Theme: Seas the Day - One word in each common phrase is replaced by a nautical term.
24A. Course for sailors? : ANCHOR MANAGEMENT. Anger management.
40A. Measures to ensure restful sleep on-board? : BERTH CONTROL. Birth control. Did it trouble or delight you that BIRTH (10A. Hospital delivery) also appears in the same grid?
64A. The Red Baron, belowdecks? : ACE IN THE HULL. Ace in the hole.
72A. Result of eating French fries at the ship's wheel? : SLIPPERY HELM. Slippery elm. Fun?
97A. Irrational weeping over a broken spar? : MAST HYSTERIA. Mass hysteria.
116A. Philosophical shrug about channel markers? : BUOYS WILL BE BUOYS. Boys will be boys. Punning on both ends. John saved the best for the last, grid-wise.
3D. Positive report from a deck hand? : THE JIB IS UP. The jig is up. The only entry where the conversion word is not at the beginning or the end.
77D. Bit of gear for a nuclear-powered dinghy? : URANIUM OAR. Uranium ore.
More nautical fill for our sailors Spitzboov & eddyB:
22A. South, in a north wind : ALEE
70A, English sí, at sea : AYE
89D. Asian sea : ARAL
I like John's grid design, the theme answers (occupying a perfect 100 squares) are spread everywhere. Looks simple, but it's the result of lots of tries and pure hard work.
And of course, John is a true artist when it comes to cluing, puns and clue echos aplenty. I'll just point out these:
60A. Bug barrier : SCREEN
62A. Bug killers : ZAPPERS
45D. Bug film in which Gene Hackman voices General Mandible : ANTZ
54D. Bug for payment : DUN. "Bug" is a verb here.
117D. Bug catcher : WEB
His clues are to be enjoyed and admired.
Across:
1. Sax object? : ALTO. Punny start. Reminded me of "Clinton blew it" for SAX.
5. Passing fancies : WHIMS
15. Dandelion's home, often : LAWN
19. Wonka's creator : DAHL (Roald). Willy Wonka.
20. Like much floor tile : VINYL
21. In __: awaiting delivery : UTERO
23. Suit to __ : A TEE
27. Taking drive-thru orders, e.g. : McJOB
29. "When I Take My Sugar to __": 1931 hit : TEA
30. Leaves out : OMITS
31. Outdoes : BESTS
32. Ones in concert with con artists : SHILLS. Nice clue.
34. Pollen-bearing organ : STAMEN. See here.
36. Insurance gps. : HMOs
38. Moistens overnight, perhaps : BEDEWS
45. "I'd like to buy __" : AN I
47. Corny jokes : GROANERS.
49. Corny picks : EARS
50. Audit trailer? : ORY. Auditory.
51. Plane front : NOSE
53. 19th-century Mexican president Juárez : BENITO. Always thought it's an Italian name.
54. Five-O booking agent : DANO. Or Danno.
55. Sleeper's choice : TWIN
56. Suit that beats the other three : TRUMP. And 68. Beat badly : TROMP.
58. Addams family cousin : ITT
59. Dastard : CUR
71. Noodle rings? : HALOS. "Noodle" = "Head".
76. Sweats : GYM SUIT
80. Word spoken before a shot : CHEESE. Say "Cheese". We say "Qie Zi" (eggplant) in Chinese.
81. Suffix with Caesar : EAN. Caesarean.
82. H.S. math course : ALG
84. Political housecleaning : PURGE. Like China's Cultural Revolution.
85. Flag throwers : REFs
86. "Ring around the collar" detergent : WISK. I've never used this brand.
88. Pesto herbs : BASILs
91. Try to find on the road, say : PAGE. Don't get this clue.
92. Some busts : ART
93. Stable upstairs? : SANE. Don't get this pun.
94. Stout, for one : DARK BEER. Hi there Jerome!
96. Citi Field team, on scoreboards : NYM. NY Mets.
100. St. Clare's town : ASSISI
102. Drain stain : RUST
103. Barbizon School artist : MILLET. Famous for his "The Gleaners". Saw it in Musée d'Orsay.
105. "Uncle!" : ENOUGH
108. Sock synthetic : ORLON
111. Yeshiva leader : REBBE. New word to me.
113. Four times daily, in an Rx : QID
115. How many nightclubs are lit : DIMLY
120. Gad about : ROAM
121. French fashion mag : ELLE. I like Elle Asia.
122. Quintessential flop : EDSEL
123. "__ in Words": New Ager's memoir : YANNI. He attended University of Minnesota here.
124. Deservedly get : EARN
125. Copyright datum : YEAR
126. 1970s Big Apple mayor : BEAME (Abe)
127. Lane associate : OLSEN (Jimmy). "The Daily Planet". Lois Lane.
128. "__ Tu": 1974 hit : ERES
Down:
1. John in the White House : ADAMS. John Adams. John gets his name into the clue.
2. Closing mechanism : LATCH
4. Fútbol cheer : OLE OLE. Fútbol = Football. Their soccer.
5. Wheeling's st. : W VA
6. Clue or cue : HINT
7. Like the ocean's roar : INCESSANT
8. What I might eat in defeat? : MY HAT. Made me smile.
9. __-mo : SLO
10. Downers : BUMMERS
11. "If __ broke ..." : IT AIN'T
12. Musical based on Puccini's "La Bohème" : RENT
13. Raccoon attractor : TRASH CAN. Any raccoon in your neck of the wood, Creature? What's their life expectancy?
14. Refuse to share : HOG
15. Least believable : LAMEST
16. Stout alternatives : ALES
17. Headed out : WENT
18. Butterfly catchers : NETS
25. Classical guitar family name : ROMERO. Gimme for Splynter/Bill G. I've never heard of the brand before.
26. Poetic blacks : EBONs
28. Campus unit: Abbr. : BLDG
33. Balkan native : SERB
35. Be an accessory to : ABET
37. In a moody way : MOROSELY
39. "Alas!" : WOE IS ME.
41. Home, metonymically : HEARTH. Look, Marti, H-E-A-R-T!
42. Wheel on a spur : ROWEL. See here.
43. Bay window : ORIEL
44. Singer Loretta : LYNN
46. Ibsen's "doll" : NORA. No idea.
48. Silents star Naldi : NITA. She just won't die in crosswords.
52. Frat bash refuse : EMPTIES
55. Bind tightly : TRUSS UP. New phrase to me.
57. Heist participants, to cops : PERPs. Or crossing entries, to our blog crowd.
59. Sky over Paris : CIEL
61. Bite : CHOMP
63. Ravine-crossing hauling systems : ROPEWAYS. Oh, these.
65. "All the Way" lyricist : CAHN (Sammy)
66. See : EYE
67. Dickers : HAGGLES
69. Out-of-the-box feature : PRESET
72. Toondom's Princess of Power : SHE-RA. He-Man's twin sister.
73. Johansson's jabs : LEFTS. Ingemar Johansson, the Swedish boxer. I can only think of this Johansson. Good enough match for the OVERCOAT guy yesterday, I think.
74. Chew the fat : YAK
75. False front : MASK
78. Punk star __ Pop : IGGY
79. Be crawling (with) : TEEM
80. Jam-pack : CRAM
83. Celebratory drinks : LIBATIONS. And 118D. Intoxicating letters? : BYO. Is it "Brew Your Own" or "Bring Your Own"?
87. Good way to take things : IN STRIDE. I like this clue too.
88. Security holder, in law : BAILEE
90. Zairian dictator Mobutu __ Seko : SESE. He lives on in crossword also. As I mentioned last Sunday, crossword is a medium where well-done is rare. Every puzzle has a few SESE, NITA & UGLI.
93. Eschews : SHUNS
94. Court action : DRIBBLE. Basketball.
95. Coat to peel off : RIND
98. Verne __, Mini-Me portrayer in Austin Powers films : TROYER. Recognized his mug after I googled.
99. Symbol : EMBLEM
101. Evening musicale : SOIREE
104. Tantamount : EQUAL
106. A polarizing filter reduces it : GLARE
107. Choral offerings : HYMNs
108. Follow : OBEY. And 109. Thing to follow : RULE.
110. She gets what she wants : LOLA. From the "Damn Yankees".
112. "Lohengrin" heroine : ELSA
114. Force unit : DYNE
119. Biblical no-no : SIN
Answer grid.
Seas the Day! Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, a la Kirby Puckett.
C.C.
24A. Course for sailors? : ANCHOR MANAGEMENT. Anger management.
40A. Measures to ensure restful sleep on-board? : BERTH CONTROL. Birth control. Did it trouble or delight you that BIRTH (10A. Hospital delivery) also appears in the same grid?
64A. The Red Baron, belowdecks? : ACE IN THE HULL. Ace in the hole.
72A. Result of eating French fries at the ship's wheel? : SLIPPERY HELM. Slippery elm. Fun?
97A. Irrational weeping over a broken spar? : MAST HYSTERIA. Mass hysteria.
116A. Philosophical shrug about channel markers? : BUOYS WILL BE BUOYS. Boys will be boys. Punning on both ends. John saved the best for the last, grid-wise.
3D. Positive report from a deck hand? : THE JIB IS UP. The jig is up. The only entry where the conversion word is not at the beginning or the end.
77D. Bit of gear for a nuclear-powered dinghy? : URANIUM OAR. Uranium ore.
More nautical fill for our sailors Spitzboov & eddyB:
22A. South, in a north wind : ALEE
70A, English sí, at sea : AYE
89D. Asian sea : ARAL
I like John's grid design, the theme answers (occupying a perfect 100 squares) are spread everywhere. Looks simple, but it's the result of lots of tries and pure hard work.
And of course, John is a true artist when it comes to cluing, puns and clue echos aplenty. I'll just point out these:
60A. Bug barrier : SCREEN
62A. Bug killers : ZAPPERS
45D. Bug film in which Gene Hackman voices General Mandible : ANTZ
54D. Bug for payment : DUN. "Bug" is a verb here.
117D. Bug catcher : WEB
His clues are to be enjoyed and admired.
Across:
1. Sax object? : ALTO. Punny start. Reminded me of "Clinton blew it" for SAX.
5. Passing fancies : WHIMS
15. Dandelion's home, often : LAWN
19. Wonka's creator : DAHL (Roald). Willy Wonka.
20. Like much floor tile : VINYL
21. In __: awaiting delivery : UTERO
23. Suit to __ : A TEE
27. Taking drive-thru orders, e.g. : McJOB
29. "When I Take My Sugar to __": 1931 hit : TEA
30. Leaves out : OMITS
31. Outdoes : BESTS
32. Ones in concert with con artists : SHILLS. Nice clue.
34. Pollen-bearing organ : STAMEN. See here.
36. Insurance gps. : HMOs
38. Moistens overnight, perhaps : BEDEWS
45. "I'd like to buy __" : AN I
47. Corny jokes : GROANERS.
49. Corny picks : EARS
50. Audit trailer? : ORY. Auditory.
51. Plane front : NOSE
53. 19th-century Mexican president Juárez : BENITO. Always thought it's an Italian name.
54. Five-O booking agent : DANO. Or Danno.
55. Sleeper's choice : TWIN
56. Suit that beats the other three : TRUMP. And 68. Beat badly : TROMP.
58. Addams family cousin : ITT
59. Dastard : CUR
71. Noodle rings? : HALOS. "Noodle" = "Head".
76. Sweats : GYM SUIT
80. Word spoken before a shot : CHEESE. Say "Cheese". We say "Qie Zi" (eggplant) in Chinese.
81. Suffix with Caesar : EAN. Caesarean.
82. H.S. math course : ALG
84. Political housecleaning : PURGE. Like China's Cultural Revolution.
85. Flag throwers : REFs
86. "Ring around the collar" detergent : WISK. I've never used this brand.
88. Pesto herbs : BASILs
91. Try to find on the road, say : PAGE. Don't get this clue.
92. Some busts : ART
93. Stable upstairs? : SANE. Don't get this pun.
94. Stout, for one : DARK BEER. Hi there Jerome!
96. Citi Field team, on scoreboards : NYM. NY Mets.
100. St. Clare's town : ASSISI
102. Drain stain : RUST
103. Barbizon School artist : MILLET. Famous for his "The Gleaners". Saw it in Musée d'Orsay.
105. "Uncle!" : ENOUGH
108. Sock synthetic : ORLON
111. Yeshiva leader : REBBE. New word to me.
113. Four times daily, in an Rx : QID
115. How many nightclubs are lit : DIMLY
120. Gad about : ROAM
121. French fashion mag : ELLE. I like Elle Asia.
122. Quintessential flop : EDSEL
123. "__ in Words": New Ager's memoir : YANNI. He attended University of Minnesota here.
124. Deservedly get : EARN
125. Copyright datum : YEAR
126. 1970s Big Apple mayor : BEAME (Abe)
127. Lane associate : OLSEN (Jimmy). "The Daily Planet". Lois Lane.
128. "__ Tu": 1974 hit : ERES
Down:
1. John in the White House : ADAMS. John Adams. John gets his name into the clue.
2. Closing mechanism : LATCH
4. Fútbol cheer : OLE OLE. Fútbol = Football. Their soccer.
5. Wheeling's st. : W VA
6. Clue or cue : HINT
7. Like the ocean's roar : INCESSANT
8. What I might eat in defeat? : MY HAT. Made me smile.
9. __-mo : SLO
10. Downers : BUMMERS
11. "If __ broke ..." : IT AIN'T
12. Musical based on Puccini's "La Bohème" : RENT
13. Raccoon attractor : TRASH CAN. Any raccoon in your neck of the wood, Creature? What's their life expectancy?
14. Refuse to share : HOG
15. Least believable : LAMEST
16. Stout alternatives : ALES
17. Headed out : WENT
18. Butterfly catchers : NETS
25. Classical guitar family name : ROMERO. Gimme for Splynter/Bill G. I've never heard of the brand before.
26. Poetic blacks : EBONs
28. Campus unit: Abbr. : BLDG
33. Balkan native : SERB
35. Be an accessory to : ABET
37. In a moody way : MOROSELY
39. "Alas!" : WOE IS ME.
41. Home, metonymically : HEARTH. Look, Marti, H-E-A-R-T!
42. Wheel on a spur : ROWEL. See here.
43. Bay window : ORIEL
44. Singer Loretta : LYNN
46. Ibsen's "doll" : NORA. No idea.
48. Silents star Naldi : NITA. She just won't die in crosswords.
52. Frat bash refuse : EMPTIES
55. Bind tightly : TRUSS UP. New phrase to me.
57. Heist participants, to cops : PERPs. Or crossing entries, to our blog crowd.
59. Sky over Paris : CIEL
61. Bite : CHOMP
63. Ravine-crossing hauling systems : ROPEWAYS. Oh, these.
65. "All the Way" lyricist : CAHN (Sammy)
66. See : EYE
67. Dickers : HAGGLES
69. Out-of-the-box feature : PRESET
72. Toondom's Princess of Power : SHE-RA. He-Man's twin sister.
73. Johansson's jabs : LEFTS. Ingemar Johansson, the Swedish boxer. I can only think of this Johansson. Good enough match for the OVERCOAT guy yesterday, I think.
74. Chew the fat : YAK
75. False front : MASK
78. Punk star __ Pop : IGGY
79. Be crawling (with) : TEEM
80. Jam-pack : CRAM
83. Celebratory drinks : LIBATIONS. And 118D. Intoxicating letters? : BYO. Is it "Brew Your Own" or "Bring Your Own"?
87. Good way to take things : IN STRIDE. I like this clue too.
88. Security holder, in law : BAILEE
90. Zairian dictator Mobutu __ Seko : SESE. He lives on in crossword also. As I mentioned last Sunday, crossword is a medium where well-done is rare. Every puzzle has a few SESE, NITA & UGLI.
93. Eschews : SHUNS
94. Court action : DRIBBLE. Basketball.
95. Coat to peel off : RIND
98. Verne __, Mini-Me portrayer in Austin Powers films : TROYER. Recognized his mug after I googled.
99. Symbol : EMBLEM
101. Evening musicale : SOIREE
104. Tantamount : EQUAL
106. A polarizing filter reduces it : GLARE
107. Choral offerings : HYMNs
108. Follow : OBEY. And 109. Thing to follow : RULE.
110. She gets what she wants : LOLA. From the "Damn Yankees".
112. "Lohengrin" heroine : ELSA
114. Force unit : DYNE
119. Biblical no-no : SIN
Answer grid.
Seas the Day! Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, a la Kirby Puckett.
C.C.
61 comments:
Rebbe is yiddish for rabbi .... easy puzzle but a fun theme.
91. Try to find on the road, say : PAGE. Don't get this clue.
my best guess is the now-defunct pager/beeper.
93. Stable upstairs? : SANE. Don't get this pun.
upstairs as in brain.
46. Ibsen's "doll" : NORA. No idea.
the character nora helmer from ibsen's play 'a doll's house.'
Morning, all!
Nice puzzle with a fun theme. A bit more difficult than our average Sunday, though. Well, for me, at least...
To start off, I struggled a bit with ALTO and BIRTH, since neither seemed to really fit the clues. Hospitals deliver births? An ALTO is a sax object? I (eventually) got the answers, but they just seemed off to me for some reason.
I had RABBI instead of REBBE and NYLON for ORLON, which messed things up for awhile. I also had no idea who MILLET was, and all I could think of was the Barbizon School of Modeling.
ROPEWAYS? I had ROPE TOWS. Which seemed to work well with TIDE (which was supposed to be WISK).
HEARTH took forever to get, simpy because I had no idea what "metonymically" meant.
BENITO Juarez? Who?
I really loved almost all of the theme answers. SLIPPERY HELM was rough, since I'm not really familiar with the base phrase. And THE JIB IS UP seemed off, simply because JIB and JIG just don't seem close enough to be a true play on words. Minor nit, though.
Oh -- I loved "noodle rings" for HALO and "stable upstairs" for SANE. Great clues!
Hi There ~!
My favorite today was definitely "MAST HYSTERIA", which nearly had me in hysterics.
A fun puzzle from JL, but I had to cheat on red-letter because I had Catch for Latch, and the Sax clue just didn't make any sense to me, so ACTO could have been right....
I did like the "bug" mini-theme, and thanks for the 'overcoat' "match", C.C.
I did not "get" the MILLET clue, because growing up, we had the Barbizon school of hair and make-up here, and I thought MULLET made better sense - and then I came to the blog - oops....
Here is The Romeros, the guitar playing family.
Splynter
Thought it was a particularly tough Sunday puzzle. I zipped through the north and got sidetracked in the south. Finally finished, though.
Loved URANIUM OAR, but was trying to make an ACE IN THE HOLD until it wouldn't fit.
Good Morning, C.C., and friends. Wow, this was quite a clever puzzle. In addition to the nautical theme, there were lots of other related clues/answers.
I liked seeing BIRTH directly over (in) UTERO. (an no, I wasn't troubled by finding Birth and BERTH in the same puzzle.)
I also liked the Corny Jokes and Corny Bits, that were clued side-by-side.
Lots of bugs in this puzzle, too ~ Bug Barriers, Bug Killers, Bug for Payment, Bug Catcher and bug-related was 79-Down: Be Crawling (with).
Happy Sunday. I may go see Ides of March this afternoon.
QOD: Friendship and money: oil and water. ~ Mario Puzo
Greetings solvers, from Mobile AL where I've been photographing birds and bugs. Perfect weather all week in amazing habitat.
Perhaps a subtitle should be "C's the Day in honor of our master blogger and constructor, C.C. It's always a delight when she notices a fine point, like putting BUOYS WILL BE BUOYS last. I also intentionally put THE JIB IS UP running vertically at the top.
ANCHOR MANAGEMENT was the seed entry, for those who care. Tip of the hat to Jerome and Annette for their input on this one.
Happy solving!
Hi, John,
I, for one, am always interested in what the seed entry was. I liked MAST HYSTERIA best, although.
Good Morning C.C. et al.
Thanks for the thorough analysis of this grid and theme, C.C. Actually, I was delighted to see BIRTH and UTERO stacked on top of each other – I didn’t even notice the connection to the theme entry at 40A when I came to it. And thanks for noticing that I finally got into a puzzle, not only with 41D HEARTh, but the whole shebang with 113A, RX !! (Amazingly, no “Tin” in a 21 x 21??)
I absolutely loved John’s puns in this one, and really thought that 47A should have been part of the theme: GROANERS !!
I also loved the clues for PAGE (with a beeper) = Try to find (someone who is) “on the road” (away from the office). And SANE = “Stable” (mentally sound) “upstairs” (a euphemism for the brain), was just plain fun to suss.
Thanks for stopping by, John, and giving us your comments on this one. Always a delight to hear from such a creative mind!!
Good morning everyone. Thanks for the commentary, C.C.
Nice to SEA all the SEA stuff, today. When I saw it was a John Lampkin puzzle, I knew I had to spend some time on it. Actually, It was relatively easy for a Sunday. And the theme phrases were fun to see evolve, starting with THE JIB IS UP. BUOYS WILL BE BUOYS was a 'cold' fill after getting SIN, DYNE, and BYO. Cleverest was probably MAST HYSTERIA. Only foreign word I saw was CIEL, a gimme. QID was a complete WAG. I did not know CUR and ROWEL, but the PERPS were helpful. Thanks for the picture, C.C. No lookups were needed.
Enjoy the day.
Punnishment! I enjoy punnishment.
A steady, smooth enjoyable solve for me. No major hangups, but some strong misdirects. I simply could not let go of "loft" for stable upstairs (hay loft or haymow, for those with no ag background) and "gab" for yak. Wisk was fun to see and dredge out the memory, but now I have the equivalent of an ear worm hearing "Those dirty rings!!"
Wow:
I have not been doing Sundays lately but when I saw it was JL, I jumped right in, and the water was fine. After your extensive and insightful write up C.C., there was not much left to say other than it is wonderful to see creativity and humor in the same puzzle. My hat is off, not to be eaten, to you both. Bravo!
Good morning, C.C. and Sunday Solvers. This was a very enjoyable solve, as most JL puzzles are.
I started off with 'reed' for the sax object as i had done another puzzle recently that had the same clue with reed as the fill. ADAMS and OLE OLE straightened that out. I'm glad we had ORIEL a few days ago or my ACE would still be in the hold instead of the hull.
I really wanted Rabbi, but Alsa and bailie just didn't seem right. I let the perps take over.
The puns and misdirections were really fun. A few GROANERS emerged, but nothing that really 'bugged' me.
Mr. John Lampkin my hat is out of my mouth and off to you. We are not worthy. You are the Patriarch of Puns! Thank you for your incredible works. And please share your latest camera safari photos with us. They are awesome I have no doubt.
Like the KC theme park, this was Oceans of Fun and John did indeed save the best one for last C.C.! I had slippery EELS and an ace in the HOLD which kept me 3 letters short of 100%. I had to accept trossup, oriend, sask and caen but they got lost in the huge shuffle of a Sunday odyssey. Ever happen to you?
Musings
-A columnist yesterday mentioned how birth control has really limited the pool of peeps paying for we retirees social security.
-INLIMBO didn’t cut it
-I had HEART_, so I couldn’t fit RX in one space. I thought about it Marti!
-A McJob is honorable work! Nobody starts at $100,000 unless dad…
-There’ll be a lot of corny picks here this fall!!
-Paging a person is as passe’ as a phone booth.
-St. Clare’s Basilica is just east down the street from St. Francis’s
-Plant a sweet corn patch to attract ‘coons.
-No SLAV today – SERB
-I much prefer your Johansson, C.C.!
-Oh, not a legal or tennis court!
Hello.
Gary. Any finger nails left?
Lucina. Thank you for the info
Was in sports over load last night.
Too much going on at the same time.
So puzzle was a nice diversion.
Loved all of the puns. Thanks JL.
Take care. eddy
I liked the pairing of WOE IS ME and MOROSELY. They both made me think of Eeyore.
Besides the fact that I love puns, and John's clues are so clever, what really impressed me about this puzzle was the number of 25 cent words used. In addition to the complex theme entries, there's GYMSUIT, DARKBEER, INCESSANT, TRASHCAN, LIBATIONS, INSTRIDE, etc.
Nice work, John!
I SEE an EYE in the center of this punny storm.
C.C.: BENITO Santiago (from Mexico) played for the Padres and the Reds. I bet his card isn't worth much.
Great puzzle and writeup today!
Barry: saxophones are different sizes which are called soprano (smallest and highest pitched), alto, tenor, baritone just as choir voices are, for some reason. So ALTO would be a sax object.
Hospital births are called "deliveries". The doctor delivers the baby into the world. Don't you have kids?
Splynter: thanks for the Romero music. I had seen a TV biography of them a few years ago. But, woe is me, I'd forgotten the name, except for Angel, which didn't fit.
PK
ALTO as an adjective(of a musical instrument) second highest in a family of musical instruments: alto saxophone.
Object is used as noun, hence the conflict of the clue.
And the doctor performs the delivery, not the hospital although it is where they usually occur these days.
Just for the record- I've received a ton of help from John. I'm glad to have been able to give an ounce back. He's always, always there for me.
Good day, C.C and Sunday Solvers.
I had a chance to sleep in today so I did and awoke to a lovely John Lampkin puzzle.
C.C., I love that you listed all the related clues and clechoes. It's like a symphony.
John, I was on your wave length almost immediately and sashayed right through the top with no problems and many chuckles.
But the bottom stopped me dead in my tracks as REBBE is completely unknown and had RABBI, could not recall WISK for a long, long time.
Loved the cluing for SANE and thought MASTHYSTERIA was masterful.
I must say I saw sorry when it was finished it was so much fun.
Thank you.
Everyone, I hope your Sunday is super!
eddy:
You're very welcome.
The Romeros are often featured on the classical radio station so I'm familiar with them and love their music.
Oops! Should be "I was sorry" not saw.
I can't remember enjoying a puzzle this much recently. I was on John's wavelength and got most of the jokey clues.
Stable upstairs; I didn't get it either at first. Stable means steady and under control. If your brain is like that (upstairs in your head), then you are SANE.
I remember Ingemar Johansson but I enjoy looking at Scarlet much more. Thanks for the nice photo.
Yes, the Romeros were a gimme for me. There are often four of them onstage playing together. Kind of gimmicky I think. I prefer a solo performance or recording by Segovia, John Williams, Juian Bream, Christopher Parkening or any of the other masters of the classical guitar. I love listening to any of them on CD while driving in my car.
Wow, whot a pozzle! Masterful indeed. Fun and satisfying to solve. As several of you said, it seemed a little bit easier than a typical Sunday. I'm glad I didn't have to look anything up or use red letters or anything.
Much as I admire and appreciate Mr. Lampkin's constructions, I find them coldly elegant, sort of like architecture of stainless-steel and glass. It can be awesomely magnificent, technically brilliant, yet cold and emotionless. Like Zino Fancescatti's violin playing. This is by no means a criticism or put-down; it's just a description of how I respond to these good folk's artistry.
Best wishes to you this fine day-before-Columbus-Day.
Seen:
Benito Santiago was a Florida Marlin in their first two seasons. He was born in Ponce, PR and played for 5 or 6 teams in a 19 year career.
Jerome, I know you love a pun, and we love to hear from you.
Lucina, you comment is brilliant; that is exactly what JL does, create a symphony of words with the interplay of all the instruments measured and often diabolic. The method is in the music and the music is in the madness. Bravo.
Yes, I know what an ALTO sax is. What Argyle said.
Well, okay, the photo of Scarlett Johansson did not leave me cold :)
Wow again, I am amazed as I see the passion in the words and music and the belly laugh.
chacun à son goût.
Sorry, I knew he wasn't Italian though. :)
He played for 10 teams.
Decent catchers are always in demand.
I'm with Barry G and Argyle about ALTO not being an object, a thing, but rather an attribute.
Who's the OVERCOAT gent?
I totally understand what you are saying, Lemonade. I just had a different gut reaction. Maybe it's because I have not yet learned to "get" the artist, haven't yet devloped fluency in his language.
as a retired sailor, I enjoyed this puzzle and liked the aye/eye in the center of the puzzle. Well done
Anonymous @ 2:19PM, the OVERCOAT was an answer in yesteray's (Saturday's) puzzle, which Splynter blogged and for which Splynter provided this link:
http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/908/908005/quantum-of-solace-20080905041318589.jpg
Jayce: since I do not use my computer on Saturday's I did not get a chance to wish you a Happy Birthday. I hope you did something special to celebrate.
Jayce, did I forget to wish you a happy birthday? If so, I hope you enjoyed the day. If not, here's second good wish from your friend with failing memory.
I enjoyed Sunday Morning today. It's a good way to start the day over coffee. They had a nice farewell to Steve Jobs, a very sad segment about the army's notification to a family of a dead soldier, a bit on the popularity of shuffleboard even among children and a very nice segment on Helen Degeneres.
I found Zorba the Greek on cable and am enjoying it all over again.
Great puzzle, John. Between CC and Melissa they said it all. Right on! I enjoyed all the comments.
A very happy birthday, Jayce.
Happy BIRTHDAY To You Jayce, was not available yesterday; and many more
Argyle: Maybe it is colloquial usage, but I've been with women who talked about someone having a hospital delivery as opposed to a home delivery. In that case wouldn't hospital be the adjective and delivery, a noun? Isn't this the way Mr. Lampkin used it?
My first guess was labor instead of UTERO though.
PK
Hahtool, Bill G, Yellowrocks, Lemonade, and all, thank you for the happy birthday wishes. Don't feel a day over 69! LW and I spent a quiet day at home together and in lovely telephone calls with friends and relatives.
Bill G, yes, I'm glad our newspaper published the entire text of Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement speech. I am glad to have had the opportunity to read the whole thing, and I must say, "Well said!"
Best wishes to you all.
I'm with ANON PK at 4:14. A synonym for delivery is birth. A hospital delivery is a birth in a hospital as opposed to a birth at home.
Apparently ALTO can be used as a noun to refer to an instrument or as an adjective. From Audio English.net
• ALTO (noun)
The noun ALTO has 5 senses:
1. a singer whose voice lies in the alto clef
2. the lowest female singing voice
3. the highest adult male singing voice
4. (of a musical instrument) the second highest instrument in a family of musical instruments
5. the pitch range of the lowest female voice
• ALTO (adjective)
The adjective ALTO has 3 senses:
3. (of a musical instrument) second highest member of a group
Eddy, the Huskers were lucky beyond belief last night. It was the biggest comeback in the 800 football games UNL has played in its history. Fans were disgusted, booing and leaving in the third quarter when Nebraska got behind by 21 points and then the 18 year old QB for Ohio State twisted his ankle and that was it. Momentum went to Nebraska and it was amazing to watch!
Jayce, Happy Birthday to you as well from your friend on the Great (and today windy) Plains. I think you have as many good years through the windshield as you do in the rear view mirror!
Really exciting to see John Lampkin’s name in lights .Always.
Yeah ,John’s a renaissance man for sure In addition,he gives credit to others- Jerome and Annette.
Humility. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.
Jayce, you have a nice supply of that; along with a lot of culture and knowledge. I guess all Yalies are like that.
Belated Happy Birthday!
Raccoons are another story. Intelligent and sneaky. The corn grown around here is for Orville Redenbacher(sp?), so I don’t know if the raccoons like it as well as HG’s sweet corn.
They apparently live 1.8- 3.1 yrs in wild, but 20 in captivity. Cars and overturned trash cans an be fatal!
Very intelligent. Got into containers I kept in the barn to keep bandaids, etc. dry and clean. Repeatedly.
I gave up and kept in same containers in the tack room. They still can’t open doors . Apparently intelligent enough to retain specific solutions for up to three years. That’s an intimidating fact….er…uh
Thanks for a great write-up, CC, and a nice shout out.
Anon PK, I felt the hospital deliveries was somewhat ambiguous and certainly didn't deserve a "Don't you have kids?" comment.
Jayce:
I'm so sorry I missed your birthday yesterday. I hope it was special and wonderful.
Thank you, L.
I just don't get the problem with birth/delivery. A birth (noun) has been called a delivery (noun) for as long as I've been around. UPS is a delivery (adjective) company... but the driver makes a delivery (noun). This clue clearly used delivery as a noun so BIRTH is a logical fit to me.
Hell, I don't know if Barry had a problem with "hospital", "delivery", or the two of them together.
In any case, it didn't warrant, "Don't you have kids?"
Hi All ~~
I loved this puzzle ... great puns! It was just challenging enough for me. I stumbled in the area of GYM SUIT, TRUSSED UP and HULL. I finally got the U in gymsuit and that helped the rest to fall into place. My favorites were ANCHOR MANAGEMENT and BERTH CONTROL.
~~ An information-filled write-up, C.C. ... enjoyed your observations(as always) and the links.
~~ I'm sorry to have missed your birthday yesterday, Jayce. I'm glad you enjoyed your special day!
~~ No Tigers baseball tonight ... it's raining in Texas!
Hello.
No rain outs in hockey. Although
I did see a Roadrunner game cancelled in Phoenix because of fog.
Have been told to wait for the Neb/OKST game.
eddy
Argyle
How rude
PK
The clue for 10-Across was a bit strange. My first thought was Baby, but that word was too short and Babies was too long (plus the clue indicated plural). For a brief moment, I tried Girls, but the perps corrected me on that answer.
Ides of March was disappointing. For a really good movie that is currently playing, go see Moneyball.
Argyle: Someone logged on using my ID as PK. I did not say, "How rude" to you. Missuse of identity is why I remain anonymous. Possibly I was out of line on asking if Barry had kids, although i didn't think it was offensive. My brother has children but never absorbed a lot of normal terminology and is sometimes hilarious because of it. I thought maybe Barry has not suffered through any deliveries. I certainly do not intend to sling zingers.
the real PK
Thanks, that's good to know. I did feel that last one was a little strange. You know you can be PK in blue and not have to give out any information whatsoever and no one else can use PK, at least in blue.
We do have an anon that thinks he's clever using Jalmar but it's with black letters.
Hey!
I liked this one. Fun theme, pun title, "bug"-gy clues that tax the "upstairs." It's tough to find a middle ground of difficulty. One should have to work at it but still not have to slog through a bunch of obscurities and quasi-celebrities. This one hits the right note, for me.
Spacecraft
Jayce,
A belated "Happy Birthday"! I've added yours to Dennis' original list so we won't miss it next year.
Sounds like a great puzzle but our paper misprinted the puzzle grid! Help! Where can we find it?!
Jim,
Go to LA Times' website. They keep a 30-day archive there.
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