Theme: Overheard at the Pub (SS → SH)
24A: Nearly matching outfit's problem?: A TOUCH OF CLASH (A Touch of Class)
47A: Wild zebra party?: STRIPED BASH (Striped Bass)
71A: Basket weaving operation?: MESHY BUSINESS (Messy Business)
94A: Ski house that rustles in the wind?: SWISH CHALET (Swiss Chalet)
118A: Washington nonsense?: POLITICAL BOSH (Political Boss)
3D: Frenzy over 1970s-'80s sitcom?: M*A*S*H HYSTERIA (Mass Hysteria)
67D: Assertive simians: BRASH MONKEYS (Brass Monkeys)
I like STRIPED BASH the most. SWISH CHALET is great too. Seeing DEE DEE (125D: Political pundit Myers) below POLITICAL BOSH made me laugh. Some of her views are indeed POLITICAL BOSH.
MESHY BUSINESS is partly transferred. I guess the constructor/editor needs an odd number 13- letter phrase at row #11 (the center theme in a grid has to have an odd number of letters). But they couldn't find a better one. Both MESHY DIVORCE and MESHY BEDROOM are one letter short. Maybe you can think of a better one?
I don't know the meaning of Brash Monkeys & Mass Hysteria. So the humor is lost on me there. My favorite clue today is DOC (12D: Dopey friend?). We had discussions on the 7 Dwarfs' names before. "Happy/Grumpy/Sleepy friend?" would be excellent too.
Tough struggle again. Too many unknowns for me. I felt like I was playing US Open with only 3 clubs in my bag: driver, 7-iron and putter. Some of the clues are tough. For example, OCT (54A: Natl. Pizza month). I would have got it if it were clued as "World Series month". Maybe not. The World Series month this year will extend to November.
Oh, I finally saw Bo Derk's TEN last night. And the RAVEL "Boléro" part kind of disappointed me. It's not as sexy as I had expected. Fun to see both TEN (5D: Perfection symbol) and RAVEL (55A: Tangle) in the grid though, though they are clued differently.
I found this similar themed puzzle in Jim's database. It has STRIPED BASH also.
Across:
1A: De Niro's "Raging Bull" role: LAMOTTA. Stumped immediately. Have never seen "Raging Bull". Not familiar with the boxer Jake LaMotta either. He is still alive. Wikipedia says he is also nicknamed "The Bronx Bull".
8A: Herod's fortress: MASADA. Hebrew for "fortress". Another stumper for me. See this picture. Did King Herod build it?
14A: "I can't be the only one thinking this": IS IT ME. Got it with the down help.
23A: Hustler's target: AMATEUR. I don't get this one. Why?
21A: Emcee's deliveries: INTROS
22A: "Sorry": NO SOAP. Did not come to me quickly. I've heard of this slang though.
23A: 32-Down player: COSTNER. And NESS (32D: Capone harasser). From "The Untouchables". Great movie.
26A: Repeat: ECHO
27A: Assimilate: ABSORB. And ATTUNE (83D: Adjust). Same first letter in one-word clue and one-word answer. I start to like this style now.
29A: Name in a B-29 lore: ENOLA. ENOLA Gay. Named after the pilot's mother.
30A: Play-__: DOH. You won't believe it. But really I've never heard of Play-DOH. I suppose the DOH is playing on "dough"?
31A: Sleep lab subject: INSOMNIAC
34A: Vibrations: TREMORS
40A: Zany Martha: RAYE. Very often COCA is clued as "Zany Imogene". Why "Zany" all the time"?
41A: Popular Apple: IMAC
43A: Inter __: ALIA. Among others. Et ALIA is "and others".
44A: Chooses not to accept: PASSED ON. Thought of OPTED OUT first.
50A: Terrestrial salamanders: EFTS. And newt. I learned both from doing Xword.
51A: Shade of gray: STEEL. Did not know STEEL can be a color.
60A: Muscular: TONED. Madonna is so thin now. Her arms are always very TONED. Notice the red string Cabala bracelet?
63A: Outcast: PARIAH
66A: Tonsillitis-treating MDS: ENTS. Trouble for me. I am used to the "Tolkien trees" clue. ENT is Ear, Nose, and Throat.
67A: Catch: BAG. Thought of NAB first.
70A: Brit. recording giant: EMI
75A: Play with robots: R.U. R. The Capek play where the word "robot" is introduced. I tanked. Might have got it if the clue were "Play about robots".
76A: Actor Stephen: REA. "The Crying Game" had a profound impact on me.
77A: Prefix with _ cardium: PERI. Pericardium is the membranous sac enclosing the heart. PERI is prefix "around", cardium denotes an organ/tissue associated with heart. New word to me.
78A: Currency exchange fee: AGIO. A word I keep remembering and keep forgetting.
79A: Zippo filler: BUTANE
82A: Taken for: SEEN AS
86A: Ice dams may form in them: EAVES. Have never heard of the term "ice dams".
91A: Full: SATED
93A: Cleft site: CHIN. I did not know there is a special term for this hollow area in the CHIN.
98A: Betrays, as a spouse: TWO-TIMES. Is there a THREE-TIME? I mean, it's not unusual for a man to cheat on his girlfriend also. By the way, what's your definition of "lovers"? Do they have to have a sexual relationship?
100A: "Fisherman with __": Bazille painting. A NET. Holy hot wick! Where is the fisherman? Where is the net?
102A: Dominican diamond family name: ALOU. Baseball diamond. Not the African diamond diamond. The last ALOU (Moisés ALOU) just retired from baseball.
105A: Sidekick played by Bruce Lee in '60s TV: KATO. From "The Green Hornet". I learned from doing Xword. His Lee has the same character (李) as the Li in Jet Li, just different spelling.
106A: "Romanoff and Juliet" playwright Peter: USTINOV. Nope. He does not look like a man with such a complicated surname. Have never heard of "Romanoff and Juliet" either.
108A: Bummed: SCROUNGED. I like this word. Lots of consonants.
111A: Stamp on a bad check: NSF
114A: Church law: CANON. I wonder where CANON Camera got its name.
116A: Point of maximum Earth-moon separation: APOGEE. Opposite perigee.
117A: Black & Decker rival: SKIL. I forgot this Bosche brand. It was clued as "Big name in tool" last time.
122A: Unlikely protagonist: NONHERO. My goodness. It's a real word.
126A: Web communications protocol: TELNET. No idea.
127A: Steak orders: RIBEYES. Want some?
128A: "Gunsmoke" star: ARNESS (James). His name escaped me this morning. I definitely googled him before. He was Marshal Dillon.
129A Ukrainian port: ODESSA
130A: Goes by: ELAPSES
Down:
1D: Tied: LACED. And LOOSES (103D: Unties).
2D: BP merger partner: AMOCO. Merged in 1998. BP is big in China, so is SHELL.
4D: "Airplane!" automatic pilot: OTTO. No idea. Not familiar with the movie "Airplane!". I can't find the name OTTO in this Wiki article. PILOT is also the answer for 81A: Light in the kitchen. But it's only 5 letter. Rich Norris says he will change if it's a long word (6-letter or more) dupe.
6D: Calendar abbr.: TUE. Too vague for me. I need a "Mon. follower" to get the answer.
7D: Rich tapestry: ARRAS
8D: Noxious influence: MIASMA. Metaphorical sense?
9D: Shakespeare title lover: ANTONY. "Antony & Cleopatra". Of course, Romeo came to me first.
10D: Levels: STORIES. British for floors, correct?
11D: Caribbean resort island: ARUBA. The Netherlands has had a strange reach in its history. It also ruled Taiwan from 1624 to 1662, hence the name Dutch Formosa.
13D: Tennis legend: ASHE
14D: Like current regulations: IN FORCE. Tough multiple word answer for me.
15D: Architectural column base: SOCLE. New word to me. Same as plinth?
16D: Capital ESE of Kabul: ISLAMABAD
18D: More, to Miguel: MAS. Know No MAS, No MAS.
19D: Bk. after Galatians: EPH. Before Philippians. I need to commit those Bible books and their order into memory.
25D: Ready in the keg: ON TAP
28D: Brunei's island: BORNEO. See this map. It's the world's third-largest island Island, after Green Land and New Guinea.
31D: Martinique, e.g.: ILE. I had no idea that Martinique belongs to France.
33D: Newspaper no. CIRC
36D: High ground: RISE. Not a familiar definition to me.
39D: Very, to Vivaldi: ASSAI. Allegro ASSAI, very quick.
42D: Two-part glove: MITTEN
44D: Sneeze inducer: PEPPERS
45D: Blazing: AFLAME
46D: Polo Grounds star: OTT (Mel). He played his entire career for NY Giant. HOFer of course.
48D: Where to see piggies: TOOTSIES. Had no idea that TOOTSIE is a slang for foot. Dictionary says it's also a slang for sweetheart/darling/prostitute. What a word!
49D: Prepare for the prom: DRESS UP. No prom in China.
52D: Modern bazaar: EBAY. I wanted MALL again.
53D: Rake over the coals: LAMBASTE. "Rake over the coals" is a new idiom to me.
57D: Somewhat wet: DAMPISH. Only know damp.
59D: Measuring device: GAUGE
62D: Fed. accident investigator: NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board). Created in 1975. I have trouble remembering this abbreviation also.
64D: Louse: HEEL
68D: Mame, to Patrick: AUNTIE. Blanked again. It's from AUNTIE Mame.
69D: Links targets: GREENS. Was thinking of the flags.
72D: Full house sign: SRO
73D: One with a take-out order: HIT MAN. "Take-out" means to murder. Great clue.
74D: New Rochelle college: IONA. See their logo GAELS. Makes great sense, since IONA is also a Scottish Island.
80D: Implied: TACIT
81D: Dust gun output: PESTICIDE. I did not know what a dust gun is.
86D: Birthright seller: ESAU. Often clued as "Biblical twin". Brother of Jacob.
87D: Botanical bristles: AWNS
88D: __: CONG: VIET. Vietnamese is so different in Chinese. I can't make sense of their language at all.
90D: Big bucks: ELKS. Great clue. ELKS are big. Those antlers make me headache.
95D: Buds: CRONIES. Always thought CRONY has a negative tone.
96D: Serious disorder: HAVOC
97D: Atlantic sport fish: TARPONS. Here is a big one. It's silvery. I wonder if the raw fish tastes good.
104D: "You __ Know": Alanis Morissette hit: OUGHTA. Here is the clip. Is it a very well-known song?
107D: The NBA's Archibald et al: NATES. Then NBA later appears as the answer for 123D: 123D: Wizards' grp.
109D: Coax, for instance: CABLE. Coax is short for coaxial. Coaxial CABLE. Hard for me.
110D: History or mystery: GENRE
112D: "Yes __!" SIREE
113D: Dentist's advice: FLOSS. New concept in China.
115D: Intl. alliance since 1949: NATO. Hmm, THE US is a NATO founding member. What a brutal fill the other day.
117D: George of the Jungle's pet elephant: SHEP. No idea. Have never head of "George of the Jungle". Thought it's a dog.
118D: Hi-tech organizer: PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). I am a low-tech dummy. Probably will never own a blackberry.
121D: Set the pace: LED. I like the tense ambiguity in set.
123D: "Starry Night", for example: OIL. Ah, have to show "Starry Starry Night" again. There is always yellow in Van Gogh's blue.
Answer grid.
C.C.
24A: Nearly matching outfit's problem?: A TOUCH OF CLASH (A Touch of Class)
47A: Wild zebra party?: STRIPED BASH (Striped Bass)
71A: Basket weaving operation?: MESHY BUSINESS (Messy Business)
94A: Ski house that rustles in the wind?: SWISH CHALET (Swiss Chalet)
118A: Washington nonsense?: POLITICAL BOSH (Political Boss)
3D: Frenzy over 1970s-'80s sitcom?: M*A*S*H HYSTERIA (Mass Hysteria)
67D: Assertive simians: BRASH MONKEYS (Brass Monkeys)
I like STRIPED BASH the most. SWISH CHALET is great too. Seeing DEE DEE (125D: Political pundit Myers) below POLITICAL BOSH made me laugh. Some of her views are indeed POLITICAL BOSH.
MESHY BUSINESS is partly transferred. I guess the constructor/editor needs an odd number 13- letter phrase at row #11 (the center theme in a grid has to have an odd number of letters). But they couldn't find a better one. Both MESHY DIVORCE and MESHY BEDROOM are one letter short. Maybe you can think of a better one?
I don't know the meaning of Brash Monkeys & Mass Hysteria. So the humor is lost on me there. My favorite clue today is DOC (12D: Dopey friend?). We had discussions on the 7 Dwarfs' names before. "Happy/Grumpy/Sleepy friend?" would be excellent too.
Tough struggle again. Too many unknowns for me. I felt like I was playing US Open with only 3 clubs in my bag: driver, 7-iron and putter. Some of the clues are tough. For example, OCT (54A: Natl. Pizza month). I would have got it if it were clued as "World Series month". Maybe not. The World Series month this year will extend to November.
Oh, I finally saw Bo Derk's TEN last night. And the RAVEL "Boléro" part kind of disappointed me. It's not as sexy as I had expected. Fun to see both TEN (5D: Perfection symbol) and RAVEL (55A: Tangle) in the grid though, though they are clued differently.
I found this similar themed puzzle in Jim's database. It has STRIPED BASH also.
Across:
1A: De Niro's "Raging Bull" role: LAMOTTA. Stumped immediately. Have never seen "Raging Bull". Not familiar with the boxer Jake LaMotta either. He is still alive. Wikipedia says he is also nicknamed "The Bronx Bull".
8A: Herod's fortress: MASADA. Hebrew for "fortress". Another stumper for me. See this picture. Did King Herod build it?
14A: "I can't be the only one thinking this": IS IT ME. Got it with the down help.
23A: Hustler's target: AMATEUR. I don't get this one. Why?
21A: Emcee's deliveries: INTROS
22A: "Sorry": NO SOAP. Did not come to me quickly. I've heard of this slang though.
23A: 32-Down player: COSTNER. And NESS (32D: Capone harasser). From "The Untouchables". Great movie.
26A: Repeat: ECHO
27A: Assimilate: ABSORB. And ATTUNE (83D: Adjust). Same first letter in one-word clue and one-word answer. I start to like this style now.
29A: Name in a B-29 lore: ENOLA. ENOLA Gay. Named after the pilot's mother.
30A: Play-__: DOH. You won't believe it. But really I've never heard of Play-DOH. I suppose the DOH is playing on "dough"?
31A: Sleep lab subject: INSOMNIAC
34A: Vibrations: TREMORS
40A: Zany Martha: RAYE. Very often COCA is clued as "Zany Imogene". Why "Zany" all the time"?
41A: Popular Apple: IMAC
43A: Inter __: ALIA. Among others. Et ALIA is "and others".
44A: Chooses not to accept: PASSED ON. Thought of OPTED OUT first.
50A: Terrestrial salamanders: EFTS. And newt. I learned both from doing Xword.
51A: Shade of gray: STEEL. Did not know STEEL can be a color.
60A: Muscular: TONED. Madonna is so thin now. Her arms are always very TONED. Notice the red string Cabala bracelet?
63A: Outcast: PARIAH
66A: Tonsillitis-treating MDS: ENTS. Trouble for me. I am used to the "Tolkien trees" clue. ENT is Ear, Nose, and Throat.
67A: Catch: BAG. Thought of NAB first.
70A: Brit. recording giant: EMI
75A: Play with robots: R.U. R. The Capek play where the word "robot" is introduced. I tanked. Might have got it if the clue were "Play about robots".
76A: Actor Stephen: REA. "The Crying Game" had a profound impact on me.
77A: Prefix with _ cardium: PERI. Pericardium is the membranous sac enclosing the heart. PERI is prefix "around", cardium denotes an organ/tissue associated with heart. New word to me.
78A: Currency exchange fee: AGIO. A word I keep remembering and keep forgetting.
79A: Zippo filler: BUTANE
82A: Taken for: SEEN AS
86A: Ice dams may form in them: EAVES. Have never heard of the term "ice dams".
91A: Full: SATED
93A: Cleft site: CHIN. I did not know there is a special term for this hollow area in the CHIN.
98A: Betrays, as a spouse: TWO-TIMES. Is there a THREE-TIME? I mean, it's not unusual for a man to cheat on his girlfriend also. By the way, what's your definition of "lovers"? Do they have to have a sexual relationship?
100A: "Fisherman with __": Bazille painting. A NET. Holy hot wick! Where is the fisherman? Where is the net?
102A: Dominican diamond family name: ALOU. Baseball diamond. Not the African diamond diamond. The last ALOU (Moisés ALOU) just retired from baseball.
105A: Sidekick played by Bruce Lee in '60s TV: KATO. From "The Green Hornet". I learned from doing Xword. His Lee has the same character (李) as the Li in Jet Li, just different spelling.
106A: "Romanoff and Juliet" playwright Peter: USTINOV. Nope. He does not look like a man with such a complicated surname. Have never heard of "Romanoff and Juliet" either.
108A: Bummed: SCROUNGED. I like this word. Lots of consonants.
111A: Stamp on a bad check: NSF
114A: Church law: CANON. I wonder where CANON Camera got its name.
116A: Point of maximum Earth-moon separation: APOGEE. Opposite perigee.
117A: Black & Decker rival: SKIL. I forgot this Bosche brand. It was clued as "Big name in tool" last time.
122A: Unlikely protagonist: NONHERO. My goodness. It's a real word.
126A: Web communications protocol: TELNET. No idea.
127A: Steak orders: RIBEYES. Want some?
128A: "Gunsmoke" star: ARNESS (James). His name escaped me this morning. I definitely googled him before. He was Marshal Dillon.
129A Ukrainian port: ODESSA
130A: Goes by: ELAPSES
Down:
1D: Tied: LACED. And LOOSES (103D: Unties).
2D: BP merger partner: AMOCO. Merged in 1998. BP is big in China, so is SHELL.
4D: "Airplane!" automatic pilot: OTTO. No idea. Not familiar with the movie "Airplane!". I can't find the name OTTO in this Wiki article. PILOT is also the answer for 81A: Light in the kitchen. But it's only 5 letter. Rich Norris says he will change if it's a long word (6-letter or more) dupe.
6D: Calendar abbr.: TUE. Too vague for me. I need a "Mon. follower" to get the answer.
7D: Rich tapestry: ARRAS
8D: Noxious influence: MIASMA. Metaphorical sense?
9D: Shakespeare title lover: ANTONY. "Antony & Cleopatra". Of course, Romeo came to me first.
10D: Levels: STORIES. British for floors, correct?
11D: Caribbean resort island: ARUBA. The Netherlands has had a strange reach in its history. It also ruled Taiwan from 1624 to 1662, hence the name Dutch Formosa.
13D: Tennis legend: ASHE
14D: Like current regulations: IN FORCE. Tough multiple word answer for me.
15D: Architectural column base: SOCLE. New word to me. Same as plinth?
16D: Capital ESE of Kabul: ISLAMABAD
18D: More, to Miguel: MAS. Know No MAS, No MAS.
19D: Bk. after Galatians: EPH. Before Philippians. I need to commit those Bible books and their order into memory.
25D: Ready in the keg: ON TAP
28D: Brunei's island: BORNEO. See this map. It's the world's third-largest island Island, after Green Land and New Guinea.
31D: Martinique, e.g.: ILE. I had no idea that Martinique belongs to France.
33D: Newspaper no. CIRC
36D: High ground: RISE. Not a familiar definition to me.
39D: Very, to Vivaldi: ASSAI. Allegro ASSAI, very quick.
42D: Two-part glove: MITTEN
44D: Sneeze inducer: PEPPERS
45D: Blazing: AFLAME
46D: Polo Grounds star: OTT (Mel). He played his entire career for NY Giant. HOFer of course.
48D: Where to see piggies: TOOTSIES. Had no idea that TOOTSIE is a slang for foot. Dictionary says it's also a slang for sweetheart/darling/prostitute. What a word!
49D: Prepare for the prom: DRESS UP. No prom in China.
52D: Modern bazaar: EBAY. I wanted MALL again.
53D: Rake over the coals: LAMBASTE. "Rake over the coals" is a new idiom to me.
57D: Somewhat wet: DAMPISH. Only know damp.
59D: Measuring device: GAUGE
62D: Fed. accident investigator: NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board). Created in 1975. I have trouble remembering this abbreviation also.
64D: Louse: HEEL
68D: Mame, to Patrick: AUNTIE. Blanked again. It's from AUNTIE Mame.
69D: Links targets: GREENS. Was thinking of the flags.
72D: Full house sign: SRO
73D: One with a take-out order: HIT MAN. "Take-out" means to murder. Great clue.
74D: New Rochelle college: IONA. See their logo GAELS. Makes great sense, since IONA is also a Scottish Island.
80D: Implied: TACIT
81D: Dust gun output: PESTICIDE. I did not know what a dust gun is.
86D: Birthright seller: ESAU. Often clued as "Biblical twin". Brother of Jacob.
87D: Botanical bristles: AWNS
88D: __: CONG: VIET. Vietnamese is so different in Chinese. I can't make sense of their language at all.
90D: Big bucks: ELKS. Great clue. ELKS are big. Those antlers make me headache.
95D: Buds: CRONIES. Always thought CRONY has a negative tone.
96D: Serious disorder: HAVOC
97D: Atlantic sport fish: TARPONS. Here is a big one. It's silvery. I wonder if the raw fish tastes good.
104D: "You __ Know": Alanis Morissette hit: OUGHTA. Here is the clip. Is it a very well-known song?
107D: The NBA's Archibald et al: NATES. Then NBA later appears as the answer for 123D: 123D: Wizards' grp.
109D: Coax, for instance: CABLE. Coax is short for coaxial. Coaxial CABLE. Hard for me.
110D: History or mystery: GENRE
112D: "Yes __!" SIREE
113D: Dentist's advice: FLOSS. New concept in China.
115D: Intl. alliance since 1949: NATO. Hmm, THE US is a NATO founding member. What a brutal fill the other day.
117D: George of the Jungle's pet elephant: SHEP. No idea. Have never head of "George of the Jungle". Thought it's a dog.
118D: Hi-tech organizer: PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). I am a low-tech dummy. Probably will never own a blackberry.
121D: Set the pace: LED. I like the tense ambiguity in set.
123D: "Starry Night", for example: OIL. Ah, have to show "Starry Starry Night" again. There is always yellow in Van Gogh's blue.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I see I am the early riser...
I managed to finish this one in 19:32, but it sure felt like a lot longer than that. Most of it was a slow but steady slog, but I had two big trouble spots.
The first was right at the beginning where I just couldn't remember LAMOTTA to save my life and erroneously put DOLL instead of OTTO for 4D. You see, in the movie "Airplane," when they push the button to activate the autopilot, an inflatable doll pops up and take the steering controls. I forgot the doll's name was OTTO. Also, 23A just had a reference to 32D, which I hadn't solved yet, so that didn't help any. In fact, it was only later, when I had solved 32D, that I was able to go back and get 23A, and that made me realize that DOLL couldn't be right and the rest fell into place.
The other problem area was the bottom central section. I remembered TARPON for a change, but there were two very tricky clues that really had me going for awhile. "Dominican family diamond name" had me thinking of a company that produced diamonds instead of a family that played on the baseball diamond. And "Coax" had me thinking along the lines of "urge" or "prod" instead of coaxial CABLE. I did finally get both clues, however.
Have a great one, all!
Barry,
ReplyDeleteGood morning! Once again, "Dominican family diamond name" was a gimme to me. Unfortunately, there were too few of them.
Jeannie,
Just to set the record straight. I deleted your "Big Banana" and "Slider" & "Balls" comment, not some other innocent baseball wordplay. If you don't like my decision, leave! Otherwise, stop whining! Additionally, to anyone who is familiar with golf terms, your repeated golf posts were senseless and not fun!
Argyle,
Good Barry Silk & X connection. See, identifying a constructor's style sure helps! Thanks for the other answers.
Crockett,
I print my puzzle from Cruciverb/ LA Times website. I prefer solving on paper. It's actually better for my blogging.
Sallie,
ReplyDeleteTMS Daily was pegged at Tuesday/Wednesday difficulty level all week long. LA Times is getting progressively more difficult. And Saturday is supposed to be the toughest. Barry Silk simply clues his puzzle accordingly.
PromiseMe,
Yes indeed, our first Barry since the switch. More of his themeless to come. Be prepared. Do you like gyoza also?
Luxor,
I can normally tell the nationality of Asian people by their language.
TARP*O*N! Dang. That one took some sorting out. Had TARPIN (from TARRAPIN, which is a turtle?), but then POLITICAL BISS didn't sound like a phrase one might parody.
ReplyDeleteGot befuddled by "Coax" as well. Feels like it should be hyphenated, but I guess not. Otherwise, pretty smooth.
Morning all,
ReplyDeleteTook me forever to get the theme which made the puzzle that much more difficult. Could not remember LaMotta and wanted to put in Robert Stack for player of Eliot Ness. Can you tell how old I am? Then I finally remembered Costner. Made that corner very difficult. Play Doh was something my kids enjoyed and I was not fond of. Let them play with it outside on the picnic table. Less cleanup.
We owned a pizza store at one time and never knew Oct. was Natl. Pizza Mo. Got rib eyes early on but prefer a tender filet on the grill, a good salad, garlic toast and a glass of Merlot which was last night’s dinner and was wonderful. Our first warm night to enjoy a meal on our porch and it was thoroughly enjoyed. I guess I don’t remember the “Airplane” movie that well because I don’t get the Otto answer.
@Embien, Thanks for clearing up my puzzle confusion on the NYT published in the Seattle Times. I could tell they weren’t the five week delay puzzles that were blogged on Parker’s site. Didn’t realize they were six weeks behind.
Have a great day all; will do some outside work while I enjoy the weather.
Uncle!! This one kicked my booty. I don't like the cutesy theme, and a lot of the clues were too much of a stretch. No AHA! moments, just a lot of work. I'll take Barry Silk over Norm Guggenbiller any day of the week. Okay, I'm feeling better. I think I'll go lay down for awhile. Thank goodness it's Monday tomorrow. Bye!
ReplyDeleteMy local paper is the Birmingham News tha is owned by the Hansen family. Unfortunately, the local paper is geting smaller on the week days and larger on Sunday. After you throw away the ads, real estate, weddings, there is not much left but a good puzzle. Also the paper buries the magazine in the ads, so I have quit reading the magizine.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Does anyone know if "Guggenbiller" is a real name or an alias. It looks like the name is Gernam, but I have not seen it before in the local puzzles.
Tough!! today but finaly after severa; trips to the coffe pot and outside to play with the dogs, I was able to tune in on the words. Many times I just have to get up and do something else and it will come back to me (like "Costner" and "Lamotta" and "Ustinov". My brain seems to take awhile to readjust to the clues and find that different meaning.
abogato in Alabama
Morning all. Not a stumper, but took me longer than it should. Still trying to work out the online navigation.
ReplyDelete@C.C.
Mass Hysteria would be something like the fear Dick Cheney tried to cause over the Bird Flu so he could get the royalties from selling Tamiflu (shots). Anyone here get bird flu yet, after how many years? No? I didn't think so.
Pool hustlers, or sharks, target people who are much less experienced, by losing at first to make them think they are better, then they swoop in for the kill. Amateur players are taken in by that.
Another word you will hear with Zany is Madcap. Both were old black&white TV comedy terms. You won't hear them much anymore outside of a x-word other than being used in a mocking way.
Steel gray is usually used to describe someone's eyes that aren't quite blue.
You live in MN and never heard of ice dams? Hard to fathom.
Hmmm, where are you looking in that painting ;-) The fisherman is holding the mesh net, getting ready to throw it.
Telnet. Quite the gimmie for me. Used to log in to one computer from another, or test to see if other protocols are responding, mail, FTP, time, etc...
Otto == Auto (homophone) Otto Pilot, Auto pilot, see?
Interesting thing about British stories, what they call the first floor, we would call the second.
George of the Jungle's pet elephant acts like a dog, that's the joke. George was a comic send-up of the Tarzan movies. They even made a couple live-version films, one with Brendon Frasier, and the second one even explained in the film why it wasn't Brendon the second time. The first was funny in a slapstick/one-liner kind of way, the second, not so much.
I am a high-tech person, and I will probably never own a PDA. I'm also a Luddite ;-)
C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteFound this puzzle enjoyable but I still am not getting the theme. Usually after I finish I can figure it out, but why "SS" or "SH" for Overheard at the Pub? Could somebody explain? Although I'm a baseball fan, Alou was hard for me (I did not know Tarpon). Speaking of baseball, my husband is Governor of PA Red Sox Nation. Great games vs Yankees.
Another 80+ day here in Northeast PA.
Stay safe.
cabrini: esses sound like eshes after you've had a few.
ReplyDeleteHere's someone who had a few at the pub. Foster Brooks was so funny because he was a teetotaler, and in the clip, Dean Martin is playing the sober straight man.
ReplyDeletegood morning c.c. and all,
ReplyDeletethis seemed just about right for a sunday. eventually got it all but my stumpers were the SOCLE/ENOLA and AGIO/IONA crossings. never heard of NONHERO before, and did not grok COAX as two syllables til c.c.'s post since i got it from perps. oh. TELNET brought back memories, as did play-DOH, which i still love. SCROUNGED came slowly as i was tricked by the BUMMED clue and was thinking sad. i got the SS/SH theme early on, which helped.
nice links today c.c., as always. MASADA has such colorful history, and never tire of starry night.
there are certainly three- and more-timers, but other words are reserved for that.
c.c. are there any school dances in china?
Lola,
ReplyDeleteNow I get it. Thanks for the explanation.
Hi:
ReplyDeleteI thought it was fun for a Sunday, though I usually do not do them, as I work on Sundays and they take too long, even when you know the answers. These do need you to get the theme to make them doable, and the M*A*S*H* reference made that easy.
The ALOU brothers actually played in the same outfield one day ALOU when they were all with San Francisco.
Off to work, relax all...
Today's LA Times Calendar puzzle has a lot more straightforward cluing.
ReplyDeleteThe LA Magazine puzzle was about in the middle of the other two.
Afternoon all, Only having done the Sunday puzzle for abour 4 years, I am truly having a very hard time with this puzzle type. I am used to the New York Times Sunday puzzle and I do wish our paper in our City would go back to it for I used to love doing the puzzle and then calling my Sister and going through the puzzle. She has been doing the Sunday puzzle since she was in her early twentys and we are both in our sixties now and both are having a hard time. We do not work the puzzle any more and that is sad.
ReplyDeleteAbogato in Alabama,
ReplyDeleteNorm Guggenbiller's name shows up three times in Jim's NYT puzzle database and three times in Orange's LAT blog posts. I suppose it's his real name.
Linda,
Good work on Al's cryptic. See? you are good with those stuff.
Anon HP,
Re: acute pains (6): Smarts?
Jazzbumpa,
I've replied to you in yesterday's post. Welcome!
Al,
ReplyDeleteThanks for Mass Hysteria. I was actually thinking of Paul Newman's "The Hustler" for AMATEUR. But I was not quite sure. I guess I've never paid attention to what people call those ice dam. Very strange nude fisherman painting. Good OTTO/auto tip. Why wasn't Brendon Frasier on "George of the Jungle II"?
JD,
I hope to meet with you some day. You sound like a very fun person.
Cabrini,
Rex is a Red Sox fan too.
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteYes, there are school dance classes in China now. Things changed dramatically after Tiananmen Square Incident. So many things that were forbidden before suddenly became acceptable.
Lemonade,
Thanks for the interesting trivia on the ALOU's. I was unaware of that.
Anonymous @12:53pm,
You are not alone, most of us had a hard time today. Don't give up.
C.C.
ReplyDeleteThe L.A.Times puzzles are what I call "gotcha" puzzles. Some clues are so obscure I picture the originator saying "gotcha" when I finally get the answer to an obscure clue.
Be that as it may, you make the endeavor to do the puzzle worthhwhile by having this site available. I enjoy this site very much. You are a very nice person. THANK YOU!
Good Afternoon C.C. and Co.,
ReplyDeleteC.C.,
Yes, I do like Gyoza.
I never saw Raging Bull either. However, I had heard LAMOTTA's name before and once the fills started to reveal the answer I pulled it out of the deep recesses.
I did see the TV movie MASADA with Peter O'Toole many, many years ago. Apparently, Herod The Great did not build Masada. However, he did fortify it for his own use in the event of a revolt.
As for AMATEUR, I didn't figure there was much chance of the clue referring to this kind of hustler. If it had, the answer would have been only four letters.
They did some of the filming for The Untouchables in Montana and my step-sister was so thrilled because she got to meet Sean Connery. I wonder if she knew he was a misogynist.
"I suppose the DOH is playing on "dough"?"
I always assumed that was the case. I loved Play-Doh when I was a little kid. It didn't taste very good, though.
Madonna could use a little meat on her bones.
Yes, there must be sexual activity for two people to be called 'lovers'. Also, if one does not enjoy administering oral sex, one cannot call oneself a good lover, IMO.
C.C., Here's the dialog that was in the first scene of the sequel. I think it was hoped to be funnier than it came out:
ReplyDeleteNarrator: Huh? Wait a minute! Who the heck are you?
George: Me new George. Studio too cheap to pay Brendan Fraser.
Narrator: How did you get the part?
George: New George just lucky, I guess.
Unlike most baseball related answers, ALOU was a gimme since Moisés helped the Marlins win the World Series in '97.
ReplyDeleteI once went out with an adorable boy named Moisés when I lived in Miami Beach.
I prepared RIBEYES night before last. I fried ours in my cast-iron skillet. It does a nice job of sealing in the juices.
Yes, since the original meaning of the term MIASMA fell out of use, I think that the only way you will ever hear it used these days is metaphorically.
From Wikipedia:
"The miasmatic theory of disease held that diseases such as cholera or the Black Death were caused by a miasma (Greek language: "pollution"), a noxious form of "bad air". In general, this concept has been supplanted by the more scientifically founded germ theory of disease."
Again according to Wikipedia: "In architecture, a SOCLE is a short plinth used to support a pedestal or sculpture."
You OUGHTA know probably is well-known. Not to me, though. I got it from the fills.
Good Morning All, Phew, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with Sunday easing up on us after Friday's and Saturday's puzzles.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one a lot. Just enough tough fills and just enough easy ones too. All the movie references, LA MOTTA, COSTNER, OTTO, RAYE, AUNTIE and USTINOV were gimmees. Even though I got the SH, all the theme answers were toughies for me. I just couldn't quite reach the completed fill on those without a lot of help from the perps. SOCLE, COAX
Next to golf, boxing is G.A.H.'s favorite sport, so LA MOTTA was no problem. Raging Bull is one of those gritty, somber movies that stays with you for quite a while. It was named The Best Movie of the Decade (1980's) by several film boards and associations. Robert DeNiro deservedly won a Best Actor Academy Award for it.
Didn't we have a blog discussion a few months ago about BRASS MONKEYS? It was something to do with cannonballs. Maybe not, but here's Wikipedia's take on Brass Monkey.
Jeanne, you know a good meal when you have one. Sounded yummy!
AL@10:02 Lots of good information. So true about bird flu. (We didn't have the shots.)
Anon@12:53, Don't let being in your 60's slow you down. Quite a few of us here are in our 60's and older. The tougher the puzzle, the better our synapses fire. (Well, maybe just Wednesday or Thursday tough. I think my synapses give up and take a nap on Friday and Saturday.)
So much for firing synapses. I didn't finish the "SOCLES,COAX" sentence in my last post. I'm sure you all knew that I was just going to say that those were hard fills to get.
ReplyDeleteI've got to get on the road to my sister's. I'll read the comments when I get there. Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye.
ReplyDeleteCC: No time for the puzzle today...(see below)...may get back to it one day this week.
ReplyDeleteI did the cryptics and the Saturday puzzle only to prove to my self that I could . They take longer than I want to devote to "fun..." not that I don`t enjoy an occasional "Shalähj", but I probably won`t pick up the gauntlet again.
Try this for an explanation of "zany" (translation: slapstick.)
(Martha Raye)
Festivals are fun but exhausting! Can I get an amen! One more function and it`s over until next spring.
CC: Just tried the link...not working...just google Youtube-Martha Raye.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteYou do extremely well, considering your relatively short time learning
English.
Two-timing applies not only to the married. It applies to any relationship
where there is an expectation of fidelity.
A more elaborate metaphor - particularly for the non-committed is "..two
trains running...". I think it came from early American blues.
Derek
PMT: Frying things in an iron skillet is the only way my husband wants his meat and potatoes ("bull and spuds" as he calls them) cooked! He`s already had triple by-pass surgery...so watch out! It is delicious, though.
ReplyDelete32:54 today. I had major problems in the NW, largely because I couldn't recall Jake LAMOTTA's name (I'm channeling @Barry G, again).
ReplyDeleteI suppose 90d: Big bucks (ELKS) is correct, but around here we always call a group of ELK just that: ELK (singular and plural).
We used to have a herd of about 30 ELK come around here in the winter to graze, but the neighbors got a new (barking) dog and the ELK don't wander by so much anymore. One bull will control a herd of about that size of females. The "bachelor" bulls (the ones that the herd bull has outfought) will form their own smaller herd with no females.
The deer still come to chomp on my wife's rose bushes, but we still miss the elk.
@c.c.: 104D: "You __ Know": Alanis Morissette hit: OUGHTA. Here is the clip. Is it a very well-known song?"You Oughta Know" was a big hit, off the "Jagged Little Pill" album, which according to Wikipedia is the largest selling debut album worldwide in history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alanis_Morissette
All I can say is it's been gorgeous weather here at the beach so I don't feel one bit sorry about spending so little time on the puzzle. Just checked in to see the comments and get cc's help - couldn't focus on the xword, just too darn nice outside.
ReplyDeleteThe steak cooking sounds so good - think I'll grill a couple of filets tonite with portabellos and salad - there are always more xwords for the crappy days.
Dick - congrats on the win - the Pens deserved it. Always next year for the Flyboys.
Hello, all,
ReplyDeleteA good puzzle today. It took a while, but I got almost all the answers without help. As with others, Lamotta was slow in coming out of my memory banks, but finally did; without it, that corner was impossible for me. I, too, was taken in by coax; like Rex, think it should be hyphenated. Favorite clue was for hitman.
C.C., the only reference I have for brass monkeys is the saying, "it's cold enough to freeze the ba**s off a brass monkey"!
It's still hot, dry, and windy in South Texas. Steady at 30 mph; gusts to 40. You folks that are long on rain, send some down.
Excellent C.C., SMARTS is indeed the right answer to acute pains.
ReplyDeleteBest,
anon-hp
Ah, Embien. Now I feel really stupid. I said that I hadn't heard of You Oughta Know and you just made me realize that I should have ... because I own a copy of Jagged Little Pill.
ReplyDeleteIn my defense, I probably bought that recording because I had heard a lot about it. Then, gave it one listen and never listened to it again. I am not suggesting that is because it is bad or anything, I am simply unfamiliar with it. I have just located it, though, so I think I'll give it another listen. Thanks.
Beautiful day in the foothills and we have been out there enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, thanks for the link to "Ol' Yellow Eyes" and "Toot Toot Tootsie". Very funny, I had no idea he was a singer.
Here's another TOOTSIE (as in Tootsie-Wootsie) reference with Judy Garland and Meet Me In St. Louis...plus a bonus glimpse of little Margaret O'Brien at her cutest.
Not the singer Judy was, but our alto section is singing this song at our spring concert. It's a great old song and a lot of fun to sing.
Good evening, all.
ReplyDeleteWe spent the weekend celebrating my sister's birthday, so I got to the puzzle late today. I finished...but ouch! I enjoy the challenge, and can live with the fact that I don't know all the words in the world, but I hope that with practice this comes a little easier.
I see that there was a Barry Silk puzzle yesterday. I'll have to give that a try, too.
I didn't know SOCLE, IONA, AGIO, REA or DEEDEE. They all came through the other clues. The "Coax" clue held me hostage for quite a while. I wasn't terribly fond of the theme.
Masada has a fascinating history, and Ustinov is one of my favorite entertainers. Look for his narration of "Peter and the Wolf," for which he won a Grammy in 1960.
Shep and Otto were rather obscure. My husband and his sons enjoy goofy movies, and some of it rubs off. *G*
C.C. Okay, I got your point....and yes, let's set the record straight. If you deleted my post why in the world would you post some of it....confused. I thought this was all put behind us.
ReplyDeleteDennis...care to referee? I am close to being banned here.
C.C.,
ReplyDeleteDO YOU SOLVE THESE PUZZLES on your own? If so, you must be pretty smart.
p.s. sorry for the caps
Luxor...she cheats
ReplyDeletec.c. any chance we can talk off line? I mean not on this blog site. I have sent e-mails to you and never got a reponse I understand you are married and I am not hitting on you. I have a couple of things that I would like to chat with you about. I know and understand that this is your blog and I love the site. I will continue to "lurk" (that sounds so bad) no matter what happens
ReplyDeleteI just want to chat on the side a bit and offer my input off line
Whooinhell200@yahoo.com
Hello, My Baby, I'm back and I'm packing heat. If I have to, I'll dust you good. That was one of my chores as a boy, going down the rows in the garden, dusting potatoes and tomatoes; "And make sure you dust the underside of those leaves, too."
ReplyDeleteAl,
ReplyDeleteFeeling that this latest mass hysteria over swine flu is probably just more scare tactics, I was just reading about the whole Cheney Tamiflu thing last night. Funny how that terrible bird flu just sort of disappeared. It is like there is a flavor of the week for diseases.
On a different note, the Cryptic stuff looks very interesting. I hope to learn more about it and give it a shot. A while back C.C. posted a link to a page all about them, but I didn't get around to reading the whole thing. I think it may have been a Wikipedia page. I will see if I can dig that up.
Whooinhell200,
If you emailed C.C. more than once and never received a reply, shouldn't that tell you something? If you are on the level and not up to mischief why can't you just say what you have to say here?
C.C. re: 46A 'have never heard of 'ice dams'. Explanation of ice dam . . picture your roof with a foot or 2 or 3 of snow on it. The bottom of the snow picks up warmth rising from inside the house, resulting in a thin layer of melt. The thin layer of melted snow water moves down the roof until reaching the eaves and is frozen again from the lack of warmth beneath the eave. The resulting frozen water over the eave forms an 'ice dam'. There are obvious dangers accruing from the weight of an ice build-up. Most homes in snow areas have electrical heat in the eaves to prevent the formation of the ice dam.
ReplyDeleteA Florida boy explaining ice dams to a Minnesota girl? What's up with that picture??
Jake LaMotta was obviously a well known and fearless fighter in his day. For you gents among us - did you know LaMotta's wife (I have forgotten her name, dern it) was featured in Playboy at age 50, shortly after the movie came out? She was wearing something that looked like a full body pantyhose suit and WOW was she a knockout!
@Lemonade714 11:46. The Alou brothers all in the same outfield with San Francisco. Wasn't one of them - perhaps Matty - a catcher?
Hayrake
Hey everyone,
ReplyDeleteWell like Rodney King said, "Can't we all just get along?" I am fairly new here, but I really like the diversity of our group and hope we just have some fun, and learn from each other, even if it means learning more than answers to clues.
Speaking of which, I first did puns and anagram puzzles in the Sunday NY Times, whic h they rotated with crostics, and then did the reprints of the London Times Puzzles in the New York magazine. You can sign up London Times if you want to really learn that game.
Off to read, have a good week.
Bravo! C.C
ReplyDeleteWe don't need trash talk on this great blog. I marvel at your patience.
Touche... PMthis re: whoinhell.
Clear Ayes, Good one regarding synapses ..lol
Good luck too all you hockey fans out there.
Our Vancouver Canucks won in 4 so here's hoping we will do it again!
Best to All,
Geri
Hayrake:
ReplyDeleteThe Alous were all primarily outfielders, you can find their details at Encyclopedia which has all the information on everything baseball. I used to be a statistics freak. None ever caught, but they did have a nephew who was a pitcher, along with Felipe's son Moises.
promise me this R.E 801 pm post
ReplyDeletedid you think I never considered that option?
I am trying to talk to c.c. off line to offer a few suggestions
I also did not want to make it big ass problem on the blog
P M T I know you are a whole shit load smarter then me but that is beside the point I truley respect c.c here and totally applaud every thing she has accoplished Holy Crap I wish I was as prolific as she is. I just don't get why you have to slam down anybody "that dares to question" c.c. understand me I love what she has done and I adore her inputs I just don't understand why you think she can't fight her own battles ? do you honestly think she could have started this blog if she were a wimp? Trust me the little "dig" about her not acknoging me was way out of line on you part
My whole thing in this deal was about c.c. scolding people in public when it would be a lot more diplomatic to do it off line trust me P M T c.c. can fight her own battles. I offered every chance to do it offline and not make it an issue here. that is called professionalism
any back lash can go to me at Whooinhell2000@yahoo.com no need to clutter up c.c. site with useless hate mail oh and one mor thing P M T it is 2000 not two hundred whoo
Good evening CC and whoever is still up,
ReplyDeleteMy family just left and so I have continued to work the puzzle. After making a copy this morning, I decided to try it online too. I loved seeing red, and it really helped, but I have to see the whole puzzle and am too tactile to give up the pencil. I WILL finish. I have just scanned the posts and I can see there are words that I have never heard, but it's looking that in another 24 hrs it will be done!!BTW, I have filled in striped bash, very strange .LOL
CC, thanks for those nice words.I think all of us would love to meet you.
Jeannie, this is not high school. Whatever are you thinking?
JD, I was going to post a comment to that "high school" blast comment but thought better of it. Contrary to a lot of people's perception of me, I am a bigger person than that. Oh, and also a lot brighter.
ReplyDeleteFor C.C. et alia :-)
ReplyDeleteRecipe for Play Doh
4 c. flour
4 c. water
4 tbsp oil
2 c. salt
1/4 c. cream of tartar
food color
Mix all together. Cook on medium heat until thick. Knead until smooth.
Yes, I am a gourmet chef! LOL
"c.c. can fight her own battles."
ReplyDeleteWhooinhell200@yahoo.com (cut and pasted from your own signature),
As someone who has stepped over the line myself, let me just say that C.C. doesn't have to fight any battles. As she has made perfectly clear ... 'Her blog, her rules!.'
JD,
That Play-Doh sounds like it tastes much better than I remember.
last fill: the final a in assai- never heard of it.
ReplyDeleteBest clues:
buds/cronies :-)
one with a take out order- hit man
We get these puzzles much later here in the Middle East (in this care, on May 6). Ours appear in the Arabian Sun, the weekly paper of Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.
ReplyDeleteI was proud (Brits would say "chuffed") to be able to finish "Overheard at the Pub" without consulting the Internet.
The last clue I answered was 109D, when I finally realized that "Coax" was a reference to coaxial cable.
The weakest clue, I thought, was 86A. What the heck are "ice dams" that form in eaves?
My favorite SH answer was 71A, Meshy Business. I could imagine a sloshed bar patron saying that.
Andy,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you.