Theme: CD Changers - The starting letter C is changed into D in various familiar phrases.
23A. Athlete's illegal plan? : DOPING STRATEGY. Coping Strategy.
44A. Inevitably short story of a track event? : DASH ACCOUNT. Cash Account.
68A. Derrières? : FRENCH DUFFS. French Cuffs.
96A. Contented furnace part? : HAPPY DAMPER. Happy Camper.
119A. Pass receiver's nightmare? : DREAM OF THE DROP. Cream of the Crop. The only one with double changes.
13D. Dangerous links game? : GOLF DARTS. Golf Carts.
41D. Where authors exhibit unedited work? : DRAFTS FAIR. Crafts Fair.
44D. Designated area for Southern dialogue? : DRAWL SPACE. Crawl Space.
83D. City employee who helps with the dishes? : TOWN DRIER. Town Crier.
Fun puzzle. Some of the theme clues made me laugh. Cottoned onto the theme rather quickly. Had a hunch of what the gimmick was about after reading title, then had it confirmed in no time. For once I mind-melded with Rich.
To those who are not familiar with various alias name of editor Rich Norris, he uses Nora Pearlstone (anagram of "Not a Real Person") mostly for his Sunday puzzles.
Nora tends to spread out her theme entries widely and intersect them when possible.
Across:
1. Post-commencement fliers? : CAPS. The image just wouldn't come to my mind.
5. Skirmish : FRAY
9. Polite address : MA'AM
13. Freedom of speech inhibitor : GAG LAW. Same as Gag Order, right?
19. Snack with several eating options : OREO
20. Grimm bad guy : OGRE
21. Adolescent woe : ACNE
22. Shopping with a mouse, say : ONLINE. Mouse click.
26. Check up (on) : LOOK IN
27. Put to work : EMPLOY
28. Whom a physician should heal? : THYSELF. "Physician, heal thyself".
30. TV Batman Adam : WEST. We also have 99. Dogpatch's Daisy __ : MAE. Not cross-referenced today.
31. Dost speak : SAYST
32. Kenyan tribe : MASAI. New word to me. Dictionary says they live in Tanzania too.
35. Businesses : TRADES
37. Credits (to) : ASCRIBES
40. It's nearly bisected by the Missouri R. : S DAK. Wow, true.
41. Caesar's 601 : DCI
47. It's not wall-to-wall : AREA RUG
49. Hopping desert rodent : JERBOA. Alien to me. Strange looking creature.
51. Cross-country need, perhaps : SKI
52. Put on the tube : AIR
54. Until now : TO DATE
55. Sign of a slip : ERASURE. Sure was not thinking of "mistake" slip.
57. "SNL" producer Michaels : LORNE
59. Endure : SUFFER
60. Handful : FEW
61. Deceive : LIE TO
64. Winans of gospel : CECE. BEBE too.
65. Asian celebration : TET. Only in Vietnam.
66. Leave no room in : FILL
72. This, in Spain : ESTO. Also ESTA.
75. Distress letters : SOS
77. Restaurateur Toots : SHOR
78. Exams for sophs or jrs. : PSATs
80. Warm lining : FUR
81. Influence : IMPACT
84. Publishing crime : LIBEL. I don't get the clue, though I know most libels are in printed form.
86. Place : SITUATE
88. Milan's __ alla Scala : TEATRO. Only know La Scala, not its full name. What does "TEATRO" mean?
89. Dept. in charge of rural development : AGR (Agriculture)
90. Author Tarbell : IDA. No idea. Read here for more information. Interesting: muckraker. What Julian Assange has done appalls me.
93. Brain : GENIUS
94. Does without : ESCHEWS
100. Children's author Blyton : ENID. Learned from doing Xword.
102. Cutting tool handy in tight crevices : SABER SAW. Like this, Splynter?
103. Football play also called a sweep : END RUN
105. __ man : LADY'S. Like Bond.
106. Rumor starter? : I HEAR
111. General Mills brand : CHEX
114. Do some home improvement : REMODEL. Hey, another shout-out to Splynter.
116. Film set at the Bates Motel : PSYCHO
117. Island state : HAWAII
123. Delphic medium : ORACLE
124. Failed '80s gridiron org. : USFL. No idea. United States Football League, 1983-1987.
125. Go (toward) : HEAD
126. What kings and courts do : RULE. Oh, I see, Kings' courts.
127. Civic or rec follower : CENTER
128. Allot, with "out" : METE
129. Line on a horse : ODDS. We also have 95. Filly's father : SIRE. I like the name Zenyatta, very cool!
130. "__ Death": "Peer Gynt Suite No. 1" movement : ASE'S. Ase is Peer Gynt's mother.
Down:
1. Sets of regulations : CODES
2. Olfactory lure : AROMA
3. Energized : PEPPY
4. Dirties : SOILS
5. Stick-in-the-mud : FOGY. Old geezer.
6. Some NFL blockers : RGS
7. Gallery display : ART
8. "__ durn tootin'!" : YER
9. 20th-century Canadian composer André : MATHIEU. Well, I bet Jayce knows this guy. Québécois composer.
10. __-deucy : ACEY
11. Therapy subject : ANGST
12. Seth of "SNL" : MEYERS
14. 365 días : ANO
15. Shines : GLOWS
16. Take a shine to : LIKE
17. Spanish liqueur : ANIS. Made of aniseed?
18. Took off : WENT
24. Nobody at all : NOT A SOUL
25. Steaming mad : AT A BOIL. Two little multip-word phrases.
29. Russian auto : LADA. What does Lada mean?
32. Longtime Olivia Newton-John label : MCA. MCA = Music Corporation of America.
33. Rainbow paths : ARCS
34. Tired partner? : SICK. Sick and tired.
36. Barely make, as a living : EKE OUT. Good to have a full phrase.
38. Bridge star Omar : SHARIF
39. Caught in a net : SNARED
42. Overused word at the nursery : CUTE
43. Disney president Robert : IGER. Quite articulate.
45. Tummy muscles : ABS. Look at here. Amazing. The kid must have been working really hard on them.
46. Costner links film : TIN CUP. Great movie.
48. Classified charge : AD FEE
49. Bridges of "Starman" : JEFF
50. "... __ saw Elba" : ERE I. Ha ha. Just mentioned it yesterday.
53. Coral phenomena : REEFS
56. Chariot ending : EER. Charioteer.
58. Earthy tone : OCHRE
62. One weber per square meter : TESLA. Hey, he's back, with a very technical clue though.
63. Above : ON HIGH
67. Reluctant : LOATH
69. Charmed snakes? : COBRAS. Why "charmed"?
70. Notes after mis : FAs. Musical notes: Do Re Mi Fa Sol...
71. Mark of disgrace : STIGMA
73. "Swan Lake" outfit : TUTU. Have any of you seen "Black Swan"?
74. Tram car fillers : ORES
76. Conceal : SCREEN
79. How AA members complete their program : STEPWISE. Didn't come to me immediately.
81. News bit : ITEM
82. City east of Tempe : MESA. I've never been to AZ.
85. ChapStick, e.g. : LIP BALM
87. A, to Fauré : UNE
91. Changed the locks? : DYED
92. "He was white and shaken, like __ martini": Wodehouse : A DRY. Not familiar with the quote. Funny.
97. Lager alternative : PALE ALE
98. Barnyard brayer : ASS. Alliteration.
101. Jerk : DUMDUM. Another new word to me.
103. Right-on : EXACT
104. Swedes' neighbors : NORSE. Norwegians? I always associate Norse with the ancient Scandinavian people.
107. Victim of Hercules : HYDRA. The nine-headed serpent.
108. Tan shades : ECRUS
109. Financially struggling, with "in" : A HOLE
110. Boxing ring borders : ROPES
111. Prefix with -aholic : CHOC. Chocaholic. My spell checks wants chocoholic.
112. Wonderland tea party attendee : HARE
113. McGregor of "Big Fish" : EWAN. Know his name, not the movie.
115. Skillful : DEFT
116. Some profs : PH. Ds
118. Mer land : ILE. Mer = Sea.
120. Discoverer's shout : OHO. AHA too.
121. Miffed, with "up" : FED
122. Tiny amount : TAD
Answer grid.
We are all familiar with this avatar photo of the always witty & musing & amusing Husker Gary. Here is a closer look at him and his wife Joann. They've been married for 45 years.
C.C.
23A. Athlete's illegal plan? : DOPING STRATEGY. Coping Strategy.
44A. Inevitably short story of a track event? : DASH ACCOUNT. Cash Account.
68A. Derrières? : FRENCH DUFFS. French Cuffs.
96A. Contented furnace part? : HAPPY DAMPER. Happy Camper.
119A. Pass receiver's nightmare? : DREAM OF THE DROP. Cream of the Crop. The only one with double changes.
13D. Dangerous links game? : GOLF DARTS. Golf Carts.
41D. Where authors exhibit unedited work? : DRAFTS FAIR. Crafts Fair.
44D. Designated area for Southern dialogue? : DRAWL SPACE. Crawl Space.
83D. City employee who helps with the dishes? : TOWN DRIER. Town Crier.
Fun puzzle. Some of the theme clues made me laugh. Cottoned onto the theme rather quickly. Had a hunch of what the gimmick was about after reading title, then had it confirmed in no time. For once I mind-melded with Rich.
To those who are not familiar with various alias name of editor Rich Norris, he uses Nora Pearlstone (anagram of "Not a Real Person") mostly for his Sunday puzzles.
Nora tends to spread out her theme entries widely and intersect them when possible.
Across:
1. Post-commencement fliers? : CAPS. The image just wouldn't come to my mind.
5. Skirmish : FRAY
9. Polite address : MA'AM
13. Freedom of speech inhibitor : GAG LAW. Same as Gag Order, right?
19. Snack with several eating options : OREO
20. Grimm bad guy : OGRE
21. Adolescent woe : ACNE
22. Shopping with a mouse, say : ONLINE. Mouse click.
26. Check up (on) : LOOK IN
27. Put to work : EMPLOY
28. Whom a physician should heal? : THYSELF. "Physician, heal thyself".
30. TV Batman Adam : WEST. We also have 99. Dogpatch's Daisy __ : MAE. Not cross-referenced today.
31. Dost speak : SAYST
32. Kenyan tribe : MASAI. New word to me. Dictionary says they live in Tanzania too.
35. Businesses : TRADES
37. Credits (to) : ASCRIBES
40. It's nearly bisected by the Missouri R. : S DAK. Wow, true.
41. Caesar's 601 : DCI
47. It's not wall-to-wall : AREA RUG
49. Hopping desert rodent : JERBOA. Alien to me. Strange looking creature.
51. Cross-country need, perhaps : SKI
52. Put on the tube : AIR
54. Until now : TO DATE
55. Sign of a slip : ERASURE. Sure was not thinking of "mistake" slip.
57. "SNL" producer Michaels : LORNE
59. Endure : SUFFER
60. Handful : FEW
61. Deceive : LIE TO
64. Winans of gospel : CECE. BEBE too.
65. Asian celebration : TET. Only in Vietnam.
66. Leave no room in : FILL
72. This, in Spain : ESTO. Also ESTA.
75. Distress letters : SOS
77. Restaurateur Toots : SHOR
78. Exams for sophs or jrs. : PSATs
80. Warm lining : FUR
81. Influence : IMPACT
84. Publishing crime : LIBEL. I don't get the clue, though I know most libels are in printed form.
86. Place : SITUATE
88. Milan's __ alla Scala : TEATRO. Only know La Scala, not its full name. What does "TEATRO" mean?
89. Dept. in charge of rural development : AGR (Agriculture)
90. Author Tarbell : IDA. No idea. Read here for more information. Interesting: muckraker. What Julian Assange has done appalls me.
93. Brain : GENIUS
94. Does without : ESCHEWS
100. Children's author Blyton : ENID. Learned from doing Xword.
102. Cutting tool handy in tight crevices : SABER SAW. Like this, Splynter?
103. Football play also called a sweep : END RUN
105. __ man : LADY'S. Like Bond.
106. Rumor starter? : I HEAR
111. General Mills brand : CHEX
114. Do some home improvement : REMODEL. Hey, another shout-out to Splynter.
116. Film set at the Bates Motel : PSYCHO
117. Island state : HAWAII
123. Delphic medium : ORACLE
124. Failed '80s gridiron org. : USFL. No idea. United States Football League, 1983-1987.
125. Go (toward) : HEAD
126. What kings and courts do : RULE. Oh, I see, Kings' courts.
127. Civic or rec follower : CENTER
128. Allot, with "out" : METE
129. Line on a horse : ODDS. We also have 95. Filly's father : SIRE. I like the name Zenyatta, very cool!
130. "__ Death": "Peer Gynt Suite No. 1" movement : ASE'S. Ase is Peer Gynt's mother.
Down:
1. Sets of regulations : CODES
2. Olfactory lure : AROMA
3. Energized : PEPPY
4. Dirties : SOILS
5. Stick-in-the-mud : FOGY. Old geezer.
6. Some NFL blockers : RGS
7. Gallery display : ART
8. "__ durn tootin'!" : YER
9. 20th-century Canadian composer André : MATHIEU. Well, I bet Jayce knows this guy. Québécois composer.
10. __-deucy : ACEY
11. Therapy subject : ANGST
12. Seth of "SNL" : MEYERS
14. 365 días : ANO
15. Shines : GLOWS
16. Take a shine to : LIKE
17. Spanish liqueur : ANIS. Made of aniseed?
18. Took off : WENT
24. Nobody at all : NOT A SOUL
25. Steaming mad : AT A BOIL. Two little multip-word phrases.
29. Russian auto : LADA. What does Lada mean?
32. Longtime Olivia Newton-John label : MCA. MCA = Music Corporation of America.
33. Rainbow paths : ARCS
34. Tired partner? : SICK. Sick and tired.
36. Barely make, as a living : EKE OUT. Good to have a full phrase.
38. Bridge star Omar : SHARIF
39. Caught in a net : SNARED
42. Overused word at the nursery : CUTE
43. Disney president Robert : IGER. Quite articulate.
45. Tummy muscles : ABS. Look at here. Amazing. The kid must have been working really hard on them.
46. Costner links film : TIN CUP. Great movie.
48. Classified charge : AD FEE
49. Bridges of "Starman" : JEFF
50. "... __ saw Elba" : ERE I. Ha ha. Just mentioned it yesterday.
53. Coral phenomena : REEFS
56. Chariot ending : EER. Charioteer.
58. Earthy tone : OCHRE
62. One weber per square meter : TESLA. Hey, he's back, with a very technical clue though.
63. Above : ON HIGH
67. Reluctant : LOATH
69. Charmed snakes? : COBRAS. Why "charmed"?
70. Notes after mis : FAs. Musical notes: Do Re Mi Fa Sol...
71. Mark of disgrace : STIGMA
73. "Swan Lake" outfit : TUTU. Have any of you seen "Black Swan"?
74. Tram car fillers : ORES
76. Conceal : SCREEN
79. How AA members complete their program : STEPWISE. Didn't come to me immediately.
81. News bit : ITEM
82. City east of Tempe : MESA. I've never been to AZ.
85. ChapStick, e.g. : LIP BALM
87. A, to Fauré : UNE
91. Changed the locks? : DYED
92. "He was white and shaken, like __ martini": Wodehouse : A DRY. Not familiar with the quote. Funny.
97. Lager alternative : PALE ALE
98. Barnyard brayer : ASS. Alliteration.
101. Jerk : DUMDUM. Another new word to me.
103. Right-on : EXACT
104. Swedes' neighbors : NORSE. Norwegians? I always associate Norse with the ancient Scandinavian people.
107. Victim of Hercules : HYDRA. The nine-headed serpent.
108. Tan shades : ECRUS
109. Financially struggling, with "in" : A HOLE
110. Boxing ring borders : ROPES
111. Prefix with -aholic : CHOC. Chocaholic. My spell checks wants chocoholic.
112. Wonderland tea party attendee : HARE
113. McGregor of "Big Fish" : EWAN. Know his name, not the movie.
115. Skillful : DEFT
116. Some profs : PH. Ds
118. Mer land : ILE. Mer = Sea.
120. Discoverer's shout : OHO. AHA too.
121. Miffed, with "up" : FED
122. Tiny amount : TAD
Answer grid.
We are all familiar with this avatar photo of the always witty & musing & amusing Husker Gary. Here is a closer look at him and his wife Joann. They've been married for 45 years.
C.C.
36 comments:
Hi all.
Brian was born in Mesa.
Real nice "Nora". It took almost an hour but got it done. I went clockwise around the edges waiting for perps to finish.
The theme was a give away. I would
rather not see it.
Just love it when CC posts at 10PM local.
take care.
Happy Sunday, C.C. and you guys and gals:
What a totally fun puzzle, from our editor, and write up from our leader. I enjoyed the wit in each of the theme answers, the C to D change obvious from the title and the first few clues.
GAG ORDER is more likely correct, as there really are not any GAG LAWS, but there is a little poetic license in construction. I dredged my recollection of MASAI from the recesses of my brain, as with the weird little JERBOA.
More law stuff, Publishing crime : LIBEL. Slander is the malicious disparaging of another that is spoken or heard, which if it is in printed form, is known as LIBEL. Publishing implies printing, though again, in the law, publishing just means making known to others. I hope that explains it. Then, What kings and courts do : RULE. Oh, I see, Kings' courts. I think there is a play on words intended, for Courts RULE on Motions etc., as opposed to Kings who Rule people
TEATRO, is at looks, is Italian for Theater. COBRAS. Why "charmed? Because the swami could control the snake with MUSIC .
Does without : ESCHEWS, nice word, very popular with legal writers.
MCA. MCA = Music Corporation of America; the first record deal I negotiated was with MCA, which owned Universal Studios. We got to play on the back lots, and had tremendous fun on the rides when the park was closed.
Nice pics, and 45 years, wonderful.
Hello, all. What a treat to be one of the first instead of one of the last for a change!
Unusually for me, I was able to finish this Sunday puzzle in under 40 minutes with no help but perps. Loved seeing a Wodehouse quote.
Some comments:
COMMENCEMENT FLIERS - I remember throwing my own cap up in the air a year or two ago.
Enjoyed seeing the Masai in the puzzle. At one time they pretty much controlled all of east Africa.
I kept up my record of ALWAYS choosing the wrong gender for estar the first time around.
Snow total here = ~5"
Love L714's blog.
Hi All ~!!
Well, let me just say that I am honored to get not one, but two mentions in the write-up from C.C. today - thank you!
Yes, the theme was a give-away, but still, I found it quite humorous, too - my favorite was HAPPY DAMPER, which sounds like an oxymoron.
Great example of a saber saw; I consider myself DEFT with one - my father had one of the originals, with a metal casing, and all metal guts - still works, of course.
This is a reciprocating saw; Sawzall is a Brand-name, like Q-tips and Band-Aids.
Have to admit, I did NOT get REMODEL on the Across pass - it filled in with the Downs - I feel like a DUM-DUM or an ASS, not a GENIUS.
Here's an example of the remodeling that I have been asked to correct - I don't know who cuts rafters to get the garage door to fit...
Friend of Bill W, too, right Fermatprime? Bill G, too.
Me, 6 years of taking it STEPWISE.
Really wanted to add to yesterday's blog, as I smoked the puzzle, but had to go to work on a Bilco door...
But it was worth the shout-outs today !
What's left of your weekend, enjoy it.
Yours,
Splynter
Good Morning C.C. and all,
Thank you, C.C. for your great write-up! Super questions!
Rich, the puzzle was fun, as Sundays should be; as well as funny. The theme made me chuckle as I worked through it.
My fav clues were:'changed the locks' and'Mer land'.
Missing you, Dennis. Hope all is working out.
Have a nice day everyone.
Good Morning, CC and friends. This was a tough Sunday puzzle for me today. After getting FRENCH DUFFS, made me realize that the CD change was not a double C-D switch, but that only one letter was substituted for the other. I was expecting to see both the C and D in the clue, only switched.
The overused word in the nursery reminded me of Kramer's reaction to seeing a not-so-CUTE baby.
I liked some of the short clues ~ Snack with eating options = OREO
Changed the locks = DYED. Not that I would know anything about dying hair!
Have a great Sunday, everyone. I am going to a painting class.
QOD: We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones. ~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld.
Hello All!
Thanks CC, Rich! Fun puzzle. Loved the theme! Favorite answer--DRAFT FAIR.
Splynter--having finished the steps many years ago, it is "one day at a time" now. I used to consume red wine indiscriminately. The real stuff makes me nauseous now. But I do enjoy Fré merlot occasionally. Ariel also makes a non-alcoholic wine that is not half bad.
Tried to cut the temperature down radically (well, I cheated, 5 degrees) in order to stay asleep longer (according to Dr. Oz, as I recall). Instead I woke up with excruciating arthritis pain in both shoulders. I couldn't work crossword puzzles or sudokus for two days. Egad.
Have a pleasant Sunday!
Good morning, all.
This was certainly a fun one. There were so many unfamiliar names that I wasn't sure I was going to get it done, but after a few times back and forth, up and down, round and round, hither and yon, a letter here, a word there, there were finally no more spaces to fill. I knew I was looking for D for C substitutions, but needed a few perps in each of the phrases to get them. Fave was "Dream of the drop".
Nice to see our old friend Tesla again. I must admit, though, I didn't get that one until I had the 'ESL' in the middle.
As usual, a great writeup, CC, with a nice expansion on the legal stuff by our inhouse barrister.
I wasn't familiar with "stepwise" but was looking for something related to steps so that one filled itself from a few perps.
My dear wife insists she is not a dyer of her locks. She is merely maintaining her "natural" color, and gray is not her natural color. Yes, dear, whatever you say...
Splynter. That picture of the mangled rafters is an absolute classic! i hope that roof isn't subject to heavy snow loads. Maybe it should be reinforced with some of those "L-Beams" we saw in a puzzle a while back.
I wish I had a camera with me many years ago to record a similar situation. I was helping to deliver a pool table that was to go in the basement rec room. It wouldn't clear the ceiling joists at the bottom of the steps. We suggested getting a smaller table, but he just had to have a regulation size. The homeowner hauled out his chain saw and carved away at the joists until there was enough clearance to get his pool table down the steps. Another one took out a basement window and several bricks and blocks from the foundation on either side of the window in order to slide his pool table into the basement.
I still have my dad's all metal saber saw, too, along with a few other all metal power tools.
Grump 1 et al,
Blogger is having some software glitch lately:
1) Posts with links, such as Splynter's 6:38am, were wrongly sent to Spam folder and had to unspammed.
2) Long posts tend to experience double or triple posting.
Be patient. Argyle and I are trying our best to erase the duplications.
Thanks for cleaning up the mess C.C. I knew my erudite post wasn't deserving of quadruple posting so I trashcanned the dups. Since you were on top of the situation too, we were probably both trying to eliminate the dups. I ended up having to exit and reopen the blog. I hope you find the gremlin that is messing things up.
Good day, C.C. and all.
Wonderful blogging, C.C. with nice shoutouts to our posters.
At first pass I thought this might be a slog full of sports references, but once I caught the theme, it was fun. Thanks, Rich.
Easy fills were ESTO (although as C.C. noted could be este or esta), ASE'S death, CHOCaholic, (since I am one)HAWAII, ANO and many others.
Still look for LOATHE instead of LOATH.
TEATRO is theater in Spanish so presumably in Italian as well.
Last to fall was GOLFDARTS, immensely helped by the theme and then SDAK where my S-I-L is from.
Thank you, L, for all your legal insight. of which I had some vague notion, but you clarified it.
Today is our big family birthday party, so I'll be gone all afternoon. It's at a park and the temp will be 76 so should be nice.
Have a spectacular Sunday everyone!
Hello Puzzlers -
Another fun puzzle with clever clues. My favorite is "post-commencement fliers".
Related story: at my 1982 college graduation, the caps didn't fly. They were too waterlogged. You see, it was held in an outdoor arena, and it rained hard and endlessly. Our "mortarboards" were made of plain cardboard, and once it got soaked, the shape went all out of them. Totally unsuitable for flight.
Splynter: Yowza! What kind of idiot did that? Bet he used a SABER SAW to make those unkind cuts.
Happy Sunday, all.
Very clever all the way through. Only misstep was Rasai for Masai - RCA? MCA? who knew?
Favorite fills - French Duffs and Dream of the Drop.
Thanks C.C. and all. Good to see you're doing better, Lemonade
My best to all for a relaxing Sunday.
Lemon: you might want to be a bit more cautious about dispensing legal advice, license-wise. The Internet sometimes provides too much info.
Wow, when and where did I dispense legal advice? Well, if I did it was inadvertant. My comments about GAG ORDER and LIBEL were informative not intended to be advice to anyone. I hope no one had perceived my comments as individual advice, or an indication of my acting on behlaf of anyone.
In deference to Jerome, I musr comment that GOLF DARTS can become GOLD FARTS...
Good Morning C.C. et al.
Great write-up C.C. - thanks for all the informative links. "Big Fish" was another great movie directed by Tim Burton, that I would highly recommend.
This was a fun Sunday puzzle, although it took me a while to suss out the theme (I didn't even look at the title or the constructor until I came here - doh!!)
First to fall was "French duffs", so I went back and looked at the other empty ones and started filling in a la Grumpy1.
I had "rCA" for 32D, so rASAI did not turn on any bulbs. When I finally changed it to MCA, I remembered the MASAI of Africa. We read an Alice Walker book for book club which described some rather unsavory practices within this tribe, which I will not go into here.
Thanks for expanding on GAG LAWS and LIBEL, Lemonade! I was familiar with Gag Order, too - but since I don't have a legal background I just assumed a it must be part of a gag law.
Have a great day everyone - we are off to buy another cord of wood this afternoon - I hope it lasts until spring!
Good Morning everyone. Thanks for the informative write-up, C.C.
Not much new to add. I knew that Nora was an alias for Rich so the editor had to edit himself. Probably not so easy to keep the appropriate edge as when dealing with other constructors. I liked the clueing for CAPS and DRAWL SPACE crossing DASH ACCOUNT. By then I had seen the C ➨ D shift and it was an easy fill at 44a/d.
Only 20 shopping days left. Enjoy.
Didn't do the xword, but had to read the xword commentary ( very nice, as usual, CC, !) and all the interesting comments.
I would like to comment on some comments Lemonade made - the Masai apparently have a very low salt ( sodium chloride ) intake, thus they have a very low incidence of high blood pressure - they almost never suffer from it ... which has been the subject of many medical articles. Also they consider their herds of cattle to be the sole source of their wealth - hence they rarely slaughter them ... instead they prefer to drink the cattle blood (low salt , again ) directly from a vein of the living animal. They also have other unsavory practices, best left unsaid.
Thanks, L714, for the snake charmer footage connection ... the reality is that snakes are never 'charmed', since they have no ears ( they are definitely 'deaf' )- they either have an organ in the roof of their mouth to sense infrared 'images' or sense the vibration of movement thru some organ(s) behind their eyes. The 'show' snakes, which almost always have been defanged &/or devenomized, may sway from side to side, (altho this is not apparent in that video ...), does so, in response to the 'threat' of the tip of the 'been' ( the flute-like ) pipe being played by the charmer - but not in response to the music being played. BTW, the music being played in that video is godawful horrendous - even for a street player. The youtube poster, should have shot the snake charmer, after he/she had shot the video.
Have a great weekeend everyone.
CC,,
LADA's are Russian made cars produced by AvtoVAZ since the 70's,, they're mostly a copycat of the Fiats 1300 and 1500 models, very popular in Europe and Cuba,, I actually owned one when I was in Liberia Africa,, I survived a nasty head on collision with the engine cracking the dashboard in half, I was lucky to walk away with only minor cuts and bruises.
Hope y'all have gr8 wkend.
Good Morning All, It's always fun to see Nora Pearlstone's name on a Sunday puzzle. Crossword constructors are an amazing group of people. How they come up with the puns and letter changing phrases is beyond my understanding.
New stuff was JERBOA (what a strange looking little critter!), IDA Tarbel, André MATHIEU and Russian auto LADA.
In spite of the rain warnings for today, the sky is clear and the temperature is in the low 70's....yippee. GAH and I are heading out for a tour of holiday decorated homes in the hills. Should be fun. See you all later.
BTW, C.C. - thanks for the pic of Husker Gary and his wife. Always nice to see the faces behind the wit!
Hello everybody. Warm greetings to you all. Fun puzzle today! And thank you for an interesting writeup, C.C.
Because the San Jose newspaper doesn't publish the L.A. Times crossword on Sunday (only the NYT puzzle, don't know why), I always have to do the puzzle on line. I keep forgetting to click "Master Level" so I automatically get red-letter help, which results in more easily solving the puzzle. To me it's sort of cheating, and I keep promising myself that next time I'll turn red-letter help off. I think the puzzle's true difficulty will then be revealed.
By golly, I have to confess I did not know André MATHIEU. Now I'm going to see if YouTube has anything by him, so I can listen and learn.
Thanks for the explanations of the legal terms, Lemonade. I always enjoy and sometimes benefit (i.e. learn) from reading your comments.
Our son and his family live in Tempe, AZ. We have been over to Mesa many times. There used to be a nice Borders book store there where my d-i-l liked to hang out, and I think the Best Buy, where our son liked to hang out, is still there.
I knew SDAK right away, as I grew up in Sturgis (long before it became summertime motorcycle heaven) during my formative years, and we were taught much about our state in school.
It was a coin toss whether 72A would be ESTA or ESTO, so I left it as EST_ until I got ORES.
Several of the clues and fills made me chuckle out loud, one of my favorites being "Sign of a slip", which got me thinking of lingerie, as I'm sure Rich intended it to do. I also like DREAMOFTHEDROP a lot.
Whoo, that GERBOA sure is a goofy looking creature! Like a teeny weeny kangaroo.
Congratulations, Husker Gary and Joann! May you enjoy many more years together!
Splynter, thanks for the photo of the modified rafters. Eeeeenteresting what measures sometimes must be taken to accommodate design anomolies.
Didn't James Bond like his martinis shaken, not stirred?
fermatprime, please keep warm.
Best wishes to you all.
Nice photos of Husker Gary and Joann. Too bad about the football game. Were you guys there? There was a fight among the tailgaters at the USC-UCLA football game. Seems as if they were taking it a little to seriously to me. The Husker fans would never do that, would they?
Interestingly to me, on the canceled show NUMBERS, there was a little scene about the incorrect and proper spellings of Anomaly. It seems as if it should have two O's, doesn't it?
We had a huge Monterrey pine tree taken out a year or so ago. It was dying because of a bark beetle infestation. We got a lot of firewood from it though it's not well-seasoned yet.
I just learned the difference among first cousins, cousins once removed and second cousins today. You guys probably already know though.
Hello! I so enjoy my Sunday puzzles. This one was fun. I have a bad habit, though, of not reading the title and jumping right in. Bad move. Maybe. A snake "charmer" uses cobras. Don't know what Lada means. Interesting link on Tarbell. Didn't know about her but have been to Titusville PA many times to visit friends. First place oil was discovered in US. Now it's a "shell" of it's former self. Couldn't resist. Thanks for the help when I get stuck.
Anonymous @3:03 PM
Regarding Titusville, it may be a "shell" of it's former self, but it had a "Marathon" run while it was setting the "Standard" for production and contributing to the "Mobil(ity)" of our country. Now there's a wide "Gulf" between what it was and what it is now.
Well, a witty and non confrontational Anon. The discovery of oil in Pennsylvania is an interesting STORY which resulted in a well being drilled on August 27, 1859 (the oil actually appeared on the 28th) which for Vidwan and I, is an easy date to remember.
Fun puzzle.
Favorites were DRAWLSPACE and FRENCHDUFFS. And the latter with the echo at the cross of 105A and 98D.
Splynter: What an example of shoddy carpentry! The picture ought to be in the dictionary beside the entry for FUBAR.
I fired my builder when he suggested cutting the trusses of my garage to gain room for the door rails after he failed to allow for clearance. He claimed it was standard practice.
Husker Gary:
I failed to mention your photo earlier. Congratualtions to and your wife on 45 years! Lovely photo of you both.
Today was an exquisite day in Arizona. Our party at the park was a huge success and the five honorees were duly celebrated. Fun stuff with family. It was Sloane's, my baby granddaughter, first birthday.
Evening, all. Thanks, C.C. for the great write up.
I worked the cw before breakfast, but had other things to do until now. Had to look up MATHIEU, MEYERS, LORNE, and IGER. I never heard of any of those folks. My misadventures in the NW started when I insisted on rules at 1D. I knew 1A was either hats or CAPS since mortarboard wouldn't fit, so I waited for the perps to come up with CODES. Kangeroo rat wouldn't fit 49A and I had never heard of JERBOA. SDAK was a given because I recently read a book about the Plains States. I dredged MASAI from somewhere in my memory; don't know why it was there. Fun puzzle; fun theme. Had to use red letters at the end because I had two typos I couldn't find.
Nice pictures, Gary and Joann. Congratulations.
Hi, C.C.and everyone,
Todays puzzle, although it took me a while, was really enjoyable. I hadn't checked the title, which as Eddie B. said was a dead giveaway, but caught on to the theme easily.The perps were really helpful; I'd never have got the names (Mathieu and Meyers) without their help. A lot of the clues were pretty straightforward, too: oracle, ases,employ, acey, deft, and lots more. Never heard of a jerboa and I hope I never run into one, even if they are small! Creepy!
Favorite answer: happy damper!Favorite clue:Designated area for Southern dialogue.
Eddie, who's Brian?
WikWak, your climate remark re: snow was pretty meaningless since we don't know where you live. Why don't you enter a profile?
C.C. your blogging was really great! You always do it so well!
Lemonade714, thanks for the legal info. I like "eschews", too.
CA, what fun...a house tour. I used to do that when I lived in SoCal. Really gets one in the Christmas spirit! I understand there's wonderful tree exhibit in nearby Lodi but I haven't ventured out to see it. Lots of walking..not easy for me.
Husker G., what is your wedding anniversary date? Mine was yesterday 12/4. Would have been married 62 yrs. We made it to 3 months short of 57! Nice pix.
Oh, L714, I loved your anagram! LOL! BTW, 714 is an Orange County, CA
area code.
Hi dodo,
Brian is our son. He was born at Mesa Lutheran. We lived in Tempe
when I worked for Motorola.
The theme WAS nice and easy. I just
don't like to know what it is before I start. Took an hour because of the distractions. (Hockey game).
Finally had some rain today.
Take care.
C.C. and Sunday puzzlers, what a treat to have my picture posted with my lovely bride of 44 years (on Feb. 17). Thanks for the wonderful comments from my new family.
I finished the puzzle at 9 am but at the request of my grandson, we drove to Lincoln so I could accompany him and his Dad to a Husker Basketball game. At least they won which is more than I can say for the fumbling Husker Footballers. The Lady Huskers are in the Sweet 16 NCAA VB tournament after winning the Big XII crown for something like 18 of the last 20 years. They be good! I am posting late because we just got back home north of the Platte River!
My last fill on this great puzzle was the NW corner as I had RULES for CODES which really delayed the fill - LOPINGSTRATEGY did seem weird.
Musings (brief due to the last hour and the fact that I have to work 3 days this week)
-I thought SRPINT would be the last of the short track event
-ENDRUN seems to be what courts and politicians do to get “stuff” passed
-Put TRIX for CHEX
-Loved the PSYCHO reference. Hitchcock made some great movies that scared the hell out of us with inference and great writing!
-Stick in the mud was FOOT
-BOILING instead of ATABOIL
-Does the word CUTE get overused in female conversations about clothing or wall decorations? The only adjective Middle School kids know is AWESOME – whether it is a piece of gum or a sunset on Maui
-Liked TINCUP but loved Dancing With Wolves. When I grew up there were NO sympathetic Indians
-109A answer of AHOLE reminded me of some of the ANON posters
See you tomorrow if the school filter lets me through!
Thanks again C.C.!
@Dodo (6:49 PM): Done. Thought it was done before, but apparently it wasn't saved. Sorry.
Hi.
Whee! I have no nails left.
Take care.
What a fun day we had. The houses we toured were each really one of a kind. Several were built from the ground up by the owners using local wood, rock and granite. The decorations were wonderful, most of them homemade and many of them passed on for several generations. Naturally, I forgot my camera....duh!
The clear weather turned to rain this evening, so we are getting a good soak. GAH is hoping it will clear enough so that he can golf tomorrow. Good luck with that.
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