dry, and windy in Texas that brush fires are becoming a real danger. We had a small community of 30 homes totally destroyed last week.
I understand the phonetic in Yinguo (England) & Faguo (France). No such thing in Meiguo though. The translation is just a pure beautiful imagination of a beautiful country.
It's like when parents name their children in China: most names translate as "precious" or "beautiful" or "strong" or "wise". Likewise when the Chinese first transliterated the name "America" they chose characters that would have a favorable meaning and would not insult any Americans who might one day learn to read Chinese. Besides, "Beautiful country" is not a _translation_ for "America" because the word doesn't mean "beautiful country" in English. It's named after map drawer America Vespuci. I wonder if the name actually has a Latin meaning or if it was just made up.
Martin
Hi to all,
"HUT"
Having been in the military service, and having never paid much attention to football games or football terms, it was easy to confuse "hiking" with "marching", as in "forward, march, hut, two, three, four". We always had to step off from standing position first with left foot, so that all the troops were in the same step. It looked more military that way. The leader would always call cadence, and he would start over again after four steps with another "hut". Your left foot had to hit the ground again on each "hut" After a few boring rounds of this, the leader would then start to call out a few lines (a sort of poetry, which was only fit for mens' ears, and which we as a group would repeat after him) that kept the beat (cadence)and the step going. Never knew why "one" was called "hut", but it always was.
May the young'ons heard it that way when they were learning to talk.
Old Sage in Virginia Beach
T. Frank said..@ 7:20 PM I never cottoned to the theme, however. Do you figure these out yourself, C.C., or are you informed by the constructor?
If you look you will see the Sunday puzzle has the theme spelled out for you. The weekday puzzles, while they have a theme, too, it is up to the reader to figure out what it is and our C.C. does it the best. The Saturday puzzle doesn't have a theme.
c.C.
Nope, I don't know McInturff at all. For the LA xword info go here:
http://home.everestkc.net/nytxword/lada.htm
Thanks, Argyle,
I guess I never paid attention to the theme. I went back to today's puzzle online, and there it was, plain as day. A V8 moment for me.
CC:
The following quote is from the ezinearticles.com/?A-or-An-Before-Historic&id=83217 web site:
Many people say, "An historical occasion," but "an historical" isn't idiomatic in American English. Using "an" is common, but not universally accepted by experts.
The site has other "a", "an" "rules", also.
So I guess it`s a matter of common usage vs "the experts."
Well, I never used to do the Sunday puzzle, but you all have my full attention, and these clues were mostly fun.
Speaking of fun, the Masters was awesome. Phil and Tiger charging, getting to 10 under; both knowing it would take 11 or 12 to win. Poor Kenny Perry, choking ever so slightly to let everyone back in, like Tiger did in 2005, then unable to re-gather and lose to Angel Cabrera, who while not from Spain, made it known that Seve was his hero. As I said to C.C. on Friday, he was playing like he did at the US Open, when everyone else choked and he hung in and won. It really is the most exciting golf tournament, combining birdies, eagles and beautiful scenery. To have so many in contention was great; too bad Tiger did not find his putting stroke until Sunday, too bad Kenny Perry could not finish, too bad Phil went in the water on 12; it would have interesting to see how the last group would have fared with an 11 or 12 under on the board by Phil or Tiger. It also is amazing that the Australian contingent, which does so well in all other tournaments, continues to fade at the Masters. Well time to sleep and awaken to a Monday puzzle, have a great week all.
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