Theme: Stout and Thin - Parse the title as "ST out and TH in", i.e, ST is replaced with TH in each theme entry.
23A. "My priest has met Pulitzer-winning playwright Henley"? : FATHER KNOWS BETH. Father knows best. Beth Henley.
39A. Dinner served on a wooden strip? : THE LATH SUPPER. The Last Supper.
41A. Blast from Babe? : RUTH BELT. Rust belt. Babe Ruth.
71A. Compliment to a young genius? : WHY YOU LITTLE THINKER. Why you little stinker.
100A. Small compartment for lifting self-esteem? : EGO BOOTH. Ego boost.
102A. Nonsense talk from an inner city? : GHETTO BLATHER. Ghetto blaster.
122A. Reason for foggy coop windows? : BREATH OF CHICKEN. Breast of chicken.
This puzzle title reminds me of Peter Wentz's "Find out" puzzle, in which D is replaced by F in each common phrases. You need to parse the title as "F in/D out".
When constructors place all their theme entries in Across, they can then non-theme Downs which are longer than the shortest theme entries. Peter took full advantage of that and gave us quite a few nice long Downs.
Across:
1. See-through dessert : JELL-O
6. "It's just __ said ..." : AS I
9. Rite site : ALTAR
14. Shooter's setting : F-STOP. Not the gunman "shooter".
19. Oriole-related, e.g. : AVIAN
20. Pugsley, to Gomez : SON. Easy guess. I've never watched "The Addams Family".
21. Carried : BORNE
22. "That's __!": mom's admonition : A NO-NO
26. Hull parts, often : KEELS
27. Gator tail? : ADE. Gatorade. Fun clue.
28. Secant's reciprocal : COSINE
29. Princess from Alderaan : LEIA. "Star Wars".
30. Have a blast, with "up" : EAT IT
31. Outcome : RESULT
33. Greenish-yellow fruit : CITRON. Looks like lemon.
35. Gonzaga University city : SPOKANE
37. Goofballs : NUTS
45. New York Harbor's __ Island : ELLIS
46. Suffix with Carmel : ITE . Carmelites is a "Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name", according to Wiki. St Teresa was a Carmelite.
47. Green pod : OKRA
48. She walked Asta : NORA. "The Thin Man".
50. Graceful woman : SYLPH
52. Made a jumper, maybe : SEWED
56. Tide during the moon's first quarter : NEAP
57. Star in Virgo : SPICA. Gimme for Spitzboov & Bill G. I drew a blank.
59. Member of the fam : SIS
61. Polynesian drink : KAVA. Sedating.
62. Protect, as during a gym routine : SPOT. I don't get this clue, Dummy.
64. Relieved remark : AT LAST
68. Neat time : GAS. Neat clue.
70. Bill's "excellent adventure" partner : TED. From "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure".
75. Efron of "High School Musical" : ZAC. Here he is. Not the high school boy anymore.
76. What Nixon and Kennedy have in common? : ENS. Do you like this clue?
77. Insect with eyespots on its wings : IO MOTH. No idea. Cute. D-Otto's pig is cute too.
78. Black, to Balzac : NOIR
79. Pitching stats : ERAs
81. Sushi fish : EEL. Ah, food!
83. Risky meeting : TRYST. "Risky" makes it exciting.
85. Lobster meat source : CLAW
88. Bits of progress : DENTS. Make a dent.
90. Uses a Kindle : READS
94. Key with three sharps: Abbr. : A MAJ
95. Premium coffee variety : KONA. From Hawaii.
96. One-eighty : UEY
98. Turn __ ear : A DEAF
107. Son of Isaac : ESAU
108. Verbena family plant : LANTANA. See here.
109. Like magma : MOLTEN
111. Big house locale : ESTATE
115. Columbia et al. : IVIES
116. First light : DAWN
118. Workshop grippers : CLAMPS
120. Novelist Buntline : NED. What did he write?
121. Pola of the silents : NEGRI. Rudolph Valentino's lover.
125. Caused to submit : TAMED
126. Guadalajara-to-Puerto Vallarta dirección : OESTE. "West".
127. __ later date : AT A
128. Hollywood's Hayek : SALMA. Natural beauty.
129. Focused look : STARE. What you guys do to my link above.
130. Director of the last four Harry Potter films : YATES (David)
131. "Can't Help Lovin' __ Man" : DAT
132. Lock on top? : TRESS
Down:
1. "Aladdin" heavy : JAFAR. No idea, Santa!
2. Skirt : EVADE
3. Beers for dieters : LITES
4. __-di-dah : LAH
5. Bridge opening : ONE CLUB. Bridge terms always stump me.
6. More than wonders : ASKS
7. Drive-in chain with carhops : SONIC
8. Complicit : IN ON IT
9. Crunched muscles : ABS
10. Southeastern pine : LOBLOLLY. Oh, so this is called loblolly.
11. Shipbuilding dowel : TREENAIL. Again, not familiar with the term. Do you use them, Splynter/Jerome?
12. No voter : ANTI
13. Go over and over : RE-HASH
14. Deceptions : FAKE-OUTS
15. Preview : SNEAK PEEK. Nice upper right corner.
16. Dancer's technique : TOE TAP
17. Surfing, say : ONLINE
18. Word with board or boy : POSTER
24. Powdered rock used as an abrasive : ROTTEN STONE. Same as pumice stone?
25. "__ people ..." : WE THE. Constitution.
32. Bummed : UNHAPPY
34. Kinfolk: Abbr. : RELs
36. Omega preceder : PSI
38. Sty fare : SLOP
40. Rx amts. : TSPS
41. Friend of Harry and Hermione : RON. "Harry Potter" again.
42. Mandolin kin : UKE
43. Source of an alley racket : TRASH CAN
44. Court event : TRIAL
49. When the Sugar Plum Fairy appears in "The Nutcracker" : ACT II
51. Fan setting : HIGH
53. 1815 battle site : WATERLOO
54. Even once : EVER
55. Senior, to Junior : DAD
58. Guy who's high in a loft? : ALTO. Why "in a loft"?
60. Patron of workers : SAINT JOSEPH. I thought he's the patron of carpenters only.
63. Santana's "__ Como Va" : OYE. Here is a clip.
65. Buck passer, briefly? : ATM. And 66. 65-Down feature : SLOT.
67. Aquarium denizen : TETRA
69. __-cone : SNO
71. Share ending : WARE. Shareware.
72. Manual reader : USER
73. Culinary herb : THYME. I'm guessing this is a common herb in Jayce's or Barry G's family.
74. Oust : KICK OUT
75. Athens : omega :: London : __ : ZED. Last letter in alphabet.
80. Speech therapy candidate : STUTTERER
82. Sharon of "Boston Public" : LEAL
84. Wise : SAGE
86. Pantry annoyance : ANT. Always a welcome sight here at the corner.
87. Nursery cry : WAH
89. Save for later : SET ASIDE
91. '60s Batman portrayer : ADAM WEST
92. Set off : DETONATE
93. Satirist Mort : SAHL
97. Over there, old-style : YON. Hither and yon.
99. Retrieve : FETCH
101. McCartney, notably : BASSIST
102. Flashes : GLINTS
103. Attack, as one's work : HAVE AT
104. Puzzle : ENIGMA
105. Record label founded by Diddy : BAD BOY. Ha, gimme for me.
106. Insert more rounds : RE-LOAD. Ammo.
110. 1990s treaty acronym : NAFTA. U.S.-Mexico-Canada commerce treaty.
112. Electronic monitor site : ANKLE. Ankle monitor. House arrest.
113. Crawls (with) : TEEMS
114. Writer Ferber and others : EDNAs
117. Region : AREA
119. Aspiring GP's exam : MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)
123. Some NFL receivers : TEs (Tight Ends)
124. One in a jam, maybe : CAR. Nice clue too.
Answer grid.
Happy Birthday to KQ!
C.C.
23A. "My priest has met Pulitzer-winning playwright Henley"? : FATHER KNOWS BETH. Father knows best. Beth Henley.
39A. Dinner served on a wooden strip? : THE LATH SUPPER. The Last Supper.
41A. Blast from Babe? : RUTH BELT. Rust belt. Babe Ruth.
71A. Compliment to a young genius? : WHY YOU LITTLE THINKER. Why you little stinker.
100A. Small compartment for lifting self-esteem? : EGO BOOTH. Ego boost.
102A. Nonsense talk from an inner city? : GHETTO BLATHER. Ghetto blaster.
122A. Reason for foggy coop windows? : BREATH OF CHICKEN. Breast of chicken.
This puzzle title reminds me of Peter Wentz's "Find out" puzzle, in which D is replaced by F in each common phrases. You need to parse the title as "F in/D out".
When constructors place all their theme entries in Across, they can then non-theme Downs which are longer than the shortest theme entries. Peter took full advantage of that and gave us quite a few nice long Downs.
Across:
1. See-through dessert : JELL-O
6. "It's just __ said ..." : AS I
9. Rite site : ALTAR
14. Shooter's setting : F-STOP. Not the gunman "shooter".
19. Oriole-related, e.g. : AVIAN
20. Pugsley, to Gomez : SON. Easy guess. I've never watched "The Addams Family".
21. Carried : BORNE
22. "That's __!": mom's admonition : A NO-NO
26. Hull parts, often : KEELS
27. Gator tail? : ADE. Gatorade. Fun clue.
28. Secant's reciprocal : COSINE
29. Princess from Alderaan : LEIA. "Star Wars".
30. Have a blast, with "up" : EAT IT
31. Outcome : RESULT
33. Greenish-yellow fruit : CITRON. Looks like lemon.
35. Gonzaga University city : SPOKANE
37. Goofballs : NUTS
45. New York Harbor's __ Island : ELLIS
46. Suffix with Carmel : ITE . Carmelites is a "Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name", according to Wiki. St Teresa was a Carmelite.
47. Green pod : OKRA
48. She walked Asta : NORA. "The Thin Man".
50. Graceful woman : SYLPH
52. Made a jumper, maybe : SEWED
56. Tide during the moon's first quarter : NEAP
57. Star in Virgo : SPICA. Gimme for Spitzboov & Bill G. I drew a blank.
59. Member of the fam : SIS
61. Polynesian drink : KAVA. Sedating.
62. Protect, as during a gym routine : SPOT. I don't get this clue, Dummy.
64. Relieved remark : AT LAST
68. Neat time : GAS. Neat clue.
70. Bill's "excellent adventure" partner : TED. From "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure".
75. Efron of "High School Musical" : ZAC. Here he is. Not the high school boy anymore.
76. What Nixon and Kennedy have in common? : ENS. Do you like this clue?
77. Insect with eyespots on its wings : IO MOTH. No idea. Cute. D-Otto's pig is cute too.
78. Black, to Balzac : NOIR
79. Pitching stats : ERAs
81. Sushi fish : EEL. Ah, food!
83. Risky meeting : TRYST. "Risky" makes it exciting.
85. Lobster meat source : CLAW
88. Bits of progress : DENTS. Make a dent.
90. Uses a Kindle : READS
94. Key with three sharps: Abbr. : A MAJ
95. Premium coffee variety : KONA. From Hawaii.
96. One-eighty : UEY
98. Turn __ ear : A DEAF
107. Son of Isaac : ESAU
108. Verbena family plant : LANTANA. See here.
109. Like magma : MOLTEN
111. Big house locale : ESTATE
115. Columbia et al. : IVIES
116. First light : DAWN
118. Workshop grippers : CLAMPS
120. Novelist Buntline : NED. What did he write?
121. Pola of the silents : NEGRI. Rudolph Valentino's lover.
125. Caused to submit : TAMED
126. Guadalajara-to-Puerto Vallarta dirección : OESTE. "West".
127. __ later date : AT A
128. Hollywood's Hayek : SALMA. Natural beauty.
129. Focused look : STARE. What you guys do to my link above.
130. Director of the last four Harry Potter films : YATES (David)
131. "Can't Help Lovin' __ Man" : DAT
132. Lock on top? : TRESS
Down:
1. "Aladdin" heavy : JAFAR. No idea, Santa!
2. Skirt : EVADE
3. Beers for dieters : LITES
4. __-di-dah : LAH
5. Bridge opening : ONE CLUB. Bridge terms always stump me.
6. More than wonders : ASKS
7. Drive-in chain with carhops : SONIC
8. Complicit : IN ON IT
9. Crunched muscles : ABS
10. Southeastern pine : LOBLOLLY. Oh, so this is called loblolly.
11. Shipbuilding dowel : TREENAIL. Again, not familiar with the term. Do you use them, Splynter/Jerome?
12. No voter : ANTI
13. Go over and over : RE-HASH
14. Deceptions : FAKE-OUTS
15. Preview : SNEAK PEEK. Nice upper right corner.
16. Dancer's technique : TOE TAP
17. Surfing, say : ONLINE
18. Word with board or boy : POSTER
24. Powdered rock used as an abrasive : ROTTEN STONE. Same as pumice stone?
25. "__ people ..." : WE THE. Constitution.
32. Bummed : UNHAPPY
34. Kinfolk: Abbr. : RELs
36. Omega preceder : PSI
38. Sty fare : SLOP
40. Rx amts. : TSPS
41. Friend of Harry and Hermione : RON. "Harry Potter" again.
42. Mandolin kin : UKE
43. Source of an alley racket : TRASH CAN
44. Court event : TRIAL
49. When the Sugar Plum Fairy appears in "The Nutcracker" : ACT II
51. Fan setting : HIGH
53. 1815 battle site : WATERLOO
54. Even once : EVER
55. Senior, to Junior : DAD
58. Guy who's high in a loft? : ALTO. Why "in a loft"?
60. Patron of workers : SAINT JOSEPH. I thought he's the patron of carpenters only.
63. Santana's "__ Como Va" : OYE. Here is a clip.
65. Buck passer, briefly? : ATM. And 66. 65-Down feature : SLOT.
67. Aquarium denizen : TETRA
69. __-cone : SNO
71. Share ending : WARE. Shareware.
72. Manual reader : USER
73. Culinary herb : THYME. I'm guessing this is a common herb in Jayce's or Barry G's family.
74. Oust : KICK OUT
75. Athens : omega :: London : __ : ZED. Last letter in alphabet.
80. Speech therapy candidate : STUTTERER
82. Sharon of "Boston Public" : LEAL
84. Wise : SAGE
86. Pantry annoyance : ANT. Always a welcome sight here at the corner.
87. Nursery cry : WAH
89. Save for later : SET ASIDE
91. '60s Batman portrayer : ADAM WEST
92. Set off : DETONATE
93. Satirist Mort : SAHL
97. Over there, old-style : YON. Hither and yon.
99. Retrieve : FETCH
101. McCartney, notably : BASSIST
102. Flashes : GLINTS
103. Attack, as one's work : HAVE AT
104. Puzzle : ENIGMA
105. Record label founded by Diddy : BAD BOY. Ha, gimme for me.
106. Insert more rounds : RE-LOAD. Ammo.
110. 1990s treaty acronym : NAFTA. U.S.-Mexico-Canada commerce treaty.
112. Electronic monitor site : ANKLE. Ankle monitor. House arrest.
113. Crawls (with) : TEEMS
114. Writer Ferber and others : EDNAs
117. Region : AREA
119. Aspiring GP's exam : MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)
123. Some NFL receivers : TEs (Tight Ends)
124. One in a jam, maybe : CAR. Nice clue too.
Answer grid.
Happy Birthday to KQ!
C.C.
75 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - this was a very enjoyable way to start one's Sunday morning; not too easy, tons of good clues, and of course, C.C.'s excellent write-up. C.C., you made me laugh out loud with 128A and 129A - I stared at the Salma link, then got exposed. Uh, wait, that didn't sound right.
Getting the theme after the first theme answer certainly helped and it was fairly smooth sailing from there. Learned 'rotten stone', 'loblolly' and 'tree nail' and that's always good. Gotta get moving already, so I'll leave particular clue comments to others. Fun solve.
C.C., 'spotting' is where someone will stand by a person moving heavy weights, usually bench pressing, and be ready to help them when the weights get to be too much. There's nothing worse than a couple hundred pounds sitting on your chest and you can't do anything. Wait, that didn't sound right either. Anyway, you get the idea.
Irish Miss, welcome; it's a great group C.C.'s assembled.
Happy, happy birthday, KQ - make it a great one.
Good Morning, Sleepyheads,
Ja'far AND the Flying Carpet were both co-opted into Walt Disney's version of "Aladdin" from other stories. (1-Down)
Ah yes, I hace some Irish Cream in my coffee this morning in Irish Miss' honor. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
Spotters also stand near the uneven parallel bars and other apparatus where the athlete could fall. Clip (Nobody wanted to spot this one!)
Morning, all!
Got the theme pretty early on (although I didn't catch the punny title until getting here), so that helped immensely. A lot of unknown/unremembered stuff today, including LOBLOLLY, TREE NAIL, ROTTENSTONE, BADBOY, YATES, LANTANA, IO MOTH, etc. Most of that was taken care of via the perps, but the SW corner was a bit of a mess due to the intersection of LANTANA, BADBOY and YATES.
In closing, I just have to say...
GO PATS! w00t!!! ^_^
Good Morning, C.C., and friends. Fun Sunday puzzle. I got the theme with FATHER KNOWS BETH. Beth Henley wrote Crimes of the Heart.
I liked how the Culinary Herb (THYME) was next to Wise (SAGE), since both are herbs.
I thought Lobster Meat was found in the Tail before I realized it was the CLAW.
My favorite clue was Buck Passer = ATM. It seemed like a fresh clue for a crossword staple.
Happy Birthday, KQ. Hope it's a good one and you have time to stop by.
Belated Happy Birthday to JD.
HeartRx, I came across an article about the Belalp Witch Races and thought of you, not because I think you are a witch, but because of the skiing in the Alps. Have you ever seen this race?
QOD: To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. ~ Thomas Edison
The theme answers are slurred speech, as if one has been drinking too much stout.
The loblolly pine was a gimme. They're very tall. I've got a few dozen on my one acre. A couple of them are over a hundred feet tall.
CC, thanks for the shout-out. And yes, rottenstone is like pumice. It's good for polishing wood finishes. In churches there's often a choir loft, and that's where you'd find the ALTO.
Overall, very nice puzzle. I had a few missteps: TASED/TAMED, DEPARTED/DETONATE and JOSHUA/JOSEPH (don't know much about saints). But the perps straightened them out.
Hello Puzzlers -
Because I had exactly the same solving experience, right down to the BADBOY / YATES area, I gotta go with What Barry Said.
I would say it's not so much staring at at Salma Hayek as it is "observing and appreciating at length." Can't blame a fellow for that.
Morning C.C. and all.
Fun romp today. Plenty of clues that were lively, no ugliness at all. What's not to like about that.
Spotters are also used beside the trampoline. I believe the most common usage of rottenstone is on varnishes applied to fine furniture. It smooths out the small brush strokes and irregularities that you just can't eliminate with any other method. Similar to pumice, but much finer.
That 49er's/Saints game was not just the best of the year, it was the best in many years. What a finish. Go Niners (one week offer only...)
Today: GO PACK!
HBDTY KQ, and many more.
Funny, TIGHT ENDS were in the puzzle, and both playoff games yesterday were dominated by the play of the TEs.
LOBLOLLY is one of those words that are buried in your brain, but when the perps get you close, you try it and try to remember why.
Hahtool, I thought of the theme as lisping, rather than tippling.
A very fun write up of a nice challenging Sunday, and what nature does is always best, thanks for Salma.
Aha! i figured out how to post an image on this thing!
unfortunately i have nothing else to add to the Blog because i save Sundays puzzle to savor all week when i can't go to sleep.
(do you know how hard it is to post on this Blog while trying not to read any answers?)
Thanks Peter for a nice Sunday workout! The top third fell and then the west remained stubborn and that is where I finished when WHY YOU… unlocked that area. EGO BOOTH my fav of the great theme entries, but BREATH…
Musings
-I don’t know BETH but I knew Robert Young
-I wonder how Babe would do today?
-Getting FS as first letters can be daunting
-Small Gonzaga plays big boy basketball
-I learned - from Big Dipper handle “Arc down to Arcturus and then drive a spike to Spica”
-Bill and Ted brought back Sō’ crātes to today
-Tin’s neat time is sunset
-Body shop slogan, “May we have the next dents?”
-I associate Buntline with this gun
-I have had 2 bad meals at Sonic. Two strikes and yer out!
-Silly Waterloo song of my youth
Musings 2
I missed that great game because I was eating supper and watching a formulaic movie with wife and 89 year old MIL. Excitement? Not so much. Good Karma. My cup runneth over (like Salma today).
A friend of mine lifted sans spotter and got “caught under” 300 lbs in his basement. His 10 year old daughter had to run down and pull weight off one side of the bar until it flipped over and he was safe.
A guy whose voice is high enough can sing the ALTO part up in the choir loft. I was a soprano when I was 12 and then in order, a tenor, lead, baritone and bass as my high school years progressed.
Hello, weekend warriors. Thank you, C.C. especially for explaining the theme. I knew it was lisping but the Stout to Thin didn't register.
Happiest of birthdays, HQ! I hope you do something fun.
The entire top stumped me initially so I slithered downward like an EEL looking for prey and found it in the center.
Easy enough from then on but some unknowns: ROTTENSTONE, YATES, BADBOY, IOMOTH.
What Lemonade said about LOBLOLLY; it oozed out from somewhere.
I see a religious sub theme here, SAINT JOSEPH, carmelITE, LATH SUPPER, ALTAR, ALTO (in a choir loft). priest, FATHER. . .
Both St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux were Carmelites.
KONA coffee is excellent!
Have a stupendous Sunday, everyone!
Good Morning! My local paper prints the Saturday puzzle on Sunday so I don't get the Sunday puzzle :(. and I follow this blog on my iPad. Does anyone have any idea how I can find and do the Sunday puzzles? After reading the blog today, it's obvious that I'm really missing something. It seems today's puzzle was a lot of fun.
How about those Niners?!
Aww...thanks C.C.!
I actually got another DNF today. I had CITRus for the fruit, and LOBLuLLY and TREEsAIL (ship!) looked good to me, as I've never heard of the correct answers. Two DNFs in a row (ship!).
Here's the song that popped into my head at DAWN: Aquarius (5:06) from the movie Hair (still my favorite version). And, yes, that is Treat Williams burning his draft card near the start of the song.
Parsley, SAGE, Rosemary, and THYME?
So many versions, but you gotta go with the original: Scarborough Fair (3:58) - Simon & Garfunkel. And yes, that is Andy Williams sitting in on the song.
Oh, so little do I know...
Simon & Garfunkel may have had the big hit, but they were far from being the original.
Great video of the SPOTless gymnast, Santa. As goofy and funny as it was, it takes an incredible amount of talent to do what (s)he did!
Virginia C, you can try Chicago Tribune Sunday Puzzle (LAT).
Good afternoon, at least here in the EST area. Great puzzle today. I caught the theme early and that helped.
Hand up for CITRus, LOBLuLLY and TREEsAIL on the first pass, but I was sure that pine was LOBLOLLY. I reread the clue for 11d and knew it had to be a peg or fastener, not a sail, so made it a nail.
There were several names that didn't immediately come to mind but they all perped out OK.
Happy, happy BD, KQ.
Good morning everyone. Nice write-up, as usual, C.C. I always look forward to reading your comments.
Not a difficult solve, today. EGO BOOTH pretty well got me onto the theme wavelength. WAGs included ACT II, and LANTANA. I did not know TREE NAIL or ROTTEN STONE, but the perps helped. SPICA is easy to spot in the night sky by following the curved handle of the Big Dipper, in a continuing arc, first to Arcturus and then to Spica near the ecliptic. See Finding Spica halfway down the page. Hands up for LOBLOLLY oozing out of my brain.
Welcome aboard to Irish Miss.
Happy Birthday to KQ.
-8º F here this morning.
Have a great day
Thoroughly enjoyed this, but full disclosure - didn't get the "TADA" and had to red-letter to see where I was wrong - I had CITRus giving me TREEsAIL and LOBLuLLY, both personal Naticks that seemed reasonable, but DING! WRONG! I see Grumpy1 had the same issue, but figured it out. Kudos!
Super writ-up, C.C.
I'm with Hahtool on loving the ATM clue.
There was a big kerfuffle at USC involving a player who crushed his throat bench-pressing in 2009 and later sued the University (in 2011). Not sure how the lawsuit turned out.
Just for trivia sake, Treenail is pronounced trunnel
Kerrys
@Kerry - what is it about sailors? So treenail is pronouned trunnel, I know that gunwale is pronounced gunnel. Is funnel really spelled Funwail? :)
Fun puzzle and blog. Catching on to the theme early made this much easier than it would have been without it. I enjoyed the puns.
We have IO Cable service. It helps me remember the IO MOTH with the big eyeSPOTs watching IO TV.
I love pines and the word LOBLOLLY is fun to say so it sticks in my mind, although I have only actually seen them a few times.
HG, I am glad you picked up on the GUY ALTOs.
My favorite part of the lobster is the CLAW, sweeter and more tender than the tail.
I had LITTLE THINKER before WHY YOU. The WHY held me up for a short time.
ROTTENSTONE,LANTANA, and TREE NAIL were new, but doable with perps and wags.
LOBLOLLY pines: For Christmas my son & DIL gave me a lovely book of classic haiku illustrated with old Japanese prints and wood cuts. My favortie is about the wind soughing in the pines.
How cool the breeze-
the empty sky is filled with
the sound of the pines.
-Onitsura (1660-1738)
31D, BUMMED is why I haven’t posted in the last 2 days. I had several personal snafus, including another snag in an 18 month project. I loved Marti’s puzzle on Fri. and Lemonades’s blog was his best ever. All the comments were so funny and/or interesting. When I tried to post I was asked for my password again. While I was looking it up, my post disappeared. Drat, the last straw! I retreated.
Last night wonderful sister advised me that the tide had gone out, but it would surely come back in again. I will tackle my project yet again and I WILL WIN.
Hello.
Jill at Asilomar this week-end.
Paso Robles next week-end. Best thing is that I can play TV loud enough to hear.
Literally laundered money yesterday. Forgot that I had money in the jeans when I used the washer.
Hard to get excited about football
when there are hockey games being played.
iPad connected to wireless network.
It is ready to add apps.
Take care. Still have my cold.
eddy
Re: 76 Across - What Nixon and Kennedy have in common? I also decided ENS was the correct entry, but not because of letters in each name. Both men were officers in the Navy so both were commissioned as Ensigns during WWII, thus ENS. Anyone else follow this reasoning?
Happy birthday KQ!
I enjoyed this puzzle a lot. For me, it was just the reverse of yesterday. Most of the clues struck a familiar chord in my brain and out would pop a word or expression that made sense. Figuring out the theme also helped me complete the puzzle. Very much fun solving. Thanks for the nice writeup too. (Yes, once I got a letter or two, Spica came easily.)
Also, a nice welcome to Irish Miss and others. Speaking for myself (and maybe for others), I would enjoy it if you would feel comfortable about putting some personal information in your profile, like your location, background, etc. It doesn't seem to have any downside and it makes people feel like they know you a little better. Click on the blue letters next to each post and you will see what the rest of us have shared.
The weather here is cool and cloudy. It rained a little this morning.
I've been enlisted to go watch Jordan's basketball game this afternoon. He's not very good or assertive so he seems a little like a fish out of water. I hope he enjoys it anyway.
Hola Everyone,
I just wanted to wish KQ a very happy birthday and many, many, more. I hope you have something very special planned.
I read the blog on Sunday, but don't usually do the puzzle. Our paper doesn't print the LAT puzzle on Sun., and I don't enjoy doing it on line.
Eddy B. Asilomar Reading conference was my favorite of all the Ed conferences I attended. My daughter is there this weekend.
Have a wonderful day.
Hi All ~~
What a fun theme to this puzzle! I caught on after the first two: FATHERKNOWSBETH and THE LATHSUPPER. However I did not fully appreciate the title ... didn't parse the 'STout and THin' cleverness. Thanks C.C. for this and the other explanations, including the one cell I missed. I guessed a V instead of an I for IOMOTH. I had no idea but after that picture I think I'll remember it!
I hesitated at RUTHBELT even though it fit. It seemed to be the only one of the theme answers where the vowel sound changed. Or maybe I'm missing something.
~~ As others have mentioned, I came up with LOBLOLLY after just a couple of perps ... I have no idea why.
~~ C.C. ~ I did like the clue/answer for 76A - ENS but maybe that's because I got it!
~~ Lucina ~ interesting observation on the religious sub-theme.
~~ I thought of ABBA singing WATERLOO.
Happy Birthday to you, KQ!
(Spam filter ~ be nice.)
Aw, c'mon **** filter!
Don, yes, I was on the same wavelength regarding Ensign.
Once again I'm hoping that 3 times is a charm. Help, Argyle!
KQ: I hope you're enjoying a wonderful Birthday!
Don: Nixon and Kennedy both being ensigns was my WAG, but only since I didn't notice the N's... I really had no idea it was true though! Now that you've said it, I googled and confirmed that they both had been Naval ensigns.
Hi all,
Argyle, I'm still laughing over the parallel bars link!
Unlike some others, this was a real challenge. Not knowing the tree and plant names, ROTTENSTONE, etc. But sometimes a CW grabs you and you get determined to beat it.
After putting it aside and coming back to it several times, finally filled it all in w. no look-ups or red squares. But no congrats. Must have spent the next 20 mins. looking for the typo or whatever. Finally gave up. Hit the check mark icon at the bottom of the CW and what do I get? CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE SOLVED THE PUZZLE! Yes, I did the CW on the LAT website and yes, I should know better. Sad thing is, before they changed the format, I used to do the CW and end up reading half the paper.
Half a cheer!
Live and learn, at least on this blog.
I had no idea about Nixon and Kennedy's mutual status in the Navy only saw the two ENS. Thanks.
In my patio are three gorgeous LANTANA plants which look exactly like your link, C.C. that same color. They extend about 12 feet across with beautiful blooms all year.
VirginiaC:
If you can get your hands on the AZ Republic on Sundays, it has the LA Times puzzle.
Don and Dennis: I tended to agree with you on Nixon, but then vaguely remembered that he might have gotten a direct commission to a higher rank. He was 29 when he entered service and had a law degree and worked for the Government at the time. 29 year olds normally do not enter service as an ensign. This Link seems to say he was appointed a lieutenant junior grade (one rank above ENS) at his entry into service.
LaLaLinda posts are up now. Go back to 2:11.
(Linda, I just don't know....)
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you Peter, for a really good Sunday puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for the equally good review.
Couldn't believe I got 1A right off the bar, JELLO. I like Jello, but seldom eat it.
My first theme answer was BREATHOFCHICKEN. The rest came easily.
Missed on BADBOY and YATES. Had BADBOB and BATES. Knew neither one and guessed on the "B." Should have been a"Y" Oh well.
I have eaten one meal at Sonic. It was a BLT and was terrible. Never went back. On the other hand, I had several BLT's from Jimmy John's yesterday in Chicago and they were outstanding. Some trivia, Jimmy John is from Elgin, IL. He attended the Elgin Academy for high school and was doing terrible. The principal took him under his wing and coached and guided him. He graduated, got into food service, and now has a billion dollar company. He contributed a great deal of money to the Elgin Academy and had a building named after his principal in appreciation for the help he received.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Good afternoon everyone.
Enjoyed the parts of this puzzle I got. The only theme one I got is GHETTO BLATHER, which didn't help me with the others. But I did get several others and felt good about this puzzle.
Agree with what Lemonade said about a strange word like LOBLOLLY lurking in one's brain to appear when needed. Who knew it was there?
Happy birthday, KQ. Hope you have a wonderful celebration. Let us know.
Cheers
Like Bill G, I enjoyed this puzzle a lot, and the fact that I didn't have to look anything up made it even better for me. Liked the theme.
Like Dennis, I also laughed out loud at your comments for 128A and 129A, after it took me 3 seconds to realize what you were referring to, C.C.
In our household we probably use much more rosemary than thyme, but LW and I like both.
Yellowrocks, hang in there. Oh, and don't forget to copy what you have posted before trying to post, so in case it gets wiped out you can post it again.
kerrys, it figures it would be pronounced trunnel. Sorta like how Mainwaring is pronounced Mannering and Worchestershire is pronounced something like Worster or Wooster. In fact, isn't there a town in Massachusetts called Wooster?
Language sure is interesting.
Thanks, C.C. and happy bd to KQ and to many others I have missed when I'm not here.
This was an easy puzzle overall. The only holdup I had was ZAC Efron, but as soon as I had ZED, I knew what it would be. Most of the ones I didn't know "perped" up as I went along. I had a huge LANTANA plant that came up volunteer behind an outbuilding. It lived for years, until the building was moved. Near Bastrop is a state park with the last remaining wild LOBLOLLY pines in Texas. I hope they didn't die in last summer's fires. I use THYME quite a bit in my cooking.
HG, you are more tolerant than I am; I quit going to SONIC after one bad meal!
Abejo, cool story about Jimmy John. So many entrepreneurs, scientists, and artists do poorly in school yet roundly succeed in life. I sometimes wonder what this says about schooling and professionally administered education. (Full disclosure: I hated school and mostly did poorly, skipping many classes, but perhaps this was more due to my greater interest in girls and motorcycles than with any particular intelligence on my part.)
Jayce, Wooster is in Ohio. Wustah is in Massachusetts, not too far from Liecester (Lestah). :)
Hi again,
Since his name keeps cropping up in these CW's, and since, apart from CC, I seem to be one of the few people on the blog for whom Sean Combs, aka Diddy, aka P. Diddy, aka Puff Daddy, aka Puffy, aka Sean John, et.al. is a gimme, y'all might want to check out this link:
Link
Abejo @3:29
If you haven't already left the blog for the day, you might find it interesting to compare your Jimmy John success story w. BADBOY Diddy's.
I'm not really a fan but, love him or hate him, it's quite a story. (See link @ 4:07.)
Cheers!
OH HAPPY DAY! I Actually caught on to the theme and understood the STOUT and THIN with THE LATH SUPPER! Thank you, Peter Collins! So rare for me.
I tried to do this at 8 a.m. and decided four hours of sleep was not conducive to puzzle solving. Went back for another four hours. Then was off and happily solving.
Okay, so I didn't get the O before MOTH or the I in NEGRI. I looked at the map to see where was Puerto Vallarta. I love to study maps.
Still a great start to a new week. Thanks C.C. and all you bloggers for the links.
- PK -
Grumpy 1, ha, yes, exactly :)
Wow! What a story of BADBOY owner, Sean Combs. Thanks for posting it, len.
Abejo: nice story from you, too, about the principal. If only all teaching were so dedicated as has been said many times on this blog.
I have twice been to Guadalajara. The first time I over indulged in the sumptuous tropical fruit and was wickedly sick for a week as Montezuma took his revenge on me.
Watching the Packers/Giants game, and Jake Ballard (TE - NY) had me thinking of Russ Ballard.
Anyone remember this song from the 80s?
Voices (4:08)
ant, I thought instead of this Ballard.
Dennis, a bit of a generation gap there, eh? I was going to mention how much Hank sounds like Chubby Checker, but I see that it's all been addressed in the comments.
Btw, I wanted to point out to you: someone posted a late-night blog entry a few days ago using the name of "D's 2 Squeeze" - which I thought sounded like a great name for your new endeavor (you know, if Jiffy Boob is already taken).
Some more trivia today. I had heard of both the Loblolly pine and also, from Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin series, of a loblolly boy. Today I pursued the long-time nagging question in my mind, what do they have in common?
Wikipedia, (of course), states, "A loblolly boy on a warship was a non-professional assistant to the ship's surgeon... The name itself comes from the serving of loblolly – a thick porridge... to sick or injured crewmembers... Loblolly, in turn, probably comes from the fusion of lob, a Yorkshire word meaning to boil or bubble, and lolly, an archaic English word for a stew or soup. Loblolly itself eventually came to mean anything viscous, such as a swamp or bog, and terms such as the Loblolly pine were coined from the muddy habitat of the tree rather than from any culinary use."
So now you know.
Have lantana in my yard. It smells so bad it helps keep the deer away.
Wanted "long BaLl" off the B in the "Blast from Babe" clue... had not got the theme yet.
All in all, a good, if easy, Sunday puzzle... good for a Sunday of watching football games. Go Giants, (I don't want my Niners to have to go to Green Bay)!
To len:
OK, I read the Diddy ditty. Yes, it appears he is highly successful. Good thing he can afford high-priced lawyers, otherwise he may have had a different ending. This is a free country (thank goodness) and I congratulate him on pursuing his free-enterprise interests.
I am watching the Packers/Giants game. I am rooting for the Packers, since the Bears folded. However, they are not doing very well. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Why do some bloggers have a problem getting the puzzle? I get it from the first page of this blog. Under the list of contributors is a line that says "L.A. Times Crossword online." I click on it and follow the prompts on the next page. Beside the options tab, it has a tab to print. I haven't printed it because I work it online. I don't have an ink cartridge in my printer right now but I did follow the print procedure up to the "Print" command and it looks like it would work.
A too-clever way to turn a page in the newspaper. Somebody's got a lot of imagination and a lot of time on his hands.
Page turner
I didn't finish.
But for me, 111A Big house local = Ann Arbor, MI.
I went back and reread my previous post. It might sound like I'm putting the guy down. Sorry, that's not what I intended. I very much admire his creativity.
Here's another video of a guy who's either very skillful, very lucky or was willing to do a lot of retakes.
Video
Well, I watched the Packers go down in flames. Even the Bears could have beat them today. It is pretty bad when the quarterback is the leading rusher for the team.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Hello Spitzboov - I stand corrected, Nixon did apparently leapfrog ENS to be directly commissioned a LtJG. Thanks for checking. And I'm sure this puzzle's clever and thorough creator knew that, leaving the double n's as the only legitimate rationale for ENS. But sometimes, ignorance is bliss -- at least when the end result is correct despite faulty reasoning.
Bill G's Rube Goldberg page turner machine would try my patience as a reader. But it reminds me of the fun Mouse Trap game I played with my grandson when he was younger.
From Groucho Marx's Duck Soup:
You try my patience.
Don't mind if do. You must come over and try mine sometime.
Bill G. @ 7:04
WOW Bill! Where do you find all these amazing videos! They're so, uh, INSPIRATIONAL!!!
Worchester is the town pronounced "wustah" as previously posted. YR, thank you for the kind words on my write up, but hopefully the best has yet to be.
No Lemonade, it is
Worcester, MA.
Duh! Sorry, that was careless of me, as I have spent many hours in Worcester, living 27 miles due south in Putnam, Connecticut. Sometimes my hands do not listen to my brain, and we always would say WAR CHESTER to be silly when I was young.
I thought some of you might be interested to know that the moon, Saturn and Spica will be close together tonight, forming a little triangle. Nothing that special but Spica was mentioned in the puzzle.
Len, I find these videos in various places. In these instances, my son thought I would like both of them. I figure if I enjoy something, maybe some of you will too.
Did anyone else watch the Golden Globe awards? Salma Hayek and Colin Forth are spectacularly beautiful people! Jane Fonda as well and Sidney Poitier looks like a wise and elegant mentor. Yowza!
In case you are interested some of the winners were Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Laura Dern, Jessica Lange and Madonna.
Steven Spielberg, too.
Bill G:
Those are some fascinating videos and my question is also where do you find them? The page turner is really funny.
Hello All,
Hello All,
Re. the videos again. I don't go out looking for them usually; they seem to find me. I don't have a Facebook page so I occasionally look at Barbara's. I find some there. My son sends me some including these two. I think of myself as an editor. I throw away all the trashy stuff or things that don't seem that interesting. What you see are the ones I enjoy; maybe because they are clever or informative or emotional or ...? I'm glad you enjoy them.
Hello All,
Well I did work the CW today....on line since Sundays our paper has Merle Reagle. I got half done and then erased it.@#$$#%^! Since it had been going so well, I brought it back up (empty of course) and picked up where I left off. I have to call it DNF but it was fun, all the same.
Speaking of disadvantaged students responding to a caring teacher, I just finished "The Freedom Writers' Diary" which I got for Christmas. Its a remarkable story about a first year teacher in Long Beach CA who is given classes of 'at risk' students for freshman English and how she gets them so involved that she sees them through all four years and all of them qualify for college. Idon't think it's a new book because it's a movie, which I now have on my Netflix queue. Great reading! I recommend it!
CONT'D.
The writer/teacher must have lived that class 24/7. It's a true story by Erin Gruwell.
eddyB - are you on the Monterey Peninsula?
The waves really can be loud there. I'm sure you'll find Paso Robles way more quiet, unless you're staying on the 101.
I did the puzzle today and liked it. Didn't have time to comment though.
Funny story about the Pacific Ocean.
After my MIL died in 2006, we encouraged my husband's sister to move to CA so she could be near what family she had left.
We took her on several trips to visit our favorite places on the CA coast. After the fourth or fifth trip she told us she really "disliked" the Pacific because it was too loud. Bad Ocean!
Rube:
That's really interesting about the LOBLOLLY etymology.
Re: LANTANA, are you sure that's what is growing in your yard? Mine has almost no scent of any kind.
Lucina - Lantana has a distinctive odor and it's not very pleasant.
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