Theme: "Pajama Party" - Each two-word common phrase starts with letters P & J.
23A. April first activity : PRACTICAL JOKE. And 92. Good 23-Across, say : RIOT.
28A. Place to connect : PHONE JACK
34A. Commercial flier : PASSENGER JET
50A. Skin lotion ingredient : PETROLEUM JELLY. Sounds so greasy to me. I've never used Vaseline.
63A. Many a bar : PICK-UP JOINT. Wow, I don't know there's a term for this. I know almost every bar in Guangzhou. Wasted youth, but I had fun.
84A. Piña colada ingredient : PINEAPPLE JUICE. Great tenderizer also.
94A. Local connection vehicle : PUDDLE JUMPER. Also new to me.
104A. Unlikely beauty contest entrant : PLAIN JANE
112A. Being hoist with one's own petard : POETIC JUSTICE. OK, help me. The clue is an adjective phrase, the answer is a noun. No?
I often try to guess what the theme is after I read the puzzle title on Sundays. Today I guessed right! Constructing has definitely improved my solving skill.
9 theme answers with 107 squares are quite a lot to grid, esp with those scrabbly J's. Today's grid is remarkably clean. The four corners (NW, NE, SW & SE) are challenging to pull off, hence the four helper squares.
Across:
8. Lets out : FREEs
13. Get down from : HOP OFF
19. Baja California city : TIJUANA. This is where Dennis sinned. Argyle too.
20. Great Seal symbol : EAGLE
21. Uniform adornment : EPAULET. Or EPAULETTE. French for "little shoulder".
25. Servile followers : MINIONS
26. Some tabloid pairs : EXES. Like J-Lo and Mark Anthony.
27. Beverage nut : KOLA
30. Wax partner : WANE
31. Blow, as a lead : LOSE
33. Delights : ELATES
40. Crazes : FADS
42. 1976 raid site : ENTEBBE. Uganda. "Seat" in its local language, according to Wiki.
43. Moving through water, in a way : OARING. Why do I want an extra R?
45. Dexterous : DEFT
49. Mother __ : TERESA. One tenacious tiny lady.
54. Hot under the collar : IRATE
55. Not seasoned : RAW
56. Eponymous Hungarian inventor : ERNO RUBIK. Hey, full name.
57. Strike lightly : TAP ON
58. Tim Tebow teammate : BRONCO. Gator Mom started raving about Tebow 2 or 3 years ago on the blog.
62. What you will : ESTATE. Nice clue.
67. Jordan neighbor : ISRAEL
72. Unkempt : SLOPPY
73. Military material : KHAKI
78. Klondike Gold Rush figure : SOURDOUGH. Not familiar with Klondike Gold Rush (1897 and 1899). Ended when gold was found in Nome, "prompting an exodus from the Klondike".
82. Key near F1 : ESC. Did you peek at your computer?
83. Consumed : EATEN
88. "Black Swan" director Aronofsky : DARREN. Gimme. His long-time girlfriend Rachel Weisz just married the latest Bond last year.
89. Madrid Ms. : SRTA
90. 2007-'08 NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin : DURANT. Is he still good?
91. Real : GENUINE. So I heard Lemonade's voice last year. Very young.
97. Capital west of Baton Rouge : AUSTIN
101. K-6 : ELEM
103. Hayworth of Hollywood : RITA
106. Hawaii's coffee capital : KONA
107. Cuba o Majorca : ISLA
111. Typical sudoku entry : INTEGER. Man, I just can't handle Sudoku. Gives me headache.
117. Most stretched : TAUTEST
118. Finished : ENDED
119. Only place where some ideas look good : ON PAPER. Great clue/answer.
120. Wears : SPORTS
121. Winter fabrics : WOOLS
122. Some younger lovers, in slang : BOY TOYS. J-Lo's new boyfriend won't like this clue.
Down:
1. "The Racer's Edge" : STP
2. Green land : EIRE. Also ERIN.
3. "Iliad" hero : AJAX
4. Fortune founder : LUCE. Also "Time".
5. Nearly four-hr. exams : SATs. 53. Some 5-Down takers : JRS
6. Cycle starter : UNI. Unicycle.
7. FedEx delivery : PACKAGE. Sometimes I don't think those guys love their job. Marti's mail carrier is an exception. So is our blog Saturday man.
8. Hall of Fame pitcher known as "Bullet Bob" : FELLER (Bob). Dazzling fastball.
9. Delhi prince : RAJA
10. Source of chutzpah : EGO. I like the word "chutzpah".
11. Fraternal order member : ELK
12. Oozes : SEEPS
13. Blood: Pref. : HEMO
14. Made a suggestion, say : OPINED
15. Judging groups : PANELs
16. Mystical board : OUIJA. "Yes" (French) and "Yes" (German).
17. A&W offering : FLOAT
18. Illicit dealer : FENCE
22. Clucking sounds : TSKs
24. Crackerjack : A-ONE
29. One often seen among Bunnies : HEFNER (Hugh). Can you picture Argyle lives Hef's lifestyle?
30. Seattle Storm's gp. : WNBA
31. "O, let me not be mad" speaker : LEAR
32. Another, in Argentina : OTRO
34. It may come before four : PETIT. Petit four, French for "small oven". I just knew it wouldn't be THREE.
35. Birth of __ : AN ERA. I've only used "End of an era".
36. Band : STRAP
37. Handle : SEE TO
38. "Beverly Hillbillies" star : EBSEN (Buddy)
39. Mark (down) : JOT
41. "Son of __!" : A GUN
44. Seine sight : ILE. French for "island".
45. Fifth bk. of the Torah : DEUT. Torah has the same content as Old Testament, right?
46. 1814-'15 exile site : ELBA. Napoleon.
47. Dart : FLIT
48. Kid : TYKE
50. Place for un pique-nique : PARC. French for "park". French "picnic" looks funny.
51. Furry moon dweller : EWOK
52. Bubbly name : MOET
55. HR consequence : RBI. And 108. 55-Down, for one : STAT. Here's another whimsy Haiku from Ant's book:
another cold front
i oil
my glove
59. Mu followers : NUS. Greek alphabet.
60. NCO below Sgt. : CPL
61. Eye, to Eduardo : OJO
63. Plunk down : PLOP
64. Crude gp. : OPEC. Crude oil.
65. __ dixit: assertion without proof : IPSE
66. Lincoln Ctr. locale : NYC
67. AOL et al. : ISPs
68. Dark time in Dijon : SOIR. "Evening". Bon soir!
69. Squirt : RUNT
70. Bailiwick : AREA
71. Child-care writer LeShan : EDA
73. Sandra's "The Lake House" co-star : KEANU (Reeves). They also co-starred "Speed" of course.
74. __-scarum : HARUM. New word to me. Sounds very DF.
75. Anchor position : ATRIP. Just off the bottom. From now on, I won't feel bad if miss any nautical term. See, our sailor D-Otto couldn't even tell whether he's a buoy or a gull.
76. Southern New Hampshire city : KEENE. What is it famous for again?
77. Private : INNER
79. Prom coif : UPDO
80. Allergen found in most bread : GLUTEN. Unless it's marked "gluten-free". Rice has no gluten.
81. HRH part : HER
85. Joke : JAPE. Tiny clue/Answer dupe with 23A.
86. "One" on a one : UNUM. "E pluribus unum". On a "one dollar" bill.
87. "__ be my pleasure!" : IT'D
88. Start of a familiarity illusion : DEJA
91. Find work : GET A JOB
92. Impostor : RINGER
93. Not seriously : IN JEST. Like some of the comments on our blog, esp Jazzbumpa's & Tinbeni's.
95. iPhone alternatives : DROIDS
96. "The Mod Squad" role : LINC
97. Make __ stop : A PIT
98. Radii neighbors : ULNAS
99. Showed sudden interest : SAT UP. You want to sit up and listen? 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. Bra fitting is a good career for Dummy.
100. Connect with : TIE TO
102. Skunk seeking l'amour : LEPEW
105. Liberal group? : ARTS. Liberal arts.
106. "Hooked on Classics" label : K-TEL.
107. '60s Cosby/Culp series : I SPY
109. Slimming option, for short : LIPO. I wonder why fat always grows on stomach area.
110. __-deucy : ACEY
113. John __ Lennon : ONO
114. Former name for Tokyo : EDO
115. Game with colorful cards : UNO
116. MD workplaces : ERs
Answer grid.
Some extra notes:
1) Thanks for the sweet comments yesterday, everyone. You all warmed my heart on this cold winter morning.
2) Happy 66th birthday to our witty constructor John Lampkin and Happy 80th Birthday to our proud grandma & great-grandma Marge!
3) Happy Year of Dragon! A year of hope and courage.
C.C.
23A. April first activity : PRACTICAL JOKE. And 92. Good 23-Across, say : RIOT.
28A. Place to connect : PHONE JACK
34A. Commercial flier : PASSENGER JET
50A. Skin lotion ingredient : PETROLEUM JELLY. Sounds so greasy to me. I've never used Vaseline.
63A. Many a bar : PICK-UP JOINT. Wow, I don't know there's a term for this. I know almost every bar in Guangzhou. Wasted youth, but I had fun.
84A. Piña colada ingredient : PINEAPPLE JUICE. Great tenderizer also.
94A. Local connection vehicle : PUDDLE JUMPER. Also new to me.
104A. Unlikely beauty contest entrant : PLAIN JANE
112A. Being hoist with one's own petard : POETIC JUSTICE. OK, help me. The clue is an adjective phrase, the answer is a noun. No?
I often try to guess what the theme is after I read the puzzle title on Sundays. Today I guessed right! Constructing has definitely improved my solving skill.
9 theme answers with 107 squares are quite a lot to grid, esp with those scrabbly J's. Today's grid is remarkably clean. The four corners (NW, NE, SW & SE) are challenging to pull off, hence the four helper squares.
Across:
8. Lets out : FREEs
13. Get down from : HOP OFF
19. Baja California city : TIJUANA. This is where Dennis sinned. Argyle too.
20. Great Seal symbol : EAGLE
21. Uniform adornment : EPAULET. Or EPAULETTE. French for "little shoulder".
25. Servile followers : MINIONS
26. Some tabloid pairs : EXES. Like J-Lo and Mark Anthony.
27. Beverage nut : KOLA
30. Wax partner : WANE
31. Blow, as a lead : LOSE
33. Delights : ELATES
40. Crazes : FADS
42. 1976 raid site : ENTEBBE. Uganda. "Seat" in its local language, according to Wiki.
43. Moving through water, in a way : OARING. Why do I want an extra R?
45. Dexterous : DEFT
49. Mother __ : TERESA. One tenacious tiny lady.
54. Hot under the collar : IRATE
55. Not seasoned : RAW
56. Eponymous Hungarian inventor : ERNO RUBIK. Hey, full name.
57. Strike lightly : TAP ON
58. Tim Tebow teammate : BRONCO. Gator Mom started raving about Tebow 2 or 3 years ago on the blog.
62. What you will : ESTATE. Nice clue.
67. Jordan neighbor : ISRAEL
72. Unkempt : SLOPPY
73. Military material : KHAKI
78. Klondike Gold Rush figure : SOURDOUGH. Not familiar with Klondike Gold Rush (1897 and 1899). Ended when gold was found in Nome, "prompting an exodus from the Klondike".
82. Key near F1 : ESC. Did you peek at your computer?
83. Consumed : EATEN
88. "Black Swan" director Aronofsky : DARREN. Gimme. His long-time girlfriend Rachel Weisz just married the latest Bond last year.
89. Madrid Ms. : SRTA
90. 2007-'08 NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin : DURANT. Is he still good?
91. Real : GENUINE. So I heard Lemonade's voice last year. Very young.
97. Capital west of Baton Rouge : AUSTIN
101. K-6 : ELEM
103. Hayworth of Hollywood : RITA
106. Hawaii's coffee capital : KONA
107. Cuba o Majorca : ISLA
111. Typical sudoku entry : INTEGER. Man, I just can't handle Sudoku. Gives me headache.
117. Most stretched : TAUTEST
118. Finished : ENDED
119. Only place where some ideas look good : ON PAPER. Great clue/answer.
120. Wears : SPORTS
121. Winter fabrics : WOOLS
122. Some younger lovers, in slang : BOY TOYS. J-Lo's new boyfriend won't like this clue.
Down:
1. "The Racer's Edge" : STP
2. Green land : EIRE. Also ERIN.
3. "Iliad" hero : AJAX
4. Fortune founder : LUCE. Also "Time".
5. Nearly four-hr. exams : SATs. 53. Some 5-Down takers : JRS
6. Cycle starter : UNI. Unicycle.
7. FedEx delivery : PACKAGE. Sometimes I don't think those guys love their job. Marti's mail carrier is an exception. So is our blog Saturday man.
8. Hall of Fame pitcher known as "Bullet Bob" : FELLER (Bob). Dazzling fastball.
9. Delhi prince : RAJA
10. Source of chutzpah : EGO. I like the word "chutzpah".
11. Fraternal order member : ELK
12. Oozes : SEEPS
13. Blood: Pref. : HEMO
14. Made a suggestion, say : OPINED
15. Judging groups : PANELs
16. Mystical board : OUIJA. "Yes" (French) and "Yes" (German).
17. A&W offering : FLOAT
18. Illicit dealer : FENCE
22. Clucking sounds : TSKs
24. Crackerjack : A-ONE
29. One often seen among Bunnies : HEFNER (Hugh). Can you picture Argyle lives Hef's lifestyle?
30. Seattle Storm's gp. : WNBA
31. "O, let me not be mad" speaker : LEAR
32. Another, in Argentina : OTRO
34. It may come before four : PETIT. Petit four, French for "small oven". I just knew it wouldn't be THREE.
35. Birth of __ : AN ERA. I've only used "End of an era".
36. Band : STRAP
37. Handle : SEE TO
38. "Beverly Hillbillies" star : EBSEN (Buddy)
39. Mark (down) : JOT
41. "Son of __!" : A GUN
44. Seine sight : ILE. French for "island".
45. Fifth bk. of the Torah : DEUT. Torah has the same content as Old Testament, right?
46. 1814-'15 exile site : ELBA. Napoleon.
47. Dart : FLIT
48. Kid : TYKE
50. Place for un pique-nique : PARC. French for "park". French "picnic" looks funny.
51. Furry moon dweller : EWOK
52. Bubbly name : MOET
55. HR consequence : RBI. And 108. 55-Down, for one : STAT. Here's another whimsy Haiku from Ant's book:
another cold front
i oil
my glove
59. Mu followers : NUS. Greek alphabet.
60. NCO below Sgt. : CPL
61. Eye, to Eduardo : OJO
63. Plunk down : PLOP
64. Crude gp. : OPEC. Crude oil.
65. __ dixit: assertion without proof : IPSE
66. Lincoln Ctr. locale : NYC
67. AOL et al. : ISPs
68. Dark time in Dijon : SOIR. "Evening". Bon soir!
69. Squirt : RUNT
70. Bailiwick : AREA
71. Child-care writer LeShan : EDA
73. Sandra's "The Lake House" co-star : KEANU (Reeves). They also co-starred "Speed" of course.
74. __-scarum : HARUM. New word to me. Sounds very DF.
75. Anchor position : ATRIP. Just off the bottom. From now on, I won't feel bad if miss any nautical term. See, our sailor D-Otto couldn't even tell whether he's a buoy or a gull.
76. Southern New Hampshire city : KEENE. What is it famous for again?
77. Private : INNER
79. Prom coif : UPDO
80. Allergen found in most bread : GLUTEN. Unless it's marked "gluten-free". Rice has no gluten.
81. HRH part : HER
85. Joke : JAPE. Tiny clue/Answer dupe with 23A.
86. "One" on a one : UNUM. "E pluribus unum". On a "one dollar" bill.
87. "__ be my pleasure!" : IT'D
88. Start of a familiarity illusion : DEJA
91. Find work : GET A JOB
92. Impostor : RINGER
93. Not seriously : IN JEST. Like some of the comments on our blog, esp Jazzbumpa's & Tinbeni's.
95. iPhone alternatives : DROIDS
96. "The Mod Squad" role : LINC
97. Make __ stop : A PIT
98. Radii neighbors : ULNAS
99. Showed sudden interest : SAT UP. You want to sit up and listen? 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. Bra fitting is a good career for Dummy.
100. Connect with : TIE TO
102. Skunk seeking l'amour : LEPEW
105. Liberal group? : ARTS. Liberal arts.
106. "Hooked on Classics" label : K-TEL.
107. '60s Cosby/Culp series : I SPY
109. Slimming option, for short : LIPO. I wonder why fat always grows on stomach area.
110. __-deucy : ACEY
113. John __ Lennon : ONO
114. Former name for Tokyo : EDO
115. Game with colorful cards : UNO
116. MD workplaces : ERs
Answer grid.
Some extra notes:
1) Thanks for the sweet comments yesterday, everyone. You all warmed my heart on this cold winter morning.
2) Happy 66th birthday to our witty constructor John Lampkin and Happy 80th Birthday to our proud grandma & great-grandma Marge!
3) Happy Year of Dragon! A year of hope and courage.
C.C.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteGot friends and family coming over today for a combined Chinese New Year celebration/Playoffs Party. Well, they're all coming over for the Chinese New Year celebration. I'll be in the basement with a plate of Chinese food watching the Pats on the big screen...
Fun puzzle today. Like C.C., I figured out the theme right away and that made the solving experience much smoother. It helped espeically when I got a bit stuck in the SW corner and was rescued by PLAIN JANE. I got myself into a little trouble there with ULNAE instead of ULNAS, which led me to put in ERODES instead of SPORTS at 120A.
Good Morning, C.C. and friends. As soon as I saw the theme title, I knew that the theme clues would begin with P and J. That made the puzzle quite easy to solve.
ReplyDeleteI liked seeing Cuba o Majorca = ISLA and Seine Sight = ILA.
Favorite clues included: What You Will = ESTATE.
I also liked Crude Gp. = OPEC and Only Place Where Some Ideas Look Good = ON PAPER.
I bit of a mini theme here with the clues and answers: Neighbor of Jordan = Israel / 1976 Raid Site = ENTEBBE / 5th Book of Torah = DEUT / and even Chutzpah.
C.C.: Torah consists of the first 5 books of what non-Jews call the Old Testament.
Happy Birthday, Marge and John Lampkin!
QOD: Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment. ~ Robert Benchley
GUNG HAY FAT CHOY all!
ReplyDeleteYou especially, CC, and Jeff Chen too.
However. That was a lovely write-up CC but, with respect, the theme should be: DF!
Tsk, tsk, Jeff Chen! Hugh HEFNER was only the beginning! There was 7D PACKAGE. (Heidi Klum hooked up with Seal because of the size of his "package". Apparently he's hung like a BRONCO. Now they're getting unhooked.) There's PASSENGER JET (Coffee, tea or me?) There's PUDDLE JUMPER (Monica Lewinsky. Pretty SLOPPY, Bill. Talk about BOYTOYS!)There's HOPOFF- what you do before lighting a cigarette and sending out for pizza. And- there's PETROLEUM JELLY!!! And STP if you're out of petroleum jelly but can't wait.(And that haiku, CC, tsk tsk to you too!) And the "climax" of my argument - ISRAEL!!!
DF and UNPC!
(Like everything I post, watch at your own risk. My sense of humor may not be the same as yours!)
Cheers all!
C.C.: Congratulations on keeping this blog going for 4 years! I think I came in around the year and a half mark. It has been a fun and learning experience.
ReplyDeleteHi There ~!
ReplyDeleteYes, the theme came easily once I figured out Phone Jack - the "P" and "J" were already filled in. Simple, but widespread theme fill, too.
And we don't throw packages, we, uh, "handle" parcels at UPS....
We have Giant football playoffs to watch on the big screen, too.
I did not know this was the year of the dragon, but I like it - even though my Chinese zodiac sign is the "pig" (or boar, I like to say).
Splynter
Damn, I like Sunday puzzles - nice and long, not too easy and usually a clever theme. Today's is no exception. As Barry said, getting the theme early helped throughout. My only write-over was at 55D, 'HR consequence' where I already had the 'r' from 'raw' and put 'run' instead of 'RBI'. Hopefully, no one had any write-overs at 49A...
ReplyDeleteC.C., your comment about Tijuana, ".....where Dennis sinned" made me realize what my name is backwards. Imagine my surprise. Len, shockingly, I picked up on the DF sub-theme too.
Regarding last night -- it really bothered me to see mtnest995 say that she'd suggested our blog to a couple of her friends, but that "they're afraid of the dark facade". There's nothing we can do about the sniping anons (other than delete them as quickly as we see them), but we really do C.C. a disservice when we engage them. I can't believe I'm saying that since I absolutely love going after them, but that comment made me realize we hurt the blog by doing so. I'll try very hard to do a better job of not dropping to their level, and WH, my buddy, you have to too. We owe it to C.C.
On a brighter note, a very Happy Birthday to Marge and to one of my favorite constructors, John Lampkin. Many, many more.
Good Morning All, I'm sorry I've missed so much in the past few weeks. (I know....ever since I took the scope off the rifle.)
ReplyDeleteA day late, but a sincere congratulations to C.C. and to her trusty posse for the wonderful blog.
GAH and I are still hot on the moving trail.....it takes a lot longer when you're not a kid anymore. So, I haven't had time for puzzling.
I hope to be able to start solving and commenting again in a couple of weeks.
That's all for now....packing up the Odyssey for another trip to the new place today.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteToday's PJ theme came in handy, caught on early and filled faster. Hand up for ULNAE, it seemed to fit the clue better. Got a bit boggled around RUBIK, didn't quite realize the overlap between Torahs and Bibles. Not a religious scholar, myself.
ENTEBBE came right to mind, I just saw The Last King of Scotland on Netflix. Painful to watch, but good moviemaking.
Good morning, Sunday Solvers!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle today...nice theme, not too tough. My only misstep was WADING before OARING, but the perps fixed that quickly. (Dennis, were you OARING in TIJUANA?)
CC, you really didn't have to bring that up again! You mentioned Guangzhou. My limited travels in China back in the early '80's included Guangzhou, Zhanjiang, and we got "weathered in" at a resort in Sanya on Hainan. Nobody there spoke English, and nobody in my awl-field party spoke any Chinese. They served us food buffet style, and if we ate something, it'd make a repeat appearance next meal. It's really weird eating lobster with orange soda for breakfast!
Good Morning C.C. , and happy birthday John Lampkin! You always make me chuckle, with your antics and your humorous puzzles. And happy birthday to you, too, Marge! It must be a red-letter day on your special Betty White autographed celebrity pet calendar!!
ReplyDeleteI also chuckled at the sub-theme of lovers today with HEFNER, LEPEW, BOY TOYS…I wonder if they all frequent PICKUP JOINTS?? I stopped at 49A Mother ******, Dennis, because I had also wondered how to fit B***H at 41A.
Five hours to kick-off!
Happy Anniversary, C.C.! Four years is a long time to dedicate to a daily blog. My heartfelt admiration and congratulations go out to you...and to everyone who keeps this ship afloat.
ReplyDeleteFrom yesterday: I'm not an iPhone/iPad user - but for those with anDROIDS, check out the market for the "Shortyz" crossword app. It's free, and has all the major crosswords (though WSJ requires a subscription). It's also a breeze to use.
The only song that popped out at me today was Good Evening (4:21) by Hawkwind. Not due to SOIR, but GETAJOB. Yes, its a weird song, but Hawkwind is a weird band.
Oh, and I guess this EWOK song (1:45) was playing in my head at some point, too.
Fun puzzle for me too. Lots of df. Some baseball. And a shout out for me as my life revolves around PHONE JACKs(RJ11) and computer jacks(RJ45).
ReplyDeleteThis song by The Flaming Lips(more df) is fun to sing along with because my voice blends right in!
The song has been covered many times. This version by Ben Folds Five is more refined and blog friendly.
Of course a puzzle with STP and PETROLEUM JELLY must get this link
Finally, happy birthday to John Lampkin, a real punny guy
Happy Birthday John L. and Marge, and many more.
ReplyDeleteHARUM-SCARUM has been around a long times, and always remins me of HELTER SKELTER, which is now associated with the Manson murders for all time.
In the list of DF, I surprised 'Oaring was left off, and fascinated to learn Dennis goes backwards and forwards.
Thanks for the comment C.C., my voice has apparently stayed young as I have aged.
Ans thank you Jeff Chen for a nice way to begin Sunday
Just an update on the iPad crossword apps for Frenchie et al.
ReplyDeleteThere is an Across Lite app that is free. It will allow you to download the LAT puzzle as well, but I am not fond of the interface for solving. But it's free, so you can try it out, and if it works for you, then great!
BTW, great to hear from you CA; go slow and feel great.
ReplyDeleteSorry...I meant the NYT requires a paid subscription through the Shortyz app. The WSJ does not.
ReplyDeleteGo Browns!
Wait. What do you mean "they're not playing today?"
Good morning, puzzlers all. Thank you, C.C., for a lovely blog today.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday John Lampkin and Marge! I hope you will be celebrating all day.
Jeff Chen, thank you for the "Pajama Party." I was on your wave length almost immediately and WBS (what Barry said).
I, too, liked the clean look of complete words and only a few phrases.
My naticks occurred at DEUT and ESTATE (that is so clever) and also misspelled TYKE as TYCO.
I took a stab at DARREN Aronofsky and KEENE; that worked out.
An entertaining time with this puzzle.
CA:
Good to 'see' you and good luck with your move.
Have a superb Sunday, everyone!
Good morning all. Great puzzle today. Baby Bears Porridge...just right. Never got stuck, but never got bored.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Marge and John Lampkin. I thought at first when I saw that picture of John it was a Jackalope disguise:-)
CA, I hope the move is over soon and you get a chance to rest.
Go Niners!
Good morning all. Thanks, C.C. for the comments.
ReplyDeleteInteresting theme with all the J's. Even a few extras like AJAX/TIJUANA. Few more K's than usual; KAHKI, KONA. I don't remember the 'hoist on ones petard' clue before, but I've always liked the phrase. C.C., I questioned the grammar agreement, too. Maybe one of our English mavens could comment? I remember the ENTEBBE hostage freeing raid. The only casualty was their leader, Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the current PM of ISRAEL's brother. Overall, a nice Sunday workout.
Happy Birthday to John L. and to Marge.
First of all, a happy belated anniversary to C.C. and the Corner. I really enjoy reading through the daily comments, even when I don't have time to post my own.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fairly speedy run for me for a Sunday. Only the DARREN/ATRIP cross gave me much pause. My learning moment was the reference to SOURDOUGH as a nickname for gold prospectors. Never heard that before.
The football games today are more or less a battle of the lesser of evils for me. Go Harbaugh Brothers!
Musings
ReplyDelete-HBD John and Marge!
-Fun time Jeff with just a few hmm’s
-Our Phone Jack is going bye-bye
-TV news shows hire frumpy old men like me but I can’t recall any Plain Jane’s
-Could a Brit go OARING in a Pickup Joint?
-Tebow has a name; everyone else is just a BRONCO
-DURANT is alive and doing very well in OKC
-Them INTEGERS can be tricky to place
-Buying Beta instead of VHS looked Good On Paper 25 years ago
-Iowan Bullet Bob threw over 100 mph for years
-A & W root beer is the best
-Joe Paterno’s death marks the End of an ERA. Many think this mess ended his will to live.
-Does the Parc have a Banc?
-Noir? Nuit? Nope, it’s SOIR and ULNAS not ULNAE
-Loved DEJA cluing
Keene NH is known for the Pumpkin Festival.
ReplyDeleteNorth,to Alaska(2:51)
ReplyDeleteHello.
ReplyDeleteRIP, Joe.
eddy
CC and Spitz: I'm no English maven, but I believe the cluing for 112A is a gerund phrase. Since gerunds are used as nouns, and the answer is a noun, I don't see a discrepancy.
ReplyDeleteCC: Interesting observation on OUI JA. I never noticed it before.
Husker: I guess you're saying that BRONCO isn't a person's name. Figured it was something like Bronco Billy. Oh well...
HG-
ReplyDeleteI do a bit of oaring at The Cock & Swain, meself. It's all right, as long as the length of the wood is up for the ride.
Aha! The theme helped me quite a bit today - got me filling in those long answers without needing the help of few, if any, crosses.
ReplyDeleteNow, two nits from me - RADII = ULNAE, RADIUSES = ULNUS.
And I don't consider the evening (SOIR) a dark time, that would be night (NUIT) whether you're in Dijon or anywhere else.
Some great fill, EPAULET, MINIONS, BOYTOYS, GENUINE all seems nice and smooth to me.
My brother is a UPS driver in the UK, and he loves his job. He has a primarily rural route in southern England - Thomas Hardy country - and counts his blessings every day when he pulls over to eat his lunch and enjoy the bucolic scenery. He swears he's never indulged in any YouTube-worthy parcel-tossing.
The Klondike gave us SOURDOUGH bread, Levi's jeans AND THE SAN FRANCISCO FORTY-NINERS! GO NINERS! WOOO HOOO!
Sorry, I'll calm down now. Happy Sunday, y'all
Good afternoon, all. Happy, Happy to Marge and John, and Happy Chinese New Year to all. On St. Pats Day, everyone is Irish, so I guess we can all be Chinese for a day and celebrate the start of the Year of the Dragon.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle was a fairly easy solve. I wasn't familiar with an anchor being ATRIP or with DARREN Aronofsky, but the R was easy enough to wag with everything else in place.
I think the 'petard' clue could be a misprint with the 'ed' left off of 'hoist'. 'To hoist' or 'being hoisted', etc = POETIC JUSTICE works, being hoist doesn't.
We used to use PUDDLE JUMPER to refer to an older, usually small, car that wasn't good for much, other than short trips.
Dennis sinned... who'd a thunk it! LOL
Hi All ~~
ReplyDeleteA fun and fairly speedy puzzle today. I had just a few slowdowns:
~~ I wasn't sure about the crossing of DARREN & ATRIP and the D in SOURDOUGH, as chan also mentioned.
~~ I read the clue for 101A too quickly and wrote 'Elhi' instead of ELEM. That gave my 'Josh' before JAPE for 'Joke' on 55D.
~~ I actually thought of 'Welk' as in 'Lawrence' for 52D - 'Bubbly name.' I remember him from my childhood and more recently from SNL skits!
~~ When TAUTEST filled in at 117A I realized that I had been thinking of the clue as something being 'stretched out' rather than just stretched - just the opposite -DUH.
All in all, an enjoyable Sunday puzzle. Thanks for the write-up C.C. As always I love your comments after the answers. Happy New Year!
Getting ready for football. I live in New England but I'm not a Brady fan, (1st game) and my brother is a 49ers fan but I like Eli (2nd game) ... I just hope they're good games!
Happy Birthday to Marge and John Lampkin!
I didn't even think about the clue for sourdough when I solved, but I do have a gripe about that one. The Sourdough's originated during the California Gold Rush, not Alaska.
ReplyDeleteThey were headed to Sutters Mill not the Klondike.
Happy Birthday, John and Marge! We don't hear from either one of you nearly enough anymore.
ReplyDeleteLoved this puzzle. As others have said, the theme jumped out at me with phone jack. My only sticky wicket was in the east. I stared at "Ernor Ubik" for the longest time and just didn't get it until I came here - oh, Erno Rubik!
ReplyDeleteFunny story about A&W - years ago I was driving across country with a friend and we stopped at an A&W for lunch. We both ordered burgers and root beer. The waitress politely informed us that root beer was out of season -WTF? I think we both had cokes. Maybe you had to be there.....
Have a great playoff day and may your team win. Since my Broncos are out, I really don't care - just want to see some great fb.
Musings from my days at UPS.
ReplyDeleteWe had one conveyor belt transfer point that caused so many problems my maintenance guys called it the 'Ultimate Package Smasher'. It took a complete redesign to fix it.
Instructions to shippers cautioned that packages were never to be tied with string or twine (it gets caught in the conveyor transfer point) but the logo at the time was a shield with a package, neatly tied with a string and bow, perched atop.
UPS never wanted to be known as a 'trucking company'. The term 'truck' wasn't used. Deliveries were made using Package Cars. Parcels were moved between delivery centers by 'feeders' not semi trucks.
Good afternoon CC, et al., What a funny puzzle. I chuckled throughout w/ the clues and answers. Thanks for the memories Jeff. Excellent job, CC.
ReplyDeleteI just love PJ parties. They’re actually SPORTS events around here w/my friends and MINIONS. One of thE-LATESt FADS is to play Twister but some FELLERs were DARREN us to play in the RAW. I told ‘em IN JEST “only if you have A GUN!!” Well, ONO, the BOY TOYS of course had ‘guns’…biceps beyond the size of PUDDLE JUMPERS - we’re talkin’ PASSENGER JETs here! What could we do!!! A little STP in our tanks (which FREES the EAGLE spirit), and man, did we HOP OFF that indecisive FENCE - even in spite of the possibility that some of their EGOs and uh, PACKAGEs could WANE among the TSKS. It's all good and ENDED being POETIC JUSTICE. We not so DEFTly gave a whole new meaning to PICK UP JOINT…our ULNAS and knees got the biggest work out. What a RIOT! quite ‘humerus’.
Enjoy your day.
Lois @12:40 pm
ReplyDeleteSo that's the kind of "gun" show you went to yesterday!
Lois, do your HS students know this side of you? Just wondering...
ReplyDeletePerfect Job Jeff Chen. This was a breezy, smooth Sunday puzzle. Thank you C.C. for your play by play.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the PJ theme. All the theme answers filled themselves in fairly quickly.
I have an irrational fear of PUDDLE JUMPERS.
Happy Birthday - Marge and John Lampkin.
Happy Lunar New Year to all. My husband gets the day off tomorrow. His boss is Chinese.
Another dumb newbie question - what does DF mean? Just wondering.
C.C. Wonderful write-up!
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Years Eve!
I hope year 4710 is a good one.
Jeff, Thank you for a FUN Sunday.
Knew the "P-J's" would be off and running.
Though I really don't think most PRACTICAL JOKEs are a RIOT (92-A).
Mostly I think they are lame ...
ON-PAPER, my fave, since that is how I solve.
Lois you had me ROTFLMAO.
If only your comment was IN-JEST. lol.
CrazyCat: DF = dysfunctional.
(see Lois's exceptional comment).
A Toast to the New Year, on-the-hour, at Sunset, and beyond!
Cheers!!!
Apropos of nothing, we went to see the Hamburg Symphony last night - fantastic performance by violin soloist Guy Braunstein !!
ReplyDeleteBut as we left the hall, I realized that I had forgotten to turn off my phone. Oops!! Could have ended up like this...
Re 78a Sourdoughs: I was all set to cry foul but further research proves Jeff and Rich correct again.
ReplyDeleteExperienced miners in the Klondike were referred to as SOURDOUGHs(probably from the Ca. gold rush) and newbies were called Cheechakos.
Miners in the California gold rush were called 49ers.
Lots of good stuff at Wiki. Scroll down to "Culture" for details of above facts.
Ant: Rumors in southern Ohio say that athletes falsified names to find a better life in Cleveland. The latest has Colt McCoy's real name as Ruger Hatfield.
Hi Y'all,
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the puzzle and comments.
C.C., Kevin Durant was the top scorer in the NBA last year and is neck-and-neck again this year. They call him "Durantula" because of his spider-like long arms & legs which help him block shots, steal the ball, and last night, sprint across half the court in two long strides for a lay-up basket. He has brought his Thunder team from last in the league to a serious contender in three years. Fun to watch!
- PK -
Hello everybody, and Gong Xi Fa Cai!
ReplyDeleteFun fun fun puzzle today. Definitely a PJ party.
That guy who played the Nokia ring tone showed a lot of class.
I haven't heard or seen word "gerund" for years. Blast from the past. That word has always been associated in my mind with being old and decrepit. Yeah, I know ...
Hands up for ULNAE.
Nice to hear from you, Clear Ayes.
Dennis <-> sinned. Clever!
Best wishes to you all.
Re: ATRIP. Same meaning as 'aweigh'. They are synonyms. The Navy wrote a song about it. Anchors Aweigh. By the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
ReplyDeleteCrazyCat @1:28 pm
ReplyDeleteDysfunctional or DF does not have quite the same meaning on the blog as it does in the dictionary.
On the blog, the meaning is actually much closer to the dictionary definition of the French word double-entendre, (DE?!) the use of a word or phrase with two meanings, esp. when one of these has a risque or indecorous connotation. The emphasis here on the blog is on the risque or sexual connotation!
If Lemonade is reading this, maybe he can re-post the same explanation of DF he provided to me when I asked the same "dumb" question!
Hope that helps!
I'm guessing that Jeff had to play with this grid a lot to make the fill work. I'm sure it wasn't easy to place those J's where he could make the crossers work. Fine job, Mr. Chen!
ReplyDeleteNot so fine-
POETIC JUSTICE- Well versed courtroom figure
PICK UP JOINT- First item on a pot smoker's to do list
"Pretty POOR, JEROME!" I agree.
Len, as the author of the term 'DF' on here, I can only tell you how I meant it: everything you just described. Yes, double entendres are part of it, but 'dysfunctional' is so much more all-encompassing, not to mention descriptive of many of us. You get the idea.
ReplyDeleteDennis @3:32 pm
ReplyDeleteI do. You're BAAAD!!!
But in a good sense.
Thanks Tinbeni, len and Dennis. Now I get DF.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the comment by lois@12:40 pm, it gave me a new meaning for LOL- Lusty Older Lady.
Lois - I have no idea how old you are, but if you're hanging out with this crowd, I'm thinking you're probably not in your 20s. Your comment had me LMAO. Ah Twister...
Saw "The Artist" last night. Two thumbs up!
Enjoy the playoffs everyone. I have a Giants fan and a Niners fan here. I'm the neutral family member.
Good afternoon, folks.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jeff, for a great Sunday puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for an equally great write-up.
Did not get 1A out of the chute, but got 1D, 2D, 5D, 6D, and 7D. Then I got SEALS UP, TIJUANA, and PRACTICAL JOKE.
Filled in the whole top two thirds easily. The bottom was another story. PLAIN JANE and POETIC JUSTICE helped. Held off on LINC for 96D. My father's nickname was LINK. That is what I am used to.
121A WOOLS is interesting, because WOOL socks are the best for summer hiking as well. When you sweat, the sweat evaporates, and it cools your ankles and legs.
Was looking for PEANUT BUTTER and JELLY as a theme answer, but no cigar.
Score is 23/20 with one minute to go.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Happy birthday John Lampkin and Marge. And, many more.
ReplyDeleteAbejo
Whoot whoot!! Go Pats!! Super Bowl, here we come..
ReplyDelete.
Great AFC game! That's gonna be a very quiet plane ride home to Baltimore.
ReplyDeleteGo Niners.
Except for the noise coming from whatever part of the plane's exterior Cundiff is strapped to.
ReplyDeleteCC, I want to congratulate on your fantastic accomplishment. It means so much to me; and, as I read in
ReplyDeleteyesterday’s posts, to so many not often heard from on a daily basis.
Thanks! Boomer and all ’the explainers’ too!
Happy Birthday Marge and John L!
I’ve been reading the blog in the night and often work the puzzle when Cruciverb has it ready in the night; this does not seem to fall in with the posting times. I’ll get straightened out eventually.
Ca, so glad to hear from you and will be relieved with you when the move is finalized. Thanks for your update.
Yesterday’s puzzle was the first for a long time, that was DNF. Such a ’bear’. Oh, those names!
Still liked it.
Have a nice evening all.
Happy Birthday John Lampkin and Marge....and many many more.
ReplyDeletelen 12:55: LOL yesterday really was a target blowing gun show. I go to the gym for the mind blowing ones.
Desper-otto 1:00: I wonder too….
Tinbeni: LOL too…if only!!!
Dennis-yesterday- cracked me up.. you are soooo right!
CrazyCat 4:16: LOL….love it!!! And it’s sooooo true!!! I have no idea how old I am either. Birthday says one thing, but body and mind say another and thank God those two speak the same language. Party on!
"pajama to the left. Pajama to the right.jamma jamma, P!J!". Loved the theme, but had a heck of a time spelling Tijuana (wanted Tia...),epaulet, and ouija.
ReplyDeleteMother Teresa would be appalled at my alternatives, although goose is not so bad.
Had a few Holes here 'n there, but felt good to almost complete....JAPE??? ERNORUBIK?
HBTY John and Marge, and GUNG HAY FAT CHOY to all who are celebrating.
Lois, you are a master DFer. Hope your students what a gem they have.
Big day here in the Bay area...GOOOO Niners!!!
Forgot:
ReplyDeleteCA: so glad to see you here. Hope the move is over soon. Feel for you and GAH. It seems as though you are handling it ...no surprise...wisely. You're a lesson to us all. Wish you well.
Dennis: LOL ...that poor guy. I hope they keep all sharp objects away from him and everybody else for that matter.
JD: Thank you. That's sweet. We seriously have fun while we seriously learn. And thankfully their nat'l scores are high enough to support that concept.
Time for one of my 'gun shows'. Oh yeah! Enjoy your night.
First, I need to fact-check my own comments, utterly forgetting that the Klondike is nowhere near California. I claim Resident Alien status-excuse there.
ReplyDeleteNow, on the petard thing - the phrase I know is "hoist BY one's own petard", not with. Not sure if that makes a difference, as I'm not a grammar expert.
Thanks C.C. for the happy birthday wishes. Congrats on a great start to yet another year. Oh you!
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to Jeff for handling those pesky J crossings so adroitly!
I'll see you all next week when it will be my turn to say, "Oh You!" all over again for different reasons.
Re: being hoist with one's own petard
ReplyDeleteThat is actually an archaic phrase that can be traced back to Shakespeare and possibly before him. English grammar had not yet been organized into a systematic language.
Thank you, John Lampkin, for stopping at the Corner. I look forward to your next puzzle.
A little more research shows that 'hoist' can mean 'lift' or 'lifted', so being hoist is correct afterall. Shakespeare, in "Hamlet", used the phrase "For 'tis the sport to have the enginer Hoist with his own petar" (the missing 'd' was apparently intentional and changes the meaning from "blown up by his own bomb" to "blown up by his own flatulence". (paraphrased from Wiki)
ReplyDeleteLucina, you type faster than I do, but we came to pretty much the same conclusion.
ReplyDeleteGrumpy 1:
ReplyDeleteBefore researching it I had no idea the meaning had a double entendre with "petar" meaning flatulence and the play on petard and petar.
Very smooth sailing today. Got the PJ theme from the title. For once, I went through with relative ease. If I didnt know an answer, I got it with perps. Fun puzzle today, and hand up for possible ULNAE answer, and I too was not sure about Tijuana spelling.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, many people mispronounce TIJUANA as TIA-JUANA. That drives me crazy I'm sure causes the misspelling.
ReplyDeleteIt should be correctly pronounced TEE-JUANA.
If the phrase "Being hoist with one's own petard " was used in a sentence such as:
ReplyDeleteBeing hoist with one's own petard is poetic justice. Then the whole phrase is a gerund phrase and the whole phrase can act as a noun. The whole gerund phrase is the subject for the verb "is." Your comment shook something loose from 8th grade grammar and i did a quick check on google. If I am wrong I am sure an English teacher out there can comment. A present participle phrase also contains verbs ending in "ing"is an adjective phrase that modifies a noun. I think the clue phrase is a gerund phrase. (www.chompchomp.com/terms/participle phrase.htm)
Having become interested in the quote, this is my finding:
ReplyDeleteFrom Oxford American Dictionary
petard |piˈtärd| noun historical
a small bomb made of a metal or wooden box filled with powder, used to blast down a door or to make a hole in a wall.
• a kind of firework that explodes with a sharp report.
PHRASES
hoist with (or by) one's own petard [ORIGIN: from Shakespeare's Hamlet ( iii. iv. 207); hoist is in the sense [lifted and removed,] past participle of dialect hoise (see hoist ).]
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French pétard, from péter ‘break wind.’
Hi, fellow solvers!
ReplyDeletePerhaps 4 or 5 of you will read this (?)
Did not realize that it had become so late.
Happy belated birthday to Marge and to John Lampkin!
Thanks for an interesting puzzle Jeff and a great write-up, C.C.! Took a bit of time and some WAGs. But made it through!
Thank you Spitzboov for explaining ATRIP. I fussed a lot about that one.
Really object to radii and ULNAS.
Had a good swim today and fell asleep afterward. (You guys have to know that I do not get fed until around 12 AM, so getting up earlier than 1 PM to swim is dang near impossible, especially with the fibro.)
The USPS will have no doubt again put out cool Chinese New Year sheetlets. Can't wait to get one!
Cheers!
Lucina, thanks..I am one of those people. Know I know :-)
ReplyDeletesigh..no superbowl for us this year, but it was a great game.Congrats to the winners and their fans.
I'm confused! Sunday is January 22! This is not Sunday's LA Times puzzle!
ReplyDeleteLA Times newspaper does not carry Rich Norris edited LA Times puzzles on Sundays. Please click here to solve the puzzle on line.
ReplyDeleteOK! Once and for all. Tia Juana means Aunt June/Juana. Tijuana is a lizard related to the iguana!
ReplyDeleteJust did the Jan. 23 puzzle. It is a Monday.
ReplyDeleteWhere are comments and rationales for the answers to Jan 22, 2012, Sunday puzzle. The theme was something like "horsing around."
Is there a grid of answers??
What you have there, anon, is Merl Reagle’s syndicated crossword, “Horsing Around”. That is what is printed in the LAT.
ReplyDeleteWhat we do, is the LAT Sunday Rich Norris puzzle that is found online and in other papers. Weird, huh?