Theme: Funny Business - Familiar two-word phrases are humorously re-interpreted as if they are the workplaces for the corresponding occupations in the clues.
27A. Fishmonger's workplace? : SCHOOL BUILDING. School of fish.
41A. Justice of the peace's workplace? : HITCHING POST. This clue made me laugh.
65A. Cattleman's workplace? : STOCK MARKET. Windhover would love this answer.
89A. Matchmaker's workplace? : CHEMISTRY LAB. Awesome answer/clue, Annette!
104A. Dentist's workplace? : FILLING STATION. This one is for our Dr. G, who's a retired dentist.
15D. Racetrack owner's workplace? : OVAL OFFICE. Great workplace for Argyle/Dilbert/Tinbeni, all racing fans.
34D. Slapstick comedian's workplace? : CORN FIELD. Clue echo with PRATFALL (44A. Slapstick antic).
54D. Hard rock musician's workplace? : METAL SHOP. Crossing central hub answer STOCK MARKET, same as 34D.
70D. Ammunition supplier's workplace? : POWDER ROOM. What a drastic pun!
Very creative thinking, isn't it? I wonder if any race tracker owner actually does own an OVAL OFFICE to brag about. Several of John's theme answers made their first ever crossword appearances today.
A slight aberration from John's typical Sunday pangram puzzles. Two pairs of helper squares to facilitate a smoother fill in the middle part of the grid. Without them, we would not have the wonderful FILE NAME, subsequently SECOND HAND might be impossible. I love both of them very much.
The puzzle design resembles a bit of Rich's "Knock 'Em Dead" puzzle we had on August 15, with 9 theme entries, 4 of which are placed vertically. John's middle anchor STOCK MARKET intersects with two of the Downs, while there's no theme entry interaction at all in Rich's puzzle.
I've highlighted his characteristic clue echos in the write-up. Do feel free to add if I miss any. John is on vacation right now, so he might not respond to our comments.
Across:
1. Leg-pulls : JESTS. And PRANK (44D. Leg-pull). Quintessential John Lampkin style fun. clue.
6. Mean boss : OGRE. And DEVIL (10. Underworld boss?). Boss is related to Labor Day.
15. Chooses : OPTS
19. How some risks are taken, after "on" : A DARE
20. "I'd like to say something" : AHEM
21. Title singer of "You Must Love Me" : EVITA. Only know her "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina".
22. Full of oneself : VAIN
23. Beethoven's love : MUSIC
24. Grave : TOMB. And GHOUL (7. Grave robber).
25. Kids' snow creations : FORTS
26. Spell opener : ABRA. Opener to Abracadabra. This opener is for Jazzbumpa and all those who loves spells.
30. Ring tone activator : CALLER
32. Traffic tangle : SNARL. And JAMS (1D. Traffic tangles).
33. Strong-ox connector : AS AN. Strong as an ox.
34. Last to arrive at the station : CABOOSE. Here are some wonderful pictures and witty comments from John himself.
35. Ruler divisions: Abbr. : CMS. Centimeters. Then we have OLAF (40. Norwegian ruler) and TSAR (120. Old Russian ruler). Different rulers.
38. Letters from your parents? : DNA. Great clue, which works for RNA also, right, Al? Also EIEIO (51. Letters sung after various animal names).
39. Greenhouse gas : OZONE. And EIRE (61. Green land) & ST. PAT (97D. Green land patron, for short). Ireland.
48. First name in B-29 history : ENOLA. Enola Gay.
49. Bard's contraction : EEN. And OPE (39D. Reveal, to a bard).
50. Prince Valiant's son : ARN. Finally committed this word to my memory.
52. Hard drive title : FILE NAME. Debut entry.
55. Rice dish : PILAF
57. Bit for Fido, perhaps : SCRAP
58. Dept. store stock : MDSE (Merchandise)
59. It's south of Georgia : ARMENIA. The country Georgia. And VIRG (12D. It's N of North Carolina).
62. Bears : HAS
68. Twisting shape : ESS. And LIARS (46. Truth twisters).
69. Put __ on: limit : A CAP
71. Property claim resulting from a default : TAX LIEN. Needed crossing help.
72. Timber wolf : LOBO
75. Mill output? : RUMOR. Rumor mill.
77. Rimes of country : LEANN
78. Classic sitcom sidekick : ED NORTON. Always nice to see a full name.
82. Vermont tourist town, home to the Trapp Family Lodge : STOWE. It's named after whom, Lois?
83. One of Beethoven's nine: Abbr. : SYM (Symphony)
84. Denom. : REL. Religious denomination.
86. 1836 siege site : ALAMO
87. Big pain : HEADACHE. And SASH (3. It takes panes). Play on "It take pains".
93. Nymph who loved her own voice : ECHO. Plenty of clue echos in John's puzzle. He has a very imaginative mind.
94. Thigh muscles : QUADS
95. Spain's El __ : CID
96. Canyon pair? : ENS. Two letter Ns in canyon.
97. Begin : START-UP
100. One of two Monopoly squares: Abbr. : UTIL. And BOARD GAMES ( 73D. Monopoly and others). And AGORA (101D. Greek square). Also FETA (104. Greek cheese).
101. Danny of the NBA : AINGE. Nope. Don't follow NBA.
103. Drive to drink? : THIRST. "Drive" here is noun.
109. Baja buck : PESO
110. New, in Nicaragua : NUEVA. Alliteration.
112. Sticky substances : GOOS
113. Spiritual sustenance : MANNA. Food from heaven.
114. Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO
115. Adlai's running mate : ESTES (Kefauver). Have not seen his name for a long time.
116. Protagonist : HERO
117. Duck down : EIDER. Also ABATES (31D. Dies down) and HAIL (90. Come down hard?). Fantastic down tapestry.
118. Pour : TEEM
119. They're always advancing : YEARS. Awesome clue.
121. With a wink, perhaps : SLYLY
Down:
2. PTA concern : EDUC
4. Small chamber groups : TRIOS
5. Used : SECOND-HAND. Nice answer.
6. Healthful cereal choice : OAT BRAN. Eww, I can't stand bran product.
8. Do-fa links : REMI. Do Re Mi Fa.
9. Decorate with brilliant colors : EMBLAZON
10. Rebellious : DEFIANT
11. Four-time Australian Open champ Goolagong : EVONNE. First encounter with the lady.
13. Addams family cousin : ITT
14. Where "Madama Butterfly" premiered : LA SCALA. Easy guess.
16. Cubist Picasso : PABLO
17. Some swing seats : TIRES. Triple alliteration.
18. Drum kit item : SNARE
28. Legal scholar Guinier : LANI. Stumped me again. My brain just refuses to digest certain things.
29. Brit. mil. awards : DSOS. DSO = Distinguished Service Order.
35. Anthony Bourdain, for one : CHEF
36. 2004 iPod debut : MINI
37. Small-runway mil. craft : STOL (Short TakeOff and Land). Another mystery answer, Dudley.
42. Skelton's Kadiddlehopper : CLEM
43. "Golly" : GEE
45. Hawk's nest : AERIE
47. Horses' gaits : LOPES
50. Mem. of seven consecutive All-Star Game winning teams, 2003-2009 : AL'ER. National League won this year.
53. Admin. aide : ASST. Alliteration.
55. Image creators : PR MEN. Spin doctors.
56. Somalian supermodel : IMAN. Wife to David Bowie.
59. Analogous : AKIN
60. Oodles : A TON
62. Austere : HARSH
63. Extreme, as pain : ACUTE
64. Margaret Mead subject : SAMOA
66. Daisy whose buds may be used as a caper substitute : OXEYE. Unknown trivia to me.
67. No blabbermouth : CLAM
74. Airport south of Paris : ORLY. Hub before Charles de Gaulle Airport.
76. Hits back, say : REACTS
78. Yale Blue wearer : ELI. Have never heard of Yale Blue before.
79. Fishing souvenir? : TALE. Fun clue.
80. Land on its own gulf : OMAN. Gulf of Oman.
81. Heads, in slang : NOBS
84. Traffic stopper : RED LIGHT
85. Ambulance initials : EMS
88. Indian relish : CHUTNEY. Love mango chutney.
89. Old sailor's blade : CUTLASS. And SCISSOR (91. Cut with small blades).
92. Salon request : TINT
94. Tremble : QUIVER
98. "Done" : THERE
99. Shopping cart path : AISLE. And E-TAIL (102. Shopping with virtual carts).
105. Denials : NOES
106. Dr. Jones, familiarly : INDY. Indiana Jones?
107. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L
108. Quaint "not" : NARY
111. Employment : USE
Answer grid.
Our constructor John Lampkin writes:
A few months ago, Annette made a really sharp comment here about one of my puzzles. I immediately contacted her through her email link and invited her to be a beta tester for my upcoming puzzles. She has been phenomenal and always has solid suggestions for improvements to the clues. Also, I ran today’s theme idea by her at the early stage of construction and she came up with CHEMISTRY LAB Where matchmakers work? So a big heartfelt thank you to Annette, congratulations on her debut as constructor’s helper, and a big cheer for this blog!
C.C.
27A. Fishmonger's workplace? : SCHOOL BUILDING. School of fish.
41A. Justice of the peace's workplace? : HITCHING POST. This clue made me laugh.
65A. Cattleman's workplace? : STOCK MARKET. Windhover would love this answer.
89A. Matchmaker's workplace? : CHEMISTRY LAB. Awesome answer/clue, Annette!
104A. Dentist's workplace? : FILLING STATION. This one is for our Dr. G, who's a retired dentist.
15D. Racetrack owner's workplace? : OVAL OFFICE. Great workplace for Argyle/Dilbert/Tinbeni, all racing fans.
34D. Slapstick comedian's workplace? : CORN FIELD. Clue echo with PRATFALL (44A. Slapstick antic).
54D. Hard rock musician's workplace? : METAL SHOP. Crossing central hub answer STOCK MARKET, same as 34D.
70D. Ammunition supplier's workplace? : POWDER ROOM. What a drastic pun!
Very creative thinking, isn't it? I wonder if any race tracker owner actually does own an OVAL OFFICE to brag about. Several of John's theme answers made their first ever crossword appearances today.
A slight aberration from John's typical Sunday pangram puzzles. Two pairs of helper squares to facilitate a smoother fill in the middle part of the grid. Without them, we would not have the wonderful FILE NAME, subsequently SECOND HAND might be impossible. I love both of them very much.
The puzzle design resembles a bit of Rich's "Knock 'Em Dead" puzzle we had on August 15, with 9 theme entries, 4 of which are placed vertically. John's middle anchor STOCK MARKET intersects with two of the Downs, while there's no theme entry interaction at all in Rich's puzzle.
I've highlighted his characteristic clue echos in the write-up. Do feel free to add if I miss any. John is on vacation right now, so he might not respond to our comments.
Across:
1. Leg-pulls : JESTS. And PRANK (44D. Leg-pull). Quintessential John Lampkin style fun. clue.
6. Mean boss : OGRE. And DEVIL (10. Underworld boss?). Boss is related to Labor Day.
15. Chooses : OPTS
19. How some risks are taken, after "on" : A DARE
20. "I'd like to say something" : AHEM
21. Title singer of "You Must Love Me" : EVITA. Only know her "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina".
22. Full of oneself : VAIN
23. Beethoven's love : MUSIC
24. Grave : TOMB. And GHOUL (7. Grave robber).
25. Kids' snow creations : FORTS
26. Spell opener : ABRA. Opener to Abracadabra. This opener is for Jazzbumpa and all those who loves spells.
30. Ring tone activator : CALLER
32. Traffic tangle : SNARL. And JAMS (1D. Traffic tangles).
33. Strong-ox connector : AS AN. Strong as an ox.
34. Last to arrive at the station : CABOOSE. Here are some wonderful pictures and witty comments from John himself.
35. Ruler divisions: Abbr. : CMS. Centimeters. Then we have OLAF (40. Norwegian ruler) and TSAR (120. Old Russian ruler). Different rulers.
38. Letters from your parents? : DNA. Great clue, which works for RNA also, right, Al? Also EIEIO (51. Letters sung after various animal names).
39. Greenhouse gas : OZONE. And EIRE (61. Green land) & ST. PAT (97D. Green land patron, for short). Ireland.
48. First name in B-29 history : ENOLA. Enola Gay.
49. Bard's contraction : EEN. And OPE (39D. Reveal, to a bard).
50. Prince Valiant's son : ARN. Finally committed this word to my memory.
52. Hard drive title : FILE NAME. Debut entry.
55. Rice dish : PILAF
57. Bit for Fido, perhaps : SCRAP
58. Dept. store stock : MDSE (Merchandise)
59. It's south of Georgia : ARMENIA. The country Georgia. And VIRG (12D. It's N of North Carolina).
62. Bears : HAS
68. Twisting shape : ESS. And LIARS (46. Truth twisters).
69. Put __ on: limit : A CAP
71. Property claim resulting from a default : TAX LIEN. Needed crossing help.
72. Timber wolf : LOBO
75. Mill output? : RUMOR. Rumor mill.
77. Rimes of country : LEANN
78. Classic sitcom sidekick : ED NORTON. Always nice to see a full name.
82. Vermont tourist town, home to the Trapp Family Lodge : STOWE. It's named after whom, Lois?
83. One of Beethoven's nine: Abbr. : SYM (Symphony)
84. Denom. : REL. Religious denomination.
86. 1836 siege site : ALAMO
87. Big pain : HEADACHE. And SASH (3. It takes panes). Play on "It take pains".
93. Nymph who loved her own voice : ECHO. Plenty of clue echos in John's puzzle. He has a very imaginative mind.
94. Thigh muscles : QUADS
95. Spain's El __ : CID
96. Canyon pair? : ENS. Two letter Ns in canyon.
97. Begin : START-UP
100. One of two Monopoly squares: Abbr. : UTIL. And BOARD GAMES ( 73D. Monopoly and others). And AGORA (101D. Greek square). Also FETA (104. Greek cheese).
101. Danny of the NBA : AINGE. Nope. Don't follow NBA.
103. Drive to drink? : THIRST. "Drive" here is noun.
109. Baja buck : PESO
110. New, in Nicaragua : NUEVA. Alliteration.
112. Sticky substances : GOOS
113. Spiritual sustenance : MANNA. Food from heaven.
114. Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO
115. Adlai's running mate : ESTES (Kefauver). Have not seen his name for a long time.
116. Protagonist : HERO
117. Duck down : EIDER. Also ABATES (31D. Dies down) and HAIL (90. Come down hard?). Fantastic down tapestry.
118. Pour : TEEM
119. They're always advancing : YEARS. Awesome clue.
121. With a wink, perhaps : SLYLY
Down:
2. PTA concern : EDUC
4. Small chamber groups : TRIOS
5. Used : SECOND-HAND. Nice answer.
6. Healthful cereal choice : OAT BRAN. Eww, I can't stand bran product.
8. Do-fa links : REMI. Do Re Mi Fa.
9. Decorate with brilliant colors : EMBLAZON
10. Rebellious : DEFIANT
11. Four-time Australian Open champ Goolagong : EVONNE. First encounter with the lady.
13. Addams family cousin : ITT
14. Where "Madama Butterfly" premiered : LA SCALA. Easy guess.
16. Cubist Picasso : PABLO
17. Some swing seats : TIRES. Triple alliteration.
18. Drum kit item : SNARE
28. Legal scholar Guinier : LANI. Stumped me again. My brain just refuses to digest certain things.
29. Brit. mil. awards : DSOS. DSO = Distinguished Service Order.
35. Anthony Bourdain, for one : CHEF
36. 2004 iPod debut : MINI
37. Small-runway mil. craft : STOL (Short TakeOff and Land). Another mystery answer, Dudley.
42. Skelton's Kadiddlehopper : CLEM
43. "Golly" : GEE
45. Hawk's nest : AERIE
47. Horses' gaits : LOPES
50. Mem. of seven consecutive All-Star Game winning teams, 2003-2009 : AL'ER. National League won this year.
53. Admin. aide : ASST. Alliteration.
55. Image creators : PR MEN. Spin doctors.
56. Somalian supermodel : IMAN. Wife to David Bowie.
59. Analogous : AKIN
60. Oodles : A TON
62. Austere : HARSH
63. Extreme, as pain : ACUTE
64. Margaret Mead subject : SAMOA
66. Daisy whose buds may be used as a caper substitute : OXEYE. Unknown trivia to me.
67. No blabbermouth : CLAM
74. Airport south of Paris : ORLY. Hub before Charles de Gaulle Airport.
76. Hits back, say : REACTS
78. Yale Blue wearer : ELI. Have never heard of Yale Blue before.
79. Fishing souvenir? : TALE. Fun clue.
80. Land on its own gulf : OMAN. Gulf of Oman.
81. Heads, in slang : NOBS
84. Traffic stopper : RED LIGHT
85. Ambulance initials : EMS
88. Indian relish : CHUTNEY. Love mango chutney.
89. Old sailor's blade : CUTLASS. And SCISSOR (91. Cut with small blades).
92. Salon request : TINT
94. Tremble : QUIVER
98. "Done" : THERE
99. Shopping cart path : AISLE. And E-TAIL (102. Shopping with virtual carts).
105. Denials : NOES
106. Dr. Jones, familiarly : INDY. Indiana Jones?
107. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L
108. Quaint "not" : NARY
111. Employment : USE
Answer grid.
Our constructor John Lampkin writes:
A few months ago, Annette made a really sharp comment here about one of my puzzles. I immediately contacted her through her email link and invited her to be a beta tester for my upcoming puzzles. She has been phenomenal and always has solid suggestions for improvements to the clues. Also, I ran today’s theme idea by her at the early stage of construction and she came up with CHEMISTRY LAB Where matchmakers work? So a big heartfelt thank you to Annette, congratulations on her debut as constructor’s helper, and a big cheer for this blog!
C.C.
38 comments:
Way to go Annette! I used to go to Isleys for chipped chopped ham.
Spiderman did it again. (Racing comment).
Good Morning, CC and all. This was a fairly easy puzzle for a Sunday. I liked the theme and caught on to it fairly quickly.
I initially put Satan instead of DEVIL for Underworld Boss.
I think You Must Love Me was from the movie, Evita, and not the Broadway play.
The Von Trapp family settled in Stowe, Vermont and build a resort to look like those is Austria.
It's nice to see that Red Skelton and his characters such as CLEM are not forgotten.
We used to go to Celtics games back in the day when Danny AINGE was on the team.
There were some good puns in this puzzle. I especially liked:
They're always advancing = YEARS.
Duck Down = EIDER
Mill Output = RUMOR.
Nice photos of Copper Canyon, John Lampkin. That trip is on our "to do" list.
QOD: The HERO cannot be common, nor the common the heroic. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Morning, all!
I got off on the wrong foot when I put in JOKES for JESTS at 1A, but that eventually got resolved when none of the perps worked except for the first and last letter. Oh -- and I actually tried PLUTO for 10A at first. Don't ask me why...
Overall, a pretty straightforward puzzle. Aide from the shaky start, I made slow and steady progress throughout and managed to finish ahead of my typical Sunday time. The Spanish words were all gimmes, as was AINGE.
Have a great holiday weekend, everybody! I gotta get ready for the end-of-season BBQ I'm hosting at lunchtime today...
I've been wondering when you guys get up - I think I found out today, checking the time of your comments. Do most of you do the puzzles on line?
Sunday is my favorite day, partly because I enjoy the puzzle so much. Today my paper hasn't come, so I did it on line - in record time, for me. Decided it must be a fairly easy one for me to do that well.
The heat has ABATED here and we're having a lovely weekend. Hope it's great for all of you.
Hello Puzzlers - What an impressive construction! Well done, John.
Awright, time for STOL, Short TakeOff and Landing: Long, straight, level, hard runways are a luxury not always available in the real world; airplanes are sometimes called upon to come & go from some rough places. It usually takes a considerable distance to accelerate from a standstill to flying speed, but specialized airplanes exist which have the ability to do so with much shorter takeoff runs. As a group these are called STOL planes. They can be military or civilian.
Short takeoff ability tends to bring short landing ability as well. It takes a skilled pilot to wring the best out of the airplane; there are specialists who can do amazing things, particularly in places like the Idaho back country, not to mention Alaska.
I do little short-field work, myself. My Cessna is not suited to it. I'm comfortable with paved runways as short as 1600 feet, but below that, not so much.
@C.C. In this case, RNA was out of the running, except for certain viruses. Parents pass on their genes to their offspring. A gene is one portion of the length full DNA chain, which provides the patterns to assemble many different RNA molecules. Many genes appear on the same strand of DNA. So RNA itself isn't passed along, but instead, the instructions to assemble it are.
Good morning CC, et al., What a great puzzle! This has to be one of my all time favs. Cute, darling, hilarious and made me LOL w/12D Virg(inia) crossing 10A Devil, AND 21A Evita w/ You Must Love Me title clued. Yeah, Baby! That was a stroke of genius, probably unintentional, but I loved it just the same.
The theme became apparent from the beginning and it certainly helped. How appropriate for the season to put 'school building' in the beginning for 'Funny Business' and surround it w/such perfect words like music, ahem, a dare and jests...ignoring ogre (me) and ghoul (them) and tomb (it) completely. In the diagonally opposite corner, other appropriate fills were filling station (as in learning), eider (getting down!!!) and slyly. Loved this corner too. Plus any puzzle that has Ed Norton in it has got to be a fav.
Annette: so proud of you. Way to go! I think that may be a first for this blog, but I don't know. Maybe CC knows. But how cool is that!
John L: maybe you'll come back and read this. Thank you for this puzzle and thanx for your choo choo train photos. Your train sure beats the hell out of the one I took into Mazatlan some years ago. So glad to see there are better ones. I'd love to take that trip.
Beautiful day for water fun. Hope you all enjoy it and whatever you choose to do. Good luck w/the BBQ, BarryG. Sounds yummy.
Good morning C.C. and all. Nice write-up
I'm beginning to enjoy John's puzzles. No loud swearing today. Guess Annette is doing her job:-). Liked the Copper 'Canyon' photos. One of my bucket list items.
Not difficult for a Sunday but lots of fun. Thought most of the theme fills were quite clever; especially SCHOOLBUILDING and HITCHINGPOST. Also liked the clues for DNA, JESTS and RUMOR. WAGS included CABOOSE, CMS, LOBO, and OXEYE which we had the other day. ENOLA was a gimme. After first trying 'Florida' I saw that south of Georgia had to be ARMENIA. No look-ups needed; the perps were sufficiently ample.
EIDER - could also be clued as the border river between Schleswig and Holstein (or North Sea feeder).
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
I don't agree with Ralph Waldo and the QOD. I did love the puzzle--very clever and fun. Back in the '80's, landed on a very short runway on St. Thomas, VI. YIKES!!! Glad to hear they rebuilt that one.
This map of the Copper Canyon rail route doesn't do it justice but it does show us its location.
Good Morning C.C. and All,
C.C. your write-up was fun and
and lively,and I enjoyed the interjection of John's train
photos for 'caboose'.
Annette, that is quite an honor!
and a neat thing for John to notice your prowess on the field
of battle! Maybe we will be working
your puzzles berfore we know it!
Good going!
By and large, this was a pleasurable, smooth and interesting
run. The theme was fun-Annette's entry was maybe my favorite.
Perps did alot for me,and I almost lost a few, because of a lousy,
3 letter entry- 'cms'.
This kept me blocked , as I only think in inches [Lois, you know what I mean?].
Very Fresh. I also liked Ed Norton.
Have a good day.
Congratulations, Annette! Soon we'll be doing puzzles with your by-line!
chapstick52- I agree with you
re: QOD
Good morning C.C., JL and all of you Sunday die hards; all I can say is awesome, both the puzzle and our own (doubly ours for the South Florida contingent) Annette breaking in with a wonderful contribution.
I saw as additional echoes, IMAN and OMAN. ENS and EMS, CLAM and CLEM
a character to whom I wonder how well modern audiences would react.
Speaking of reactions, than you C.C. for JESSICA HART one of the great exports from OZ. In a completely different perspective of impressive women, the life of LANI GUINIER is one worth reading about, as she is also the first tenured non-caucasian law professor at Harvard. Also, impressive was and is DANNY AINGE an all-American in baseball and basketball who played for Brigham Young but exhibited a much feistier attitude. He had a shore, unsuccessful career in baseball and then went on to be a valuable player in the NBA for the Celtics, for whom he is now director of their basketball operations, and the architect of getting Kevin Garnett and my fellow UConn alum Ray Allen to bring a title to Boston.
Well off to a day at the beach, slowly; thanks JL and Annette!!!!
Good Morning All, I'm only about half way through the puzzle this morning, so I'll have to check in later today.
GAH and I are off the visit with daughter's family and will be back this evening.
I didn't read C.C.'s comments, but I did see John Lampkin's note about Annette. How terrific is that? Congratulations Annette, what a special honor for you.
I thought Echo loved Narcissus, who ignored her -- loving his own image more -- until she wilted away to nothing more than a voice...
I figured it out anyway.
Good morn, C.C. and all.
Not much to comment on in today's offering. Some difficulty, but not as much as most Sunday puzzles. I did have to google a couple of names, AINGE, for one. Don't know any sports except baseball. Liked the theme.
Re: QOD: I always thought the most heroic were those who went to a job every day, earned a living for their families, kept a respectable home, raised good children, and helped in their communities. They don't get the trophies and flashy award shows, but the world would last longer without the superstars than it would without the "little" man.
Nice thought for Labor Day, I suppose.
What's the big deal? Constructors seek theme ideas from friends all the time.
Way to go ANNETTE! I would rate your contribution a TEN. NEAT!
FILLING STATION is definetly a place of work for constructors.
As always, top-notch, John!
Excellent puzzle. Loved it. A great way to spend part of Sunday morning. Thanks.
Good Day C.C. and all.
Terrific puzzle and theme. One of my favorite theme answers was OVAL OFFICE. Favorite clue/fill was 103A: Drive to drink?/THIRST. Thanks, John, for another great crossword, and for sharing some of your fabulous photos!
Annette, congratulations! CHEMISTRY LAB clued as "Matchmaker's workplace?" is awesome.
C.C., there is a third "pain" at 63D to add to those at 87A and 3D. Thanks for pointing out all the clue echos. I had missed many of them.
We're off to a picnic and walk at the beach with family. It's a beautiful, breezy day to be outside today.
Enjoy the day!
Anon@12:53, the "big deal" is that Annette is one of us, which makes all of us feel good, for her and for the blog. Annette, congratulations and continued success in your new role. John Lampkin asking you to help is high praise indeed and I have no doubt you'll be a great asset for him. And John, just an outstanding puzzle today; I really enjoyed it.
Anon, don't let petty jealousy get the best of you.
Back to playing outside -- 80 and pristine today.
Boy, you all sure get up early to do these. I don't finish the Sunday puzzle until the afternoon.
I also had JOKES for 1A originally. And somehow 23A MUSIC seemed too obvious to be correct so I had ELISE (as in Fur Elise) at first.
And, to add to the list of failed attempts at 10A, I originally had HADES. Luckily I knew EVONNE Goolagong since I was a big tennis fan. Watching the US Open while doing the puzzle I guess slows me down!
Happy Labor Day Weekend C.C., Argyle and folk!
This puzzle was wonderful in the way that it all played out in a fun way. The theme was picked up easily. For some reason, I don't particularly like the themes to be set vertically as some were today...Ã chacun se gout, oui? (each to his own, yes?)
27a. I can't really agree to this one: Fishmonger's workplace/SCHOOL BUILDING, unless the fishmonger is a proctor of fish breeding or sea life. All in good fun, a funny pun!
There were so many good puns, I lost track of which may have been my favorite! Hot dog, John, you were really on a roll with this construction! I had that one beef with 27a, but to be frank, I enjoyed the way each solve was topping the previous!, I relished the time I took to consume it fully!
Again, happy holiday and please send prayer and positive energy to my friend, Georgia, who is in the ICU and putting up a good fight. She had back surgery, was sent home after one night in the hospital. In less than 24 hours, she developed an infection which has yet to be determined. She is intubated and breathing is a struggle. She was unable to have very much pain medication as her blood pressure was getting dangerously low. I'll be off to the hospital soon to spend as much time with her as possible. Thanks for reading this post.
as always and ever,
Frenchie
I'm out.
For 87A, I tried to put in J Lampkin, but the perps forced it out. I spent A TON of time groaning over the puns. Actually, Sunday is the only day I get to see the author before I get here and I got really excited to see that this was John's. He always makes me work, but I almost never have to cuss over impossible crosses.
For example, yesterday I did the puzzle on the way to and from the Cal game. No Google, dictionary, map available and the author had MIDI crossed both SILESIA and IMRE. There was no way to complete that except WAGs. John just never seems to do that.
Having said that, my nitpick: thigh muscles are QUADRICEPS. Yes, quads (and abs) is very commonly used instead of the full name, but isn't it still an abbreviation?
Anon @12:53, think with your legs, but before you do, read what the others here have written. Maybe something will penetrate your bitterness. By the way, Annette, I'm jealous. Maybe someday I'll get brave enough to share my ideas, but so far, I haven't got the nerve.
Off to the lake to "pull" the boat. (dammitall)
Frenchie: Sorry to hear about Georgia, we send our best.
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Low blood pressure usually means septic shock, usually caused by an abcess or hematoma somewhere. They need to find it, drain it, antibiotics and then she'll do fine. Best wishes to her. Surgery nurse.
Fun puzzle! For Fishing souvenir, I so wanted to put in "bait."
Congrats, Annette!
Frenchie, my thoughts are with you and your friend.
Frenchie, I'm really sorry to hear about your friend, Georgia. I'll remember her in my prayers. Seems hospitals arent the safest place to be sometimes! I keep hearing about cases of infection picked up in them. Scarey! The best to you and Georgia.
Sorry, I've been out and about all day and am just getting to the blog. Thank you all so much for your comments! John did an amazing job on this puzzle. My contritbution was very small in comparison, but I appreciate John's acknowledgement of it!
I've gained so much more respect and appreciation for Constructors while doing the beta testing this summer. It forced me to pay more attention to the theme, clues, echoes, and all the extra effort John, in particular, puts into his puzzles to ensure we have maximum enjoyment.
Not being able to rely on red letters or the blog, really challenged me! But John was always gracious and patient with me.
I had hoped to construct my own puzzles too, but I found that it's MUCH harder than I expected (especially coming up with a clever, workable theme...) and will require some "homework" and diligence! Now, work has picked up at the office, so that goal has been put on hold for a while.
Thanks for all your support! And thank you John for another fun, creative, challenging puzzle.
Annette
Super job, John with an assist from Annette! Frenchie, my best wishes for you and your friend.
CC, what do you do when your boys can't hit? The Dodgers offence has been on summer vacation.
Across 26. Spell opener : ABRA. Opener to Abracadabra. This opener is for Jazzbumpa and all those who loves spells.
Can someone please explain CC's hot linkup?
anon, a bra.
frenchie, positive thoughts for your friend - sounds like good advice from Chapstick52.
Dilbert, seeing the BBQ sauce on Isaly's website, really brought back memories too.
Nice photos, John. What a memorable trip that must've been...!
Frenchie, my best wishes for your friend, Georgia! I had a friend just released from the ICU this afternoon too. I hope your friend is just as fortunate.
103A Drive to drink? THIRST had been one of my favorites in this puzzle too! Another was 75A Mill output? Rumor.
Jerome, I like your take on FILLING STATION!
Dennis: thank you.
I'm back later than I thought I would be. We had a rousing pre-birthday party for my daughter's birthday tomorrow. She is one of those unfortunates who has to work on Labor Day. Not fair, since it will also be her 48th birthday. (Shh, don't tell her I told you.)
I didn't get back to Sunday's puzzle, but a break once in a while doesn't hurt.
Frenchie, I was sorry to hear about your friend. I hope that chapstick52's expertise is right on the money and Georgia will soon be feeling better.
JD, check in soon and let us know how the vacation went. We'd love a couple of photos too.
Back for the last note,
Annette, I couldn't be happier for you! How wonderful you contributed a critical piece of John's construction...you added what he needed to complete this mcmasterpiece! I'm proud of you!
37. Small-runway mil. craft : STOL (Short TakeOff and Land) OSPREY
78d. Yale Blue/ELI Elihu Yale, refers to athletes or students, example: women's lacrosse eli's.
56. Somalian supermodel : IMAN
80. Land on its own gulf : OMAN
40. Norwegian ruler : OLAF
39. Greenhouse gas : OZONE
39. Reveal, to a bard: OPE (down)
6. Healthful cereal choice : OAT BRAND (down)
107. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L
@lemonade714, thank you so much! I will tell her tomorrow...I feel she, on some level, hears me.
@chapstick52, When I arrive at the hospital tomorrow, I will have a printed copy of your comment and will present it to her doctor...even though he is big, surly and kind of scary looking! I have asked so many questions trying to get to the root of things and while I am learning their process, it always goes back to them saying they don't know what's wrong with her. I'll let you know how they react to this. Thank you so much!
@DoDo, bestbird, BillG, Dennis and Clear Ayes thanks, having your thoughts fortifies me...it helps me stay positive even when it seems there's no reason to do so.
@Annette, I'm so happy for your friend! Did it feel bleak at first, then improve for him/her?
Until tomorrow,
Frenchie
I'm out
Evenin’ all
Yes, very nicely built for a Sunday big ‘un.
Just a couple of comments (really).
1. The clues were top-notch, except as previously noted for SCHOOLBUILDING – “fish-BREEDERS workplace?”, perhaps.
2. I was also a little confused over the intent of the clue “Hard drive title”. I don’t give my hard drive a file-name, it has a disk name. It contains files of course, so I wondered whether the intent was “Title” in the legal sense of “right to possess”, as in Title Deed. That would work better, and also extend the Monopoly theme.
3. I’m surprised that no-one commented on Ms Goolagong. She was prominent throughout the 70s and (briefly) World #1 women’s tennis player. She is a terrific rags-to-riches story – born to an Australian aboriginal “itinerant sheep shearer”, at a time when discrimination was widespread. Can’t think of any Native American sports stars – anyone?
Over and out.
NC
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