Theme: New B-ginnings - B is added to the beginning of each two-word common phrase. Spelling change is made in each transformation, sound remaining the same.
24A. Result of a cock's crow? : BROOD AWAKENING. Rude awakening.
38A. "Bungling for Dummies," e.g.? : BONER'S MANUAL. Owner's Manual.
59A. Shindig for Swahili VIPs? : BWANA DANCE. Wanna dance?
83A. Bedbugs on the Orient Express? : BERTH WORMS. Earthworms. OK, this base phrase has only one word.
97A. Bird with a tan? : BROWNED ROBIN. Round robin.
119A. Hibernation luxuries? : BEAR MATTRESSES. Air mattresses.
3D. "$#%^*& geckos!"? : BLEEPING LIZARDS. Leapin' lizards. This clue made me laugh.
47D. Prize for an inn's best guest? : BOARDER OF THE DAY. Order of the day.
Man, can you get a more consistent & entertaining theme set than this?
I just knew I was going to have a fun solving when I downloaded the puzzle and saw Ed Sessa's byline. He always delivers. Very clean grid, no cheater square, only 66 black squares.
Quite a few head-scratching clues, but they gave me "D'oh!" rather than Saturday's "Huh?".
Across:
1. Fly trap : COBWEB. Thought of HONEY first.
7. Like CD-RW discs : ERASABLE. RW=ReWritable. I wanted READ ONLY (ROM). Dumb!
15. Challenge opener : I DARE. I dare you!
20. Dahl of "Here Come the Girls" : ARLENE
21. Viking weapon : BATTLE AX. What's the name of Thor's ax?
22. Salsa queen Cruz : CELIA
23. Knights' chargers : STEEDS. And 72D. Knight wear : ARMOR. Knight clecho.
26. 1958 creature feature originally entitled "The Molten Meteor" : THE BLOB. No idea. Looks scary.
28. WWII GI, e.g. : AMVET (American Veteran)
29. "La Danse" painter : MATISSE (Henri). Here it is. Matisse wouldn't be where he was without Gertrude Stein.
30. Bread, for gravy : SOP
31. Idiom ending? : ATIC. Ending to the word idiomatic.
33. At one time, once : ERST
35. Fastball, in slang : HEATER
36. NYC commuter svc. that includes the Flushing Line : IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit).
42. Whammies : JINXES
45. Colleague of Boris : LON. Lon Chaney & Boris Karloff? Colleague of horror movies? I don't get this clue.
46. "Voice of Israel" author : EBAN (Abba)
47. Shot from an air gun : BBs
50. Humpty Dumpty et al. : EGGS
51. Very spicy fare : EROTICA. Of course I was thinking of spicy food.
55. Compulsive speeder : LEADFOOT
58. G, in the key of C : SOL
61. Sporty Toyota Camry : SOLARA
62. Sch. whose mascot is Rhody the Ram : URI (University of Rhode Island)
63. Name on a cognac bottle : REMY. Not familiar with the Rémy Martin cognac.
64. Hydroplaning results : SKIDS
66. Pulitzer poet Mark Van __ : DOREN. Who?
67. '70s-'90s Angola neighbor : ZAIRE
69. Syrian leader : ASSAD. Been there forever.
71. Beeped : PAGED
73. Toothbrush option : ORAL-B
75. Olympics balance beam gold medalist after Olga : NADIA (Comaneci)
77. Sponge opening : PORE
78. Child expert LeShan : EDA
81. "Post __": Noël Coward play : MORTEM. Easy guess.
86. Toon Chihuahua : REN. Stimpy's pal.
87. Elusive golden city : EL DORADO. Nice entry.
89. Use ignobly : STOOP TO
90. Skedaddle : BOLT
91. Discouraging words : NOs
92. Roman god : DEUS
94. Bounty initials : HMS. HMS Bounty. Mutiny on the Bounty.
95. Drawing room event? : RAFFLE. I wanted PAINT.
102. Map abbreviation : LAT (Latitude)
103. What doers take : ACTION
106. Early seventh-century date : DCII. 602.
107. Emeril's aptly named French Quarter restaurant : NOLA (New Orleans, LA)
109. Gives birth to : HAS. And 48D. Produced, as fruit : BORE.
112. Ancient three-sided harps : TRIGONS. Needed crossing help.
114. Let out, as hogs : UNPEN
117. Hire an assistant, say : GET HELP
122. It's in the groove : NEEDLE. Lovely clue.
123. Trapped, after "up" : A TREE
124. Strains, as a muscle : OVERUSES
125. Knock off the track : DERAIL
126. Double-check : RE-ADD
127. Travel document : PASSPORT
128. "But still ..." : AND YET
Down:
1. Credits lines? : CASTS. Closing credits in movies.
2. Garden products brand : ORTHO
4. Ewbank who coached Namath in Super Bowl III : WEEB. Hall-of-Famer. Unfortunately I have zero interest in football.
5. Run over : END LATE
6. Confuse with booze : BESOT
7. Tidal movement : EBB
8. Avis adjective : RARA. Rara avis.
9. Concern for Edward Teller : ATOM. Man, what would he be thinking today?
10. Candy maker Russell : STOVER. Russell Stover.
11. Catkin bearers : ALDERS
12. "Not a clue!" : BEATS ME. My typical LAT Saturday response.
13. Barrister's bailiwick : LAW. And 14. Bar, in 13-Down : EXAM.
15. It's mixed with lemonade in an Arnold Palmer : ICE TEA. Arnold Palmer the drink, half lemonade + half iced tea. No d here, I know.
16. Negative state : DENIAL
17. Elite company : A-LIST
18. Wash sans soap : RINSE
19. Like some beavers : EAGER. Eager beavers.
25. Maui medicine men : KAHUNAS. Big shots.
27. Red Lobster freebie : BIB
32. Georgia, once : COLONY
34. Shelved : TABLED
37. Dr.'s orders : RXs.
39. "This is __ toy" : NOT A
40. Oklahoma's "Wheat Capital" : ENID. Educated guess.
41. Lassie's refusal : NAE
42. Savior in a Bach work : JESU. German for Jesus?
43. "Young Frankenstein" role : IGOR
44. Culvert : SEWER.
49. Jazzman Getz : STAN
52. Japanese noodles : RAMEN
53. Artist known for her mother-and-child works : CASSATT (Mary). Impressionist. One of Clear Ayes' favorites.
54. "My Way" lyricist : ANKA (Paul)
56. Evasive maneuvers : DODGES
57. Icy mass : FLOE
59. Payola payer : BRIBER
60. Spanish hero El __ : CID. Argyle's nickname also.
65. Good-time Charlie : SPORT. Why?
68. Like some saxes : ALTO
69. Gator follower? : ADE. Gatorade.
70. Dubbing creations : SIRS. He was dubbed a sir. I was thinking of movie dub.
73. Sign of things to come : OMEN
74. Caramel candy brand : ROLO
76. Teem (with) : ABOUND
77. Drops by : POPS IN
79. Farmer's place? : DELL. "The Farmer in the Dell".
80. Pot part : ANTE
82. Self-titled top ten 1983 album : MADONNA. Guessed.
84. Hostess snack : HO HO. Santa's favorite snack?
85. Baby carrier? : WOMB. Cute.
88. Morning moisture : DEW
90. Curator's deg. : BFA
93. Makes fast : SECURES
96. Youth support group : ALATEEN. Stumped me. Al-Anon for teens.
97. Cinnamon gum brand : BIG RED
98. Shared a place (with) : ROOMED
99. Some railroad cars : DINERS
100. Rejects dramatically, as a contract : RIPS UP
101. Frothy seasonal beverage : NOG
103. Like a case being tried : AT BAR
104. Minos' realm : CRETE
105. Bridal accessory : TIARA
108. __ hand: assist : LEND A
110. Jane Curtin title role : ALLIE. "Kate & Allie"
111. Read letters? : SPELT. Oh, read out letter by letter.
113. Bus route component : STOP
115. Canadian gas : ESSO
116. At no time, in verse : NE'ER
118. Head of the ranch? : HERD
120. New Deal dam org. : TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)
121. Past fast flier : SST
Sunday funnies, hey C.C. and our comment crew:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this effort by Mr. Sessa, who I blogged recently and who is becoming a favorite. The theme where not only was a “B” added but it was with a sound alike word, made this the rare add on pun fest! The individual choices were all amusing, BWANA DANCE and BLEEPING LIZARDS my faves. But, wait, there is more!
BATTLE AX, LEAD FOOT, STOVER and KAHUNA were examples of new fill. The back to back to back fill, 13D. Barrister's bailiwick: LAW; 14D. Bar, in 13-Down: EXAM; and, 15D. It's mixed with lemonade in an Arnold Palmer: ICETEA, all called my name. In case you wondered the BAR which is referred to is literally the BAR, or barrier between the audience and the place where the lawyers, jury and judge perform their work. To be a member of the BAR means you get to sit on the inside.
Mjǫlnir, is Thor’s hammer; BORIS KARLOFF and LON CHANEY,Jr., appeared in horror movies together, as did BELA.
The BLOB gave us Steve McQueen.
Is there anyone who used words better than Shakespeare? This is from Henry IV: “O sleep, O gentle sleep, nature's soft nurse, how have I frightened thee, that thou no more wilt weigh my eye-lids down and steep my senses in forgetfulness?”
ReplyDeleteDamn I need to sleep.
Good morning all,
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed Mr. Sessa. Keep 'em coming, Ed!
Fine blog, as usual, C. C. THE BLOB was more funny than scary, I thought. That's because I probably watched it on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (or whatever--loved that show).
Comments from yesterday:
Nice pic, Jeannie! Good looking people!
Bill G. et al, RED letters can be accessed on many web sites, not just the LAT site. You just need to turn on the easier skill level!
Hands up for ...LIZARDS and ...DANCE! Loved them.
No cheating but a tad slow. Had to try several Toyotas. (But had no trouble yesterday with XKE. Hmm.)
Rats! It's starting to rain again.
Have a peaceful Sunday!
Hello Puzzlers - This was just right for a Sunday no-peeky. I'm glad Lemonade reminded me of RARA AVIS just a few days ago, made that part a bit smoother.
ReplyDeleteA handful of unknowns, particularly DOREN, and of course I forgot about REN again. Ren and Stimpy were just not part of my world. Having trouble aligning "use ignobly" with STOOP TO, but maybe that's just me. Thoughts?
Favorite clue is probaby "Dubbing creations" for SIRS. NOLA is also the name of a grand old American piano piece I just love.
Not forgotten: EROTICA and BONERS MANUAL. All yours, Dennis buddy!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteLoved the theme, and all the individual theme answers sparkled. Plus, it helped knowing they all started with B.
Some unknowns today, including DOREN, NOLA and TRIGONS, each of which held me up a bit. I'm proud to say, though, that I actually got WEEB and ENID with no hesitation this time around. Some things do eventually stick.
Random comments:
COBWEBS are spiderwebs that are covered in dust and are therefore no longer sticky. Are they still fly traps?
I really wanted MFA for 90D, as I doubt any curator would get a job with only a BFA. I could be wrong, though. Of course, before one gets an MFA, I suppose one must first get a BFA...
I had no idea that the SOLARA was actually a variation of the Camry. I always thought it was a separate model. Live and learn.
Good Morning, C.C. and Friends. This was a fun puzzle, but I actually liked many of the punny and misleading clues better than theme. There were just so many!
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorites included:
It's in the Groove = NEEDLE.
Baby carrier = WOMB
Drawing Room Event? = Raffle.
I learned about CELIA Cruz from doing crossword puzzles. She makes frequent crossword appearances.
Arnold Palmer's drink mix of Lemonade and ICE TEA was a Jeopardy! clue/answer recently.
Did everyone get a chance to see the Super moon last night? It was spectacular here.
QOD: f you strive for the moon, maybe you'll get over the fence. ~ James Wood
Hey gang - no time to do much of anything, but I wanted to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my favorite posters, Spitzboov. Hope it's a great day for you!
ReplyDeleteAlso, belated birthday wishes to another excellent poster, Warren; didn't get near a computer Friday.
Have a great day - end of winter's but hours away.
Hi There ~!
ReplyDeleteA funny, enjoyable puzzle. got BLEEPING LIZARDS first, and then BONER'S MANUAL had me thinking...; and I got stumped in only two areas:
Could not make GUTTER fit for SEWER, no matter how I tried, until I realized REMY, not VSOP.
Wasn't buying COBWEB, either, plus I had ENSOT, not BESOT, and since _ _ _ LATE could not be RUN, ....ah, END; must be WEB.
Always think of this when I hear 'Kahuna' ~!
Splynter
Good Morning C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteExcellent write-up on this fun Sunday puzzle, C.C.! Thanks for linking MATISSE’s “La Danse”. I had forgotten about that one, and kept trying to fit “Degas” in there, but kept coming up with blank spaces, LOL !!
And a very Happy Birthday to you, Spitzboov !! Are you doing anything special today?
I loved all the punny theme entries in this one, and the entire grid just sparkled. Everyone has already mentioned my favorite ones, so I’ll just wish you all a wonderful Sunday!
Good morning, happy Sunday Solvers, all. It's nice to see everyone so cheerful about this puzzle, compared to the near universal negative vibes yesterday.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Spitzboov. Hope you and your LW celebrate in fine style.
This was one of those puzzles that flowed pretty easy going back and forth between acrosses and downs. It usually only took a letter or two to see the right entry emerge. Sometimes, though, the obvious answer popped up and turned out to be wrong. It seems to me, I've heard fastballs referred to as hummers more often than heaters, and with the 38a and 51a entries, it would have made a nice mini-theme...
I thought the tanned bird clue was great. It's a good thing the new beginning letter wasn't a 'D'. that one would have been clued as 'The result of a really wet spring'.
Great job, as usual, Ed. I look forward to more of your puzzles.
In case anyone wants a really fine Remy Martin cognac, try this one. Of course the really expensive part is the crystal decanter, but a shot of Louis XIII will usually run about $100, if it's on the shelf.
ReplyDeleteOn one of our cruises, we were having dinner with the hotel manager of the ship. At the end of the dinner he asked if anyone would like an after dinner drink. I said "You do know that my favorite is a Louis Treize, don't you?" He never missed a beat as he responded " You do know that I'm the guy that can make all sorts of mysterious charges appear on your account, don't you?" Needless to say, I didn't get my Looie Trey.
Happy Birthday to Spitzboov,
ReplyDeleteand Happy Equinox to everyone.
Let the fertility begin.
Good Day C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteFantastic write-up, C.C., thanks. So many days, I feel you’re in my head because of your remarks. “I thought that too”. You’re so easy and smooth for me to read.
Thanks, Ed. Your puzzle was delightful. Great theme and super word play; just enough to make me enjoy puzzles again, after a rough day yesterday.
Like HeartRx, it has all been said and then some.
Happy Bday, Spitzboov, and many more. I always enjoy your posts.
Check in later.
Have a nice day everyone..
Good day, Puzzlers! Thank you, C.C., for your explanations; you never cease to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun puzzle today from Ed Sessa, very doable although I could not wrap my brain around SPELT, but ANDYEL made no sense.
I also missed SIRS as wanted AIRS, music and didn't know TRIGONS, forgot BIGRED as I don't like gum. Otherwise smooth as silk.
I really like:
baby carrier, WOMB
Must go now. Have a delightful Sunday, everyone!
Good Morning All, I haven't finished the puzzle because we have had two electric outages in the past few hours.....I'd better make this quick because we don't know if/when the next blank-out will occur. Outside we are having the equivalent of a snowless blizzard...heavy wind and pouring down rain. I check back later if our electricity stablizes.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Spitzboov.
C.C. and Sunday Solvers, now we’re talking! All done today but was slowed by getting information about our incursion into Libya. HBD Spitzboov!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-#1 Am I the only one that put in SHEEN for Good-time Charlie?
-2 T’s instead of 2 S’s at first for Matisse
-The Blob is one of those movies that are so bad, ya gotta watch!
-Didn’t know I knew KAHUNA, but I did. Gotta love Beach Movies!
-TRIGON? No way!
-My LEADFOOT has garnered 4 tickets in 50 years of driving
-DONEN yesterday, DOREN today
Woulda, shoulda, coulda
-DISMAL/DENIAL, BERG/FLOE, ACTION/CREDIT, CELICA/SOLARA, TRAIN/TIARA
Good Afternoon, folks! A great thank you to Ed Sessa for a really good puzzle. Thank you C.C. for an especially good write-up and posting, of course.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this puzzle. Got through it one word at a time and finished, totally. (better than yesterday that I still have not finished.)
Great theme and catchy phrases with the "B"
I missed on NOLA. Had NOLL. Missed on ALATEEN. Had ALLTEEN. Oh well. I really do not watch cooking shows, even though I do like to cook.
Got many of my answers with perps. ie: CELIA, TRIGONS, and ALDERS. But, that is why a Crossword Puzzle is a Crossword Puzzle.
I believe ASSAD is a relatively new ruler of Syria. He is the son of the former ASSAD ruler.
Enjoyed KAHUNA. In my former job, for 36 years, we sold and installed many telephone exchanges to Hawaiian Tel. Hawaiian Tel always hired a KAHUNA to bless the new exchange before the cutover. And, they always cutover (went online) very smoothly. I think the KAHUNA took the credit.
Happy Birthday, Spitzboov! See you all tomorrow.
Abejo
Fun puzzle, especially compared to yesterday. (OK, no more beating a dead horse.)
ReplyDeleteKahuna is a fun word though the clip reminded me of 'Pulp Fiction.' I really disliked that movie. Very violent and it didn't have anybody to root for that I could find.
Happy birthday, Spitzboov!
I usually drink Arnold Palmers with lunch when we go out.
SHEEN for good time Charlie. Excellent, Husker Gary!
Lots of rain here today and tomorrow. I'm not tired of it yet.
C.C.- Jesu is German for Jesus. It's also Jesus in Norwegian, Swedish and Latin.
ReplyDeleteIn 1630 Johann Heermann wrote a hymn called "Herzliebster Jesu". In English it's "Ah, Holy Jesus".
Bach created an arrangement for the song.
Happy, happy birthday, Spitzboov!
ReplyDeleteI was in such a hurry I almost forgot.
The electricity has been on for a few hours now and I managed to finish the puzzle. It wasn't as enjoyable an experience as I would have liked. That's probably because I was anxious the computer would shut off (again) and I would have to start all over.
ReplyDeleteI had to re-read a couple of the theme answers to "get" them. 38A/BONER'S MANUAL became "One-r's Manual" until the "D'oh" hit. I don't think I've ever used the phrase 47D/"Order of the day". I had to google that one, even though I was sure it was OK.
C.C., you are right, I am a big fan of 53D/Mary CASSATT, particularly her pastels. This Young Woman reminds me of an old photograph I have of my grandmother.
Our chorus sang Bach's 42D/ JESU, Joy of Man's Desiring at our concert last December. We are lucky that one of our members was a professional symphony oboist. She performed a lovely accompanment.
Yeah for Rhody the Ram (62 across). URI is my alma mater and one of my senior year's suite mates was the guy who wore the Rhody the Ram costume that year. This was in the 70's and WOW did that headpiece need a good dry cleaning!
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteFun xwd today! As usual, it took awhile, needing both perps and Mr. G.Loved all the clever clues that kept me thinking..and thinking. Laughed when nae showed up, thinking arf, arf!Talented dog.
always thought sop was a verb.
Post Mortem is also a Patricia Cornwell novel..not one of her best like her earliest ones.
Which reminds me, at breakfast this morning our friend told us that it cost $900 to put her dad's obituary(not a long one) in our local paper--without a picture!
Happy Birthday Spitzboov..what a great batch of pictures from Naples
Bill, I'm loving this rain too.
Doesn't everyone think of Gidget when hearing the Big Kahuna? Probably not you, C.C.
Good afternoon, C.C. and all. Profound thanks for all the heartfelt birthday good wishes.
ReplyDeleteRx: Special was a visit of a son, DIL, and 21mo old granddaughter from Marlborough, MA. Also, BH made a pudding-like dish called Mehlbüddel , but without the bacon and mustard, and substituting dried apricots as the fruit. Top off with a little sugar and melted butter,
I found the puzzle a good Sunday challenge. Finally invoked red letter help with READD and SPELT and in the NE. ENID was a WAG.
107a NOLA - Had the privilege of dining there in 2000 for BH's birthday. A classy place, excellent food, and a very friendly, well-trained wait staff.
All the best.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPITZBOOV!...and many more.
ReplyDeleteA real fun run today despite the many red letters needed all over it. But much more enjoyable than yesterday.
I didn't get to it until late in the day, but actually finished.
I saw and photographed the moon last night, but am not too excited about the result. Tried different settings, but couldn't get any detail on the surface like I'd hoped--it was just a big white ball of light amongst the tree branches in the foreground. Glad the rain we got all day today held off long enough to see it though.
Enjoy your evening everyone!
Spitzboov, glad to hear your day was special, after all. I bet your guests went right by exit 9 on the Mass Pike to visit you. Next time, tell them to drop in on me for a cup of coffee on the way!
ReplyDeleteI have never tasted "Dithmarscher Mehlbeutel", but it sounds interesting. I am familiar with Marillenknödel, which is a fluffy dumpling filled with apricots, and usually served with a creamy vanilla custard. Yummm!! (Just the thing to restore the calories burned from a day on the Alpine slopes.) I will have to try your recipe some day. Enjoy the rest of yours!
Hello everybody. A quick in and out. Spent 3 freaking hours working this puzzle and finally got it done. Fun theme, but the rest was hard work. Tired. Probably never going to spend this much time on a single puzzle again. See y'all tomorrow. Best wishes to you all.
ReplyDeleteSpitzboov: Happy Birthday. Sorry I missed it when I checked in earlier today. Glad you enjoyed NOLA when you visited NOLA a few years back.
ReplyDelete"Kahuna" always makes me think of the comic strip Sherman's Lagoon, which I greatly enjoy.
ReplyDeleteG'night.
I came across "Taxi Driver" on cable a few days back, a highly-regarded movie with a young Robert Di Niro and directed by Scorsese. I finished it yesterday and must say I didn't care for it very much. You?
ReplyDeleteToday, on Sunday Morning, they had a nice feature on Leiber and Stoller. They composed more well-known rock and roll songs than anybody else I've heard of. Good stuff!
Still coming down in buckets here. It made going out for my double macchiato a wet adventure. The rain was coming down sideways so I never even bothered opening my umbrella.
KAHUNA- The origin of the word comes from a phrase in Elvis's "Hawaiian Wedding Song": "I'm just A HUNK A burnin' love"
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Spitzboov, and many more/
ReplyDeleteSpitzboov - I wish I had tuned in earlier to wish you happy birthday! Alas it was a most busy day.
ReplyDeleteYour mention of Marlboro (AKA Marlborough) Massachusetts brings back fond memories. For one thing, the airport in that town has one of the shortest paved runways in the entire state, at 1600 feet. You have to be confident to squeeze an airplane into a runway that short. My first visit there was in 1981 with a flight instructor who was getting me familar with an airplane that I had not flown previously (the Piper Arrow). I learned a lot in a short time!
Some EAGER beavers .
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, Eh?
ReplyDeleteDudley: Landing at Marlborough
ReplyDeleteSpitz:
ReplyDeleteVery cool. Guess the trees are there just to keep it interesting? I noticed that cross traffic at the other end, too.
Stitzboov, great beaver video. PG-rated too. :>)
ReplyDeleteTo Spitzboov:
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the landing at Marlborough. Cranks back the clock for me. I used to fly Pipers at Erie, as a teenager. That's back when solo time was $8.00 per hour.
Abejo
Can some one please explain 128A: "but still ... and yet" ?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks!
T
From Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds": "The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one - but still they
ReplyDeletecome!"
Replace 'but still' with 'and yet'. You still have the same meaning.
To those youngsters: The Blob was a very scary movie when you watched the original at age 10!!
ReplyDeleteArgyle,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks! Given the clue's format ("But still ...") and especially the "...", my mind fixated on the clue and answer together forming a quote from someone/something!
T
Belated Happy Birthdays, Spitz and Warren.
ReplyDelete