Theme: "My Ex Was a Monster!" - Each spooky answer and its spooky clue narrate a scary "Ex" story & a current date for 115A.
23A. My first crush was on a mummy, but . . . : HE'S WRAPPED UP IN HIMSELF. Mummies were wrapped in cloth.
47A. Everyone liked my ghost boyfriend, but . . . : I SAW RIGHT THROUGH HIM. Ghosts are transparent.
67A. I had a relationship with Frankenstein's monster, but . . . : IT CAME APART AT THE SEAMS. Frankenstein's monster had lots of stitches on.
89A. When I moved to Sleepy Hollow, I started dating a soldier, but . . . : HE KEPT LOSING HIS HEAD. The Headless Horseman.
115A. Now I'm dating Count Dracula. Things are going well, but . . . : HE CAN BE A PAIN IN THE NECK. Dracula sucks! The title "Ex" is not inclusive, isn't it?
Then HORRORS (99A. "Little Shop of __) and a few other ghostly bonus entries.
Only 5 theme entries, but they're all very long, occupying a total 101 theme squares. Quite a few outstanding long Downs today:
3D. Two-part David Bowie song from "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" : IT'S NO GAME. Gimmie, Avg Joe? Creepy clue. Nice.
7D. Fresh out of the oven : PIPING HOT
8D. Number retired by the Orioles for Jim Palmer : TWENTY TWO. Hall-of-Famer. Cal Ripken's number is 8. Retired by the Orioles also. I admire guys who spent their entire career with one team.
14D. Vampire-romance series : TWILIGHT. Another bonus entry.
16D. Taking issue? : KLEPTOMANIA. Great clue.
58D. Critter in old Qantas ads, popularly : KOALA BEAR
69D. Feline who said "We're all mad here" : CHESHIRE CAT
78D. Fine porcelain : BONE CHINA
81D. Munch museum masterpiece : THE SCREAM. You can almost hear it.
This is the debut puzzle for Jonathan L O'Rourke. Congratulations!
Across:
1. "Evil Under the Sun" detective : POIROT ( Hercule). And 25D. Ustinov who played 1-Across : PETER.
7. Class-conscious orgs.? : PTAs. Saw this clue before.
11. Like Granny Smiths : TART
15. Hershey bar : SKOR. Toffee bar. Wiki said Skor is Swedish for "shoes".
19. Traveling, like Blues Traveler : ON TOUR. Rock band.
20. "Yay! Go me!" : I WIN
21. From square one : ANEW
22. Bjorn rival : ILIE (Nastase)
27. Chaney of film : LON. More horror.
28. Minting process : COINAGE
29. Slippery : EELY
30. Home to four-and-twenty blackbirds : PIE. "... Four-and-twenty blackbirds/Baked in a pie...".
31. Wide of the mark : OFF
34. Demolition supply : TNT
35. Part of SOP: Abbr. : STD. SOP = Standard Operating Procedure. Then we have 96A. Morsel for dipping : SOP. Different meaning.
37. York __: British cathedral : MINSTER. Gothic Cathedral.
39. Folded corner : DOG EAR. Annoying.
42. Training room : GYM. Been ages since I heard from Dennis.
44. Hosp. units : ERs
46. Florida's team : GATORS. Hi there Gator Mom!
51. PIN requester : ATM. 119D. Big 51-Across manufacturer : NCR.
52. "Prove it!" : SHOW ME
53. Prefix for fall : PRAT. Pratfall.
54. Dear one, in Italy : CARO
57. Veggie that looks like an overgrown scallion : LEEK. We just call scallion "green onion".
59. Green Hornet sidekick : KATO. Played by Bruce Lee.
60. 87-Down fruit : SLOES. And 87D. Bar staple : GIN.
62. "It's __": "Problem solved" : OK NOW. You won't see any partial longer than 5 letters in LA Times.
63. Get __ years: age : ON IN
65. God-fearing : PIOUS
66. Like some obedience : FILIAL
73. Composer Gustav : MAHLER. Born in Bohemia.
74. Crosswise, shipwise : ABEAM
75. L.A. Angel, e.g. : ALer. American Leaguer.
76. Tool for a mountaineer : ICE AX
77. "Hungarian Fantasy" composer : LISZT. Nice consonant cluster.
78. Ernie's roommate : BERT
80. PDQ, to an RN : STAT
84. Org. that investigates crashes : NTSB.
85. Carvey who played the Church Lady : DANA
86. Self-interested one : EGOIST
88. Gp. with a co-pay : HMO
94. __ Afghan Airlines : ARIANA. Got any desire to visit that place?
97. Old Testament bk. : NEH
98. "Shazam!" : PRESTO
101. Ryan of "You've Got Mail" : MEG
103. Letters on Windy City trains : CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)
105. Co. designation : INC
106. String after B : CDE. Alphabet.
107. Light bulb unit : WATT
109. Uses FedEx again : RE-SHIPS. We should support UPS. Can you figure out what his favicon is?
112. Actress Charlotte : RAE
120. __ upswing : ON AN
121. Pizzazz : BRIO
122. Obama, as of Jan. 2009 : CINC (Commander-in-Chief) 65D. 122-Across, informally : PREZ.
123. Obscure : ARCANE
124. Camp Swampy dog : OTTO
125. Cry of pain : YELP
126. Aquarium fish : OPAH
127. Messenger god : HERMES. Oh my God. Hermes! Hermes Birkin bag lives in my dream, Santa!
Down:
1. Novelist Frederik : POHL. He has four Hugos.
2. __ cat: baseball variation : ONE O'
4. Obey the coxswain : ROW
5. Lord's Prayer opening : OUR
6. Gillette's __ II : TRAC
9. Opera that premiered in Cairo : AIDA. Nubia.
10. Nestles : SNUGS
11. Mai __: fruity cocktail : TAI. Now I've got to make that ambrosia you guys talked about yesterday. Sounds delicious. No whipped cream though.
12. "Breathing Lessons" novelist Tyler : ANNE
13. Take up, as a homemade costume : RE-HEM
15. Relative's nickname : SIS
17. More smarmy : OILIER
18. Alludes (to) : REFERS
24. __ roast : POT
26. Chatty bird : MYNAH
32. Not many : FEW. It's a great feeling, Jayce, to know that some of my nonsense could be understood by you. You're a awesome Gweilo (Cantonese for "foreigners", literally "ghost man").
33. Not close : FAR
36. GED taker : DROP-OUT
38. Purists : STICKLERS
39. Give a ring : DIAL
40. Bone: Pref. : OSTE
41. More dangerous : RISKIER
43. Old TV production co. : MTM. "Lou Grant".
45. Like the best bet : SUREST
48. Ivory Coast neighbor : GHANA
49. Doesn't act just yet : HESITATES. No hesitation & no inconsistency in front of Roberto.
50. Krypton, for one : GAS
55. Go nowhere in particular : ROAM
56. Nocturnal hunters : OWLS
61. Planter's choice : LOAM
62. River to the Seine : OISE. Just how many many four-letter rivers go to the Seine?
64. Four Corners st. : N MEX
66. Marker feature : FELT TIP
67. "Sounds good to me!" : I'M IN
68. Ambassador's asset : TACT
70. Puts on a coat : PAINTS
71. Son of David : ABSALOM. Third son of King David. I drew a blank.
72. Quite rough : HARSH
77. One can stand to lose it : LAP. Oh, you make a lap when you sit down. Lose it when you stand up. I'm feeling stupid.
79. Early floppy disk size : EIGHT INCH. History.
82. Part of a Latin trio : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.
83. Brouhaha : TO DO
85. Column begun in 1956 by Pauline Phillips : DEAR ABBY
90. Famous : KNOWN
91. Musical drama : OPERA
92. Title for a guru : SRI
93. Layer : HEN. Hens lay eggs.
94. Blessing elicitor : AH-CHOO
95. Guinea pig, e.g. : RODENT
100. Firewood measure : STERE. I've never baked a potato in a fireplace.
102. Auto insurance giant : GEICO
104. Spot-on : APT
108. Kite attachment : TAIL
110. Barber's stroke : SNIP
111. Ruler deposed in 1979 : SHAH. He had quite a car collection.
113. Teen's affliction : ACNE
114. Scratches (out) : EKES
116. "I'll take that as __" : A NO
117. __ psychology : POP
118. Poet's before : ERE
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. My first crush was on a mummy, but . . . : HE'S WRAPPED UP IN HIMSELF. Mummies were wrapped in cloth.
47A. Everyone liked my ghost boyfriend, but . . . : I SAW RIGHT THROUGH HIM. Ghosts are transparent.
67A. I had a relationship with Frankenstein's monster, but . . . : IT CAME APART AT THE SEAMS. Frankenstein's monster had lots of stitches on.
89A. When I moved to Sleepy Hollow, I started dating a soldier, but . . . : HE KEPT LOSING HIS HEAD. The Headless Horseman.
115A. Now I'm dating Count Dracula. Things are going well, but . . . : HE CAN BE A PAIN IN THE NECK. Dracula sucks! The title "Ex" is not inclusive, isn't it?
Then HORRORS (99A. "Little Shop of __) and a few other ghostly bonus entries.
Only 5 theme entries, but they're all very long, occupying a total 101 theme squares. Quite a few outstanding long Downs today:
3D. Two-part David Bowie song from "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" : IT'S NO GAME. Gimmie, Avg Joe? Creepy clue. Nice.
7D. Fresh out of the oven : PIPING HOT
8D. Number retired by the Orioles for Jim Palmer : TWENTY TWO. Hall-of-Famer. Cal Ripken's number is 8. Retired by the Orioles also. I admire guys who spent their entire career with one team.
14D. Vampire-romance series : TWILIGHT. Another bonus entry.
16D. Taking issue? : KLEPTOMANIA. Great clue.
58D. Critter in old Qantas ads, popularly : KOALA BEAR
69D. Feline who said "We're all mad here" : CHESHIRE CAT
78D. Fine porcelain : BONE CHINA
81D. Munch museum masterpiece : THE SCREAM. You can almost hear it.
This is the debut puzzle for Jonathan L O'Rourke. Congratulations!
Across:
1. "Evil Under the Sun" detective : POIROT ( Hercule). And 25D. Ustinov who played 1-Across : PETER.
7. Class-conscious orgs.? : PTAs. Saw this clue before.
11. Like Granny Smiths : TART
15. Hershey bar : SKOR. Toffee bar. Wiki said Skor is Swedish for "shoes".
19. Traveling, like Blues Traveler : ON TOUR. Rock band.
20. "Yay! Go me!" : I WIN
21. From square one : ANEW
22. Bjorn rival : ILIE (Nastase)
27. Chaney of film : LON. More horror.
28. Minting process : COINAGE
29. Slippery : EELY
30. Home to four-and-twenty blackbirds : PIE. "... Four-and-twenty blackbirds/Baked in a pie...".
31. Wide of the mark : OFF
34. Demolition supply : TNT
35. Part of SOP: Abbr. : STD. SOP = Standard Operating Procedure. Then we have 96A. Morsel for dipping : SOP. Different meaning.
37. York __: British cathedral : MINSTER. Gothic Cathedral.
39. Folded corner : DOG EAR. Annoying.
42. Training room : GYM. Been ages since I heard from Dennis.
44. Hosp. units : ERs
46. Florida's team : GATORS. Hi there Gator Mom!
51. PIN requester : ATM. 119D. Big 51-Across manufacturer : NCR.
52. "Prove it!" : SHOW ME
53. Prefix for fall : PRAT. Pratfall.
54. Dear one, in Italy : CARO
57. Veggie that looks like an overgrown scallion : LEEK. We just call scallion "green onion".
59. Green Hornet sidekick : KATO. Played by Bruce Lee.
60. 87-Down fruit : SLOES. And 87D. Bar staple : GIN.
62. "It's __": "Problem solved" : OK NOW. You won't see any partial longer than 5 letters in LA Times.
63. Get __ years: age : ON IN
65. God-fearing : PIOUS
66. Like some obedience : FILIAL
73. Composer Gustav : MAHLER. Born in Bohemia.
74. Crosswise, shipwise : ABEAM
75. L.A. Angel, e.g. : ALer. American Leaguer.
76. Tool for a mountaineer : ICE AX
77. "Hungarian Fantasy" composer : LISZT. Nice consonant cluster.
78. Ernie's roommate : BERT
80. PDQ, to an RN : STAT
84. Org. that investigates crashes : NTSB.
85. Carvey who played the Church Lady : DANA
86. Self-interested one : EGOIST
88. Gp. with a co-pay : HMO
94. __ Afghan Airlines : ARIANA. Got any desire to visit that place?
97. Old Testament bk. : NEH
98. "Shazam!" : PRESTO
101. Ryan of "You've Got Mail" : MEG
103. Letters on Windy City trains : CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)
105. Co. designation : INC
106. String after B : CDE. Alphabet.
107. Light bulb unit : WATT
109. Uses FedEx again : RE-SHIPS. We should support UPS. Can you figure out what his favicon is?
112. Actress Charlotte : RAE
120. __ upswing : ON AN
121. Pizzazz : BRIO
122. Obama, as of Jan. 2009 : CINC (Commander-in-Chief) 65D. 122-Across, informally : PREZ.
123. Obscure : ARCANE
124. Camp Swampy dog : OTTO
125. Cry of pain : YELP
126. Aquarium fish : OPAH
127. Messenger god : HERMES. Oh my God. Hermes! Hermes Birkin bag lives in my dream, Santa!
Down:
1. Novelist Frederik : POHL. He has four Hugos.
2. __ cat: baseball variation : ONE O'
4. Obey the coxswain : ROW
5. Lord's Prayer opening : OUR
6. Gillette's __ II : TRAC
9. Opera that premiered in Cairo : AIDA. Nubia.
10. Nestles : SNUGS
11. Mai __: fruity cocktail : TAI. Now I've got to make that ambrosia you guys talked about yesterday. Sounds delicious. No whipped cream though.
12. "Breathing Lessons" novelist Tyler : ANNE
13. Take up, as a homemade costume : RE-HEM
15. Relative's nickname : SIS
17. More smarmy : OILIER
18. Alludes (to) : REFERS
24. __ roast : POT
26. Chatty bird : MYNAH
32. Not many : FEW. It's a great feeling, Jayce, to know that some of my nonsense could be understood by you. You're a awesome Gweilo (Cantonese for "foreigners", literally "ghost man").
33. Not close : FAR
36. GED taker : DROP-OUT
38. Purists : STICKLERS
39. Give a ring : DIAL
40. Bone: Pref. : OSTE
41. More dangerous : RISKIER
43. Old TV production co. : MTM. "Lou Grant".
45. Like the best bet : SUREST
48. Ivory Coast neighbor : GHANA
49. Doesn't act just yet : HESITATES. No hesitation & no inconsistency in front of Roberto.
50. Krypton, for one : GAS
55. Go nowhere in particular : ROAM
56. Nocturnal hunters : OWLS
61. Planter's choice : LOAM
62. River to the Seine : OISE. Just how many many four-letter rivers go to the Seine?
64. Four Corners st. : N MEX
66. Marker feature : FELT TIP
67. "Sounds good to me!" : I'M IN
68. Ambassador's asset : TACT
70. Puts on a coat : PAINTS
71. Son of David : ABSALOM. Third son of King David. I drew a blank.
72. Quite rough : HARSH
77. One can stand to lose it : LAP. Oh, you make a lap when you sit down. Lose it when you stand up. I'm feeling stupid.
79. Early floppy disk size : EIGHT INCH. History.
82. Part of a Latin trio : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.
83. Brouhaha : TO DO
85. Column begun in 1956 by Pauline Phillips : DEAR ABBY
90. Famous : KNOWN
91. Musical drama : OPERA
92. Title for a guru : SRI
93. Layer : HEN. Hens lay eggs.
94. Blessing elicitor : AH-CHOO
95. Guinea pig, e.g. : RODENT
100. Firewood measure : STERE. I've never baked a potato in a fireplace.
102. Auto insurance giant : GEICO
104. Spot-on : APT
108. Kite attachment : TAIL
110. Barber's stroke : SNIP
111. Ruler deposed in 1979 : SHAH. He had quite a car collection.
113. Teen's affliction : ACNE
114. Scratches (out) : EKES
116. "I'll take that as __" : A NO
117. __ psychology : POP
118. Poet's before : ERE
Answer grid.
C.C.
56 comments:
Mornin' all! (Bed time for me!)
Fantastic puzzle, Jonathan! Great exposition, CC!
Loved the theme. All in all, this one was easy. Filled in quickly with no cheating. I used to love monster movies in the very old days. Favorite answer, apart from theme answers, was KLEPTOMANIA. Loved shout out to CHESHIRE CAT.
Have leak in water pipe from street to house. As 225 feet of new pipe is required, this is going to be a big, unaffordable expense. My home (of 45.5 years) and I are falling apart at the seams. Am inconsolable.
Have a fruitful Sunday!
Dodo: Hope you had a very happy birthday! Best wishes for a new year! What is your longevity secret?
Hi there ~!
Yes, a very timely puzzle, too bad I had nowhere to go this year - I have my Ghostbusters costume just in case.
I am always amazed at Sunday puzzles with long themes like this one, especially when - as C.C. points out - the down fill is tough, too; CHESHIRE CAT, KLEPTOMANIA, and the double nines;
PIPING HOT/TWENTY-TWO
BONE CHINA/EIGHT-INCH
Would have liked to have seen 32 & 33D FEW and FAR clued together, as "FEW and FAR between".
Thanks for the shout-out - I haven't been able to post any new work to my blog, since I don't have a camera right now...lots of stories waiting.
My new favicon? Let's see if anyone can guess.....
Splynter
Morning, all!
Heavy snow last night and we lot power three times between midnight and 1:30. Fun, fun, fun!
The puzzle was light and fluffy and enjoyable. A little bit of hesitation down in the SW, due to ARIANA being a complete unknown and the unexpected spelling of AHCHOO, but that was pretty much it. Oh, wait -- the NE corner was a slow a bit slow because it took awhile to drag both SKOR and ILIE out of my cerebral cellar. They were both there, however, so I didn't need any help.
Gotta go reset all the clocks...
Good Morning, C.C., and friends. What a delightful halloween puzzle! I got a chuckle from all the theme clues.
The kids will be trick-or-treating here tomorrow evening.
I hope everyone in the snow belt are snug and warm.
QOD: Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. ~ Albert Einstein
C.C.: Gustav Mahler was born in a tiny little town in Bohemia called Kaliste. My husband and I have relatives who live there so sometimes visit. Mahler's home is open for tourists, although the town itself is off the beaten track.
A comfortable Sunday exercise, albeit with a lot of backing and filling. Never heard of SKOR, although I'm a chocoholic. Loved KLEPTOMANIA.
I suspect my little baby sister's _un_comfortable Sunday exercise is shoveling her driveway, since she lives in a northern suburb of Philadelphia, but no word yet.
Condolences to fermatprime, who has the opportunity to shovel out her front yard, but since she's well into geezerdom (are there lady geezers?) as I am, she'll find a way to afford a backhoe, or buy a keg of beer and get a gaggle of grateful grad students to do the hard work. You probably don't need a really deep trench. Here in FL we can practically lay the pipe on the ground.
But, as usual, I digress. Happy Hallowe'en to all.
Mornin' ya'll,
CC, I really enjoy your sense of humor early in the morning.
Thought it was a typical Sunday puzzle.....now I have to lose my LAP and get moving.
Hope all you northerners turn all the snow into snowmen and snowball fights.....and don't have to only use a shovel....have fun!
Good morning C.C. and everyone else.
Enjoyable puzzle with more than enough difficulty, but no major hangups. A debut on a Sunday? That seems like quite an accomplishment!
"It's no Game" was no gimme for me. In fact, it only sounds vaguely familiar on YouTube. I don't have much Bowie in my collection.
I really hope all of you in the storm are not suffering major damage. Lincoln had a 13 inch storm the week before Halloween in 1997 and it still brings back vivid and unpleasant memories for anyone that went through it. Streets blocked for days with downed trees and some people were without power for over 2 weeks. The piles of chipped tree limbs were around for 2 or 3 years. Not a pretty sight.
A half hour to do a Sunday is a landmark for me. Fun fills with great length at a Tues/Wed level must be incredibly hard. Thanks Jonathan!
Musings
-My little gray cells got Poirot instantly and that portended a less labored run.
-He “REALLY LOST” instead of “KEPTLOSING” his head slowed the SW
-When I saw a long fill with a KL start,…
-SKOR’s my fav candy bar!
-Penny COINAGE has gone from 95% to 5% copper
-Ya can’t dog-ear a Kindle
-Can’t get enough Cara Mio Mine
-Seemingly pious people can make me nervous
-One of Gaddafi’s sons in forsaking FILIAL obedience to his maniac father to save his neck
-1st prize? A weekend in Kabul. 2nd prize? A week in Kabul. Yikes!
-My guitar has an E string below the B string
-CINC = ? POTUS, I get. ACHOO not SNEEZE
-“Papa, you used to have to turn a DIAL with your finger to call?”
-My disks were 5 ¼”
Addendum
I have found the Preview ain’t exactly equal to the Publish size when I post. I really do try to stay around the low 20’s or less in line count but sometimes the lines don’t sync up.
Joe, I remember that ’97 snow in Lincoln. My daughter and her husband lost power and so we drove to Lincoln to bring our then infant granddaughter back here north of the Platte. Some trees still show the damage.
I had very little faith in the Huskers yesterday and then they destroyed a highly ranked team on a picture perfect day in Lincoln. I am so sorry our east coast bloggers had to go through that horrible Saturday weather. I am gonna blow out my sprinklers today and fire up the snowblower.
Matthew Broderick used those 8" floppies in War Games. Hmm… that’s 3 references to that movie for me in a week – “asexual reproduction” and “crystal palace” also.
Fore!
Good morning, C.C. and Sunday Solvers all. Fun Halloween puzzle with no major hangups. The theme entries were pretty obvious with just a few perps in place. CHESHIRE CAT was obvious, but KLEPTOMANIA needed several perps before the lightbulb went on.
When our small engineering firm deciced to go "in house" for our computing instead of using the mainframe at Case Western Reserve, we got two of the Heathkit DEC computers with dual EIGHT INCH floppy disks. Those things were a real pain because each disk had to be formatted and the bad sectors identified and flagged. It was worth it, though, as our total investment was about equal to three months billing on the time share computer, plus it eliminated the hassle of driving 30 miles to the keypunch center to "build the deck" before we could run the programs via teletype remote from our office. It's hard to believe that was only 30 years ago.
Fermatprime, I hope you can get a handle on the problems. It doesn't sound like there's any easy way out of the water leak problem.
Fun spooky puzzle and comments. It was surprisingly fast going with very little second guessing.
I liked Class conscious orgs= PTAS and all the theme answers. AIDA is my favorite opera. I can't think of smarmier or OILIER without picturing Uriah Heep, the epitome of smarminess.
We had 15 inches of snow. The power is out and many roads are closed by downed trees and wires all over the county and even in our neighborhood but we were spared. HeartRx, how are you faring? It was clever to bake potatoes in the fireplace.
Firmatprime, I am sorry to hear of your water main problem. We had the same problem on our whole street. We are a condo assn. and are collectively responsible for all ten units. The other streets are likely to fail soon as well. Huge expense. We will need to repave. In additon we all have to pay for conversion and hook up to the municipal septic system.
Good morning C.C. and all.
I had much the same experience as the previous posters. Not hard for a Sunday, and the long theme fills came easily from the perps and vice versa. LISZT was a WAG and with ABEAM above it, PREZ was obvious, too. That's about it.
The storm stayed well east of us. Nice sunny day with the squirrels running up and down the mostly bare maple tree playing grabass.
Have a great day. Hope those who lost power will have it back soon.
Hello.
Only real unknomn was Filial. Is this a first timer?
They are ready to dig the trench across the road. Think they waiting for rush hour traffic tomorrow. Surprise!
Still shaking my head over what the
boys in teal have done.
Take care in all of that ice and
snow back there.
eddy
Hello, weekend warriors. Nice going, C.C. with your "spooky" blogging!
Fun puzzle today and congratulations to Jonathan on his debut. Wow! On a Sunday! Well done.
Loved one can stand to lose it, LAP
as well as all the theme answers. Cleverly executed!
I don't care for any HORROR movies or Halloween for that matter, but it's in the culture, isn't it?
Fermat, I hope your leaky problems are soon resolved.
Everyone, have a super Sunday!
Northeast coasters, I am so sorry about your weather woes and hope it's not lasting. Stay safe.
Nice smooth Sunday, cute theme, and what CC and y'all have already said about the fill. Really nice.
My sympathies to the snowbound, it's 75F here in Southern California and a lovely fall morning.
Good morning C.C. et al,
Jonathan's debut was quite spooktacular.Now that I can somewhat read vertically,kleptomania was my favorite fill.Laughed at layer=hen and "one can stand to lose it".
Googling Mahler did not help me complete tact or NTSB(sigh)and I had to look up arcane instead of waiting for my brain to click on or in, whatever.Finally filled The Scream and enjoyed your visual, C.C.
Good thing we've had brio enough that it filled in another unknown, stere.Should I know that??
C.C., I agree with you about players who leave for bigger salaries. That is when I stopped watching baseball.You have to really love the sport to keep rooting for a different team every year.
favicon? favorite icon?
Yellowrocks, thanks for asking! The power came back on around 4:00 am, but no phones or cable service. Hence, no TV or internet either. I was feeling quite crossword-deprived!!
Everything finally came back, and I was able to solve this one pretty quickly. I chuckled at all the theme entries, and thought it was clever to clue them as "ex" boyfriends. Funny stuff!
Have a nice Sunday, everyone.
Congratulations Jonathan on a terrific debut! What a fun twist on the monster theme, making it about exes. I wonder how many put themselves in the subject's place with those exes, or reminisced about some monsters from their own past..
I hope all those in the snowstorm's path are safe, and somewhere warm and cozy.
Good Morning All, The theme answers came pretty easily with just a few perps to point the way.
I got 73A)MAHLER right away, but neighboring 77A)LISZT was blank for quite a while. As HG mentioned, I've heard of POPTUS. CINC was unknown. Even though I WAGed it, C.C. had to explain. D'oh!
I loved so many of the Downs....7D)PIPING HOT, 16D)KLEPTOMANIA, 38D)STICKLERS and 69D)CHESHIRE CAT.
Does anybody really call a KOALA a 58D)KOALA BEAR anymore?
The SW was the last to fill. I didn't know ARIANA and it's always been ACHOO to me. The saver was 1960's Little Shop of HORRORS My cousin Jackie was the original Audrey. The movie also showcased young Jack Nicholson.
LOL, that should have been "POTUS".
fermatprime, October has been a bad luck month all the way around. I hope you and your plumber can find a way.
I forgot to congratulate Jonathan L. O'Rourke on his puzzle. I haven't been doing too many weekend puzzles, but this one drew me in. Very nice write up by C.C. too.
I read yesterday's comments about Ambrosia salad....not for me! I like plain mixed fresh fruit (not canned fruit cocktail), maybe with a dollop of whipped cream, but when they get mixed all together, the cream melts with the fruit juices and it just gets kind of greasy.
No one knows where sweet Jeannie is?
Clear Eyes. we use fresh fruit for the ambrosia, no juice, and just enough whipped cream to bind it so it has a nice consistency. Some use CoolWhip, but real cream is better.
I'm glad you are back om the grid HeartRx. JCP&L won't promise power before Wed. We went to the library and the farmer stand today. Both were closed due to lack of power.
In addition to running the water main into each dwelling, we have to pay for the water main in the street. That is why we need to repave. We are waiting to be dug up again by the sewer authorities. Imagine the cost of running a water main down ten 2 block long streets. The town claims not to own our streets, so we pay for water mains, paving, street lights,snow removal, everything but garaage collection, although we pay the same tax rate as other equally evaluated homes.
Jeannie Fan:
I believe she had a food show to prepare and exhibit. I wish her well in that endeavor.
I miss you, too, Jeannie.
Jeannie, Lois and Dennis all disappeared at the same time.
Coincidence? Or sandwich?
Hello everybody. I love love loved this puzzle. Each and every one of the theme long fills made me smile, chuckle, or laugh right out loud, the latter being HE CAN BE A PAIN IN THE NECK.
C.C., you can see right through me. I hope Santa brings you that hermes bag. (My wife would love it. She's a super handbag freak. She can spend an hour just looking them over in the store.)
So sorry you easterners have been getting all those prolonged power outages from that storm. Amazing how much we depend on electricity for everything. I hope your service is restored soon. There's no good time to be without electricity, but during a storm is the worst time.
Clear Ayes, I hope the folks who looked at your house yesterday are willing and able to make you an acceptable offer.
Now I shall read all your comments.
Splynter, I can't guess your favicon, but to me it sorta looks like the top of a steep-roofed pagoda, with a round window in it. Or do you mean the triangle with the exclamation mark in it, like a "Dangerous When Wet" sign?
Those that know aren't telling.
Perhaps you should respect Jeannies' privacy. She will tell her story when she is ready.
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Jonathan, for a great Sunday puzzle. Really enjoyed it. Thank you, C.C., for the write-up.
Started this on in the South. The themes came through easily and with a few perps in each one, got them easily. Very clever Clues/Answers. Well-engineered puzzle.
Enjoyed 1A, POIROT, once I figured it out. I used to read a lot Agatha Christi novels years ago.
LEEK came easily. I love Leek Soup. I remember years ago in Pennsylvania, the Moose Lodge had an annual Leek and Ham party. We ate wild leeks and ham, with plenty of beer. The next day I went into the telephone office and the lady at the far end of the room immediately asked "who's been eating leeks?" Needless to say, they stick with you.
Never heard of a STERE of firewood. I will check that out. I'm sure it is correct, however.
I did not get Saturday's puzzle done. I had a fifteen hour day yesterday and went to bed when I got home.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
I just looked this puzzle over again, and have read all your comments, and my appreciation for this puzzle has increased. Fabulous fill and cluing!
Lucina, halloween is pretty much my least favorite holiday. Even as a kid, getting all dressed up and going out to knock on doors in the evening was a PAIN IN THE NECK. I'm just glad we don't do the whole Day of the Dead ritual. I think Christmas is my second least favorite holiday, probably because of the tremendous stress it induces. I like Thanksgiving because it brings families together. And I like Valentine's Day.
Although I find most of Franz Liszt's music to be rather shallow and superficial, emphasizing razzle-dazzle showmanship over significant substance, I have always admired him that "Gosh I'd like to be him and have women swooning over me" kind of way. I won't tell the old worn-out joke about his wife's name (before he married Cosima, presumably) being Christmas. You know ... Christmas Liszt. Makes me wonder if his kids were named A and B. haha
San Jose claims not to own the streets or sidewalks either, and makes the homeowners pay for maintenance and repairs. The city plants the trees and then makes us pay when the tree roots push up and crack the pavement.
Good afternoon everyone.
Had fun trying this one, but DNF. Got more than I thought I would.
Belated happy birthday Dodo. Hope it was wonderful. And that was a fine write up yesterday, Splynter. I didn't have time to even start it, but knowing how Saturdays go, I wasn't unhappy. Tomorrow is another day, and one I can do!
C.C. Enjoyed your write up today. It's always good to read you.
Barry G. I think the fall back on the clocks in next weekend. I know it's usually the last weekend in Oct. but apparently not this year.
Cheers
Here's a charming little Halloween poem for the season. Not exactly what the little east coast trick-or-treaters are seeing right now. I hope that changes quickly.
THEME IN YELLOW
I SPOT the hills
With yellow balls in autumn.
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters
And I am called pumpkins.
On the last of October
When dusk is fallen
Children join hands
And circle round me
Singing ghost songs
And love to the harvest moon;
I am a jack-o'-lantern
With terrible teeth
And the children know
I am fooling.
- Carl Sandberg
A small typo in the clue for 79d would have brought Dennis out of hiding!
Splynter: At first glance it resembles the Masonic Symbol with a compass and ruler. A closer look at your business card looks like it is two initials. RM maybe?
Here are the DST start and end dates:
Daylight Saving Time start and end date changes beginning March 2007
Year DST Begins 2 a.m.
(Second Sunday in March) DST Ends 2 a.m.
(First Sunday in November)
2007 March 11 November 4
2008 March 9 November 2
2009 March 8 November 1
2010 March 14 November 7
2011 March 13 November 6
2012 March 11 November 4
2013 March 10 November 3
2014 March 9 November 2
2015 March 8 November 1
I think Barry G's comment about resetting all his clocks referred to the fact that he lost power several times during the night due to the snow storm.
This great puzzle will count as my Halloween festivities this year. Enjoyed C.C.'s write-up as usual! I couldn't see what CINC had to do with Obama either. Did half the puzzle then went to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse with my daughter & SIL.
A funny thing happened. I've been having some trouble with hearing in noisy restaurants or fast-talking high pitched voices. I kept having to ask my daughter to repeat much of what she said. Finally, she said, "Mom, you have to go see a hearing doctor."
Went to the restroom and could hear two young ladies in high spirits laughing and talking back and forth to each other from other stalls. I could not understand a word they said except "Australia". I thought, I really have to go to the hearing doctor. They sound like they're speaking Chinese to these old ears. Don't hear much Chinese in Kansas.
So I go out and find myself sharing wash space with two adorable oriental women. I started laughing at myself and they were laughing as we were startled by a new fangled towel holder that beeps with a flashing red light then spits out a paper towel.
They then told me in English they had said this restaurant is from Australia. I agreed and asked them where they were from. "China", they said and told me it was nice to meet me after some further pleasantries.
So maybe it isn't my ears. My daughter needs to stop mumbling. (Sure, denial is comforting.) She wants me to stop talking to strangers, too. Never! - PK
Not to make anyone feel bad, but FYI from the Free Dictionary.com:
Usage Note: Asian is now strongly preferred in place of Oriental for persons native to Asia or descended from an Asian people. The usual objection to Oriental meaning "eastern"is that it identifies Asian countries and peoples in terms of their location relative to Europe. However, this objection is not generally made of other Eurocentric terms such as Near and Middle Eastern. The real problem with Oriental is more likely its connotations stemming from an earlier era when Europeans viewed the regions east of the Mediterranean as exotic lands full of romance and intrigue, the home of despotic empires and inscrutable customs. At the least these associations can give Oriental a dated feel, and as a noun in contemporary contexts (as in the first Oriental to be elected from the district) it is now widely taken to be offensive. However, Oriental should not be thought of as an ethnic slur to be avoided in all situations. As with Asiatic, its use other than as an ethnonym, in phrases such as Oriental cuisine or Oriental medicine, is not usually considered objectionable.
Hello.
What a Sunday!
Steelers beat Pats.
Stewart wins at Martinsville. Now only 8 pts behind Edwards.
UPS now Edwards' sponcor. Will they make him drive a brown truck?
Our property line starts on our side of the sidewalk. Any digging is someone elses problem. Ditch
will be in front of neighbors anyway. AT&T and city paid the last time.
eddy
Did anyone watch 60 Minutes?
I think Barry G's comment about resetting all his clocks referred to the fact that he lost power several times during the night due to the snow storm.
Yes, indeed!
GROSS, haven't watched 60 Minutes yet, but will be watching it in about an hour and a quarter from now. Why?
Clear Ayes, thanks for the poem. I don't know why, but I always get Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg mixed up.
Best wishes to you all.
Sorry Jayce, I should have worded that differently. It was meant to be a rhetorical question.
It is interesting how some forged accounting documents can ruin peoples lives. I think I would rather be robbed at gunpoint. At least I would realize that I was being taken.
Btw, have you noticed how many 60 Minutes stories lately are actually commercials for Simon and Schuster(CBS) books?
Happy Sunday all from rainy South Florida; i wonder if the kids will get to trick or treat.
Good day to stay home, read and do puzzles, this was fun, but I realize on Sundays,I like talking with someone as I solve. Anyway, back at it in the am
ciao chow
Hi again!
Just worked Merl's. Not nearly as fast, but managed to get it all eventually sans cheating. Have a question on an answer. To wit: why doesLETTERS ON OLD ROMAN BANNERS = SPQR?
HELP!
"SPQR is an initialism from a Latin phrase, Senatus Populusque Romanus ("The Senate and People of Rome", see translation), referring to the government of the ancient Roman Republic, and used as an official emblem of the modern day comune (municipality) of Rome" --Wiki
SPQR? I didn't know either. So I looked it up.
**After the people of Rome had chased away the last of the Etruscan kings, the people declared Rome to be a republic. What is a republic? A republic is a government run by elected officials.
The new government of the Roman Republic ordered the letters SPQR to be chiseled on public buildings, armor, coins, and even park benches. The letters SPQR were chiseled on anything that belonged to the state.
Under the Republic, the state was composed of the Senate and the People of Rome. That's what SPQR stood for - ‘Senatus Populus Que Romanus’ - the Senate and the People of Rome.
It was a publicity campaign, and it worked! Every time the people saw the letters SPQR, they were reassured that things had changed. The kings were gone. It was a time of new leadership and new government. It was the time of the Roman Republic.**
Good grief! Some people take offense at anything! I'm too old to know oriental is a bad word now. First time I ever heard that!
I had a fun little senior moment with two delightful young ladies speaking a language that I have never heard in conversation. I'm a country hick--not a sophisticate of the world. I thought it very funny to think my ears were old and defective when they weren't. At first impression I didn't know where the women were from. (Notice I was careful not to offend by calling them girls.)
I don't feel bad for me. I feel bad for someone who is so nit-picky they can't laugh with me. Those two little China dolls (Doll not meant to be derogatory.) laughed with me and sensed my warmth and approval of their delightful demeanors
Hope you had at least one happy thought today.
P.S.- I saw them at Outback Steakhouse which purports to be Australian. We usually go to Longhorn so I screwed that up.
-PK
PK - I'm with you. I did not think your story was offensive in any way. I think it is noteworthy that the Anon @6:48 has declined to identify himself.
Jayce:
I'm totally in agreement with you about the holidays and Thanksgiving is my favorite and has been especially since we joined forces and have each family member take a dish. That definitely beats having to cook the entire meal which I did at one time.
About the oriental dilemma. Last night I attended a wedding which consisted of a Chinese-American groom and one of my step-nieces of Norse descent.
The groom's father and cousin, in perfect English, each offered the toast and had us laughing uproariously when they cracked fun at themselves by assuming a false Chinese accent. They were so comfortable with themselves and passed that on to us. It was delightful.
My ex-girlfriend is of Japanese descent and didn't like the term "oriental" - she used to tell people "she wasn't a carpet".
One evening we had Indian food delivered, and (oddly) the delivery guy was Chinese. When he came into the house and saw her, he said to her "Oh! You Oriental too!".
I couldn't stop laughing and she saw the funny side of it.
Thanks for the write-up and congratulations, C.C., and the kind words from all of you. I'm glad you liked the puzzle and took the time to let me know. :)
- Jonathan
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