Theme: Get In - GET spans each two-word common phrase.
23A. Compelling read : PAGE TURNER
28A. Oberlin, e.g. : COLLEGE TOWN. Oberlin College, the first co-ed college in the US.
43A. Spa fixture : MASSAGE TABLE. Sweet entry for our beautiful Melissa Bee.
66A. Refinery sight : STORAGE TANK
90A. Landscaping tool : HEDGE TRIMMER. Gail loves gardening.
106A. Travel agency offering : PACKAGE TOUR
115A. Airport freebie : LUGGAGE TAG
31D. Site of some trash talk : GARBAGE TRUCK. Fun clue.
39D. Dairy Queen option : FUDGE TOPPING. Can you believe I've never been to a Dairy Queen?
The title gives away the gimmick, yes? This word splitting concept doesn't lend itself to tricky titling, esp if the word itself has only 3 letters.
Very enjoyable puzzle, super smooth and silky, Gail's hallmark. Hard to keep one or two obscure names/words out of a 21*21 grid. Gail always manages to do so. She's a real pro.
Across:
1. Heist, say : CAPER
6. Pooch without papers : MUTT. Nice clue.
10. "Beowulf," for one : EPIC
14. Nuance : TINGE
19. Full of energy : ALIVE
20. U.S. Open stadium : ASHE. Who is your favorite all- time tennis player?
21. "__ chance!" : NOT A
22. It's west of Daytona Beach : OCALA. Well, 7-letter city in Florida has to be Ocala.
25. Go here and there : ROAM
26. Opera hero, often : TENOR
27. Common starting hr. : NINE AM. Mine is much earlier.
30. Ancient market : AGORA. The old Greek mall.
32. Mark of distinction : A PLUS. Was thinking of FELT, Mark Felt.
34. Respond to an alarm : RISE
35. Exchange worker : TRADER. Stock exchange.
36. "But __ a man in Reno": Johnny Cash lyric : I SHOT. Not familiar with the song. Johnny Cash's voice feels shaky to me.
37. Damage : MAR
38. Way out there : AFAR
42. Short talk : WORD. I'd like a word with you.
47. Colorful card game : UNO. Three-letter card game, UNO it is.
48. Colt 45 brewer : PABST. And 75. Former Colt .45 : ASTRO. Might be tough for non-baseball fans. Also, 6D. Colt carrier : MARE. Great clechos (clue echos).
50. __ Cong : VIET
51. Santa __ winds : ANA
52. Digital interpreter : MODEM
54. Toledo title: Abbr. : SRA
55. Sch. whose mascot is Sam the Minuteman : U MASS. Nice to meet you, Sam.
57. Top in the 'hood : DO-RAG
59. Molten rock : MAGMA
60. Mockery : GIBES. I always confuse this word with JIBES.
62. Succubus : DEMON. Succubus is a new word to me. Demon in female form, said to have sex with men in their sleep.
63. Had leftovers, say : ATE IN
64. Lose locks : SHED. Oh, hair. Funny for me to see Boomer uses Volumizer shampoo now.
71. LAX postings : ETAS
72. Tribal symbol : TOTEM
74. Arabic holy book : KORAN
77. Tropical eel : MORAY. Then we also have 122. Freshwater eel, at sushi bars : UNAGI. Nothing beats the aroma of unagi.
78. Keys : ISLES
79. Magical start : HOCUS. Hocus-pocus.
81. Org. with much swinging : PGA. Golf swing.
84. Stallion, for one : ADULT. Creature loves horses.
85. Up to, briefly : TIL
86. Former "Last Comic Standing" host Jay : MOHR. Here he is, with his wife.
87. Resort east of Grand Junction : ASPEN. Not familiar with Grand Junction, largest city in western Colorado, a la Wikipedia.
89. Mythical flier : ROC
95. Subtle help : HINT
96. Team neckwear : YOKE. Ah, farm oxen team.
98. Fathers and grandfathers : MEN
99. CSA leader : R.E. LEE
100. Seven-time Grammy winner Morissette : ALANIS. She's engaged to Ryan Reynolds once.
102. Exchange : SWAP
104. Tons : LOADS
105. Twilled fabric : SERGE. Still waiting for the Serge Gainsbourg clue.
110. Line dance step : TOE TAP
113. Peaks : ACMES
114. Pen or pencil, e.g. : NOUN. Easier for constructors to get creative with NOUN clue. Tough to play with OREO.
119. In need of dough : SHORT
120. Record : DISC
121. Like hands co-opted by the Devil? : IDLE. The devil finds work for idle hands.
123. Wound up : TENSE
124. Roy Rogers's birth name : SLYE. Leonard Slye. I forgot. Hope Barry G did not.
125. Beautician, at times : DYER
126. They may be rough : EDGES. Rough edges.
Down:
1. Tube top : CAP
2. Menu catchphrase : A LA
3. Greedy sort : PIG
4. Toss-up ratio : EVEN ODDS. Nice entry.
5. Hit the hay : RETIRE. Oh, I forgot. I ate it.
7. Annapolis inst. : USNA
8. They have fewer privileges : THE MASSES
9. Thrice, in Rx's : TER. Hi, HeartRx!
10. Neither here nor there : EN ROUTE
11. Resort attractions : POOLS. And something else for Dennis.
12. Tilted type: Abbr. : ITAL
13. Canon holder : CAMERA BAG. Didn't think of Canon camera first.
14. Carries : TOTES
15. Party pitcherful : ICE TEA. Let's just move on with the D-less.
16. Shuffle cousin : NANO. iPod line.
17. Flush : GLOW
18. Come by honestly : EARN
24. Take some heat from? : UNARM. Nailed it.
28. Plumbing problem : CLOG
29. Woman of the future? : GIRL
30. Clamoring en masse : AROAR. I am not bothered by the a* word as Bill G does.
33. Excellent, slangily : PHAT
35. Local govt. units : TWPS. Townships.
36. Fertility goddess : ISIS. The horned Egyptian goddess.
37. Demain, across the Pyrenees : MANANA. Demain is French for "tomorrow". A demain = See you tomorrow.
40. Lack of vigor : ANEMIA
41. Many Shakespearean characters : ROMANS
44. Sailor's "Stop!" : AVAST
45. Futurist's tool : TAROT
46. __ Lee Bunton, a.k.a. Baby Spice : EMMA. The girl in black, with blunt bangs.
49. Shoddy ship : TUB. Got me.
53. Movie with a posse : OATER
56. Año part : MES. Month.
57. "Ballet Rehearsal" artist : DEGAS (Edgar). He liked to paint ballerinas.
58. Broken mirror, to some : OMEN. Are you superstitious?
61. Without a flaw : IDEAL
62. Show some spunk : DARE
64. Cath. church eponym : ST. MARY
65. Jinx : HOODOO
67. Silent approval : OK SIGN
68. "Good Times" actress : ROLLE (Esther). First encounter with this lady.
69. Iridescent shell layer : NACRE
70. Manhattan sch. : KSU (Kansas State University). Manhattan, Kansas.
73. Sasquatch, for instance : MYTH
76. Airport screening gp. : TSA
78. "Maybe, maybe not" : IT DEPENDS. Great entry too.
79. Computerized course, e.g. : HOME STUDY
80. Woeful cry : OH ME
82. Spirit in a bottle : GENIE
83. Social crawlers : ANTS. Ants are social insects.
86. Not so hot : MILD
88. It's opposite the eye : SHARP END. I don't get this clue.
91. Hi-tech read : E-MAG
92. Rout : TROUNCE
93. Keister : REAR
94. One with ropelike tresses : RASTA. I often wonder how they wash their hair.
97. Parts of Alaska's Denali Highway are built on them : ESKERS. Needed crossing help. Spitzboov knows so much about geology.
101. Alliance : LEAGUE
103. Refuse : WASTE
104. Crummy : LOUSY
106. It's history : PAST. Indeed.
107. Feel the pain : ACHE
108. "You're not serious!" : C'MON
109. Plug away : TOIL
111. Eye with ideas : OGLE
112. Hungarian castle city : EGER. Spa town. River name also.
115. Box top : LID
116. Diamond putout : TAG. Baseball "Diamond'.
117. Chronology datum : AGE
118. PX patrons : GIs.
Answer grid. (Sorry for the error earlier.)
C.C.
23A. Compelling read : PAGE TURNER
28A. Oberlin, e.g. : COLLEGE TOWN. Oberlin College, the first co-ed college in the US.
43A. Spa fixture : MASSAGE TABLE. Sweet entry for our beautiful Melissa Bee.
66A. Refinery sight : STORAGE TANK
90A. Landscaping tool : HEDGE TRIMMER. Gail loves gardening.
106A. Travel agency offering : PACKAGE TOUR
115A. Airport freebie : LUGGAGE TAG
31D. Site of some trash talk : GARBAGE TRUCK. Fun clue.
39D. Dairy Queen option : FUDGE TOPPING. Can you believe I've never been to a Dairy Queen?
The title gives away the gimmick, yes? This word splitting concept doesn't lend itself to tricky titling, esp if the word itself has only 3 letters.
Very enjoyable puzzle, super smooth and silky, Gail's hallmark. Hard to keep one or two obscure names/words out of a 21*21 grid. Gail always manages to do so. She's a real pro.
Across:
1. Heist, say : CAPER
6. Pooch without papers : MUTT. Nice clue.
10. "Beowulf," for one : EPIC
14. Nuance : TINGE
19. Full of energy : ALIVE
20. U.S. Open stadium : ASHE. Who is your favorite all- time tennis player?
21. "__ chance!" : NOT A
22. It's west of Daytona Beach : OCALA. Well, 7-letter city in Florida has to be Ocala.
25. Go here and there : ROAM
26. Opera hero, often : TENOR
27. Common starting hr. : NINE AM. Mine is much earlier.
30. Ancient market : AGORA. The old Greek mall.
32. Mark of distinction : A PLUS. Was thinking of FELT, Mark Felt.
34. Respond to an alarm : RISE
35. Exchange worker : TRADER. Stock exchange.
36. "But __ a man in Reno": Johnny Cash lyric : I SHOT. Not familiar with the song. Johnny Cash's voice feels shaky to me.
37. Damage : MAR
38. Way out there : AFAR
42. Short talk : WORD. I'd like a word with you.
47. Colorful card game : UNO. Three-letter card game, UNO it is.
48. Colt 45 brewer : PABST. And 75. Former Colt .45 : ASTRO. Might be tough for non-baseball fans. Also, 6D. Colt carrier : MARE. Great clechos (clue echos).
50. __ Cong : VIET
51. Santa __ winds : ANA
52. Digital interpreter : MODEM
54. Toledo title: Abbr. : SRA
55. Sch. whose mascot is Sam the Minuteman : U MASS. Nice to meet you, Sam.
57. Top in the 'hood : DO-RAG
59. Molten rock : MAGMA
60. Mockery : GIBES. I always confuse this word with JIBES.
62. Succubus : DEMON. Succubus is a new word to me. Demon in female form, said to have sex with men in their sleep.
63. Had leftovers, say : ATE IN
64. Lose locks : SHED. Oh, hair. Funny for me to see Boomer uses Volumizer shampoo now.
71. LAX postings : ETAS
72. Tribal symbol : TOTEM
74. Arabic holy book : KORAN
77. Tropical eel : MORAY. Then we also have 122. Freshwater eel, at sushi bars : UNAGI. Nothing beats the aroma of unagi.
78. Keys : ISLES
79. Magical start : HOCUS. Hocus-pocus.
81. Org. with much swinging : PGA. Golf swing.
84. Stallion, for one : ADULT. Creature loves horses.
85. Up to, briefly : TIL
86. Former "Last Comic Standing" host Jay : MOHR. Here he is, with his wife.
87. Resort east of Grand Junction : ASPEN. Not familiar with Grand Junction, largest city in western Colorado, a la Wikipedia.
89. Mythical flier : ROC
95. Subtle help : HINT
96. Team neckwear : YOKE. Ah, farm oxen team.
98. Fathers and grandfathers : MEN
99. CSA leader : R.E. LEE
100. Seven-time Grammy winner Morissette : ALANIS. She's engaged to Ryan Reynolds once.
102. Exchange : SWAP
104. Tons : LOADS
105. Twilled fabric : SERGE. Still waiting for the Serge Gainsbourg clue.
110. Line dance step : TOE TAP
113. Peaks : ACMES
114. Pen or pencil, e.g. : NOUN. Easier for constructors to get creative with NOUN clue. Tough to play with OREO.
119. In need of dough : SHORT
120. Record : DISC
121. Like hands co-opted by the Devil? : IDLE. The devil finds work for idle hands.
123. Wound up : TENSE
124. Roy Rogers's birth name : SLYE. Leonard Slye. I forgot. Hope Barry G did not.
125. Beautician, at times : DYER
126. They may be rough : EDGES. Rough edges.
Down:
1. Tube top : CAP
2. Menu catchphrase : A LA
3. Greedy sort : PIG
4. Toss-up ratio : EVEN ODDS. Nice entry.
5. Hit the hay : RETIRE. Oh, I forgot. I ate it.
7. Annapolis inst. : USNA
8. They have fewer privileges : THE MASSES
9. Thrice, in Rx's : TER. Hi, HeartRx!
10. Neither here nor there : EN ROUTE
11. Resort attractions : POOLS. And something else for Dennis.
12. Tilted type: Abbr. : ITAL
13. Canon holder : CAMERA BAG. Didn't think of Canon camera first.
14. Carries : TOTES
15. Party pitcherful : ICE TEA. Let's just move on with the D-less.
16. Shuffle cousin : NANO. iPod line.
17. Flush : GLOW
18. Come by honestly : EARN
24. Take some heat from? : UNARM. Nailed it.
28. Plumbing problem : CLOG
29. Woman of the future? : GIRL
30. Clamoring en masse : AROAR. I am not bothered by the a* word as Bill G does.
33. Excellent, slangily : PHAT
35. Local govt. units : TWPS. Townships.
36. Fertility goddess : ISIS. The horned Egyptian goddess.
37. Demain, across the Pyrenees : MANANA. Demain is French for "tomorrow". A demain = See you tomorrow.
40. Lack of vigor : ANEMIA
41. Many Shakespearean characters : ROMANS
44. Sailor's "Stop!" : AVAST
45. Futurist's tool : TAROT
46. __ Lee Bunton, a.k.a. Baby Spice : EMMA. The girl in black, with blunt bangs.
49. Shoddy ship : TUB. Got me.
53. Movie with a posse : OATER
56. Año part : MES. Month.
57. "Ballet Rehearsal" artist : DEGAS (Edgar). He liked to paint ballerinas.
58. Broken mirror, to some : OMEN. Are you superstitious?
61. Without a flaw : IDEAL
62. Show some spunk : DARE
64. Cath. church eponym : ST. MARY
65. Jinx : HOODOO
67. Silent approval : OK SIGN
68. "Good Times" actress : ROLLE (Esther). First encounter with this lady.
69. Iridescent shell layer : NACRE
70. Manhattan sch. : KSU (Kansas State University). Manhattan, Kansas.
73. Sasquatch, for instance : MYTH
76. Airport screening gp. : TSA
78. "Maybe, maybe not" : IT DEPENDS. Great entry too.
79. Computerized course, e.g. : HOME STUDY
80. Woeful cry : OH ME
82. Spirit in a bottle : GENIE
83. Social crawlers : ANTS. Ants are social insects.
86. Not so hot : MILD
88. It's opposite the eye : SHARP END. I don't get this clue.
91. Hi-tech read : E-MAG
92. Rout : TROUNCE
93. Keister : REAR
94. One with ropelike tresses : RASTA. I often wonder how they wash their hair.
97. Parts of Alaska's Denali Highway are built on them : ESKERS. Needed crossing help. Spitzboov knows so much about geology.
101. Alliance : LEAGUE
103. Refuse : WASTE
104. Crummy : LOUSY
106. It's history : PAST. Indeed.
107. Feel the pain : ACHE
108. "You're not serious!" : C'MON
109. Plug away : TOIL
111. Eye with ideas : OGLE
112. Hungarian castle city : EGER. Spa town. River name also.
115. Box top : LID
116. Diamond putout : TAG. Baseball "Diamond'.
117. Chronology datum : AGE
118. PX patrons : GIs.
Answer grid. (Sorry for the error earlier.)
C.C.
67 comments:
Hi all.
Had a lot of great answeres in the puzzle. Just waited for the perps to fill them.
For 88D, think needle.
Sharks beat the Wild tonight.
Can't wait for tomorrow afternoon.
Take care.
Really well done puzzle, wish I could sleep. I thought the eye of the needle clue was very good as well as the tube top, CAP, though I sussed it immediately. Not difficult, just fun.
I sussed the tube top right away too... then got hung up for the longest time wanting LID instead of CAP. Bummer. I also liked the SHARP END answer to "opposite the eye" for needle. Very clever.
Others of my favorites: social crawlers = ANTS, take heat from = UNARM, and team neckwear = YOKE.
ICE TEA instead of ICED TEA-- meh.
For "CSA Leader" I wanted the president, DAVIS, instead of one of the generals, R E LEE.
Who else read "Canon holder" as "Cannon holder" at first?
And didn't we just have ESKERS within the last week or so? Or did I see that someplace else?
Anyway, it was a fun puzzle for an early morning... now to bed to see if I can sleep any better than Lemonade!
Greetings all!
CC--great job! Also LOVE to have it early!!!
Great puzzle from Gail, no problems.
CC--You remark about 22A puzzles me. Also, Johnny Cash was really great when he was younger! Not at all shaky!
Favorite clue was about the needle. Liked TRASH TRUCK, too.
Happy Sunday!
fermatprime@gmail.com
Hi again!
Creature--I think I waited about a year to put in my profile. Do not like blowing my own horn. (Sort of like August Möbius. Now, he was really shy.)
Lucina--I live in California! I have certainly been known to post at rather obscene hours, but this time wasn't one of those!
Argyle--I thought that perhaps I had first-posted before, but maybe not.
Thanks for the good wishes people!
fermatprime@gmail.com
Morning, all!
Overall, a fine puzzle. I'll admit that I completely missed the theme, however. I kept waiting for some sort of puns where "GET" was inserted to make a wacky phrase, but it never happened and then I forgot about it entirely....
I did not remember SLYE, alas, but I didn't actually need to due to the perps. And SHARPEND was the last thing to go into the grid since, like C.C., I couldn't figure out what the clue was asking for. The fact that SHARPEND crossed UNAGI (which I don't know) didn't help matters any...
Actually, there were a few clues that I had trouble parsing this morning. "Diamond putout" meant nothing to me, since I've never seen the word "putout" before. Also, "Demain, across the Pyrenees" was impenetrable since I don't know French and had no idea that "Demain" was even a French word to begin with.
And, of course, I can't leave without mentioning once again how much I really detest TWPS as an abbreviation. It's so counter-intuitive and I swear I've never seen it used anywhere outside of a crossword puzzle...
Good Morning C.C. and all,
C.C. thanks for the shout out! I imagine your introduction to SUCCUBUS will get a record number of posts today. Can't wait.
Gail's puzzle was, as usual, quite pleasant; though I did have a few
bumps.PHAT is not in my realm of
slang;I know we have had UNAGI before,because I remember how good C.C. made it sound and look.[I still haven't tried eel, but if the occasion occurs,then maybe];having said all that I forgot it; I also forgot EGER.My line dancing step is the 'bunny hop' and I never progressed to the
TOE TAP. ASTRO and former colt 45
did not compute for me.
Funny this should have me upset, but I actually enjoyed the puzzle. Liked the theme and felt I had done a fairly good job. It doesn't appear that way, however,; oh well, Thanks, Gail.
Going to catch last nights' posts.
Have a nice day everyone.
Good Morning, CC and Friends. What a fun Sunday puzzle. I must admit, thought, after seeing the theme name, I was looking for inclusion of the word "IN" instead of "GET."
Some really fun clues.
CC. The Opposite of the Eye = SHARP END refers to a sewing needle.
I liked Cannon Holder = CAMERA BAG. It took me a few minutes to figure this one out. I own a Pentax, not a Cannon.
Here is a Tank Farm with lots of STORAGE TANKS.
Take Some Heat From = UNARM was one of my favorite clues.
I also smiled at Colt Carrier = MARE.
Since we had Band of Brothers recently, this article caught my eye. The oldest living member of the band recently died.
QOD: I love being an assertive, uppity woman. What's the alternative? ~ Erica Jong
BarryG:
I think I mentioned this once before, long ago, but if you ever drive across Ohio, you will see TWSP every few miles at each end of the many small villages that dot Ohio.
The township is the legal designation of towns below a certain population.
BarryG:
I think I mentioned this once before, long ago, but if you ever drive across Ohio, you will see TWSP every few miles at each end of the many small villages that dot Ohio.
The township is the legal designation of towns below a certain population.
I know what a township is -- it's the abbreviation I have trouble with. Your version (TWSP) actually makes a bit of sense, but the version in the puzzle (TWPS) just grates at me for some reason. Kinda like BBLS for "barrels." It may be legitimate, but that doesn't mean I have to like it... ^_^
Good Morning, C.C. et al.
Thanks for the great write-up C.C. I nailed 9D TER, and thanks for the shoutout!
I wasn’t overly fond of the theme (#8 on “Top Ten BS Theme” list). In fact, I didn’t even realize there WAS a theme, until I read your write-up.
Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle! It had great clues, and wonderful fill. It entertained me, gave me several V8 moments (already mentioned above), and gave me a word of the day: succubus, for DEMON. I knew the term, but had never really thought about it’s meaning.
35D TWPS I got from perps, but couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it meant until I read your blog. (Insert V8 can here). Barry, I think the abbreviation Gail was going for is “TWP”. But the clue indicated the “plural” with “Local govt. units”. So, it had to be TWPS.
45D was also a gimme ANEMIA, since that was my stock in trade for years.
65D Voodoo screamed to be put in there, but again perps rescued me with the H is SHED.
@WikWak. Yes, ESKERS was in the puzzle a week ago Friday, by Dan Naddor.
Oh, and the answer grid you linked at the bottom is yesterday’s?
I am just going to try to stay warm today. DH is from the south, and he was talking to an old buddy of his down there yesterday.
Buddy: “Man – it’s COLD up there in New England.”
DH : “No, it’s not.”
Buddy: “What do you mean? IT’S #^&$*#%#* -14 DEGREES !! “
DH: “It would have to warm up about 45 degrees, to be ‘cold’ .“
Have a great day, all !
Good Sunday morning,
Fun Sunday puzzle, a little easier than most to me as I didn't need help to complete it although I went down some false paths and it did require some thought in places.
Canon holder: It had me thinking of canon, as in canonical books of the Bible. It wasn't until perps indicated that the clue was asking for the Canon camera brand. Sometimes it's hard to get my thoughts out of my box.
(22A) West of Daytona Beach. Thought "Tampa" at first. Having never been to Florida, that was my first thought.
And there were times I wrote in answers that I erased only to re-enter them later. "It depends" was one of these.
Last sticking point: (96A) Team Neckwear. Since I had St. Mark for (64D), "Cath. church eponym, I puzzled and puzzed till my puzzler was sore, as nothing quite fit. Finally I got up to walk around and do something else and after a few minutes it hit me. Team neckwear can refer to a yoke, as in oxen yoked together. St.Mark became St. Mary and that finished the puzzle for me. Why is it that when we come up on a perplexing problem, going away and doing something else(e.g., the "shower effect")often helps us to solve it?
Have a great day,
Burrito34
Good Morning folks. Great puzzle, Gail. I did another of yours a week ago in the Trib. That one was easier than today's. Enjoyed your thoughts on this puzzle, C.C. Thanks for all your hard work.
As usual at the ends of the week, I jump around to get started. My first answers were ITAL and COLLEGETOWN, which crossed each other. I used to live near Oberlin, OH, so that was easy. Then I caught the GET as a part of that and it helped with the other long clues.
I proceeded to wend my way around the puzzle and, one by one, filled it in. I had a problem in the SE corner. I had no idea who Morissette was and I also had MERGER instead of LEAGUE. This situation confounded me so I looked up Morissette and got the ALANIS. After that all fell into place.
I had an error on 64D. I had ST MARK instead of ST MARY. I thought KOKE was a word I did not know. I should have thought of YOKE. Oh well, Team Neckwear was a great clue. I just missed it.
I got an early start on this puzzle. My friend and I were coming back from a funeral memorial service Saturday morning, heading to Chicago for another event, and we stopped at a convenience store to get a cold drink. My friend proceeded to lock his keys in the car. So, while we were waiting for his (very upset) wife to bring him his spare key, I purchased a Sunday Trib and proceeded to work the puzzle for about an hour and a quarter while his wife drove from Riverside (south) to Palatine (north) with the key. My philosophy on the events of life is "There is a Silver Lining in every Cloud." Our temporary misfortune gave me an early start on the puzzle. So, I was happy!
Abejo
Good morning everyone. C.C. Thanks for your great commentary.
Not too difficult, and the theme words filled in easily enough with some perp help. WAGs included 22a OCALA, 63a ATE IN, and 112d EGER. I thought 10d ENROUTE, 78a ISLES, and 24d UNARM were cleverly clued. I especially liked 37d MAÑANA, one of my favorite Spanish words. No look-ups needed.
TWPS 35d- Township equivalents in NYS are called towns when meaning the legal political entity.
SHARP END 88d (of a needle)- When I was a kid and would go to my mother with a tear in a piece of clothing, she would say (in Low German): "...gau mit de hitte nodel!" {..quickly with the hot needle!}. Yes, Kazie, she always had a darning stone at the ready.
ESKERS in Alaska - I'm guessing the roadbuilders used natural raised gravel bases where they could to avoid maintenance problems from permafrost.
Enjoy the day.
Hi There ~!
A solid Sunday, even if the theme came to me after a few fills (I, too was looking for a more complex concept).
I was very proud of myself for staring at SHARP END, and then going "a-ha! a needle~!"
NOUN got me, again...and yes, C.C., it's not so easy with OREO - and I have never been to Dairy Queen, either, and they're here on Long Island.
I thought GIBES was wrong until I saw the write-up with JIBES, and so I let it go, along with 15d.
TROUNCE is a better answer for rout, from earlier this week, I believe.
STEED, no, HORSE, no, ADULT, oh, I get it...
OK, I'll go first - grew up with Dungeons & Dragons, so I knew this was a demon.
Got a floor to work on,
Splynter
Home sick at the moment, which gave me time to do the sunday NYT; a very nice debut puzzle, if you are wanting more.
Good morning all! Thanks C.C. for your astute observations; you're funny.
This was fun. Solving across then immediately down or vice versa makes this so much easier. That is not to say without problems; having never been to Florida OCALA stumped me. Tried MIAMI and TAMPA then erased and let it emerge. TRACE became TINGE, TENOR fell in and the rest too.
After MAR I guessed Demain must be "tomorrow" although it has no kinship with Spanish. Pure guess since Spain is across the Pyrenees from France.
SHARPEND! Oh woe! And I sew quite often, just didn't see the connection. Thanks everyone for the enlightenment.
Loved PACKAGETOUR and LUGGAGETAG because traveling is one of my favorite activities. I'll be in Ohio in May.
Made me smile:
one with ropelike tresses: RASTA
take some heat from: UNARM
colt carrier: MARE (loved this one)
top in the hood: DORAG
Having lived in Colorado years ago Grand Junction was familiar and ASPEN, too.
SERGE is the material used for the black habit worn by nuns. Very hot for Arizona.
As has been mentioned ESKER was used and discussed not long ago.
Have a great Sunday!
Good Morning CC et al. I won't NEEDLE you about not getting the clue for SHARP END because I didn't either. It was one of those entries that filled itself from perps and I didn't bother to come back and parse it. DUH! Pretty obvious after all.
PACKAGE DEAL slowed me for a bit since I never looked for the GET theme. TOIL finally set me straight.
TWPS was a gimme. I lived in Hinckley TWP, Ohio. TWP is the accepted abbreviation so the plural would be TWPS. Hinckley Twp has two distinctions. It is known as the place where the buzzards (turkey vultures) come home to roost every March 15, and it is also the only township in Ohio that still retains all of its original area. All others have been partially or totally absorbed by other government units such as villages or cities.
There were enough easy entries to make me think this would be a breeze and enough misdirection to bring me back to reality. Just about right for Sunday.
To Windhover and BarryG
Townships in Ohio, are legal entities, which are unincorporated - thus they cannot levy a 'city' income tax,( but Do have real estate taxes - ) and do not have a Mayor (but they do have elected trustees) - and they do NOT have a police department, but are under the 'protection' of the county sheriff's dept.
This, of course, has no relevance to todays puzzle and its clue ...
C.C. and Sunday puzzlers, what a fun slog, but a slog nonetheless, over an hour. The lower middle about did me in but succumbed. I blew about 8” of snow and then when the paper finally arrived 3 hours late I commenced! I did not see the theme until C.C. pointed it out. Our daily papers do not have the title and I did not look for one today. It’s almost up to 0F!
Musings
-Two cones at McDonalds - $1.60, two cones at DQ - $4.00. Difference in quality – zero!
-My back would love a MASSAGETABLE and if Melissa B came with it, yes!
-Package PLAN, DEAL, nope, TOUR! Just got back from one.
-OCALA was in the Paul Stynsberg WOTD email today for horses
-Workin’ 9 – 5!
-Love Johnny and Folsom Prison Blues
-KING Kong? Not so much
-If I had any vanity, I would volumize as well C.C.
-Got RELEE but didn’t see Robert E. until I got here. Jefferson DAVIS, no but thanks for playing!
-ONETOONE odds fit too
-Par-tay with ICETEA?
-PHAT and DORAG? Hello, ebonics! We be chillin’!
-Loved MANANA clue and learned as well
-Dang, that Manhattan, not NYC in the other one
-Human eye? Hurricane eye? Nope, sewing needle.
-Canon Holder = CATHEDRAL? Nope (my theme today).
-STMARY beat out STMARK by a letter!
-Completely agree with Grumpy1’s last paragraph!
To Grumpy 1
And all this time I thought that the 'Buzzard' was WMMS 100.7 ...
Morning, C.C. and everyone.
It was kind of a slog for me today. I got up this morning feeling achy and sore, so I took two Tylenol. Made me sluggish, so that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I agonized over many clues, but when the perps filled them, I had the "Oh, yeah" moment. I wanted PACKAGEdeal at 106A, and had to wait for perps to get TOUR. UNARM still seems wrong to me. I should know by now that anything pertaining to tennis will have something to do with ASHE; we've had it enough. I liked SHARPEND, but I had to have the entire thing before it dawned on me. Favorite today was GARBABETRUCK. Looked up the "Morissette" clue right away, because I didn't have a clue who she was. Most pop culture is under the radar for me.
Several years ago, the shoe company, Reebok, named a women's running shoe "Incubus." (The male counterpart for succubus. He goes around raping women in order to father a child.) They did not know the meaning of the name. They changed it to something else ASAP.
I hope everyone has a stupendous day.
Anonymous @ 11:46
Hinckley Twp and several other twps in Ohio have full time police departments. Other than that, your information is correct.
My name is now appearing as Gary instead of Husker Gary and therefore there is no link to my Profile which I made under my Roadrunner account.
I renewed my gmail account last week and now I need my gmail account to log in here and not my previous roadrunner account. Can that be fixed?
Thanks!
C.C,
Bite your tongue! Johnny Cash is one of the all-time greats.
The song goes like this: " I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die" I don't really care for this lyric at all.
It is said that he was giving a concert in Folsom prison, of which he was an alumnus, and when he sang that line , the prisoners gave a loud uproar.
Anyway he was a great singer.
To: Grumpy1 and Anonymous.
I grew up in Millcreek Township in Pennsylvania. It half-surrounds Erie. It is probably nearly as large as Erie in both size and population (just a guess). It has a Supervisor and a very large full time police department.
Abejo
Hi C.C. and everybody. I enjoyed this puzzle but it was tough for me, especially the bottom part. I too had STMARK. I was looking for something a little more sophisticated than TOETAP. I knew of succubus but never have been visited by one in my sleep. I wonder if they were invented to explain nocturnal emissions. Maybe out-of-wedlock pregnancies were the reason for the invention of an incubus?
C.C., thanks for remembering my aversion to AROAR-type words so I won't have to complain about them. So what is it that you do starting much before 9am? You've probably said before but I forget.
Had a great lunch with Bonnie and Jordan at Red Lobster yesterday. I hadn't been there for 15 years or more. (My parents loved it but they're gone now.) For a chain, I think they provide really good food and value.
I forgot to say that back in the days when I was a sports fan, Chris Evert was my favorite. Those were some exciting tennis matches!
I'm not a big fan of sushi, but do enjoy it whenever I eat it which isn't often.
Has anyone see the documentary "Winston Churchill: Walking with Destiny"?
I'm going to see it now and report later. Ciao!
Favorite tennis players? Roger Federer. He is Swiss like I am and wins and loses with class and dignity. Connors, McEnroe, Willians sisters et al probably brought out more viewers because you never knew what they were going to do.
Hello everybody. Terrific puzzle today, phatly constructed. As Grumpy1 said, a good combination of difficulty and doability. Fabulous cluing!
I guess I am somewhat superstitious. I knock on wood, for example, and avoid walking under ladders. I only read the horoscopes for entertainment, however.
I noticed several clues about eyes and tops, and a couple of clues containing "here and there." Also refuse and trash. Dunno why I noticed them. Fun, though.
I suppose I could say something about succubi and wet dreams, but I won't.
Spent some of my college years in Lower Moreland Township in Pennsylvania (just northeast of Philadelphia.)
Best wishes to you all.
Haha, Bill G beat me to it anyway.
S'what happ'ns when one takes 10 minutes to write one's comment.
Good Morning All, I loved the puzzle and got through the grid with some problems, but not to the point where I gave up. It took more than a few passes, across and down, to finish it up, but somehow got itself done.
...BUT.. What a doofus I am! "GET IN" was already given to us as the theme and I kept looking at the theme answers and trying to fit the letters IN somewhere in the answer.
Although it didn't make any sense, I had 23A PA(IN)GE TURNER and 28A CO(IN)LLEGE TOWN, but I obviously gave it up, because...well, because it made absolutely no sense.
I feel your pain, Barry G. It never occurred to me to look at "GET" and figure out how it fit.
96A "Team neckwear" had me thinking of old school ties. I also wanted BALD for 64A.
I'm not Catholic, so I didn't get the eponym reference to ST MARY.
No problems with Johnny Cash's 36A I SHOT. Has nobody linked Folsom Prison Blues? Here you go.
Holy Toledo Batman, and good morning C.C. and all,
No theme came thru until reading here, but Gail brought a lot of smiles: cap, idle (hands),do-rag, hocus & hoodoo.I did need to look up Oberlin and succubus to get an answer.And, we never referred to Mary as St. Mary, although it was understood, so it gave me a pause.This is why these always take me an hour.
Loved camera bag/just got a new one (hand up for seeing it as cannon).Also amused by hedge trimmer, DH's beloved toy. The 2 rows of Boxwoods, leading up to our front door, although perfectly trimmed are waist high, making it a maze for Truman and Grady.
luggage tag-ha,ha..that is about the ONLY freebie at an airport, except the bathrooms!
My girls and s-i-l's went to see Jay Mohr last night at our local comedy club.
I don't think we have townships in CA; maybe we just say town or village, but that is according to population.
Not many Dairy Queens left in our area, but they had the best chocolate marshmellow milkshakes which was my go to "food" during 1st pregnancy.
Chris Evert is my all time favorite tennis player.
Do any of you watch "Sunday Morning" on CBS? Barbara has watched it for years and has gotten me turned on to it. (That's where I first met Charles Kuralt and his "On The Road" series. I wish they would rebroadcast that all over again.) The show's topics are more interesting, serious and thoughtful than the usual pap on TV. I record it and watch it later so I can fast-forward over the ads. This morning's show is especially poignant so far. Really good TV.
Burrito, my first thought for 13D was also along the lines of "liturgical" canon (Catholic upbringing, I guess).
Splynter, I also used to play Dungeons and Dragons, but I was already older by the time it came out. So that must be where I dredged up the term "succubus". Like I said, I never really thought about what it really meant - only that I lost a lot of HP to them suckers!
Bill G. DH likes to watch "Sunday Morning", and occasionally I'll sit down to it if they are showing something that interests me. Which piece was the one you thought was interesting today? I didn't catch the show, but can go to their website and watch the video.
I don't follow tennis any more, but when I was younger, I remember watching Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in "The Battle of the Sexes". She was a pretty incredible player.
HeartRx, I remember "The Battle of the Sexes" well. Fun stuff!
All of "Sunday Morning" was good including stories about a classical piano player, Natalie Portman, teaching cursive handwriting, etc. It also had a feature about a reporter doing a story about his wife, another reporter, who has Alzheimer's. She can't even recognize him anymore. That's what my mother and I went through. Very sad.
"Ice Tea" is the common way to say iced tea in the South. You know what I mean youse guys.
New England peeps. I see it is -50F in Maine. Is that true for the rest of New England?
It is 7F here and I am thinking of going to short sleeves.
I'm here in Wash. Twp. and loving it. No local income tax and as good or better govt. svcs than local munis(?). Our police protection is provided by the county sheriff dept. and fire is part full time and part volunteer.
Our clean-up after Hurricane Ike(yes, Hurricane Ike) was far superior to Dayton or Cincinnati.
The UMass Minuteman clue hurt as UD lost a crucial game there recently.
JD:
I've been in some airports where coins are required to enter the toilet stall, just can't recall where.
If you like history and WWII in particular, Winston Churchill: Walking with Destiny, is excellent. I felt dejavu, like watching the newsreels. Very well organized and did not realize two hours had passed. What a man! What leadership! I have also read a biography of him and so admire him.
Smiled when I saw NIMROD Erez was an editor as NIMROD is a xwd friend.
Off to my daughter's for Sunday dinner.
I live in Russell township, OH, 6 miles out of Cleveland, no local income taxes, no police ( no traffic tickets) , part time fire and 66 percent of the budget comes from the estate taxes ( rich old folks dying - ). Last murder out here, took place in 1916 ( I think - ). No obscene Clev water bills and no No East OH Regional Sewer Dist outsized sewage bills - good ole well water and a septic tank ! Every single elected official is Republican, out heah. ( Surprised ? )
That was a wind chill of 50° below zero, Gary. Don't scare me like that!
Bill G., that story on Sunday Morning about Barry Petersen and his wife's alzheimer's was at once touching and terrifying; his own wife of so many years talking to him about her husband as if he were another person.
On a more upbeat note, I urge everyone to do Merl Reagle's Sunday puzzle if you can find it -- it's actually a puzzle within a puzzle and it's very, very well done. As Lemonade pointed out, the NYT puzzle is a good one as well. A strong day for crosswords.
Dennis, is this the Merl Reagle Sunday puzzle? If so, it looks like a doozy.
Yep, that's the one. It's a bear, but fun.
Lucina, I know that I have run across pay toilets in Europe, but in the U.S. in the mid 70's, laws were enacted to prevent this. I guess some businesses can do that, but they have tokens for people who work there.
The moon was magnificent last night. Anyone notice?
My new favorite wine: David Bruce/Petite Sirah mmmmmmm
Have a good evening.
Thanks Bill G., I will look up those stories.
Husker Gary, LOL !! We'll be nice and cozy here in MA with lows only at -17 tonight. DH is suffering though - did you read my 8:18 AM post?
I'm off to try the Merle Reagle one now.
Good evening to all,
I always love Gail Grabowski's puzzles. So well tied together, neat and clean with some fun fill. Thank you, Gail.
So many fun clues. I think my two favorites were: 96A: Team neckwear, and
10D: Neither here nor there
Lucina and JD, I'm with you in selecting Chris Evert as one of my favorite tennis players. Also liked Bjorn Borg.
Bill G, Sorry to hear of your experience with Alzheimer's. It's hard to deal with aging parents.
Enjoy the night!
Argyle and Dennis,
After an hour and a half, I now have the NW solved, and picked up on 4D and 12D. Whew! This is a toughie. I'll report my progress throughout the night...
If you're doing it online, it will let you know when you have sucessfully completed the puzzle.
I had to do a little Googling to get it.
Top half done...only 2:15 into it...
5D 14D 46A filled
HeartRx, that's great - it's a tough-ass puzzle.
SE has fallen! Only the SW to go...
DONE !! Spoiler alert ....
freed
Outstanding! Nicely done.
Decided to try Merl's masterpiece. i worked on it and watched the football game at the same time so it went pretty slow. Completed in 2:08:43. I was surprised at how easily I recalled the names, but then I lived in the "area of interest" in that time period and it was the big news around there.
The really big crane clue? It should have been really small crane for Merl's answer. Other than that, I thought it was a fantastic, although quite unusual, construction.
For Mr. "Youse guys" Actually, here in the south it`s "sweet tea." Ice is a given.
HeartRx, I loved your early post about cold. Of the thousands of girls I have coached, I have sometimes thought, "She'd have to triple her ability to get up to terrible!
Argyle, -50F anything/anyway is bad enough for me! I still have parts I worry about getting frozen.
Argyle: Your link doesn't work for me. Maybe I need a password. Any suggestions?
Gary ("Husker Gary"?), did you see the Norwegian ice breaker yesterday? Now THERE's a guy who should worry...
Here's another link that seems to load faster
Merl's Puzzle
That was better for me, too.
I use an old Internet Explorer browser., your results might vary.
Better late than never, right?
Hi folks,
My favorite, right off the bat was:
1. Tube top : CAP
That is, once I realized it wasn't in reference to the ones I wore when I was in college! ha! ha!
This didn't agree with me or vice versa:
14. Nuance : TINGE
Nor this!
65. Jinx : HOODOO
Then this became my favorite!
13. Canon holder : CAMERA BAG. Didn't think of Canon camera first.
Then this!
29. Woman of the future? : GIRL
It was wonderful! So much fun! Have a great week everybody...
I'm out!
JD:
Yes! Now I recall that in our local airport, Sky Harbor, there were coin operated stalls but they were removed sometime in the 70s and likely for the reason you cited. Many european ones also require coins. Thanks.
Hello Puzzlers - Midnight EST here, and my part of Mass. is already below zero. Brrr.
"See" you tomorrow.
Thank you, Dennis, for the mention of Merl Reagle's special puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the direction to the site.
I had a lot of fun solving it tonight, but haven't yet filled in the grid. What an enjoyable ride! Mr. Reagle is certainly talented! I also enjoyed his puzzle as published in today's LA Times. And as much as I enjoy his crosswords, I will miss Sylvia Bursztyn's creations.
Good night, folks!
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