Theme: Mr. T on A-Team - Two long themes(14), two short(9) and one(7) in the middle. The "B.A." on the A-Team stood for...Bosco A. Baracus but pity the fool who called him Bosco.
20A. Ted Williams had a .344 lifetime one : BATTING AVERAGE
28A. Site of many a shady transaction : BACK ALLEY
39A. Boo-boo protector : BAND-AID
48A. Bullet-proof vest, e.g. : BODY ARMOR
55A. Common college degree, whose abbreviation is a hint to 20-, 28-, 39- and 48-Across : BACHELOR OF ARTS
Argyle here today. It must have been tough to create such an easy solve. Bravo, Jeff.
Across:
1. Baby bovine : CALF
5. At the drop of __ : A HAT
9. Ice cream brand that's "Grand" : EDY'S. Their Cookies 'N Cream do not mention OREO's by name.
13. Ice cream-and-cookies brand : OREO. Oreo Ice Cream is licensed by Breyers, Good Humor, and Klondike in the US, and Nestlé in Canada.
14. "The Thinker" sculptor : RODIN. Thinking about cookies.
16. Fat unit : GRAM
17. Tailless cat : MANX
18. Steak option : T-BONE. cooked 59D. Steak order : RARE
19. Hereditary code carrier : GENE
23. Stat start : RHEO. RHEOstat, adjustable resistor used in applications that require the adjustment of current or the varying of resistance in an electric circuit.
24. Fishing pole : ROD
25. Agreeable to doing : UP FOR
34. More or less : SORT OF
36. Cacophony : DIN
37. __ Linda, California : LOMA. Take the Santa Monica freeway to the San Berdoo Freeway east; can't miss it.
38. Chef's recipe words : À LA
42. "Bad Moon Rising" pop gp. : CCR
43. Go ape : FLIP
45. Go bad : ROT
46. Attached to the bulletin board : TACKED
51. Pries (into) : NOSES
52. P&L column : YTD. Year to date.
53. Visibility impairer : HAZE. Watch out for it on the freeways.
62. Japanese golfer Aoki : ISAO
63. With 67-Across, innovative or experimental artists' group : AVANT. 67. See 63-Across : GARDE
64. Birthday serving : CAKE
66. Envelope abbr. : ATTN.
68. Way out : EXIT
69. Give guff to : SASS
70. Shakespearean king : LEAR
71. Chip enhancers : DIPS
Down:
1. Dot-__ : COM
2. Man from Oman, often : ARAB
3. Actress Olin : LENA. As she appeared in The Reader.
4. Dance that precedes "golf" in the NATO phonetic alphabet : FOXTROT
5. Wheelchair guy on "Glee" : ARTIE. This guy.
6. Schmooze, as with the A-list : HOBNOB
7. Work like __ : A DOG
8. Fey of "30 Rock" : TINA
9. Asian menu appetizer : EGG ROLL
10. Rasta's hairdo : DREADLOCKS
11. Yin's counterpart : YANG
12. Hook's sidekick : SMEE
15. St. for gamblers : NEV.ada
21. Go pitapat : THROB
22. Disco __ : ERA
25. Vandenberg or Edwards: Abbr. : USAFB. Air Force bases.
26. Chico's chicken : POLLO. and
27. Chickens, to kids : FRAIDY CATS
29. Build up, as a collection : ADD TO
30. Hush-hush fed. org. : CIA
31. Make booties, e.g. : KNIT
32. Game show host : EMCEE
33. 36-inch units : YARDS
35. Jamie of "M*A*S*H" : FARR. Cpl. Klinger, took Radar's place as company clerk.
40. __ de plume : NOM. French for pen name.
41. Tony of 60-Down : DANZA. 60. Sitcom set in a garage : "TAXI". Reminded me of this garage.
44. Constricting snakes : PYTHONS
47. Compelled via force : COERCED
49. Suffix with lemon : ADE
50. "Help Me, __": Beach Boys hit : RHONDA
54. "... happily ever __" : AFTER
55. Skewed view : BIAS
56. "The Thin Man" canine : ASTA
57. Fall behind : LAG
58. Roundish shape : OVAL
61. Not attend : SKIP
65. "Men in Black" baddies, briefly : ETs. Not at all like the one in the the movie, "E.T.".
Argyle
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - Argyle, I had the same thought when I got done: this must've been tough to put together at an easy level.
ReplyDeleteI probably would've been sub-four minutes if I hadn't read 28A as plural and confidently put in 'back rooms'; up to that point I'd been going strictly on the acrosses. The rest flowed smoothly with what I thought was fresh Monday-level cluing.
I hope to go back and catch up on the past couple days on the blog, but I hope it was a fun, relaxing weekend for everyone because the frenzy's on the way.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This was a fun puzzle to start off the work week. I never read some of the down clues, since they had already been filled in by the across clues.
ReplyDeleteThe first word of three of the theme clues also began with BA; BODY ARMOR was the exception.
QOD: The greatest thing in family life is to take a hint when a hint is intended-and not to take a hint when a hint isn't intended. ~ Robert Frost
Good day folks,
ReplyDeleteThere were a couple of unknowns and a one or two of ""not sure of" to make today a bit of a grind. 42A/ CCR, 50D/RHONDA were unknown, bur perps were solid so I felt comfortable with them. 23A , RHEO & 21D, THROB caused me some hesitation. Otherwise, a nice Monday solve.
Never can remember how to spell Aoki's first name. Probably would be true for the last name too. What the heck, gotta rely on the perps now and then.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteWhat Hondo said.
Greetings at 4 am!
ReplyDeletePuzzle fun. Thanks Jeff, Argyle! Never heard of CCR. P&L stands for profit and loss, perchance?
Had a long nap. Had a long swim after 9 days when there was no one to watch me. Great!
Puzzle Society hasn't put this puzzle on line. Got tired of checking and worked it using Across Lite. First time cruciverb.com sent me the puzzle it was damaged. All of this does not bode well for the day.
Have had some big guffaws reading Evanovitch Plum 18. I am trying to nurse it along!
Otto--I saved the reference, but I think those are way off the charts for me!
Dear Random--What if the Jaguar sedan is old as the hills and sounds like a bulldozer, has 280 miles and needs a new paint job?
Story related to CCR: let's face it, it can be tricky to say "Creedence Clearwater" if you're a little tipsy. A schoolmate of mine got stuck on "Clarence Creedwater" after a few beers - that was more than 30 years ago, and it still makes me smile!
ReplyDeletetoo easy the drafter and editor must have though we had too much turkey and were still a little punch drunk from the holiday.
ReplyDeleteThis probably took me 10 mins, and mislocation of clue fill, with the final few minutes looking for the 2 letters near the top of the puzzle I forgot to fill in.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteEverything about the puzzle was easy, but it was especially appreciated after a long holiday weekend watching way too much football!
The theme didn't really jump out as I was solving, until I got to the unifier. I loved seeing DREADLOCKS instead of the usual "dreads", and FRAIDY CATS was just plain fun stuff.
Jeff Chen and Argyle, always a fun way to start a work week puzzle. My only hesitation was the clues where the the first word started BA as well, so BODY ARMOR took a moment. It has been a while since we saw our pooch ASTA and I hope no one had to think too long about RODIN.
ReplyDeleteThanks and on to work
Hondo, I'm with you on Aoki. Think I'd know this by now.
ReplyDeleteFermatprime, Got a lot of my own guffaws out of "18". Hope you're enjoying it.
I don't got a BA. I opted for the BS (That's Bachelor of Science smartypants!)
Lemonade, This one's for you: 49D
So many great CCR songs I'll link the YouTube page and you can pick one or two for yourselves.
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday, all. Argyle, you're slipping! No link to CCR. Loved your Clarence Creedwater story, Dudley. It's amazing what little snippets of life stick with us for years.
ReplyDeleteI always thought "The Thinker" was sitting there wondering why he didn't check to make sure there was a roll of TP before he sat down. Since I could see the statue in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art from my dorm window, I had lots of opportunity to try to figure out what he was thinking.
Pretty much once across and once down. The only correction was to change Asio to ISAO via perps. Easy way to start the week.
Argyle, you snuck them in while I was busy writing my post.
ReplyDeleteHelp! Someone! Anyone!
ReplyDeleteMy LA Times site will only post Sunday's puzzle.
Click here to solve the puzzle on line.
ReplyDeleteGood morning to all and happy monday. Very nice Jeff Chen Puzzle more clues than a normal Mon. Very smooth and I was able to breeze right through. I always enjoy your write-ups Argyle thanks to you. Loved hobnob reminded me of an old radio biit hobnobbing with the goobersmoochers. Also liked dreadlocks,fraidycats,and manx. That reminded me of a manx cat we had when I was a boy,she was not afraid of anything and would jump straight up to the roof of the house in one leap. Hope everyone has a great day. RJW
ReplyDeleteThank you C.C. for leading me to the morning crossword. You made my day start off on the right foot!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks (again). Thank you, Jeff, for a great start to the week. Thank you, Argyle, for the write-up and Links. i have always liked the CCR songs.
ReplyDeleteZipped through this quite easily. Almost wrote in PROTECTOR instead of BODY ARMOR. However, I always check cross words before I write anything. Saved myself here.
Never heard of ARTIE for 5D, perps filled it in.
If I had a nickel for every RHEOSTAT I turned in my life I would be rich. Had a lot of them in telephony. 36 years with Automatic Electric Co.
My wife, daughter, and I went to Ohio for Thanksgiving, to my oldest daughter's. After getting back to Illinois, we lamented the fact that we had no leftovers to eat. So, we went to the store and bought a turkey and all the fixings and cooked another dinner yesterday. Leftovers galore!
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Desper-otto & Splynter,
ReplyDeleteUncle Ben's Rice & unleavened bread are great addition. It's actually Argyle's Christmas U-letter meal. He had Unagi & Upside-down cake in his list already. I added Udon noodles. Ugli is pretty sweet, Santa.
PK,
I came to the US because Boomer loved me very much and promised me a comfortable life here.
Took a long time to finish the puzzle today -- ISP was down and Mon and Tue I only get the online version of the Barnacle. ISP finally restored service a few minutes ago, and then it was just a six minute dash to the bottom. Would have been even faster if I hadn't misspelled FRAIDYCATS the first time around.
ReplyDeleteI actually wish the Monday puzzles were a little more challenging. I know...be careful what you wish for.
The Sunday NYT was a Jeff Chen puzzle also. His first?
ReplyDeleteEasy, of course.
ReplyDeleteHad Rbis before RHEOS.
I definitely had too much turkey - went to 2 dinners, one at 11:30 and one at 3:00.
Had to sign in again. Yeesh.
Good morning Argyle and all.
ReplyDeleteFine puzzle offering from Jeff, today; easy but with ample eclectic fill from POLLO to RHONDA and FRAIDY CATS. Liked the theme and unifier. Good way to start the week. Unknowns to me such as ARTIE and ISAO were easily gotten from the perps. No searches were needed.
Have a great day.
Nice start to the week, nice write-up Argyle.
ReplyDeleteDue to the wonderfulness of modern technology, I'm solving and commenting from 35,000 feet somewhere over the mid-west en route from LA to NYC.
Regarding the Hobnobs pic from Argyle - if you ever find yourselves in a store that sells British food products, look for dark chocolate Hobnobs and grab a packet. They're kinda like an oatmeal cookie with sweet/salty/chocolatey deliciousness.
Food!
i use my phone to read the comments ! what is the answer to that math problem?
ReplyDeletei use my phone to read the comments ! what is the answer to that math problem?
ReplyDeletePres, if you want to cheat. You can find the answer Here.
ReplyDeleteOops! I mean Here.
ReplyDelete'Tis the season! How many of the artists can you name? BAND AID - Do They Know It's Christmas (4:33)
ReplyDeleteNot Jimi, but another one for eMBee (where is she, btw?) Purple HAZE (4:20)
And for your dancing pleasure:
FOXTROT (old) (1:17)
FOXTROT (new) (3:15)
I sometimes wish I had an O-RHEOstat to regulate my intake of those dunkable delectables, especially the new peanut butter-filled ones. NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM...!
I enjoyed the puzzle and writeup. Easy is good once a week. I liked seeing FRAIDY CATS in a puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'll be in the minority but my favorite CCR song is "Out My Back Door."
Did anyone else notice the unseemly ending to 55A?
The first 60 Minutes segment last night was about homeless families in Florida; school children living in a car with their family, using public restrooms to wash up and to brush their teeth. They seem like good people who have been left behind by the system. Sad... I wonder what's the best way to be helpful?
~ Bill
Fun puzzle and comments, these Mondays make me think I know what I'm doing, then along comes mid-week and I wonder then Fri/Sat and a huge dose of reality hits! Our paper prints Sat on Sunday and I think I'm glad.
ReplyDeleteLoving Plum 18. can't nurse it along, not enough self-discipline I guess, gotta get back to it!
Hi all! Liked the puzzle. A little challenge in thinking of the names, but a good week's start.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Argyle! But now I'm craving coooookieeees!
Thanks, C.C. for answering my question. We all enjoy a good love story.
Speaking of stories: I chuckled my way through Evanovich 18 last night until 2 a.m. while using many kleenex on the cold I caught for Thanksgiving. Laughter's the best medicine.
Now have started Hotel on the Corner of B & S due to the recommendation of bloggers. Only a few pages into it, but it seems intriguing.
Chuckled at Clarence Creedwater. I don't have to be tipsy anymore to screw up names. I have a grandson named Chase who I'm more likely to call Cash or Chance, if I'm not really careful. My SIL thinks this is hilarious. Then there is a Brewster that I insist on calling Webster. And I used to be so good with names. Sigh!
-PK
Yes, BillG., I noticed the unseemly end to 55a, since I backed in from the SE. Couldn't remember RHONDA so came in from the bottom of SW and for one moment had an even funnier line without the big "O".
ReplyDelete- PK
Bill,
ReplyDeleteI went back and took a look at the end of 55A. Nice! ;)
And I am commenting from 32 feet below sea level - if the lake is considered anywhere near sea level - which Lake Erie is probably not.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle was easy - Thank you Jeff Chen - and thank you Argyle for your emcee-ing. I would have posted much earlier, but my computer is on the blink. I have to get a new one before Xmas.
The sculpture, ( one of many such copies - ), Rodin's 'The Thinker', in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art, was pipe bombed by college protesters, against the Vietnam war, in 1970. Since the bombers were American college students and so-called beatniks and peace-niks, the word 'terrorism', presumably, did not apply. The statue was re-installed, sans its missing blown off legs ... However, the museum shop will be glad to sell you a complete, undamaged, miniature copy. ( Made in China.)
Alt QOD:- Be you Hindu, Jewish or Muslim, I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus as your savior. (sic) - Stephen Colbert.
No comment. Typed as printed.
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteI originally proposed this to Rich as a BATHING puzzle (B A thing) but he preferred something simpler, so we decided on the BA degree.
Always glad to read posts here - such a nice way to start the day!
Hope everyone had a nice TDay!
Jeff
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteGood to "see" you, Jeff.
I was SORT OF UP FOR this puzzle, but had all sorts of trouble down the west coast. Even the obvious FRAIDY CATS took a lot of perp help. Gracias por POLLO. (and the clecho) Knew that one.
What 2 letters precede AFB - Oh, got it. Tom's at Hurlburt, across the street from Eglin.
I, too, have a B.S (big surprise, huh!) Also an M.S. (more of the same.) But, instead of a Ph.D. (piled higher and deeper) I opted for an MBA. (more bull also.)
Tiny T-Town sub-theme today, with my homeboy Jamie FARR, and LOMA LINDA's authentic Mexican Restaurant, going strong since 1955
C.C. -
Sweet little love story.
Peanut butter OREOS?!?! --- oh my . . .
Cheers!
JzB playing tonight in Ann Arbor
Great Monday puzzle. Got caught up thinking body should start with a BA and USAFB was just too much for me. Loved Dreadlocks and Fraidycat. Super fills, especially for a Monday.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to start the week with some Men in Black baddies. LOVED that movie.
Thanks Jeff and Argyle, for a fun puzzle and write-up. This was an easy pleasure, which is just what I needed for starting the week after Thanksgiving when all the holiday crush is descending.
ReplyDeleteGot the BA and the unifier pretty early, but then got stuck because I knew it had to be "body armor," but assumed it had to start with "BA." Duh--didn't think of the start of the two words as constituting the BA.
Again, great way to start the week.
Hello everybody. I liked the puzzle a lot. Easy, yet full of fun stuff, as HeartRx said.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the comments about being tough to create such an easy solve, and it got me thinking (which is a good thing.) I began to wonder if the same puzzle would and could be harder if clued in a way to make it harder. I remember a recent puzzle that had pretty ordinary fill but was very difficult because the cluing was deliberately made "obscure." Wanna have a little fun? Wanna come up with some clues for today's puzzle that would make it, say, of a Wednesday or Thursday difficulty? I'll start. If I come up with anything worth sharing, I'll let y'all know.
Latah.
JazzB, that's the Loma Linda I think of, not the town in CA. I've talked to quite a few corporate and specialty freight pilots over the years. If they ever flew into Toledo, they knew Loma Linda, right across the street from the airport. I've wasted a few hours, or got wasted for a few hours, there, back in the late 60's, early 70's. Great place.
ReplyDeleteAfternoon, all!
ReplyDeleteTried to do the puzzle this morning and couldn't find it. Came here and nothing was posted either. Then I got busy...
And, after all that, I really don't have anything to say about the puzzle itself other than I was wondering if you had accidentally posted one out of People Magazine (a character on "Glee," TINA Fey, etc.). Very much a walk in the park for me (despite the fact that I didn't actually know the name of the wheelchair guy).
Jayce, I believe I heard Will Shortz say much the same thing in a CBS interview awhile back. On Monday OLEO is a "butter substitute" and later in the week it's "stick in the fridge." The difficulty is all in the clues and misdirection and not in the answers.
ReplyDeleteI remember doing crossword puzzles in Games Magazine that had two sets of clues for each answer - an easy and a hard. You would fold the page with the easy clues out of sight, and if the hard clues proved too much, you could always unfold the easy page.
ReplyDeleteI just googled for an example and came across this book, if you're interested.
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteNo puzzle this morning either...I print mine, don't like doing it on line. After waiting many hours it finally showed up. Worth waiting for even if it was easy. Never have heard of GLEE or ever watched 30 ROCK but was able to get the right answers with the perps.
I got all the long clue/answers but the last one (55A) was looking sort of DF as I solved it from East to West so the last 4 letters read: FARTS....I had to wonder where that was going ;)
Argyle: Nice Glenkinchie avatar.
ReplyDeleteCheers !!!
Alt QOD:- Be you Hindu, Jewish or Muslim, I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus as your savior. (sic) - Stephen Colbert.
ReplyDeleteMr. Colbert`s wit should lead him (and all Truth seekers) to John 14:6. (No one has to look this up...so please, blogmaster, let it stand or remove the above, tongue-in-cheek quote.)
Hello, cyber friends. Thank you, Argyle, for your always upbeat blogging. Is it time for the Santa suit yet?
ReplyDeleteToday our family from California was still here so I have been acting as taxi service to visit our various relatives in Chandler and Gilbert. Fun times!
I completed Jeff Chen's wonderfully easy puzzle this morning but had no time to post. Great fill about which all of you have commented.
In my youth I was always a FRAIDYCAT but somehow attained confidence as I grew older.
Finally remember ISAO Aoki because the last time we saw it I repeated it to myself about a dozen times.
C.C.:
That is so sweet! I hope Boomer has kept his promise.
I sincerely hope your Monday has been special! HOA meeting tonight.
Jayce, you're exactly right about the clueing:
ReplyDelete1A. Instead of “Baby bovine” for CALF, a Thursday puzz would have it as “A little lower”
9A. Instead of “Ice cream brand that’s ‘grand’”, a Thursday puzz would have “Frozen dessert brand”
13A. Instead of “Ice cream-and-cookies brand” for OREO, Thurs would be “Twisted treat”
14. "The Thinker" sculptor for RODIN would be clued as “The Burghers of Calais creator”…
…But, you get the idea!
Desper-otto and HeartRx, yes, I totally agree with you. By the way, "a little lower" is awesome.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you all.
Can barely contain himself, but in an amazing display of self-control, will.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, we have had 3+ inches of rain here in the Outer Bluegrass of Kentucky, and it's raining hard now. If it doesn't stop soon we will have a flood of Biblical proportions.
In still other news, our BB Wildcats are #1 in the latest polls. We may be 49th in education (thank God for Mississippi is our alternate state motto) but by God we're #1 in roundball (and lung cancer).
Nope, not worth it, WH. Felt the same way.
ReplyDeleteGood evening Argyle, C.C. and all,
ReplyDeletea fun xwd Jeff, and a fun write up Argyle..thanks
My only struggle was with fraidy cats. I had to change ADD to ALA, and spell ISAO correctly before seeing it.YTD was not in my wheelhouse either.
Bill, I noticed the 55A ending because I was sitting with a smart group of 6th graders who were working on an art project. I would feed them the clues and they came up with pythons and armor. Some were staring at the xwd . Without the bachelor, it stood out.Ronda even made it funnier.