google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday March 6, 2011 John Lampkin

Advertisements

Mar 6, 2011

Sunday March 6, 2011 John Lampkin

Theme: Adductional TV - An extra letter is added to one word of each familiar TV show and the resulting phrase is accordingly clued. (Added later: John just pointed out that "the added letter is always the second letter of one of the words".)

25A. Documentary about a Ravi Shankar concert tour? : SITAR TREK. "Star Trek".

27A. Sitcom about an endearing dimwit? : LOVE THAT BOOB. "Love That Bob". Unknown to me. Fun new phrase. I bet Dennis wants a different clue.

43A. Show about a nonsensical grain grinder? : BLARNEY MILLER. 'Barney Miller".

70A. Drama about an opinionated military? : JUDGING ARMY. "Judging Amy".

100A. Talk show about words like "zeppelin" and "dirigible"? : THE FLYING NOUN. "The Flying Nun".

119A. Sitcom about a team of aromatherapists? : THE MOOD SQUAD. "The Mod Squad".

122A. Financial show about the fermented honey market? : MEAD MONEY. Mad Money.

39D. Drama about an Asian virus? : KUNG FLU. "Kung Fu"

63D. Drama about an obnoxious superhero? : BRAT MAN. "Batman".

I don't quite get the title, John. Does "Adducational" (in place of "Educational") simply signal a letter addition? I wish the added letters I, O, L, R, O, O, E, I & R amount to "ucational". That would be a perfect title.

I like the varieties of the shows, also the way the 9 theme answers are arranged in the grid, giving solvers a piece to bite in every section.

Normally we don't see non-theme answers like URBAN MYTH (6D. Modern folklore) & ARISTOTLE longer than theme answers, as they might befuddle solvers. But all the question marks & "show"/"drama" indications in today's theme clues avoid any confusion. Plus, those two words just look pretty in the grid.

Also a pangram, all 26 letters are used at least once. No helper squares. Clean grid. Moderate amount of clechos today.

Across:

1. Shrimp kin : PRAWN. So, why the plural for prawn is prawns, but the plural for shrimp remains the same?

6. Eclipse shadow : UMBRA

11. Grain layer : BRAN. Fiber-rich.

15. Pennsylvanie, e.g. : ETAT. French spelling: Pennsylvanie.

19. Bellow's "The Adventures of __ March" : AUGIE. No idea. It's a Saul Bellow novel.

20. "Air Music" Pulitzer winner, 1976 : ROREM (Ned)

21. Like Hubbard's cupboard : BARE

22. Very attractive : FOXY. Do you think Megan Fox is foxy?

23. Amherst sch. : U MASS

24. Bowlers have them : BRIMS. Bowler hats. Of course I was thinking of strikes/spares.

30. Reserved : SET ASIDE. Oh, I was thinking of "shy" reserved.

31. Geometry figure : AREA

32. On __-to-know basis : A NEED

33. Hypothetical primates : APEMEN

35. Not at all excited : CALM

37. Entered gradually : EASED IN

39. Waste, as time : KILL

48. Giant in the woods : SEQUOIA. Giant sequoia. Not some giant animal.

50. "Great taste" beers, familiarly : LITEs. Miller Lite.

51. Summer goal, maybe : TAN

52. "No __!" : PROB

54. Pressed for payment : DUNNED. Caused problem for some solvers last time. My brother knows very limited English, dun is one of them.

55. "__ all in your mind" : IT'S

56. Moral principles : ETHICS

59. Lincoln Ctr. site : NYC

61. Prolonged pain : AGONY

62. Hopi home : PUEBLO

64. Symbol on the film poster for Eastwood's "Hang 'Em High" : NOOSE

67. Mt. Shasta's state : CALIF

69. Box for practice : SPAR

73. Sheep's kin : LAMB. Lambkin. Lampkin.

77. In concert : AS ONE

79. Natural sponge : LOOFA

80. Telescope eyepiece : OCULAR

82. Brooks of country : GARTH. Garth Brooks. Country music.

85. Boston Coll. conference since 2005 : ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)

87. Confident comeback : SO CAN I

89. JFK posting : ETA

90. Ill will : ANIMUS. Anima is "Jung's feminine side".

92. "Mayor" author : KOCH (Ed)

95. Former USSR member : UKR (Ukraine)

96. Ankle bones : TARSI

98. Early stage : INFANCY

103. Many a texting whiz : TEEN

104. 10,000 square meters : HECTARE. New word to me. Hect denotes 100. I don't know how 10,000 comes from.

106. Lampblack : SOOT

107. Sioux enemies : OMAHAS

108. Starbucks size : VENTI. Italian for "twenty". Hence 20 ounces.

111. Attending USC, e.g. : IN LA

115. Like some drilling : OFFSHORE

124. Straight up : ERECT. And 1D. "Straight Up" singer Abdul : PAULA

125. Bizarre : OUTRE

126. Procter & Gamble razor : ATRA

127. Cowardly Lion's farmhand alter ego : ZEKE. And then BRAIN (76. Scarecrow's lack).

128. Of the kidneys : RENAL

129. Got together : MET UP

130. Really smell : REEK

131. Ice cream brand : EDY'S. Crossword constructor's favorite ice cream brand. Super friendly grid edge word.

132. Nonplus : ADDLE

133. Until now : AS YET

Down:

2. Bit of tongue-wagging : RUMOR

3. Mescal source : AGAVE

4. Joker : WISEACRE

5. Twitter source : NEST. Bird. Not the Twitter Charlie Sheen has been exploiting. Just a publicity stunt. He's not insane. Really.

7. "Le __ d'Arthur" : MORTE. The Death of Arthur.

8. Payoff : BRIBE

9. Do over, as a kitchen : REMODEL

10. "Are not!" comeback : AM SO

11. Hardly big shots? : BBs. Nice clue.

12. Like a bump on a log : RAISED

13. Goddess of the hunt : ARTEMIS. Apollo's twin sister.

14. Straightened up : NEATENED. OK, a bit of an echo to the "Straight up" earlier.

15. New newts : EFTs.

16. Inner tube shapes : TORI. Plural of torus. Don't confuse it with TORII the Japanese gateway. Or Angels' Torri Hunter.

17. Hewed : AXED

18. Little shaver : TYKE. Shaver = Small boy.

26. Tried to get a seat : RAN

28. "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" speaker : HALE (Nathan)

29. More despicable : BASER

34. 1955 Argentine coup victim : PERON. Which one, Eva or Juan?

36. First name in nature photography : ANSEL (Adams)

38. Chalet backdrop : ALP

40. Sphere opening : IONO. Ionosphere. Ha Ha, this is the word Jayce wanted on Saturday. Dictionary says it means "ionized".

41. Property claim : LIEN

42. Feminine title : LADY

43. Air traffic images : BLIPS

44. Like the sky during fireworks : LIT-UP

45. On a liner, say : AT SEA

46. Liner's primary section : MAIN DECK. I've never boarded a liner.

47. Disguised, briefly : INCOG (Incognito)

49. Wharf on the Seine : QUAI. Quai d'Orsay. Nice area.

53. Old-timey words of emphasis : BY CRACKY. Have yet to see anyone uses it in our blog.

57. WWII Axis general : TOJO. The Japanese general. Responsible for Pearl Harbor attack.

58. Earthworm environs : SOIL

60. Short film maker? : CAM. Awesome clue.

65. Cone head? : SNO. Sno-cone.

66. Big heads : EGOS. Consecutive "head".

68. Rhône city : LYON

71. Juanita's "a" : UNA

72. Entangled : AFOUL. Run afoul of.

74. Last Olds made : ALERO

75. Quemoy neighbor : MATSU. Matsu Island. Gave me trouble, as we call it "Mazu Island" in China. Quemoy also has a different name: Kinmen (or Jinmen). See this map? Only Kinmen.

78. Eschew : SHUN

81. BP competitor : CITGO

82. Pace : GAIT

83. Only daughter of Elizabeth II : ANNE

84. Abundant : RIFE

86. Terra __ : COTTA

88. Rembrandt's contemplative subject : ARISTOTLE. With a bust of Homer. See here.

91. Gossip : SCHMOOZE. Fun word.

93. Longtime New Yorker cartoonist Roz : CHAST. Saw ROZ clued as "Cartoonist Chast" before.

94. "I Saw __ Again": 1966 hit : HER

97. Appraised items on a PBS "Roadshow" : ANTIQUES. Loved "Antiques Roadshow".

99. Had a hankering : YEARNED

101. Frantic : FEVERED

102. Villain to "avoid" in 1980s Domino's Pizza ads, with "the" : NOID. Here is a clip. Off my radar.

105. Insolent : CHEEKY

107. Resistance unit : OHM

109. Edit : EMEND

110. Dieter-friendly : NO-CAL. No calorie. And 117. Diet : FARE.

112. Like fruitcakes : NUTTY

113. Oater actor Lash : LARUE. Do you know why westerns are called oaters?

114. Like crackerjacks : ADEPT

115. General Bradley : OMAR

116. Grand affair : FETE

118. Black Hills st. : S DAK

120. Zeus' spouse : HERA

121. "Brave New World" drug : SOMA

123. Puzzle finisher's cry : YES. I like how it ends today's Down answers.


Here are two pictures from WM's "Almost Edible" gallery show. Click on each one for clearer definition.

C.C.

72 comments:

Lemonade714 said...

Welcome home C.C., what a joy to be greeted by a LAMB kin pangram, our first in a while.

John L. thank you again; this was a really fun puzzle. I had the theme immediately from the title and LOVE THAT BOOB, which would have been a great title for the show starring Bob Cummings and Ann B. Davis. Bob was the Charlie Sheen of his era, as far as on screen conquests. There may be many of our crowd who do not remember tv from the 50’s. THE FLYING NOUN and THE MOOD SQUAD were also very amusing. I used to enjoy B(L)ARNEY MILLER, for its great ensemble cast, and I appreciated the bonus down theme answers.

ROREM and CHAST were my unknowns, and I liked the BOWLER hat misdirection, the resurrection of BY CRACKY, the appearance of TOJO; and who does not like a puzzle with both NOID and SCHMOOZE in the mix.

When I was young, the islands of QUEMOY and MATSU were very hot political topics, especially during the 1960 election. The names have stuck with me.

fermatprime said...

Greetings, fellow Earthlings!

Cool puzzle, John. Really enjoyed a Sunday's for a change! Thank you C.C. for interesting write-up. Lots of things for me to look up later!

This puzzle definitely for us elders! Watched all of those old TV shows, so answers came swiftly.

Favorites: KUNG FLU, BRATMAN.

I really liked Bob Cummings. Is mention of C. Sheen really fair, Lemonade? I have concluded via his rants, history, etc., all to be found at TV Guide site (OK, I really read it for news of show's futures--right) that he is quite insane. Sheen

Having a lot of trouble getting onto blog these days. Get weird message that I don't accept cookies. (Safari IS set this way, though.) Anyone else?

Have a great Sunday!

WikWak said...

I have the same memories of the Quemoy/Matsu difficulties as Lemonade. I was in high school and just beginning to pay attention to the world around me. [Sometimes now I'm sorry I ever started... ;)]

Not too many unknowns for me today, which is a good thing after yesterday's offering left me bowed and bloody. I especially liked SITAR TREK and THE FLYING NOUN, and when "Twitter source" came out NEST I nearly laughed out loud.

My scoutmaster back in the day used the expression "By cracky" all the time; it brought back lots of memories to see it here after all these years.

C.C., they call them "oaters" because everyone rode horses and horses eat oats (the lucky ones, anyway). And hectare? You are exactly right about the "100"; you just didn't follow your own logic far enough. A hectare is 100 meters on a side (100 meters square). 100 x 100 = 10,000 square meters in area. And your question on 22A? Yes. Yes I do.

fermatprime said...

Hi again. Just read yesterday's responses. (Slept all day today, after my laptop took forever to backup completely beginning yesterday afternoon. Going to finally install Snow Leopard. But have been dragging feet about backup.)

I notice that we had similar problems (??) with cookies, Jayce. (So, it's not just me.) Are you a Mac person? (Did you actually enter a 6th response yesterday, or was this some blog treachery? (Not that I would object.)

Bye again!

John Lampkin said...

Good morning happy puzzlers,

To answer C.C.'s excellent question, the title refers to the simplicity of the theme which is "add a letter to a TV show." Perhaps because I've created a few fairly complex, multi-layered puzzles in the past like my 4th of July effort, some solvers might expect that to always be the case. Nope. Simple and fun is often good enough for me!

It is worth pointing out though that the added letter is always the second letter of one of the words. C.C. has conveniently highlighted the letters so a glance tells you that this is so. My original brainstorm did not have this constraint and the added letters were randomly placed and included titles like
MAGNUM PIG Show about a greedy champagne collector?
IRONY TWIST Cooking show with a wry twist?
THE EX FACTOR "Divorce Court" spinoff?
THE MUENSTERS Cheesy spinoff?

How many more can you all think of?

I opted for humor value as the criterion for my top choices, but Rich felt strongly that out of fairness to the solver the letter also had to be consistently placed. That's not as simple as it sounds. Putting the letter in second place gave me the most workable titles so I went with that.

Since Lemonade mentioned Charlie Sheen, allow me to paraphrase and say, "I'm addicted to a blog, and that blog is the L.A. Times Crossword Corner."

Happy solving!

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

A fine Sunday outing overall. I've never heard of "Love that Bob" and could have done without the CAM/CALIF crossing, but the rest of the puzzle was fairly smooth sailing. Well, except for MATSU crossing what started out as OPTICS and then morphed into OCULUS before finally becoming OCULAR.

Two questions, though...

1. Assuming that CAM is somehow a legitimate abbreviation for "camera," in what sense does it actually "make" film? Or am I missing the obvious here?

2. Is a PRAWN a relative (or "kin") of a shrimp or just another name for it? I used to think that prawns were a different species, but then I was told that it's simply the British name for what we here in the U.S. call a shrimp. And now I'm totally confused...

Splynter said...

Hi There ~!

Well, I thought I had the idea of the theme, but not the specifics. Figured that SITAR was in the answer, and when TREK came out of the perps, I was nearly rolling on the floor. Loved KUNG FLU, too.

Prawn makes me think of this movie - it was the slang term for the aliens - very well done, but creepy in places. I liked it.

I have to find out which TARSI my mom broke - I went to see her at the hospital yestreday, and she is in very good spirits - despite the five pins in her left foot....

Love seeing the word SCHMOOZE (and I like it's equivalent SCHMALTZ). Nailed Sequoia.

The only words that got me were AS ONE, I was looking for !~ALIVE~! for "in concert"...

I had a friend who believed the "NOID" was the plastic "stand" that kept the box from crushing the pizza....

Show about a broken furnace?

THIS COLD HOUSE

Splynter

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

John,
Thanks for pointing out the second letter pattern. Quite a restraint.

I have 2 questions for you:

1) What's the base phrase for IRONY TWIST?

2) We had this Peter O'Toole tribute last Sunday. I am curious about the placement of the two black squares: very top, right of VENUS & very bottom, left of PETER. Do you call those two "helper squares"?

It just doesn't seem to me that the two black squares are added later, since both VENUS and PETER are theme entries and have to be put there in the early state of grid design.

What's your thoughts?

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

WikWak,
Thanks for always answering my questions.

John Lampkin said...

C.C. @ 6:49

1) I menat IRONY CHEF.
Argh.

2) Yes, those are "helper" squares, though I much prefer the pejorative term, "cheater" squares. Constructors, myself included, use them when they give up on trying to get a clean grid without them. It's a matter of taste, but I try to avoid them, even to the point of trying out a half-dozen grids and fill to get rid of them. Most editors, including Rich, allow them without comment.

My eye and aesthetic sense side with you on this, C.C. The cheaters being where they are, are a blemish. Not a wart for sure, but at least a pimple.

My guess is that the constructors started with the stacks of three blocks shifted over one square. That avoids the cheater and the use of four lackluster 3-letter words. Probably, the resulting fill was ugly enough that they gave up. After all, that was an amazing tribute puzzle--jam packed with thematic material and an outstanding accomplishment. It deserves all the praise and applause it received.

Lemonade714 said...

In further explanation, my comment was about the parallel between the Bob Cummings' character and Charlie Sheen's character, both being bodacious babe bedding bachelors. No reference to the "real" Charlie Sheen.

I really enjoy how John worked both LAMB and LAMPBLACK into the grid.

There are many add on TV shows, such as STOP CHEF about an out of control Paul Dean, it is the second letter added restriction which makes the achievement more impressive. So far I have HAPPY DRAYS the comedy about work horses; THE BRADY BRUNCH, about Wayne opening a specialty resaurant.

Anonymous said...

Love the word SEQUOIA. Four vowels in a row. And all five vowels in the same word, one time only (like the word EDUCATION). I wonder if there's a word with all five vowels, one time only, in alphabetical order?

Anonymous said...

Just thought of facetious!

windhover said...

Why not just AEIOU?
I actually said exactly that once in 1969, when I hit my thumb with a 2 pound hammer. It may not be in the dictionary, but I'll bet it's been used more than once!

Argyle said...

A park worker in a west Africa country: The Leone Ranger.

Seldom Seen said...

A show starring Megan Fox as a Viagra salesperson: The Love Bloat

Splynter said...

Hi Again ~!

fAcEIOUslY - gets the "Y" in there, too...

Splynter

Seldom Seen said...

A game show involving psychoanalysis and free association: The Family Freud

HeartRx said...

Good Morning C.C. et al.

Fun, fun, fun all the way today. Loved this one, and when after I was finished, I wished it had taken me longer. Great write-up C.C, as always.

My two cents:
China Breach - DIY Network show about repairing broken dishware?

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - It took just under an hour, but I managed today's Lampkin as a true no-peeky. Lots of unknowns, such as MATSU, TOJO, ROREM, and CHAST, and any sports conference/league is fog to me.

I was convinced it was terra FIRMA, and that sure gummed the works. Never heard of Love That Bob, must be before my time.


Since we're looking at construction today: I admire grid symmetry, and take it as a mark of the constructor's art, but does it really matter? I imagine that we could get some scintillating puzzles if constructors were freed from black square symmetry.

Opinions? John?

Lucina said...

Hello, Sunday Solvers!

It's good to "see" you, C.C. and thank you for the informative write up.

John Lampkin, I usually catch your wave length and sashay through with few problems. Today was great fun and nostalgic as I recall those sitcoms. The Mod Squad, The Flying Nun and Barney Miller were some of my favorites.

Loved the western shoutouts: SEQUOIA and PUEBLO but of course so many cultures were included.

Cone heads, SNO was clever and I recalled the IONOsphere comment.

I don't know if this qualifies:
BRAWL IN THE FAMILY, an urban legend.
Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

Grumpy 1 said...

Good morning, CC, John and Sunday solvers.

This was one of the most fun Sunday Puzzles I've done in a long time. I usually tackle Sundays a little unsure if I can finish, but after nailing a few non theme entries and catching onto the theme early, I said "YES! I can finish this one unaided." And I did!

What? No one else noticed that John slipped one by Rich by adding the 'O' as the third letter in Love that Bo(o)b? Nice, John.

Thai mercenary superhero: Bhatman.

I also started with IONO yesterday and was surprised when it showed up today.

Rredwood instead of Sequoia slowed my progress a little, but not for too long.

There were several unknowns but they fell to the perps, so all's well that ends well.

ITS was pretty obvious at 55a, but i hesitated about putting it in since there wasn't a place for the apostrophe. (Hi Kasie)

Have a great day all.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning all. Thanks for the commentary, C.C.

BY CRACKY, I agree with Grumpy on this one. It was fun and doable without lookups. I liked the theme a lot and particularly, SITAR TREK and MEAD MONEY. Fun words. I also liked ÉTAT and BBS. MATSU was a gimme from the 1960's as others have stated. WAGs included OCULAR and ARTEMIS. Somehow John's puzzle elicited good guesses. I liked seeing SCHMOOZE but not its clue. Did not like FEVERED either. Overall, it was a very engaging puzzle to do.

Fermat et al: I've had no problems with cookies on my IMac using Safari.

Have a great day.

erieruth said...

Queueing...my favorite vowel run

John Lampkin said...

A big thank you to Annette for beta testing this one. As always, she finds improvements. Rich has his own paid staff which goes over the puzzles very carefully, but still, I like to send in my best stuff so Annette is always a big help.

Thanks Splynter, Lemonade, Argyle, Seen, Heart Rx, and Lucina for the amusing additions. So far, Seen has my fave with THE FAMILY FREUD. That pronunciation shift is devilish, no? Hey, next time I'll ask you all for suggestions during brainstorming!

Argyle said...

Heroic Mexican caballero before his NO-CAL diet: Crisco Kid

Argyle said...

Liz Madden, you published on Saturday's, not Sunday's.

Dudley said...

Fermat 3:25 AM - My wife is the Mac user in our family, so I know very little, but: when she attempted to load Snow Leopard, it failed. Apparently the Mac needed more RAM. We hauled it into an Apple store and, $45 later, there was enough RAM for the Leopard to roam. YMMV.

Bill G. said...

Another fun Sunday puzzle. Thanks John and C.C.

Yes, I like the way Megan Fox looks, by cracky, though I've never seen her in a movie that I'm aware of.

@Burrito34, I really enjoyed your link to Center Field yesterday. Not only a great song but the video accompaniment was excellent. I recognized many old timers and so did my wife, a long-time Yankee fan.

@Fermatprime, isn't Time Machine taking care of your backups for you?

@Barry, a cam makes movies and movies are often called films. Therefore, a cam is a film-maker. And if you Google 'Prawn', you will find that Wikipedia says they are slightly different from shrimp.

Annette said...

Thanks for the shout-out, John. I didn't know the print date of this puzzle, so I didn't recognize it until I filled in BOOB! Then I sat up a little straighter and leaned forward, knowing I was in for a good time!

91D: I see Gossip and SCHMOOZE as different. I use the word SCHMOOZE often!

My favorite offering so far was BRAWL IN THE FAMILY. It doesn't quite fit this theme, but I see its potential for a different one.

I listen to country music, but 82A Brooks of country had me stuck for a while because Brooks & Dunn came to mind 1st, so I was trying to remember their first names and which was which, until the perps pointed to GARTH.

Annette said...

Grumpy 1, my 1st thought on seeing ITS was the apostrophe too! :)

Barry G, for 60D I saw it as short for CAMcorder, which is used to create films/movies. And I thought PRAWNS were supposed to be larger than shrimp, which would mean they're not the same thing.

Dudley, my opinion on the symmetry is that it adds a pleasing bonus to a puzzle, like the addition of making it a pangram, but I seldom see it. Then again, I often forget to look for the theme, too!

kazie said...

I haven't done this one, but noticed in the blog 7D: "Le __ d'Arthur" : MORTE. The Death of Arthur. If that is meant to be French, it's wrong. DEATH in French is LA MORT. If it's Italian, it should be LA MORTE too--feminine in both languages, but then I think the d' would be di or del.

Anonymous said...

Finally got around to this puzzle. I'm confused-sqelched, scratched, splotched, and stretched are two syllables--unless I'm misremembering grade school english.

Dudley said...

Annette - Good point! I seldom notice the symmetry when digging into a puzzle, which suggests that I'd never miss it if it went away. Imagine the effort that must go into it!

LaLaLinda said...

Hi Everyone ~~

What a great puzzle ... I had such fun solving this one! Thanks for the entertainment, John Lampkin and for your great write-up C.C.

There were a number of unknowns (ROREM, VENTI, AUGIE, AGAVE, CHAST) but perps took care of them. I was unsure of PROB for 52A, not knowing if an 'abbr.' was needed, but it did fit.

The phrase 'BY CRACKY' reminds me of something I think was said often by Walter Brennan (Grandpappy Amos) on 'The Real McCoys'- another oldie sitcom.

Splynter ~~ Great job blogging yesterday ... a challenging one to take on!

Enjoy the evening ~~

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Sorry I missed yesterday and Splynter's blogging. We were visiting with family and just got home a short time ago.

Today's John Lampkin puzzle is a goody. I took a major walk down memory lane with a lot of the old TV shows.

LOVE THAT BOB was a favorite. Of course, that was pre-cable and satellite, so the choices were limited. There were three national networks and probably a half dozen local stations. Come to think of it, we now have seventy (maybe more?) stations available and we still watch only a half dozen or so.

Laughed seeing BY CRACKY. I'll have to start using it to amuse my grandkids.

I didn't know ROREM, ACC, or MATSU (thanks for the link, Lemonade).

No comments about Charlie Sheen, except I've never seen Two And A Half Men, which apparently isn't much of a loss.

Annette said...

Dudley, from what I can see, it increases the difficulty in constructing A LOT! That said, I greatly appreciate that effort, and admire the solvers that do see it and point out special designs for me to enjoy. Thanks, y'all!

Otis said...

Good afternoon CC et al,

Nice puzzle, John! Fun and doable. Barry, I didn't like cam at first either, but then I thought of web cam, and changed my mind.

Ditto others: it is much harder to come up with possibilities with the constraint of letter placement. My attempts (no clues):
THE WEST WRING or THE WREST WING
MAD MIEN
MY BUOYS
MISTER END
AMERICAN DEAD/MAJOR DEAD
ONE DRAY AT A TIME (Lemonade beat me with drays of our lives, I see)
FAMILY TRIES
JOUST THE TEN OF US
THIRD ROCK FROM THE STUN

I've been working a lot and don't get here much, but I check in when I can. I miss the daily commentary, as well as QOD, Did You Know, poetry, and so on.
Cheers, Otis

Nice Cuppa said...

OK - here are my 2 penn'orth:

NIGHTLY REPORT ON FINDING ASS? = BRAYWATCH

EARLY PBS SERIES? = THEATRE AM (some parsing required)


NC

Clear Ayes said...

23A clue "Amherst sch" reminded me of "The Belle of Amherst", a play (also on DVD and available at Netflix) about the life and poetry of Emily Dickenson. Dickenson is one of my favorite poets. So, before my train of thought gets derailed and for those who are tired of winter, here's a charmer from Miss Dickenson

The sky is low, the clouds are mean,
A travelling flake of snow
Across a barn or through a rut
Debates if it will go.

A narrow wind complains all day
How some one treated him;
Nature, like us, is sometimes caught
Without her diadem.

Husker Gary said...

C.C., et al, what a nice Sunday solve once we got back home. Attendance at mass was sparse today, I thought the Lutherans must be having a sale but I got the puzzle wrapped up after lunch. My girls’ team got wiped out by a team that won its 75th in a row but we ate a lot of junk food!

Musings
-Love That Bob and Walter Brennan’s “By Cracky” are very familiar to me from early TV
-Tattoos don’t get it done for me, even on Megan. But all in all…
-APEMEN? ROREM? CHAST?
-SEQUOIA, not Sasquatch!
-OMAHAS are very docile today with all the attendant issues of reservation life
-EFT and TORI from doing cwds
-Like Sheen, today I am “duh, winning!” Great SNL skit last night also.
-Archie’s Basketball heirloom? BALL IN THE FAMILY
-Layers of relatives? FAMILY TIERS
-Franklin was a goy. GENTILE BEN
-Sell a flight? PAWN STAIRS
-Carried gratis? BORNE FREE

ENOUGH ALREADY!

Lucina said...

C.C., I just reread your blog and want to assure you I have never even heard of Torri Hunter. LOL

Jayce said...

Hello everybody.

Yay, I got the IONO I wanted yesterday! Thank you for noticing, C.C.

Is the reason the plural of shrimp is shrimp the same as the reason the plural of sheep is sheep? What is the singular of scissors and pants?

I run hot and cold about Megan Fox. Usually I don't think she's all that hot, but in that pic she sure is.

The sequoias (Sequoia Gigantium and Sequoia Sempervirens) here are awe inspiring. It was a gimme for me.

I don't know Cantonese, but I was told Quemoy is the Cantonese, or perhaps Fujianese, pronunciation of Jinmen.

It had to be Terra FIRMA, HAUTE, or COTTA.

More stream-of-consciousness comments later.

Jayce said...

fermatprime, last night I got the same message when all I wanted to do was come here and read the blog, namely that my browser was set to refuse cookies. Deleting ALL cookies fixed it. A tad extreme, but it had to be done.

Jayce said...

I was living in Taiwan in 1961-1962, and the names of Quemoy and Matsu were often on people's lips. But only in private, never in public. The Chiang Kai-Shek regime did not brook political discussions where others could overhear you. At that time the squabble over whether Taiwan is a province of (mainland) China or an independent, sovereign republic was still very hot. You could go to jail for expressing your opinion on this and other 'sensitive' topics. One of my friends was arrested for exactly that reason, and was only released because he was an American and the consulate intervened.

Jayce said...

Haha, fermatprime, I just read your 3:25 AM "Bye again!" post. No, I'm a Windows user, but sometimes when I have problems I use my iPhone or my wife's Mac. I used it to post my 6th posting last night because neither Internet Explorer nor Firefox nor even Safari for Windows would let me in. To atone for posting 6 times yesterday, I will only post 4 times today :)

WM said...

re: Kazie Le Morte D'Arthur was correctly clued. Written by Sir Thomas Mallory in 1470 it was originally titled Le Morte Darthur...considered Middle French,although written in old English.

The book is titled that way even today in reprints. The correct present day French spelling for death is as you specificed...Mort

Thanks to JD for the photos and to C.C. for posting.

Annette said...

WM, I'm so sorry! I knew there was something else I wanted to comment on from the mail blog page... Your paintings look delicious. And you look very pretty standing next to them! I love the whoopie pies in the background - our family just had a big discussion about them...

Burrito34 said...

I alllmmooost did this puzzle without any help. Finished it and didn't get the "ta da" sound. I checked to see if I left a blank spot or two, nope. Red letters revealed what messed me up. It was the Starbuck's size (venti). "Noid" I got right at first, changed it to "noyd" only to change it back to "noid". Not being much of a coffee drinker and very seldom ever going to Starbuck's did me in today.

"Love that Bob" was on a few years before I was born, but became aware of it when it was re-aired on TVLand (or was it Nick at Nite?)


Now for some notes on a couple comments:

Show about a broken furnace?

THIS COLD HOUSE

Good one, Splynter!

Annette, the first name of Brooks in Brooks & Dunn is, believe it or not, Kix. It's his nickname, actually. His full name is Leon Eric Brooks III. (I wonder if that was his favorite cereal growing up.)

Best to all,
Burrito34

Dennis said...

Good afternoon, C.C. and gang - very busy day, but I had to check in and tell JLamp that this was one of my all-time favorite puzzles. Got through it with perp help, and enjoyed every minute of the thirty or so I spent on it. Great theme (had to be a bitch to do) and I especially liked the shout-out to Mustang Mel (Mt. Shasta's state) and to me (love that boob). Particularly enjoyed the references to days gone by with answers like 'wiseacre' 'by cracky' (anybody else remember the Confucius joke?) and others. Just a great, fun puzzle, IMHO.

Did You Know?:

- Daylight Savings Time is only a week away!

kazie said...

WM,
Thanks for the explanation of le Morte. I have never heard of the title before and it puzzled me, since I couldn't imagine John would have clued it wrongly.

I also liked the photo of you and the paintings. Those of the coven who live near you are fortunate to be able to see them in the flesh.

windhover said...

Dennis:
Is it "man who fly airplane upside down"?

Yes to Daylight Time. And longer evenings.

creature said...

Good Evening C.C. and all,

Thanks C.C. for your super write-up..

This was an interesting and nostalgic puzzle, and most of it was really doable for me.

I never go to Starbucks so had to have help on VENTI and NOID.

Had early plans today, so needed to put this away until now. Enjoyed the posts as well. Hope to be back on schedule tomorrow.

Thanks, John.

Have a nice night everyone.

Anonymous said...

104 across - hectare. The relationship to 100 is that a hectare is 100 meters by 100 meters, hence 10,000 square meters.

A metric Canadian - :-)

Nice Cuppa said...

here are the rest of my offerings:

ARTIC TUNDRA+GLOBAL WARMING =? = GROWING PLAINS

DEAD SEA SCROLLS II? = HIDDEN PSALMS

DOCUMENTARY ABOUT PUBERTY? = NIGHT MOAN

DOCUMENTARY ABOUT TEENAGE SEX? = THE INVISIBLE MOAN

DOCUMENTARY ABOUT VOYEURISM? = THE MOANHUNTER

CRYING WOLF II? THE MOAN FROM UNCLE

TRAVEL SHOW ABOUT FRENCH VACATIONS = PARIS ON BREAK

FLORIDA NEWS SHOW = MIAMI VOICE


Good night

NC

WM said...

Kazie...thank you and no problem. As I had read Le Morte D'Arthur eons ago I at least knew that one...lol.

Thank you also to Annette and to answer Jeannie from last night...yes it is a sale and not just a showing. I will having things photographed and the paintings must stay up until after the show. The Ice Cream Parlor is 28" x 38" fairly large. :o)

Clear Ayes said...

WM, I knew I was not squeezing everything out of my brain that I needed to say! Here's a big congratulatory WOW (By Cracky!!) for your scrumptious paintings. Luckily we can't gain weight just by looking at your artwork, but it is a close call. I wish I could have made it to your area on Friday. The day will come!

Seldom Seen said...

Blog poster who changed his avatar from a Snowboarder in a half-pipe to blowhard with a crack-pipe:

SHEEN

Bill G. said...

So I went to the local Coffee Bean for an espresso this afternoon. It was unusually busy with young people, all with their laptops. (I felt a bit left out.) Some were studying, others ?? Many were listening to what passes for music on their earbuds. (I would have been listening to Hank Williams, Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, Leon Redbone or Mozart.) One girl's finger was doing a dance routine on her track pad. Everybody had their phones at the ready. (I felt a bit left out with no phone and no one I needed to call.) But I was busy and amused, just with people watching. And the coffee was good.

Grumpy 1 said...

Dennis, If I recall that Confucius joke it had something to do with a red headed woman, didn't it?

Windhover, I recall your joke a bit differently. Wrong gender flying the plane. Slight variation on the keyword in the punchline.

Dennis said...

Grumpy, nailed it on both counts.

windhover said...

Yes and yes.
It has been a while.

Dudley said...

Dennis - My good man, no offense is intended! We are looking forward to Daylight Saving, not Savings, Time. This, along with the lie/lay verb problem, and the its/it's problem, is a trigger point for me. I do not claim to be a perfect grammarian but where these are concerned I try.

Really, no offense intended.

CA - Here in W. Mass. I have the good fortune to be near Emily Dickinson's lovely Amherst homestead. Her house is lovely, sunny, well-preserved and available for tours in season. I once attended a wedding reception there. Emily is still a force to be reckoned with hereabouts - for example, in the neighboring town of Sunderland, I went through a corn maze which had been carefully sculpted to her likeness. The task in the maze was to assemble concealed bits of "treasure" which became one of her poems, "The Brain is Wider Than the Sky". Even a riverside plot of corn remembers The Belle of Amherst"!

Dudley said...

Ooops, added an unintended point of punctuation there.

Dennis said...

Grumpy, its ok.

I'm gonna go lay down now; have a great nite.

Dennis said...

Sorry Grumpy, meant Dudley".

Dudley said...

Now that's attention to detail! :-)

Lemonade714 said...

Kazie,

One thing I have learned over the time at this blog, when I think the constructor has done something wrong, it is usuallu just something I did not know. Le Morte d'Arthur was/is one of my oldest boy's favorite books, so it was easy.

It is often the case where we are both right and wrong, and John L and Rich are pretty thorough.

Clear Ayes said...

One of the things we did yesterday was pickup and deliver Girl Scout cookies. Here is a note from grandGirlScout Rachael to the nice people who ordered cookies from her.
Thank you

Dudley, how nice for you to be so near Amherst. It would be quite a treat to visit the Dickenson Homestead. I had to laugh at the corn maze likeness. Emily wasn't a looker, but really!!

Bill G. said...

CA, that was a nice note from your girl scout (granddaughter?). Good for her.

60 Minutes ran an episode about newly-homeless families and kids. Very sad.

I am glad I discovered that I could listen to old broadcasts of Prairie Home Companion on my computer while I'm doing other stuff. I am listening to Garrison Keillor, Ashley Monroig and the US Navy Band Southwest singing and playing all the verses of America the Beautiful. That song always brings tears to my eyes.

Abejo said...

Good Evening, folks! Thank you John Lampkin for a swell puzzle. Thank you C.C. for the write-up and posting. Great job, as always.

This puzzle was fun, for the most part. Once I figured out the theme, those answers mostly came easily. I had to ask my wife for 108A Starbucks size/VENTI. She goes there a lot. I never go there.

50A always gets my dander up. "Great Taste" beers/LITE. I see these ads on TV, etc, about Miller Lite and Great Taste. There is almost no taste at all to Miller Lite. It is the closest thing to water you can find. No animosity to the constructor, he was just emulating the ads. It's these marketing "Liars" that tick me off.

Anyhow, back to the puzzle. I used a lot of perps to get through this. It all worked except for the NE corner. I think 15A Pennsylvanie, e.g. was a stretch for ETAT. I believe a more direct clue would have been in order.

I would have reported earlier but was tied up playing my tuba twice today. In addition, I was planting my seeds for my vegetable garden in the starter soil inside to get the shoots up. My favorite spring hobby. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Abstemious said...

If foreign language clues usually call for an answer in the same foreign language, is the chief blogger also required to comment in that same language? In any case, at 49D I believe the Quai d'Orsay is a Paris area, not a Nice area.

Some may have been thinking of strikes/spares at 24A's Bowler, but my mind was in the gutter.