Theme: Perfection, or rather TEN (116D. Theme answer count, amount of letters in each, word hidden in each, and, when repeated twice, today's date. ) - Multi-layered theme: Total 10 theme answers, each 10-letter long, with TEN spanning across, and the puzzle appears on 10/10/10.
22A. Audible sleep aid : WHITE NOISE. I need total silence.
24A. Stadium ticket datum : GATE NUMBER. Target Field has a Gate 34 in honor Kirby Puckett.
43A. Hiker's snack : DATE NUT BAR. Trader Joe's Lara Bars are the best. Dates with raw cashews.
46A. It's transferred from iron to pants during pressing : HEAT ENERGY. We have several tricky "it", "they", "them" in the clues today.
67A. Barely sufficient : JUST ENOUGH
69A. You, to you, at times? : WORST ENEMY. Great clue.
83A. Warning sign : DO NOT ENTER
88A. On and on : WITHOUT END
112A. Agreed to a proposal : GOT ENGAGED. I came to the US on Fiancée Visa.
114A. Library reminder : LATE NOTICE
We also have another implied TEN:
86D. MLB post-season mo. : OCT. Twins are done! Incurable Inferiority Complex against the damn Yankees. Windhover said this started when they were still Washington Senators.
You'll notice that besides the theme entries (perfectly placed), none of the fill are 10-letter long. It's no accident. Also the left & right grid edge three-finger rather than our normal Sunday four-finger break-up gave us plenty of 7-letter entries. 18 in total. Quite a few eye-catching 9s and 8s as well.
There's always something extra in Don's puzzles. That in turn often presents a challenge to his theme choices and grid designs. He's not called "Hard G" for nothing. I've attached his notes on the puzzle at the end of my write-up.
Across:
1. They're in Vogue : POSES. Vogue magazine.
6. Figs. disclosed before closings : APRS. APR = Annual Percentage Rate. On your mortgage.
10. Alley-oop setups, in hoops : LOBS. A term in tennis and golf too.
14. Work on, as pipe bowl ash : TAMP. What is "pipe bowl ash"?
18. Sex appeal : OOMPH. Zippy clue.
19. Fifth-century pope known as "the Great" : LEO I. Educated guess on I. Can't be X or V.
20. "There's no step 3!" product : IMAC. Nice clue.
21. Chick on ivories : COREA. Jazz great Chick Corea.
26. Wing : ELL
27. Trifle : SOU. As in "not worth a sou".
28. Kept sacred : ENSHRINED
30. Where __ at : IT'S
31. Singer Corinne Bailey et al. : RAES. Recognize her face when I googled.
33. Whole that's greater than the sum of its parts : GESTALT. Can you give me an example?
35. Be in a bee : SEW. Be in sewing bee.
36. Monthly exp. : UTIL
37. Fill with joy : ELATE
39. Admonishing king? : TUT. King Tut. Nice clue too.
40. Aide: Abbr. : ASST
42. "Me, Myself & __": 2000 film : IRENE
49. "Wait __!" : A SEC
50. All-inclusive : A TO Z
52. An atheist can't be one : ELK. The Elks. I was unaware of this fact. They are not all-inclusive then.
53. Strikebreakers : SCABS
56. Emmy-winning legal drama : LA LAW
58. Kid who moves a lot : ARMY BRAT. Great "moves", more deceptive than "travels".
63. One bit : AT ALL.
64. Gets twisted : WARPS
65. Cries of disgust : FIES.
66. Miscellany : OLIO
71. With the bow, in music : ARCO. Learned from doing Xword.
72. Approximately : OR SO
73. __-ling : DING A. And BONER (59. Blunder). Tee hee.
74. Nods, often : YESES
75. Dec. purchase : XMAS TREE. Hmm, not so far away.
77. "The vine that ate the South" : KUDZU
78. Brusque : TERSE
79. It may need a boost : EGO. Nailed it.
80. Bindle carrier : HOBO
81. Meteor tail? : ITIC. Meteoritic. How is it different than meteoric?
94. In reserve : ON ICE
95. Sharpen : WHET
97. Ed.'s request : SAE. Self-Addressed Envelope.
98. "A __ this gout!": "Henry IV, Part 2" : POX ON. This clue is for Clear Ayes, who knows all the Shakespearean stuff.
99. Spinoff group : SECT
100. Two-piece piece : BRA. Ultra friendly letter combination, hence the frequent appearances in Xword.
102. Northern lights : AURORAS
105. Paper towel brand : VIVA
106. Consumed : ATE
107. 1960 chart topper with the line "Are you somewhere up above" : TEEN ANGEL. Here is the clip. Not in my knowledge zone.
109. Add (up) : TOT
111. Small songbird : TIT. Oh.
117. Wading bird : EGRET
118. __ insurance : TERM. Had trouble getting the answer.
119. Road for Tiberius : ITER. Roman "road".
120. Code carriers : GENES
121. Versatile beans : SOYS. Versatile indeed.
122. Union mem. since 2/14/1912 : ARIZ. Drew a blank, Lucina!
123. Disney no longer used them after "The Little Mermaid" : CELS. Good to know.
124. It can make your heart pound : ANGST
Down:
1. Turned on, with "up" : POWERED
2. "Tres chic!" : OOH LA LA
3. Graciously greet : SMILE AT
4. Able, facetiously : EPT. Like "apt"?
5. Ladies : SHES
6. Song pour les enfants : ALOUETTE. We just had this entry a week ago.
7. Architect I.M. : PEI. He's born in Guangzhou.
8. Stone home : ROSETTA
9. College near Albany : SIENA. Was ignorant of the Siena College. Catholic college named after St. Bernardino of Siena, a la Wiki.
10. Laser entertainment : LIGHT SHOW. Debut entry.
11. Actor Epps : OMAR
12. Leader overthrown by Castro : BATISTA
13. Part of an act : SCENE. Play act.
14. Kite on the links : TOM. Tom Kite. Very friendly in person.
15. Dispute settler : ARBITER. And MEETING (16. Dispute settler, perhaps). Clecho (clue echo).
17. Decorative herb : PARSLEY. Never developed a taste for parsley.
21. Cow's second helping? : CUD. Fun clue.
23. Yuletide quaff : NOG
25. Improved partner? : NEW. New and improved.
29. '70s extremist gp. : SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army)
32. Mont-__-Anne: Quebec resort : STE
34. Contract segment : SUBCLAUSE. Another fresh entry.
36. Rapt ending : URE. Rapture.
38. Make possible : ENABLE
41. "__ me!" : SEZ
42. Black : INKY
44. __ Enterprise : USS
45. Role for Jackie : RALPH. Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden on "The Honeymooners".
47. Brewer of song : TERESA. Another alien character to me. She looks pretty.
48. Horror film locale: Abbr. : ELM ST.
51. Brits' thank-yous : TAS. Don't know this slang.
53. __ und Drang : STURM. Spitzboov likes to use this term.
54. Ides assassin : CASCA. Could only think of Brutus.
55. Some choirboys : ALTOS
57. Ship that survived the Clashing Rocks : ARGO. I've forgotten most of the scenes in "Jason and the Argonauts".
58. Instrument that's not seen and not heard : AIR GUITAR. Awesome clue/answer.
60. Like "park the car," to a New Englander? : R LESS. Got me again.
61. Songstress Mann : AIMEE. Nope. Mystery figure to me.
62. Fisher Price products : TOYS
63. Achilles' cousin : AJAX
64. Passed tediously : WORE ON
65. Cool sitcom guy : FONZ. "Happy Days".
68. Krone-issuing land, to natives : NORGE. Norwegian name for Norway.
69. Black __ spider : WIDOW
70. Ocular washing aid : EYE CUP. Have never heard of eye cup.
73. Do a film editing job : DUB
76. Tours head? : TETE. French for "head". The city Tours.
77. 155-mi. Asian strip that intersects the 38th parallel : KOREAN DMZ. Gorgeous entry. Crazy NDMZ cluster.
78. Sonora uncle : TIO
80. [I'm so clever] : HEH. Yes, you are!
82. Broadway array : THEATERS
83. Prescribed amounts : DOSAGES
84. Takeout order : ONE TO GO
85. "You gave it a shot!" : NICE TRY. Oui, oui!
87. Banjoist, e.g. : TWANGER. I suppose so.
89. Set apart from the rest : ISOLATE
90. "Mazel __!" : TOV. For Hahtool.
91. On the way out : EXITING
92. They're new at it : NOVICES. Tyros.
93. "CSI" procedure : DNA TEST
96. Act of war? : TUG. Tug of War.
100. More than ask : BEG
101. Rodeo rope : REATA. Or RIATA.
103. Valued old item : RELIC
104. Small business successor, maybe : SON. True.
107. Boom letters? : TNT
108. Atmosphere: Pref. : AERI. Wanted AERO.
110. Loose garment : TOGA
113. Some Caltech grads : EES. Electrical Engineers.
115. Business card abbr. : TEL.
Answer grid.
Notes from the constructor:
"At the beginning of this year, I noticed that the tenth of the month was followed by the ten of 2010 when a date is written. I realized that October would be especially significant, being 10/10/10. There had to be a puzzle in that! The only theme I could think of was to have ten be buried in the answers. Then I realized I could imitate the date, and have the answer be ten letters long, and have ten answers, three TENS (a trifecta?) It sounded challenging, but I thought with common letters like T E N it would be doable. I did come up with at least ten phrases, and I believe a couple were weak. I got great assistance from Rich who cinched it with the final ten-letter phrase.
When designing and filling the grid, it seemed natural to simply place the theme answers side by side and spread them out evenly over the grid to allow for the best chance at filling it in. I also had the advantage that I could move the theme answers around a great deal to find the best combinations. In fact, it drove me crazy that I had so many options to try different combinations. I am certain I could have done better given enough time! As it was, filling this grid was quite a challenge. To make certain that the solver understands what is going on, I had to have TEN appear in the grid, which further added to the challenge."
C.C.
22A. Audible sleep aid : WHITE NOISE. I need total silence.
24A. Stadium ticket datum : GATE NUMBER. Target Field has a Gate 34 in honor Kirby Puckett.
43A. Hiker's snack : DATE NUT BAR. Trader Joe's Lara Bars are the best. Dates with raw cashews.
46A. It's transferred from iron to pants during pressing : HEAT ENERGY. We have several tricky "it", "they", "them" in the clues today.
67A. Barely sufficient : JUST ENOUGH
69A. You, to you, at times? : WORST ENEMY. Great clue.
83A. Warning sign : DO NOT ENTER
88A. On and on : WITHOUT END
112A. Agreed to a proposal : GOT ENGAGED. I came to the US on Fiancée Visa.
114A. Library reminder : LATE NOTICE
We also have another implied TEN:
86D. MLB post-season mo. : OCT. Twins are done! Incurable Inferiority Complex against the damn Yankees. Windhover said this started when they were still Washington Senators.
You'll notice that besides the theme entries (perfectly placed), none of the fill are 10-letter long. It's no accident. Also the left & right grid edge three-finger rather than our normal Sunday four-finger break-up gave us plenty of 7-letter entries. 18 in total. Quite a few eye-catching 9s and 8s as well.
There's always something extra in Don's puzzles. That in turn often presents a challenge to his theme choices and grid designs. He's not called "Hard G" for nothing. I've attached his notes on the puzzle at the end of my write-up.
Across:
1. They're in Vogue : POSES. Vogue magazine.
6. Figs. disclosed before closings : APRS. APR = Annual Percentage Rate. On your mortgage.
10. Alley-oop setups, in hoops : LOBS. A term in tennis and golf too.
14. Work on, as pipe bowl ash : TAMP. What is "pipe bowl ash"?
18. Sex appeal : OOMPH. Zippy clue.
19. Fifth-century pope known as "the Great" : LEO I. Educated guess on I. Can't be X or V.
20. "There's no step 3!" product : IMAC. Nice clue.
21. Chick on ivories : COREA. Jazz great Chick Corea.
26. Wing : ELL
27. Trifle : SOU. As in "not worth a sou".
28. Kept sacred : ENSHRINED
30. Where __ at : IT'S
31. Singer Corinne Bailey et al. : RAES. Recognize her face when I googled.
33. Whole that's greater than the sum of its parts : GESTALT. Can you give me an example?
35. Be in a bee : SEW. Be in sewing bee.
36. Monthly exp. : UTIL
37. Fill with joy : ELATE
39. Admonishing king? : TUT. King Tut. Nice clue too.
40. Aide: Abbr. : ASST
42. "Me, Myself & __": 2000 film : IRENE
49. "Wait __!" : A SEC
50. All-inclusive : A TO Z
52. An atheist can't be one : ELK. The Elks. I was unaware of this fact. They are not all-inclusive then.
53. Strikebreakers : SCABS
56. Emmy-winning legal drama : LA LAW
58. Kid who moves a lot : ARMY BRAT. Great "moves", more deceptive than "travels".
63. One bit : AT ALL.
64. Gets twisted : WARPS
65. Cries of disgust : FIES.
66. Miscellany : OLIO
71. With the bow, in music : ARCO. Learned from doing Xword.
72. Approximately : OR SO
73. __-ling : DING A. And BONER (59. Blunder). Tee hee.
74. Nods, often : YESES
75. Dec. purchase : XMAS TREE. Hmm, not so far away.
77. "The vine that ate the South" : KUDZU
78. Brusque : TERSE
79. It may need a boost : EGO. Nailed it.
80. Bindle carrier : HOBO
81. Meteor tail? : ITIC. Meteoritic. How is it different than meteoric?
94. In reserve : ON ICE
95. Sharpen : WHET
97. Ed.'s request : SAE. Self-Addressed Envelope.
98. "A __ this gout!": "Henry IV, Part 2" : POX ON. This clue is for Clear Ayes, who knows all the Shakespearean stuff.
99. Spinoff group : SECT
100. Two-piece piece : BRA. Ultra friendly letter combination, hence the frequent appearances in Xword.
102. Northern lights : AURORAS
105. Paper towel brand : VIVA
106. Consumed : ATE
107. 1960 chart topper with the line "Are you somewhere up above" : TEEN ANGEL. Here is the clip. Not in my knowledge zone.
109. Add (up) : TOT
111. Small songbird : TIT. Oh.
117. Wading bird : EGRET
118. __ insurance : TERM. Had trouble getting the answer.
119. Road for Tiberius : ITER. Roman "road".
120. Code carriers : GENES
121. Versatile beans : SOYS. Versatile indeed.
122. Union mem. since 2/14/1912 : ARIZ. Drew a blank, Lucina!
123. Disney no longer used them after "The Little Mermaid" : CELS. Good to know.
124. It can make your heart pound : ANGST
Down:
1. Turned on, with "up" : POWERED
2. "Tres chic!" : OOH LA LA
3. Graciously greet : SMILE AT
4. Able, facetiously : EPT. Like "apt"?
5. Ladies : SHES
6. Song pour les enfants : ALOUETTE. We just had this entry a week ago.
7. Architect I.M. : PEI. He's born in Guangzhou.
8. Stone home : ROSETTA
9. College near Albany : SIENA. Was ignorant of the Siena College. Catholic college named after St. Bernardino of Siena, a la Wiki.
10. Laser entertainment : LIGHT SHOW. Debut entry.
11. Actor Epps : OMAR
12. Leader overthrown by Castro : BATISTA
13. Part of an act : SCENE. Play act.
14. Kite on the links : TOM. Tom Kite. Very friendly in person.
15. Dispute settler : ARBITER. And MEETING (16. Dispute settler, perhaps). Clecho (clue echo).
17. Decorative herb : PARSLEY. Never developed a taste for parsley.
21. Cow's second helping? : CUD. Fun clue.
23. Yuletide quaff : NOG
25. Improved partner? : NEW. New and improved.
29. '70s extremist gp. : SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army)
32. Mont-__-Anne: Quebec resort : STE
34. Contract segment : SUBCLAUSE. Another fresh entry.
36. Rapt ending : URE. Rapture.
38. Make possible : ENABLE
41. "__ me!" : SEZ
42. Black : INKY
44. __ Enterprise : USS
45. Role for Jackie : RALPH. Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden on "The Honeymooners".
47. Brewer of song : TERESA. Another alien character to me. She looks pretty.
48. Horror film locale: Abbr. : ELM ST.
51. Brits' thank-yous : TAS. Don't know this slang.
53. __ und Drang : STURM. Spitzboov likes to use this term.
54. Ides assassin : CASCA. Could only think of Brutus.
55. Some choirboys : ALTOS
57. Ship that survived the Clashing Rocks : ARGO. I've forgotten most of the scenes in "Jason and the Argonauts".
58. Instrument that's not seen and not heard : AIR GUITAR. Awesome clue/answer.
60. Like "park the car," to a New Englander? : R LESS. Got me again.
61. Songstress Mann : AIMEE. Nope. Mystery figure to me.
62. Fisher Price products : TOYS
63. Achilles' cousin : AJAX
64. Passed tediously : WORE ON
65. Cool sitcom guy : FONZ. "Happy Days".
68. Krone-issuing land, to natives : NORGE. Norwegian name for Norway.
69. Black __ spider : WIDOW
70. Ocular washing aid : EYE CUP. Have never heard of eye cup.
73. Do a film editing job : DUB
76. Tours head? : TETE. French for "head". The city Tours.
77. 155-mi. Asian strip that intersects the 38th parallel : KOREAN DMZ. Gorgeous entry. Crazy NDMZ cluster.
78. Sonora uncle : TIO
80. [I'm so clever] : HEH. Yes, you are!
82. Broadway array : THEATERS
83. Prescribed amounts : DOSAGES
84. Takeout order : ONE TO GO
85. "You gave it a shot!" : NICE TRY. Oui, oui!
87. Banjoist, e.g. : TWANGER. I suppose so.
89. Set apart from the rest : ISOLATE
90. "Mazel __!" : TOV. For Hahtool.
91. On the way out : EXITING
92. They're new at it : NOVICES. Tyros.
93. "CSI" procedure : DNA TEST
96. Act of war? : TUG. Tug of War.
100. More than ask : BEG
101. Rodeo rope : REATA. Or RIATA.
103. Valued old item : RELIC
104. Small business successor, maybe : SON. True.
107. Boom letters? : TNT
108. Atmosphere: Pref. : AERI. Wanted AERO.
110. Loose garment : TOGA
113. Some Caltech grads : EES. Electrical Engineers.
115. Business card abbr. : TEL.
Answer grid.
Notes from the constructor:
"At the beginning of this year, I noticed that the tenth of the month was followed by the ten of 2010 when a date is written. I realized that October would be especially significant, being 10/10/10. There had to be a puzzle in that! The only theme I could think of was to have ten be buried in the answers. Then I realized I could imitate the date, and have the answer be ten letters long, and have ten answers, three TENS (a trifecta?) It sounded challenging, but I thought with common letters like T E N it would be doable. I did come up with at least ten phrases, and I believe a couple were weak. I got great assistance from Rich who cinched it with the final ten-letter phrase.
When designing and filling the grid, it seemed natural to simply place the theme answers side by side and spread them out evenly over the grid to allow for the best chance at filling it in. I also had the advantage that I could move the theme answers around a great deal to find the best combinations. In fact, it drove me crazy that I had so many options to try different combinations. I am certain I could have done better given enough time! As it was, filling this grid was quite a challenge. To make certain that the solver understands what is going on, I had to have TEN appear in the grid, which further added to the challenge."
C.C.
56 comments:
Good morning, folks. Looking forward to a nice Sunday puzzle when the local troutwrapper (the Gazoo) arrives. Happy 10/10/10. Kind of extra cool because we operate on the base 10 number system.
Enjoy the day, and more.
P.S. One time, I got the garbage can to appear. Does anyone know how you do it? Sorry for messing up anybody's Sunday with the early post. I'll remove it (and this) if I can, should I receive instructions.
THX I A. Top o' the mornin' to you all.
Otis, if you're logged in, you should have the trash can showing at the bottom of your post.
Morning, all!
Nice, challenging puzzle today. Loved most of it, but could have done without RAES and EPT in the NW corner. Those totally mystified me while solving, but I just now realized that EPT is a facetious opposite of inept. OK, so maybe it's just RAE I hate...
Wasn't Don the one who gave us meteorITIC last time? Kind of like how Barry Silk is the only one on the planet who uses AQI (Air Quality Index)? Or am I thinking of somebody else? Either way, I only got it because I remembered how much I disliked seeing it in another puzzle.
Happy Ten-Ten-Ten day!
Hello Puzzlers -
Well done, Don "Hard G"! Outstanding! I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle!
Good morning, C.C. - EPT is the humorous fake opposite of inept. I love words like that, just for fun. "Underwhelmed" is another I like. Also: "pediment is the opposite of impediment". Stuff like that amuses me...
Happy 10/10/10, all!
Still can't type fast enough.
OOH-LA-LA! This was a good puzzle. I never would have gotten the theme, however, without the unifier at 116-Down. I had a few of the theme clues filled before I got there, but had to go back and fill in TEN to get the rest of the theme clues.
There were at least two Southern clues today: KUDZU and EGRETs. I live near a body of water that houses tons of egrets, especially in the winter.
Then, there were the AURORAS and the lack of R's in Boston, for the northerners.
I've heard of Chick COREA, but not Corrine Bailey RAE. She's pretty.
In my experience, MEETINGS can often resolve disputes. I have convinced a number of parties to resolve their issues by having them sit down and "talk it out."
My favorite clues today were: Cow's Second Helping = CUD; and
Union Member since 2/14/12 = ARIZ. That was unknown to me, but probably Lucina knew that.
QOD: The consolation of the imaginary is not imaginary consolation. ~ Roger Scruton
There was a while when we were seeing DAN NADDOR and DON GAGLIARDO as the two most prolific constructors, but it has been a few months since DON graced our grids. It seems he likes to create a tour de force, not just a puzzle, with the incomparable SHOE puzzle still amazing. This also required an impossible amount of thought and creativity. It also would be my grandmother’s birthday, may she rest in piece.
Sundays are so filled with fill, it is hard to just stop by for a second, but I will try.
CORINNE BAILEY RAE is a British singer who has had success in the US with her soulful voice. She has spoken out against drug use, and ironically lost her husband JASON RAE to a drug overdose. One of the members of a band I represented is now putting together a foundation to convince young musicians to stay away from the needle; he is an ex-heroin addict whose life is imperiled by his choices.
I think there is a difference between METEORIC and METEORITIC which parallels the difference between METEOR and METEORITE, which I believe relates to METEORS being in space and METEORITES in our atmosphere. We had it used by Pamela Amick Klawatter back in July.
Having spent my life trying to make my eyes work better, and before my first transplant, I have used many EYE CUPS to lavage my eyes. There was a rinse that came in a blue bottle, with a replacement top that was an eye cup. Sadly, I cannot remember the brand name. Oh damn, it was COLLYRIUM , you can see the eye cup on the box.
When I started school, there were only 48 states, and learning the last state admitted was Arizona on Valentine’s DAY, 1912 was mandatory. Are they starting to plan a big centennial LUCINA, FRENCHIE, ROBIN or any of our other Arizona posters?
TEEN ANGEL was very popular when my hormones began to rage around 1960, and also was performed by SHA NA NA at WOODSTOCK . Are they still out there 40 years later?
How could the man do this, knowing our crew: Two-piece piece : BRA. Small songbird : TIT??
Well, there is always more, but after a great day with my younget yesterday in Orlando (enjoyed the famer's market best) I am off to the beach and then to watch a play written by the teacher who taught my boys American Musical Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Ciao chow
Examples of gestalt image where there's more to it than meets the eye include the Amazon.com logo where there is a vector arrow from the leading A that goes to the Z, implying they sell everything from A TO Z, one of the puzzle answers today. Another one is the FedEx logo. Look closely and you will see an arrow in the whitespace between the E and the X. Or NorthWest airlines. The N and W are carefully shown together, yet split so that you can see both letters in one. And the little triangle included to complete the letter W, points to the Northwest inside the enclosing circle.
I have an appt. to get to, but wanted to stop by and thank Don for another great puzzle! I loved the depth of the theme. I'm just in awe...
There was also A LOT of DF fill to scintillate this group!
Great job!
Annette
Good morning everyone.
Yes, C.C., there was some STÜRM U. Drang in this cw. Initially I was going to skip today's puzzle, but when I saw it was by Don G., I had to see what he was up to. He did not disappoint. A fun, moderately difficult solve with much new and bright fill. Such as WHITE NOISE, ARMY BRAT, KUDZU and ALOUETTE. WAGS included TERESA and ARGO. SIENA (near RPI) was a gimme. Especially liked clueing for ARIZ, WORST ENEMY, and TUT. The TEN unifier helped get the top half theme words. No searches were needed.
Enjoy 10/10/10
C.C. Wonderful write-up and thanks for the Extra from Hard'G'.
Well "the Evil Empire" is in the next round.
Then again, they didn't have to deal with your Avatar.
Nice to see the TEN theme and OCT reference to the baseball playoffs.
Note, as scheduled the World Series will go into November.
Now I know why I'm not an ELK (among other reasons).
Add (up) = TOT, for 'total' I suppose. In 35 years I have never heard someone say "What's the tot?"
ON ICE, My Avatar doesn't understand.
BRA, TIT, BONER in the grid. I think that was a salute from Don to this crowd. He's probably anxious to see what Lois has to say.
FUN Sunday ... it was a TEN !!!
Holy spit!
Congratulations Don on a puzzle to remember.
10/10/10 indeed all around.
What fun!
Good Morning C.C. et al.
Thank you for the great write-up, C.C. ! I was still trying to figure out "AT OZ" for the answer to "All-inclusive" until I saw your comment. Duhhhh... I was trying to figure out a link to Kazie !!
Al, thanks for the GESTALT examples. I never noticed the arrow in the FedEx logo, even though I look at it every day in my job. Very interesting. I wonder how many other images are buried out there?
This was a superb puzzle, and gave me a drawn-out solving experience. KUDZUs to Don for a great job...or is that "kudos" ;-D
Good morning C.C. and all.
MJ here. I can't seem to log on under my google account, so will post as anon.
What a terrific puzzle! I loved the multi-tiered theme. Thank you, Don G., for all your hard work to create this very clever, well conceived crossword.
Favorite clue was 39A "Admonishing king?". Struggled with "Banjoist" as I kept reading it as "ban joist".
Lemonade, my hand is up for your idea of selecting a day when those who follow the blog, but don't post daily, or even weekly, could check in. Having begun a new job (presently temporary, may become permanent), and greatly enjoying time with Drake, I haven't posted in a while. However I have read the blogs, and scanned most of the comments. I very much enjoy this community of creative, intelligent people even though I may be "not seen and not heard" from often.
Happy Birthday to those who have celebrated recently-MelissaB, Jayce, and KittyB.
Happy 10-10-10 to all. Enjoy the day!
Hahtool
I have an EGRET that wanders by, scarfing lizards for breakfast, almost everyday when I solve on the patio.
Bill G. (from yesterday)
The baseball celebrations, esp. after the 'first round' of the playoffs are, quite frankly, absurd.
I can see when you clinch a playoff spot, then a spot in the World Series and finally when you win it all.
I was glad that after the NY win TBS had a few interviews and didn't show the shenanigans.
Jayce
That 18yo you sip with your son is great.
Pinch is 15yo. Then there is my special collection.
Finally, good luck Dennis and Seen.
I'm cheering on the local TB Rays.
Hope to see a series between them and "the Evil Empire."
Good Morning C.C. and all,
I knew when I saw "Hard G"'s name, I would be on it for a while ,but I also knew I would be 'rapt' by the experience. I have been excited about the date, since 10/1/10, and the thrill of today's
celebration was almost too much.
The cluing and fill were tops!
'Ept'; 'tug' for act of war; and, of course, 'air guitar'; and on.
The freshness in the fill was a super effort. It was like a cow's second helping- good all over again!
Its all been said, but thanks Don
for a memorable puzzle!.
C.C., your write-up was superb. Thanks for your special touch.
Have a nice day everyone.
I thought this was a very clever puzzle and a lot of fun to solve. My favorite clues were Admonishing king and Like "park the car," to a New Englander? : R LESS. Good stuff!
Dodo, from yesterday, I would think most afros are curly; not big wavy curls but tight, kinky curls which might not be noticed when viewed from a short distance.
Hi all.
Celebrated 50 yrs of statehood by
swimming in sister's pool while visiting at Christmas.
18 yo is supposed to have a hint of sherry since it is aged in oak
that once aged the wine.
Still no printer so I didn't do the cw.
Take care.
Hello everybody. Happy Double Ten Day (雙十節). I'm typing this on my iPhone because it's the only device in my house that can display Chinese characters. It's pretty neat. I assume any Mac, running Safari, can. It also enabled me to see your birthday greeting from yesterday, C.C., which I could read and which made me realize I mistakenly said "Happy New Year" instead of "Happy birthday." It just popped out, so to speak. Back later.
C.C., nice job as usual!
Me: Alex, I'll take Longest clues from the LA Times Cwd with the least helpful unifier but still a hoot for $1,000.
Alex: The answer is Ten
Me: What is 116 Down Alex?
Alex: Right!
What a pleasant Sunday Morning romp with just enough difficulty to crimp your colon occasionally but still very "gettable!" which I did.
I went through Jackie Kennedy and Jackie Chan before Jackie Gleason dropped out of the sky. What a great Ralph he was!
I also like Act of War, Be in the Bee, Tour's head but never associate OOMPH with sex appeal. I always think that is what I need more of to get my driver to hit 250 yds.
On RLESS, I got the right answer but even after saying Pahk the cah out loud, it still took me a while! Great! There is a Boston lady at our YMCA here in Fremont (2nd largest Y in the world BTW) and I always greet her with "Hello Bahbwa"
This has been the most glorious weather here for about a month and we have at least another 10 days of it coming. So all I can say is
FORE!
And Barbara, being the well-brought up Bostonian she is, is too polite to tell you what an A** you are to make fun of her accent.
Good Morning All, We are having company today, so I can't take the time I'd like to comment on Don Gagliardo's puzzle. It was a dilly! (Is that enough?)...ten ten letter phrases all including the word TEN.
I liked seeing the neighboring clechos (15D) "Dispute settler" and (16D)"Dispute settler, perhaps"
GESTALT therapy and yesterday's Rorschach INK BLOT have a lot in common. This and this are two rather well known GESTALT images. What do you see?
Ha, even without reading much Shakespeare, it wouldn't be difficult to get (98A) "A POX ON this gout!". Gout is a nasty, painful disease and anybody who has had it will tell you it should be cursed with a POX!
@1:11, OTOH, many people enjoy their regional accents and have a sense of humor about them. I have a close friend (we saw her last night) who, after 30 years in California still retains her Bostonian accent. She laughs as much as anyone else when she asks someone to "Pass the fork".
We all need to have a sense of humor about our own little quirks, habits, foibles, and yes, even accents. If we can't laugh at ourselves, we don't have much of a chance to laugh at anything else.
Company will be here at noon and I'd better go comb my hair...don't want to scare anybody.
Starting about five years ago crossword puzzles entered into a new Golden Age. The quality, cleverness, brilliance, and fun in these puzzles are extraordinary. The writers have phenomenal skill. How fortunate we solvers are to match our skills with theirs!
New constructors will come along and take up the challenge. The long-time veterans will always hold their own and amaze us. But this new group that started out a few short years ago, man, they're something else.
Don Gagliardo, Donna Levin, Dan Naddor, Jeff Chen, John Lampkin. You could put any of those constructors at the head of the list and I doubt you would get an argument from anyone.
C.C. said What is "pipe bowl ash"?
From a non-smoker, herewith detailed instructions on how to tamp down pipe ash.
Hello everybody. Holy cow, I had a very hard time with this puzzle, but I did manage to do it all. It took almost 2 1/2 hours, but I don't mind because in our house Sunday mornings are s'posed to be relaxed, slow, and a time to languish around. Outstanding construction and outstanding blog today. Thank you.
I got a kick out of TUT, TUG, CUD, and SEW. EPT was kind of fun, but I only got it by filling in the crosses; it elicted a "sheesh" and a smile. Other clue/fill pairings I didn't understand until coming here. I still don't get ITER, since I thought Latin for road is VIA; I'll go look it up in a sec. Also gonna look up meteoric and meteoritic. Fortunately there were just enough gimmes, such as KUDZU, TERESA, and COREA, to enable me to get a foothold. (There's also a KOREA.)
I could go on and on, but I'll stop now. Best wishes to you all.
And anon @1:11, I've left your post so our other bloggers could see what an a-hole you are...
Hi again. Just to satisfy myself, I checked out "iter" and it is indeed a Roman "footpath." Road is indeed "via," as in the famous Via Appia (Appian Way.) Interesting to note that the plural of iter is itinera, from which we get our word itinerary.
Not so clear to me is the actual definition of meteoritic, which is not given by dictionary.com. Meteoric we all know, as in "his meteoric rise." Meteoritic seems to mean (and I'm only guessing here) something like "pertaining to a meteor." Meteoritics is the study of meteors and meteor-like objects.
Oh, and as to TOT meaning to add up, my dad used to use that term a lot; he would say, "Let's tot (pronouced tote) everything up and see where we stand." I always picture a guy licking his pencil lead preparatory to toting up columns of figures in his notepad or ledger.
Enough pedantry for today.
Speaking of TIT being a small songbird, does anybody remember the song "Tit Willow" from The Mikado?
Jayce
re: ITER
Years ago George Peppard, in a Banachek episode, looked at a guy who had the NYT puzzle on his desk and said:
"Iter, roman road is iter."
Never forgot it and started doing these things shortly after. Hooked ever since.
Also, I can accept your dad's tote for total. But this former accountant thinks tot was lame. (only gripe about this wonderful puzzle).
Happy 10/10/10, C.C. and all cyber friends.
Lovely blogging, C.C. as always; I'm hanging my head in embarrassment because, while I filled the downs, put AERO at 108D and did not even notice the date for ARIZ!
Sometimes I am my own WORSTENEMY.
And yes, Lemonade, great plans are in the works for the centennial. Do come and celebrate with us dear puzzlers. What a great reunion that would be! February is lovely and mild in AZ.
I loved this puzzle; loved the theme; loved the depth which I fully grasped only with the blog. Don G. is certainly brilliant.
AURORA is may paternal grandmother's name and my middle name, so of course it's very nice in a puzzle.
ATOZ once again bit me! It was the last to fall.
Nice cross of Pope LEOI and SIENA, very Catholic.
Aren't ARGO and AJAX clechos?
There is so much to comment on this xwd, but time is flying by and my little family is coming to dinner and I shall bake a cake.
I'll catch up with you later.
I hope your Sunday is sensational!
I recall hearing "tot board" on telethons.
Well I now live in the land of crazies.
Tampa Bay Buc's equal last years 3 wins total. Win on the road at Cincy (Seen, you could have knocked me over with a feather as to that result).
Tampa Bay Rays have forced a fifth game on Tuesday (8:07 TBS).
Hmmm, visiting team has won all four games. 178,000 fans leave their respective stadium disappointed.
Lucina
A "Tote Board" is a large numeric or alphanumeric display used to convey information, typically at a race track (to display the odds or payoffs for each race) and on telethons.
When I looked up "TOT" other than being a small child it was defined as a small sip of alcohol (chiefly British).
Dennis
Your reparte is "priceless!" lol
Too subtle?
Hi.
Very good day for Tampa. Now to beat EDM for a perfect day.
Visitors are gone and my time is again my own.
Jayce, I love Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado. But funnier still is this clip from Frasier.
Lucina,"Aren't ARGO and AJAX clechos?" Other than referencing Greek myth, the clues are worded very differently. Did you intend something else? (I did miss a nap today, so....)
Thanks to all for the TOT discussion. I also thought the word was TOTE, but Mirriam-Webster gives:
"Definition of TOT
transitive verb
: to add together : total — usually used with up "
That's pretty much their definition of TOTE as a verb too.
Learn something new every day: the B.P.O. ELK religious requirement was news to me.
Good afternoon C.C. et al,
Today's xwd was unusually fun for me,although it took awhile to complete.Learned a lot , as most of us do..although there are those who know most everything.
I had looked up kudzu as it was a new word for me, and saw all its other names ,then omg, Hahtool sent that link! I am sure glad that Trader Joe's does not sell that! A few yrs ago I bought a LITTLE Passion Flower vine from there;its flower intrigued me. That vine now covers our back fence and ties to climb up into the trees!
I finally understand sturm und drang.
I see that whet's spelling is not wet.
Al and CA, loved the gestalt images.
Teen Angel..boy, we sure loved those sappy stories in songs in the 6o's. Now I just laugh when I hear one....like Patches.
Fun to see Parsley..that's my sweet old cat.Used to grow the plant for Pierre, my lop.
Loved clue "stone home" for Rosetta.
Didn't understand why Tut was clued as admonishing. It was his predecessor, Akhenaten, who punished those who prayed to the gods.But, this was a fabulous puzzle.
Lastly, laughed out loud to CA's clip of "Tit Willow".
I hope 10-10-10 brought good luck to all of you. The news said wedding chapels were full.
The Masons also have a religious requirement. You need not be of any particular sect, but you must be a believer in a supreme being.
JD, I think TUT was clued as admonishing? because some people say, "Tut tut" when you do something wrong.
Frasier certainly had great writing and comic acting. I thought Roz was very appealing too.
Jayce, you're exactly right. My dictionary says Meteoritic is an adjective meaning pertaining to a meteorite.
Jerome, that was a great list of new constructors. I'm still confused if they only provide submissions to the LAT or do they show up in other places too like NYT and USA Today? How do they decide? Whoever pays the best? It's all a mystery to me.
Anonymous,
Bahbwah is tickled to have me say that and to talk about her beloved Red Sahx. She and I have had many laughs over her lovely accent and if she were offended, she is well equipped to say so.
The a** you are seeing is in your mirror. Cowboy up and sign your name or stick to writing on the wall at your junior high.
We just back from getting a little bit of frozen yogurt. Among frozen yogurt, ice cream and gelato, which is your favorite?
Wow, what a full day of football/baseball! Unfortunately for me, I'm 1 for 4 in teams I wanted to win, but tonight can change all that with both the Eagles and Phillies coming on next. Thank God for picture-in-picture.
Windhover, I hope you were watching the Tennessee game - a great win against our arch enemy.
Bill G- The New york Times pays the most so they get the most submissions. In general, however, a constructor might send puzzles to different major media outlets during the year. Rich gets a lot of puzzles because constructors love working with him. He's not only a great editor, but he's a gentleman and one hell of a nice guy.
In sum, if you look at the resume of most puzzle writers you'll find they have been published in numerous places.
THANKS Bill!!! I have got to think out of the box!!
Jordan and I just read some more Calvin and Hobbes. He even reads it by himself. He loves it! I'm guessing it's because Calvin is a bratty six-year-old that doesn't like school work very much.
Jerome, thanks. Will we ever some of those constructors names in USA Today?
CC: Eye cups are used in cases of infection such as pink eye or when the eye is irritated. A solution of warm water and something such as boric acid is mixed and put into the cup, then the head is tilted down (with the eye open) until the cup seals itself around the open eye. The person then just sits there over the sink feeling a little silly for 15 or 30 seconds and then empties the cup into the sink and carefully blots the eye. Here are some photos of eye cups: First image and second image.
Hello to all!
Great work CC and Don.
Fun puzzle but mind very slow.
I am to be taken to the orthopod tomorrow.
I must get him to let me out of this Snake Pit where I have languished for a week after hospital. (Technically a convalescent home, but with more than its share of screaming quasi-cabbages.) One more day in very miniscule bed in a cold corner with non-responsive care givers will probably cause a stroke. Think that they have set a world record for leaving bathroom chores unattended. Some of the personnel had good jobs in foreign countries and loathe patients here openly. Also, due to the cretins running this place, my eyesight is on danger list.
Sorry to be so down. If I get home tomorrow, a happier me will write. (Sorry not to have acknowledged recent well wishes. I am in hell.)
PS Forgive above redundancy please!
fermatprime,
You are in my thoughts and prayers tonight. You are certainly hurting and frustrated. I wish the best for you. Hugs, MJ
Clear Ayes,
Thanks for the gestalt images. I had seen the first, and had to concentrate to figure out the second. Wonderful images!
Night, all!
fermatprime, jeezus, I can't imagine what you must be going through - and how incredibly frustrating that you can't get anything done. I hope the orthopod comes through for you; I don't see how he could do anything else, given your conditions. The very best of luck and positive thoughts your way for tomorrow.
By the way, "screaming quasi-cabbages" just about made me choke on my drink; priceless.
Good luck fermatprime. I feel bad for you and hope that you get into a better situation soon. I also hope none of us falls into a similar situation.
Good night all.
Great puzzle, of which I got about 20 correct answers. But it surely was fun to read the correct ones and the comments.
Fermatprime: I hope Buckeye will give you some pointers on how to respond to the awful care you are getting. Let's hope the arthopod is sensible and gets you out of there!
Goody, tomorrow is Monday, and I'll be able to do the puzzle.
Cheers
I don't get the 20A clue, although I guessed it from a perp. Could someone explain it for me? "There's no step 3!" product : IMAC. Obviously, Im not a mac user.
Love the song "Teen Angel" - recognized it immediately!
Fermatprime, words escape me... You're in my thoughts, and I hope you're back home, or at least in a better facility tomorrow! Please keep us updated. That's so scary...
Annette, a commercial for the IMac started by saying, "there's 3 steps to set up your IMac. Step 1, plug it in. Step 2, connect to the internet. Step 3.......there is no step 3." It was that easy.
Dennis:
Congrats on the Phillies moving on to the NLCS.
Until baseball season is over, I hardly notice football. Then the teams have played enough games and sorted out who is really worthy to discuss in terms of their playoffs, Super Bowl, College Bowls etc. (Plus, I AM an Evil Empire fanatic).
Subtle ... I almost fell on the floor.
Fermatprime
It may be time that we step in and make an offer to your (non)care givers they can't refuse.
My heart actaully aches for what you have had to endure.
I hope you get sprung soonest.
Bill G.
Frozen scotch!
Thanks, Dennis! I'm sure I tuned out (or FF'd) once I saw it was mac. I don't remember it at all...
Good night!
Tinbeni, frozen Scotch sounds great. To sweeten it up, how about frozen Drambuie?
My wife, just bought my son's old MacPro laptop with all the bells and whistles he'd installed. It's so much more intuitive for her than her old PC laptop that she needs for her embroidery software. Both PCs and Macs work great. One is just more intuitive than the other, IMHO.
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