Theme: A Man of Action - Action phrases ending with synonyms of "huge".
17A: Striding self-confidently: WALKING TALL
60A: Enjoying an extravagant existence: LIVING LARGE
11D: Shooting for the stars: AIMING HIGH
29D: Carrying on conceitedly: TALKING BIG
I'm not sure what else to to call these four words. Three (TALL, LARGE and BIG) relate to size but HIGH is about position. Does that make sense? UPDATE: I see now I should have considered both words in the entries as the theme, so C.C. and I changed my theme title.
Argyle here, it is a scrablely puzzle, 3 X's but no q or z. Two Across theme entries and two Down entries are all 11 letter long and are all 'in the language'. Very tightly focused theme, as is always the case with Nancy's puzzles.
And plenty of 7/8/9 - letter non-theme answers to cohere the whole grid.
6A: Movie music: SCORE. And SONG (31D. iTunes download).
11A: Cigar residue: ASH.
14A: Like loud crowds: AROAR.
15A: "Family Matters" nerd Steve: URKEL. The "Did I do that?" kid.
16A: "I like __": '50s campaign slogan: IKE.
19A: Blender setting: MIX.
20A: Having sufficient skill: ABLE.
21A: No-brainer college course: EASY A.
22A: Lamp-to-plug link: WIRE. I wanted CORD.
23A: God of thunder: THOR. Germanic and Norse mythology.
25A: Short races: SPRINTS. NASCAR Sprint Cup races, however, are not SPRINTS. Go figure!
27A: It's a virtue, so they say: PATIENCE.
31A: iTunes download: SONG. Today's theme SONG.
32A: Midterms, e.g.: EXAMS.
33A: Emitted a delighted sigh: AAHED.
35A: Beaver or boater: HAT.
38A: Tick off: RILE.
39A: Paid to play: ANTED. You put some money in the pot to be dealt into a hand of poker. Small stakes games might have a nickel ante and a quarter limit to any raises.
40A: Hepcat's jargon: JIVE.
41A: Condescending cluck: TSK.
42A: Climbing tool for frozen surfaces: ICE AX.
43A: TV host Philbin: REGIS. I liked it when his wife, Joy, would co-host.
44A: About, in a memo: IN RE.
46A: Words while delivering a blow: TAKE THAT. AND THAT, for a second blow.
48A: Team supporters, collectively: FAN BASE.
51A: Hobbling gait: GIMP.
52A: Tiny pond plant: ALGA.
53A: Aired, as a TV show: WAS ON.
55A: Wolf's shelter: LAIR. Check out the alternate meanings to LAIR.
59A: Dry gently, as tears: DAB.
62A: Brit. record co.: EMI. (Electric & Musical Industries Ltd.)
63A: "Maria __": 1940s song: ELENA. Beautiful.
64A: Kitchen tearjerker: ONION.
65A: Pooch: DOG.
66A: '50s Ford flop: EDSEL. A success in crosswords, though.
67A: Part of a Santa costume: BEARD.
Down
1D: Muted trumpet sound: WA-WA. How about a clip, Jazzbumpa?
2D: Mideast native: ARAB.
3D: Dice throw: ROLL.
4D: Provide a schedule slot (for): MAKE TIME.
5D: Indian title: SRI.
6D: Crop yielding a common sweetener: SUGARCANE.
7D: PC monitors: CRTS. What with flat screens now this might soon be 'former computer terminals or monitors that included a Cathode Ray Tube.'
8D: Gives the nod to: OKAYS.
9D: Went off the wagon, e.g.: RELAPSED.
10D: Right-angled pipe: ELL.
12D: Mini, midi or maxi: SKIRT.
13D: Whammies: HEXES.
18D: Casino sign gas: NEON. The Strip.
24D: "For __ a jolly ...": HE'S.
26D: Towel holder: ROD.
27D: Saucy: PERT.
28D: Graph's x or y: AXIS.
30D: Bother big-time: EAT AT.
34D: Six-sided: HEXAGONAL.
36D: Nike competitor: AVIA.
37D: Try out: TEST.
39D: Game in which "bullets" can be whatever card you decide: ACES WILD. "Bullets" is poker lingo for aces.
40D: 747, for one: JET PLANE.
42D: Nest egg component, for short: IRA.
43D: Sleep lab acronym: REM. That is an acronym not for the sleep lab itself but what they use for a stage of sleep, Rapid Eye Movement, characterized by dreaming.
45D: Org. with dribblers: NBA. National Basketball Association.
47D: Crowned checker: KING.
48D: Washed-out: FADED.
49D: San Antonio mission: ALAMO.
50D: Gutter sites: EAVES.
54D: Trig function: SINE.
57D: Operatic prince: IGOR. Prince IGOR is an opera in Russian by Alekander Borodin.
58D: Tear apart: REND. Past tense can be a tricky RENT.
61D: Soft toss: LOB.
Answer grid.
Argyle
47 comments:
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - a fun Monday puzzle, although it was over way too quickly. This one wasn't as quick as a typical Monday, however; I screwed up twice in the SE. First one was putting 'limp' instead of 'gimp', and I followed that up with 'airplane' instead of 'jet plane'. Took a while to straighten out the resulting mess.
Today is Button Day and Have A Party With Your Bear Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "Good judgement is the result of experience. Experience is the result of bad judgement." -- Fred Brooks
More from the Mensa Invitational:
- Arachnoleptic Fit -- the frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
- Cashtration - the act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
Good morning C.C. and all, a very easy puzzle today. I did have "Limp" in lieu of "Gimp" and "Hason" in lieu of "Wason", but "hexagonal" solved the problem with 53A. Having done that I completed the remainder of the puzzle and did not check 30D. It turns out that I had "aceshild" for "aceswild" and did not see the error until I came here.
Oh well, still a quick easy puzzle.
Hope you all have a great Monday.
Good Morning Argyle and All,
Very easy and quick puzzle this morning. The only erasure was Cord to write in Wire.
Have a great Day!
Morning, CC, Argyle, and Friends. This was a good Monday puzzle, albeit a bit more challenging that some that start off the week.
I wonder who will answer GIMP on the first try? LIMP was my first guess.
I'm not too sure about seeing HEXes and HEXagonal in the same puzzle. I am not sure that I would classify a "Whammy" as a HEX.
Favorite clue: Kitchen Tearjerker: ONION.
QOD: I would never die for my beliefs, because I might be wrong. ~ Bertrand Russell
Morning, all!
HAD ON for WAS ON, CORD for WIRE and THE FANS for FAN BASE. Those all got resolved pretty quickly, and the rest of the puzzle was as smooth as the proverbial silk.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to crying in my metaphorical beer over last night's Patriots/Colts game...
*sob*
Awesome puzzle from a Hall of Fame constructor.
18 minutes today
39 A Paid to play ANTED (?) never heard of that. I thought that would mean bribe. As in some record execs used to pay disc jockeys to play their singers.
32 A midterms I wanted TESTS
rest of it was easy I got the theme by working the others.
Family Matters - Dueling Accordions
URKEL
This was fun. One objection I have is that "Trig" is an abreviation for "Trigonometric" and yet the answer was SINE which is the full word.
I've been in Taipei the last few days so I didn't get to comment about Friday's puzzle: I wanted APEX for ACME, SCAT for DART and FUROR for ARDOR. I also wrote FUROUR for UPROAR at first. I noticed the theme early on but only noticed the GER (as opposed to ER) pattern after coming up with these alternative theme entries:
Shaq, for example? GREAT LAKER
Scared bread maker? SHAKEN BAKER
Guy who cans a holy man?
ST ELMO'S FIRER
Buddy for a coal worker?
FRIEND OF MINER
CNN cafeteria special?
LARRY KING LIVER
Defective drill? CRASHING BORER
Bibliophile? BOOK STORER
Two baskets in one shot?
FOUR SCORER
Pidgeon on an electrician?
BIRD ON A WIRER
Bull that stabs Al's wife?
TIPPER GORER
Okay, that last one was in bad taste.
Martin
Morning all -
Fun puzzle this morning - nice challenge for a Monday am, but still was able to complete relatively quickly. Although I confess - I'm visiting relatives in Indy, so had red letter help online which solved the gimp/limp trip up that others have commented on.
Of course everyone here in Indy is very happy with the outcome of last night's game. I took Zoe up to read books and tuck her in, and ended up falling asleep myself, so missed the whole second half.
Time now for a quick breakfast before we load up the car and hit the road to go home. Had such a nice long weekend visiting family and friends, and eating WAY too much. My aunt made the most delicious french toast for brunch yesterday that was almost like cake - bread soaked in eggs, cream, sugar, cinnamon, LOTS of butter and then baked in the oven. Yum yum.
Enjoy the day!
Barry,
I think NE should have blocked the Colts FG attempt sending the game into over time NE gets the ball marches down field kicks a FG and wins 37-34.
BISCUITS & GRAVY
@C.C., did you notice Star Tribune now has Wayne Robert Williams puzzle?
Good morning all.
I had the same missteps mentioned : LIMP, HAS ON, and misspelled ERKEL until perps fixed them.
Dennis,
I like the mensa quotes again today. Arachnoleptic Fit reminds me that the dance tarantella was supposedly so named because it resembled the movements of a person bitten by a tarantula. spider.
Kazie, do you agree with this dictionaty entry?
lair(4) /lɛər/
–noun Australian Informal. a man who dresses garishly and is crude or vulgar; showoff.
Origin:
1930–35; back formation from lairy
Argyle,
Yes, I forgot to mention it, mainly because I was going to check if the spelling was the same. Often called someone a "mug lair", if they were showing off, being too loud (in noise or clothing), acting like a jerk. Always restricted to referring to a male.
Hi Argyle, C.C. & gang, I thought it was CORD but WIRE fit the perps.
Today's puzzle was slightly harder than last weeks, I finished it 5 minutes after my wife left for work.
I always think of 'ante up' meaning 'pay to play'.
Here's a link to more than you wanted to know about for he's a jolly good fellow
"The tune to "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" comes from the French song "Malbrough s'en va-t-en guerre", which is believed to be from 1709. Both Mozart and Beethoven have used the tune in their work."
Good morning Argyle, CC and all,
Pretty smooth sailing this morning, although I also had put gimp and cord 1st. Was surprised at the whole word OKAYS. The hardest for me was ice ax(doh), but as soon as I got the C in aces, it fell into place.Oh, and Elena was a WAG for me.I agree, Argle, a beautiful melody..thanks!
Good Morning All, I thought this was a swell Monday puzzle, just a little head scratching and a couple of "Aha's".
My first reaction to "Went off the wagon" was GOT DRUNK. Of course I had LIMP instead of GIMP.
I've never seen "Family Matters" and I didn't know who "nerd Steve" was. I guess I must have heard of URKEL somewhere, because after the perps filled it in, I knew it was correct.
I thought PATIENCE, SUGAR CANE and HEXAGONAL were wonderful for a Monday.
good morning all.
No erasures last night because I checked the Ds. The time would have
a PB if I didn't have to stop and
rest my eyes.
eddyB
good morning all.
No erasures last night because I checked the Ds. The time would have
a PB if I didn't have to stop and
rest my eyes.
eddyB
Good morning Argyle, CC, et al., Fun puzzle and just what I needed today. Well, almost.
Hated to see all the 'hex'
words. Have had enough of the 'whammies' for a while. Not only did we have the huge nor'easter that caused flooding, wind damage, and loss of power to about 300,000 customers (including the hospitals) but baby girl #3 was hospitalized for hepititis caused by a liver damaging medicine for athlete's foot. How bazarre! She felt and looked like 'ell'! She'll be fine eventually and back to 'walking tall' and 'living large', maybe even doing some 'sprints' in a couple of wks. Her 'ash' is pretty 'thor' right now from all the 'exams', shots, and 'wires' she had. Right now my cougar
'lair' has redefined 'make time' from having 'aces wild' (and everything else) to 'aiming high' with TLC and 'patience'. We will not have any 'jive' about
'relapsed' patients around here. You know it's heart 'rend'ing.
She'll be fine, however I'm already walking with a 'gimp'.
Dennis: love all your 'words' today. I'm saving up for a 'bare' day party. And that 'cashtration' is hilarious! Great WoW too.
I've got a lot of catching up to do. Happy birthday, good luck w/your surgery, hope you have a speedy recovery, and Mazel Tov - i'll narrow it all down asap.
Enjoy your day.
good morning c.c., argyle and all,
fun, quick, monday puzzle. had a hard time trying to come up with a theme; 'man of action' is better than anything i thought of. i think my eyes were trying to include ACES WILD and MAKE TIME into the theme somehow, couldn't make any sense of it. i did get GIMP right away, it's a word heard often in the chiropractor's office. so is AAH - at least in the massage room. also wanted cord instead of WIRE. whammies = HEXES?
great write-up and links argyle, as always.
four and a wake up (barbb arrives for my favorite holiday)
This is not a good puzzle. It's a superb one and a thing of beauty. The theme, cluing, and fill all have a refined grace that shows why Nancy is admired by so many constructors.
Wonderful fill- TAKE THAT, ACES WILD, JET PLANE, MAKE TIME, WAWA, HEXAGONAL, and HEXES.
Cool clues- "Condescending cluck" for TSK.
"Kitchen tearjerker" for ONION.
"Whammies" for HEXES.
"Org. with dribblers" for NBA.
Take note- Only 34 black squares. This opened up the grid and allowed for all the long non-themed words and phrases. Highly unusual to see 2 nine and 6 eight letter words in a Monday puzzle. Fabulous!
For those new to this site. On C.C.'s home page you'll find an interview with Nancy.
Hello All--I finished with just one mistake today. I had put in AMA instead of NBA. Dumb! I know better. I fixed that with Argyle's grid answers.
Since I do the Across and Down clues together, I had Hexagonal and Win, so didn't fall into the Cord and limp trap that others mentioned today. But, I should have caught my own mistake with NBA.
I did like this puzzle, in that it flowed nicely, and after getting the ing in Walking tall the other theme answers were easier to grasp.
My favorite clue today: Kitchen tearjerker.
Martin, I enjoyed your fun takes on the theme for Friday's puzzle.
I'm off for early appointments today, so will be busy. My sister's coming down from the mountains, so we're in for a gab fest.
It was fairly smooth sailing today except for the gimp/limp error. Got some perp help with Emi, and sri. My favorite clue was kitchen tearjerker – onion. I was at the Vikings game yesterday and saying that the crowd was “aroar” is an understatement. Boy that dome is noisy!
Martin, Tipper Gorer….now that was funny!
Lois, good to see you weren’t washed away in those floodwaters, and I hope your daughter recovers quickly.
Melissabee, what makes Thanksgiving your favorite holiday?
Dennis, good mensaisms today. I am deathly afraid of spiders so I have been known to have an arachnoleptic fit or two.
jeannie: easy, no presents, lots of food, all my favorite people.
Hi Argyle, C.C. and all -
I finished but not without peeking at a few answers (did not know who 15A was) and for some stupid reason could not figure out 25A (Sprints)! The whole NW corner took a long time to come into view for me.
Favorite clues: 64A Kitchen tearjerker and 45A Org.with dribblers.
Dennis: in reading the 'today is' entries, I was happy for a tiny second until I figured out it was not "Have a Party With Your BEER Day...Rats!
I was all ready to send out invitations.
Argyle, thanks for the link to 63A...you are right, Beautiful!
Lois, I had not read your post until I sent mine.
You are wonderful...can have sh-t fall all over you and you still can make everyone laugh while reading all about your troubles. What a spirit you have!
I hope Katie is getting better, what a strange thing to have happen...where were the warnings on the bottle of meds??
Good puzzle today. A little challenging, but not overly so. Perps solved several for me, such as Urkel, whom I did not know. Never watched that show. I did think of Gimp first, but decided on Limp instead. Should have gone with the first instinct. Didn't need google at all today.
I do not like "filler" type answers like "Aahed" and "Aroar" because they seem like just that - made up words for filler because nothing else fit.
I did like "Kitchen tearjerker" and filled it in on first try, but it was amusing because I've had some kitchen tearjerkers of another kind. I'm a good cook now, but getting there was an occasionally rough road.
Dennis, I have had those kinds of fits. I'm not overly afraid of spidies, but I can't stand anything like that getting on me. I am terrified of praying mantises - go figure.
Cold AM - 31º was the lowest I saw. It is up to 56º now.
Vern said...
I really enjoyed Martin's alternative themes. One of my "hobbies" is to look for public signs that make one wonder exactly what is meant, like:
"Fine Parking"
"People Parking Here Will Be Towed"
"Tavern Parking Only"
"Violators Will Be Towed at Owner's Expense"
"Stop When Flashing"...and my all-time favorite "Ears Pierced While You Wait"
Good afternoon, Argyle, C.C. and all.
Monday puzzle was fun and user friendly. I am trying to read the interviews that you have done C.C. with the constructor of the day. Nancy Salomon certainly is accomplished. One thing she mentions, is using a crossword compiler. Does that mean there is a soft ware program that will put together the entire puzzle? I'm thinking it must just be a template? Still, I'm sure there is software that exists that will do and clue a puzzle??
Lois, I am happy the doctors got to the source of your daughters liver inflammation. There was a group of patients on Lamisil, for toenail fungus, that developed VERY abnormal liver function studies. I don't know if that is what she was on. Must be widespread, as I heard of 4 such patients in Colo. Springs.
Dennis, I agree with Carol, It should be "Have A Party with Your Beer, Day.
Have a fun Monday.
Vern:
I like your favorite signs. My favorite is a street sign on First Street in downtown Los Angeles in front of an eatery called the Kosher Burrito. The sign says, "Little Tokyo." It can't get any more L.A. than that.
Doreen
Vern: LOL - those are great...especially the last one. As if someone had a choice!
Here, pierce my ears, I'll be back in an hour.
Kinda right in there with 'hold my beer and watch this'.
I found these:
Bottomless Pit - 65' deep
J K Stores Bookshop "we sell cows"
(at a gas station): This months special
'No Fuel'
No Parking above this sign
One of my favorite signs is near a prison "don't pick up hitch hikers"
Robin- Crossword Compiler is a computer program that many constructors use. In a nutshell, it eliminates a lot of the drudge work of constructing. For example, you no longer have to design grids by hand on graph paper or send your puzzle out via snail mail. The program also contains a clue database, a built-in thesaurus, and a stock grid library. These and other features really help to cut down the time it takes to create a puzzle.
Yes, there are puzzles that are completely computer generated, but you'll never see one in a respected puzzle publication like the LA Times. Computer generated puzzles are horrible, totally lacking in human wit and ingenuity. They cannot create themes either.
Jerome, this is for your friend (and ours) Dan Naddor.
There is a constructor named Dan.
He knows that I am a fan
but his clues are so clever
that I will forever
need help from my ol' V-8 can.
Thanks Jerome, now it makes sense!
@Carol ROTF!
Favorite sign: Outside of Little Woodrows drive in, Austin Texas:
"Save the Planet!, It's the only one with Beer"
Gee, Robin, your dogs look...um..well-fed.
Carol, another terrific limerick!
Lois, As always, I loved your post. So sorry to hear about your daughter, but a good catch, hopefully early on.I've also heard that Lamisil can be harmful.
Robin, great picture.I miss having a dog, but when I take care of the next door beagle,I'm not so sad. She is needy.
Easiest turkey recipe
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity; ditch the liver and save the rest of the giblets for gravy.
Dry the turkey with paper towels, then season inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill the turkey with aromatics like chopped onions, carrots, apples and herbs, then place breast-side up in a roasting pan and brush with melted butter.
Tent with foil and roast for 2 hours (for a 10- to 12-pound turkey; add an extra 15 minutes per pound for larger birds).
Remove the foil, baste with more melted butter and crank the oven to 425 degrees F.
Roast for another hour or until the meat at the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Let rest while you make the gravy.
BISCUITS & GRAVY
How about this sign in the window of a tattoo shop in Lexington KY
"Tattoos while you wait."
BISCUITS & GRAVY
Carol, Robin, JD, thank you for the comments and tip on Lamisil. She was on Ketocodozole...or something near that and there was no warning on anything and not even verbally to her. Good point, Carol. The ER dr put gall stones first and the medicine last on the list of possible causes. They figured it out in 24 hrs and on generator power. BTW, the nurses were beyond wonderful. My favorite (on night duty) called herself Nurse Ratchett...thought of Buckeye all night. Hysterically
funny lady. Threatened to give any 'guy' who got in her way an enema. The guys backed up when she came in.
Vern: very funny LOL
Carol: you are the absolute Queen of Limericks! Outstanding! Very well done! LMAO
Robin: I love the picture of the horse and rider. Both are beautiful! Who is it and what show/event? Sorry if this is a repeated question.
Argyle: I agree w/Carol on the link to 63A..absolutely beautiful! Thank you for that and for such a great job...as usual. You Rock!
@jerome, you are TER-rific.
Jeannie: thank you also for the comment and well wishes. You are so thoughtful. Katie's boyfriend is flooded out of his house. He's here w/us now, as is another friend from Norfolk. #1 daughter lives in Oceanview, 1 block from the ocean...well it was...now she says she lives IN the ocean w/a view. What a week! I have 2 more bedrooms and they will probably be filled by Weds. It was an awful storm- almost as bad as hurricane Isabel about 5 yrs ago. Kept imagining Dennis standing at attention out front in the wind. He'd 've loved it.
Looking for another puzzle........
USA TODAY
PAT THE DOG
a raft of problems.
Was I the only one bothered by 'Irani' as a name for Farsi?'Irani' is an ethnic group in India. Not a language.
Was I the only one bothered by 'Irani' as a name for Farsi?'Irani' is an ethnic group in India. Not a language.
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