Theme: "Kinda, Sorta" - ISH is added to each common phrase.
23A. "Listen up, Madrid!"? : ATTENTION SPANISH! Attention span.
37A. "... and that's why I ate all of your favorite cookies," e.g.? : SELFISH DEFENSE. Self defense.
67A. Put Armor All on tires? : BURNISH RUBBER. Burn rubber.
93A. Hold a surprise party for Scorsese? : ASTONISH MARTIN. Aston Martin. James Bond's car.
112A. "My stocks are going down! My stocks are going down!"? : BEARISH REPEATING. Bear repeating. The clue sounds "Panic repeating" to me.
16D. Embarrassed flock managers? : SHEEPISH HERDERS. Sheep herders.
45D. Display that's both tasteful and ostentatious? : REFINED FLOURISH. Refined flour.
The title gives away the theme, yes?
Simple gimmick. Nicely executed. Only 7 theme entries, but they're all quite long, occupying a total of 103 squares, norm for 21*21.
Sunday puzzles often contain one or two or more "What?" words for me. Not this one. Super smooth.
Across:
1. Involuntary jerk : START. Not an easy clue to me.
6. Put into words : UTTER
11. Amazon.com ID : ISBN
15. Educational TV spots, perhaps : PSAS
19. Fail to recycle : WASTE
20. Unappealing music : NOISE. I'm in love with this song lately. So simple. So pure.
21. Politician's pursuit : SEAT. And 33. Washington figure : POL.
22. World-weary words : AH ME
26. You might draw one on a target : BEAD
27. Forest sticker : BUR. Learned from doing Xword.
28. Banjo parts : NECKS. "Deliverance" is probably the most terrifying movie I've seen.
29. Corner-office occupant : BOSS
30. Last Olds : ALERO
31. Capable of spontaneous movement, as cells : MOTILE
35. "Let yourself in!" : IT'S OPEN
42. "Give __ rest!" : IT A
43. Arranges logically : SORTS
46. Dirt clump : CLOD. Eager to work on my garden clod.
47. Dairy case choice : OLEO. I've never had Oleo.
48. Concordes, familiarly : SSTs
49. Bleachers level : TIER
50. Cinema name : ODEON
52. Give the boot to : OUST
53. NYC gallery district : SOHO
54. Certain alphabet opener : ALFA. NATO alphabet. Spitzboov knows them too well. BZ!
55. Whither Cain fled : NOD. Land of Nod. East of Eden.
56. A whole lot : OODLES
58. "I don't get it" : HUH. Dennis got a lot of "I don't get it" emails in my earlier days of blogging. Now he needs education. He does not know why tinted moisturizers are tinted. You?
59. Decide with money : FLIP A COIN. Nailed it.
62. Murmur : COO
63. At a minimum : NO LESS
66. Five-spot : FIN
71. Color TV pioneer : RCA
72. More-than-one-hit Wonder : STEVIE. Fun clue. Wonder is capitalized.
74. Maestro's gift : EAR
75. Fair-haired : TOWHEADED. New word to me. How is the color different from blond?
77. Cacophony : DIN
78. Put one's feet up : LOLLED
81. Carefree, in Calais : GAI. Like our "gay".
82. Rip asunder : REND
83. Dirty Harry's org. : SFPD
84. Mount rising above the Vale of Tempe : OSSA. Not familiar with Vale of Tempe, a gorge in Thessaly.
85. Sailing hailings : AHOYs
87. Native Canadian : CREE
88. Toon collectibles : CELs
89. Castaway's confines : ISLE
90. Vocal style that mimics an instrumental solo : SCAT
91. Had office hours : WAS IN
92. Metal in Montana's motto : ORO. Oro y Plata.
97. Topiarist's tools : PRUNERS. This green guy is a topiarist, pruned by another topiarist.
99. Grant-providing org. : NEA
100. Over-embellished : ORNATE
103. D.A.'s research aides : PARAs. Paralegals.
104. Take the show on the road : TOUR
107. Dork : DWEEB
109. Travelers' options: Abbr. : RRs
111. Elevator innovator : OTIS
116. "__ we forget ..." : LEST
117. "High Hopes" lyricist : CAHN (Sammy)
118. Lingering look : STARE
119. Make the grade : CUT IT
120. Pasty-faced : ASHY
121. Green-egg layers : EMUs. Chickens must be surprised to see emu eggs: OMG, I've always laid white eggs.
122. Autumn bloom : ASTER
123. Carpet layers work on them : KNEES. Another tricky clue for me.
Down:
1. Forensic evidence collector : SWAB
2. Ryan's daughter : TATUM
3. Former Colt .45 : ASTRO. Between 1962-1964. Look at this lovely bobblehead. Too bad he has a little chip on his right cheek. Would be worth thousands in its original box.
4. Directions detail: Abbr. : RTE
5. Court shoes, casually : TENNIES
6. Org. with "Trick-or-Treat" donation boxes : UNICEF
7. Appropriated : TOOK
8. Altoids containers : TINS
9. Versatile Scrabble tile : ESS
10. Agent : REP
11. "There __ 'I' in 'team'" : IS NO
12. Tres y tres : SEIS. Six.
13. Baby baskets : BASSINETS. Very pretty.
14. Unknown power : NTH
15. Poet Neruda with a Nobel Prize : PABLO
17. Almond-flavored liqueur : AMARETTO
18. Kia minivans : SEDONAs
24. Don't hold in : TELL. Have never met an investigator who's not good at holding secrets.
25. Good at one's job : ABLE
30. Enzyme suffix : ASE
32. Feature of some Mary Janes : T-STRAP
33. LP player : PHONO
34. Like an extra sock : ODD. Mine are normally hidden in Boomer's large T-shirts.
36. Qing Dynasty general of culinary fame : TSO. Qing was China's last dynasty (1644-1912). Qin (no g) was the first imperial dynasty, when we had our first emperor, who built the first version of the Great Wall of China and the Terra Cotta soldiers.
38. Stranded at O'Hare, perhaps : ICED IN
39. __-mo replay : SLO
40. Exceed an infraction limit, in basketball : FOUL OUT
41. Ultimatum ending : ELSE
43. Provides personnel for : STAFFS
44. Like some retro lamps : OIL-LIT. Used candles for lighting until I was about 10.
48. R&B-influenced genre : SOUL. I used to confuse James Brown with Bobby Brown, husband of Whitney Houston. What a tragedy.
50. How actors should appear : ON CUE.
51. It's opened and shut : DOOR. So is CASE.
52. Dumpster emanation : ODOR
53. Sandcastle spot : SHORE. Castles & long legs are all Splynter wants.
57. Fall colour : OCHRE. The English spelling of "colour" hints an English answer.
60. In __: up the creek : A BIND
61. Ratings giver : NIELSEN
63. Classic pops : NEHIs
64. When, in Act II, Macbeth soliloquizes, "Is this a dagger ..." : SCENE I. Guessing game.
65. Turn blue? : SADDEN
68. Room at the hacienda : SALA
69. Colombian capital : BOGOTA. Chickie lived in Columbia a few years.
70. Bronx-Manhattan st. : B'WAY
73. Limo riders, often : VIPs
76. Mysterious matters : ARCANA
78. Faded in the stretch : LOST STEAM. Nice answer.
79. Peace Prize city : OSLO
80. Vladimir's villa : DACHA. Alliteration.
83. Notches : SERRATES. Always thought serrate is an adjective.
86. Not-so-subtle performer : HAM
88. "Lost in Translation" director Sofia : COPPOLA. Loved the movie.
89. Syr. neighbor : ISR
90. San Diego-to-Tijuana dir. : SSE
91. Recoup at the casino : WIN BACK. No, you won't.
93. DDE rival : AES
94. Calvary letters : INRI
95. Ebert's cohort : ROEPER (Richard)
96. Charlie Brown's kite eater : TREE
98. Far from friendly : NASTY
101. Said too often : TRITE. OK, It's "said too often". It's trite. I was thinking of a verb answer.
102. "Rubber Duckie" Muppet : ERNIE
105. Hanauma Bay site : OAHU
106. Caterer's carriers : URNS
107. "Curses!" : DRAT
108. "If wishes __ horses ..." : WERE
110. Capt. saluters : SGTS
112. Abbr. in old dates : BCE. I actually still use BC. Religion was forbidden when I grew up, yet BC was in common use. Very strange.
113. Issuer of nine-digit nos. : SSA
114. Cleveland __, O. : HTS
115. Winery vessel : TUN
Answer grid.
Here is a close-up view of Yellowrocks' avatar, the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto.
C.C.
23A. "Listen up, Madrid!"? : ATTENTION SPANISH! Attention span.
37A. "... and that's why I ate all of your favorite cookies," e.g.? : SELFISH DEFENSE. Self defense.
67A. Put Armor All on tires? : BURNISH RUBBER. Burn rubber.
93A. Hold a surprise party for Scorsese? : ASTONISH MARTIN. Aston Martin. James Bond's car.
112A. "My stocks are going down! My stocks are going down!"? : BEARISH REPEATING. Bear repeating. The clue sounds "Panic repeating" to me.
16D. Embarrassed flock managers? : SHEEPISH HERDERS. Sheep herders.
45D. Display that's both tasteful and ostentatious? : REFINED FLOURISH. Refined flour.
The title gives away the theme, yes?
Simple gimmick. Nicely executed. Only 7 theme entries, but they're all quite long, occupying a total of 103 squares, norm for 21*21.
Sunday puzzles often contain one or two or more "What?" words for me. Not this one. Super smooth.
Across:
1. Involuntary jerk : START. Not an easy clue to me.
6. Put into words : UTTER
11. Amazon.com ID : ISBN
15. Educational TV spots, perhaps : PSAS
19. Fail to recycle : WASTE
20. Unappealing music : NOISE. I'm in love with this song lately. So simple. So pure.
21. Politician's pursuit : SEAT. And 33. Washington figure : POL.
22. World-weary words : AH ME
26. You might draw one on a target : BEAD
27. Forest sticker : BUR. Learned from doing Xword.
28. Banjo parts : NECKS. "Deliverance" is probably the most terrifying movie I've seen.
29. Corner-office occupant : BOSS
30. Last Olds : ALERO
31. Capable of spontaneous movement, as cells : MOTILE
35. "Let yourself in!" : IT'S OPEN
42. "Give __ rest!" : IT A
43. Arranges logically : SORTS
46. Dirt clump : CLOD. Eager to work on my garden clod.
47. Dairy case choice : OLEO. I've never had Oleo.
48. Concordes, familiarly : SSTs
49. Bleachers level : TIER
50. Cinema name : ODEON
52. Give the boot to : OUST
53. NYC gallery district : SOHO
54. Certain alphabet opener : ALFA. NATO alphabet. Spitzboov knows them too well. BZ!
55. Whither Cain fled : NOD. Land of Nod. East of Eden.
56. A whole lot : OODLES
58. "I don't get it" : HUH. Dennis got a lot of "I don't get it" emails in my earlier days of blogging. Now he needs education. He does not know why tinted moisturizers are tinted. You?
59. Decide with money : FLIP A COIN. Nailed it.
62. Murmur : COO
63. At a minimum : NO LESS
66. Five-spot : FIN
71. Color TV pioneer : RCA
72. More-than-one-hit Wonder : STEVIE. Fun clue. Wonder is capitalized.
74. Maestro's gift : EAR
75. Fair-haired : TOWHEADED. New word to me. How is the color different from blond?
77. Cacophony : DIN
78. Put one's feet up : LOLLED
81. Carefree, in Calais : GAI. Like our "gay".
82. Rip asunder : REND
83. Dirty Harry's org. : SFPD
84. Mount rising above the Vale of Tempe : OSSA. Not familiar with Vale of Tempe, a gorge in Thessaly.
85. Sailing hailings : AHOYs
87. Native Canadian : CREE
88. Toon collectibles : CELs
89. Castaway's confines : ISLE
90. Vocal style that mimics an instrumental solo : SCAT
91. Had office hours : WAS IN
92. Metal in Montana's motto : ORO. Oro y Plata.
97. Topiarist's tools : PRUNERS. This green guy is a topiarist, pruned by another topiarist.
99. Grant-providing org. : NEA
100. Over-embellished : ORNATE
103. D.A.'s research aides : PARAs. Paralegals.
104. Take the show on the road : TOUR
107. Dork : DWEEB
109. Travelers' options: Abbr. : RRs
111. Elevator innovator : OTIS
116. "__ we forget ..." : LEST
117. "High Hopes" lyricist : CAHN (Sammy)
118. Lingering look : STARE
119. Make the grade : CUT IT
120. Pasty-faced : ASHY
121. Green-egg layers : EMUs. Chickens must be surprised to see emu eggs: OMG, I've always laid white eggs.
122. Autumn bloom : ASTER
123. Carpet layers work on them : KNEES. Another tricky clue for me.
Down:
1. Forensic evidence collector : SWAB
2. Ryan's daughter : TATUM
3. Former Colt .45 : ASTRO. Between 1962-1964. Look at this lovely bobblehead. Too bad he has a little chip on his right cheek. Would be worth thousands in its original box.
4. Directions detail: Abbr. : RTE
5. Court shoes, casually : TENNIES
6. Org. with "Trick-or-Treat" donation boxes : UNICEF
7. Appropriated : TOOK
8. Altoids containers : TINS
9. Versatile Scrabble tile : ESS
10. Agent : REP
11. "There __ 'I' in 'team'" : IS NO
12. Tres y tres : SEIS. Six.
13. Baby baskets : BASSINETS. Very pretty.
14. Unknown power : NTH
15. Poet Neruda with a Nobel Prize : PABLO
17. Almond-flavored liqueur : AMARETTO
18. Kia minivans : SEDONAs
24. Don't hold in : TELL. Have never met an investigator who's not good at holding secrets.
25. Good at one's job : ABLE
30. Enzyme suffix : ASE
32. Feature of some Mary Janes : T-STRAP
33. LP player : PHONO
34. Like an extra sock : ODD. Mine are normally hidden in Boomer's large T-shirts.
36. Qing Dynasty general of culinary fame : TSO. Qing was China's last dynasty (1644-1912). Qin (no g) was the first imperial dynasty, when we had our first emperor, who built the first version of the Great Wall of China and the Terra Cotta soldiers.
38. Stranded at O'Hare, perhaps : ICED IN
39. __-mo replay : SLO
40. Exceed an infraction limit, in basketball : FOUL OUT
41. Ultimatum ending : ELSE
43. Provides personnel for : STAFFS
44. Like some retro lamps : OIL-LIT. Used candles for lighting until I was about 10.
48. R&B-influenced genre : SOUL. I used to confuse James Brown with Bobby Brown, husband of Whitney Houston. What a tragedy.
50. How actors should appear : ON CUE.
51. It's opened and shut : DOOR. So is CASE.
52. Dumpster emanation : ODOR
53. Sandcastle spot : SHORE. Castles & long legs are all Splynter wants.
57. Fall colour : OCHRE. The English spelling of "colour" hints an English answer.
60. In __: up the creek : A BIND
61. Ratings giver : NIELSEN
63. Classic pops : NEHIs
64. When, in Act II, Macbeth soliloquizes, "Is this a dagger ..." : SCENE I. Guessing game.
65. Turn blue? : SADDEN
68. Room at the hacienda : SALA
69. Colombian capital : BOGOTA. Chickie lived in Columbia a few years.
70. Bronx-Manhattan st. : B'WAY
73. Limo riders, often : VIPs
76. Mysterious matters : ARCANA
78. Faded in the stretch : LOST STEAM. Nice answer.
79. Peace Prize city : OSLO
80. Vladimir's villa : DACHA. Alliteration.
83. Notches : SERRATES. Always thought serrate is an adjective.
86. Not-so-subtle performer : HAM
88. "Lost in Translation" director Sofia : COPPOLA. Loved the movie.
89. Syr. neighbor : ISR
90. San Diego-to-Tijuana dir. : SSE
91. Recoup at the casino : WIN BACK. No, you won't.
93. DDE rival : AES
94. Calvary letters : INRI
95. Ebert's cohort : ROEPER (Richard)
96. Charlie Brown's kite eater : TREE
98. Far from friendly : NASTY
101. Said too often : TRITE. OK, It's "said too often". It's trite. I was thinking of a verb answer.
102. "Rubber Duckie" Muppet : ERNIE
105. Hanauma Bay site : OAHU
106. Caterer's carriers : URNS
107. "Curses!" : DRAT
108. "If wishes __ horses ..." : WERE
110. Capt. saluters : SGTS
112. Abbr. in old dates : BCE. I actually still use BC. Religion was forbidden when I grew up, yet BC was in common use. Very strange.
113. Issuer of nine-digit nos. : SSA
114. Cleveland __, O. : HTS
115. Winery vessel : TUN
Answer grid.
Here is a close-up view of Yellowrocks' avatar, the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto.
C.C.
53 comments:
Morning, all!
I didn't get the theme via the title, but still managed to cotton onto it very quickly. Some of the theme answers were better than others, but my favorite by far was ASTONISH MARTIN.
I nearly shot myself in the foot in the NW corner by putting in SPASM instead of START right at 1A. I couldn't think who Ryan's daughter was and had no idea that the ASTROS used to be called the Colt .45s, so it took awhile to see the error of my ways. It wasn't until the very end, when I was staring at PATUM, STE and MENNIES that I finally acknowledged that maybe, just maybe, SPASM wasn't the obvious gimme I thought it was...
The rest of the puzzle was pretty smooth. Had VAT instead of TUN at 115D for awhile, but that didn't last too long. The clue for BWAY was a bit too obscure for my taste, but the perps took care of it. Oh -- and I wouldn't really consider ORNATE to be over-embellished. That makes it sound like a bad thing. It's just synonymous with embellished in my [figurative, not literal] book.
Of course, in my literal book, ORNATE is defined as "elaborately or sumptuously adorned, often excessively or showily so," so there you go...
Greetings all!
Nice, pretty easy puzzle, Bonnie G. Great write-up C. C., will catch your urls later.
Had same problem with START--took a while to give-up on spasm. Theme entries were clever and funny.
Virginia: did you catch the end of yesterday's blog?
Must hit the hay.
Cheers!
Good Morning, C.C. and friends. When I saw the title of today's puzzle, I was afraid the answers would sorta kinda be slang. SHEEPISH HERDERS was my first theme answer, and let me know I was looking for -ISH words.
Hand up for thinking an involuntary spasm was a Spasm instead of START.
We saw the word DWEEB in a recent puzzle, to I got that straight away.
Green-Eggs Layer had me thinking of Sam-I-Am with his Green-Eggs and Ham. I didn't realize that EMUs layed green eggs.
Carpet Layers Work on Them = KNEES was my favorite clue.
In honor of Abraham Lincoln, who was born in this date, here is today's QOD: Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? ~ Abraham Lincoln
Morning, CC and Sunday Solvers!
(Put Barry's 2nd paragraph here.) START was the last to fall.
(Put Hahtool's 3rd, 4th and 5th paragraphs here.)
That's the second time in recent days that the very first entry stymied most of us. I think I'm going to have to start solving from the bottom up.
CC, if they weren't tinted, you couldn't call them tinted moisturizers. Otherwise, I have no idea.
Good morning, C.C. and all.
Count me in for smugly filling SPASM but then nothing else worked in that NW corner.
After skipping and hopping around I had enough fill to suss SELFISH DEFENSE and realized -ISH was the theme clue.
After that all was smooth, TIER after TIER, chuckled at ICEDIN because I knew who would be upset.
Like Hahtool, I really liked carpet layers work on them, KNEES.
Also, more than one hit Wonder, STEVIE.
I had no idea former colt .45 referred to sports until ASTRO emerged.
We've seen green egg layers before so EMU jumped out at me.
Surprisingly I had very few erasures for a Sunday.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Mornin to all,
What a fun puzzle! Not a lot of foreign words, sports or names! Just had to do some thinking.....and there was the answer!
Loved working this puzzle.
Good morning C.C> et al.
C.C, TOW HEADED usually refers to a young child, with hair that is so blond it is almost white.
I cracked up at your comment about ODD. Yesterday, one of my socks was clinging desperately to DH’s T-shirt as I was folding clothes. I had to tear them apart, and could hear the static cries as they were separated. Such a sad life, all alone in the sock drawer, while your loved one languishes in the closet…
Hand up for “spasm” at 1A. Easy trap to fall into, evidently.
Fun theme, and well-executed, as C.C. pointed out. REFINED FLOURISH was my last fill, and also my favorite. It was a totally different meaning from the base phrase, and really threw me off for a while.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Hi There~!
I had the theme at BURNISH RUBBER, and I loved ASTONISH MARTIN, too - see below. I was surprised C.C., to see that you made no reference to the first/second word having the -ISH ending; I still liked ATTENTION SPANISH ~!!! Can't you just picture the 'presidente' standing over a huge crowd???
Hand up for SPASM over START
That little song is still dancing in my head, and spot-on, C.C. - castles and legs, and I am good to go ~!
This one's for you (and the guys)
Splynter
Decided to try the LAtimes platform today did the crossword came here only to find thati had completed the mearle reagle puzzle went back made a few extra clicks to get to this puzzle which was a little bit easier. thought the theme answers were interesting caught on to the theme fairly quickly.
CC's comment made me curious as to why blond kids are referred to as tow heads. I found this. Interesting.
And that reminds me that RET is one of those CW words meaning to soak flax. It used to show up regularly in CW's, but I don't think I've seen it in years. Perhaps it's been RETired.
Too clever for my own good...but I still like it. For 37-Across, I had WOLFISH DEFENSE, ie. "I wolfed down the cookies."
Good morning:
Thanks C.C. and Bonnie, a fun, tight Sunday with a simple theme.
BEARISH sentiment in the stock market is pessimistic, bullish optimistic, so the clue and fill fit.
Oh, Mary Janes are shoes! Sadly, my first reaction to that was to think of marijuana cigarettes, and I couldn't figure out why you'd need a strap (or what kind of strap you'd need). Maybe I shouldn't admit that?
All of this confusion is giving me a case of the munchies. Gotta go find a snack!
C.C., your song and its melody brought to mind Sukiyaki. Not the original version by Kyu Sakamoto (3:08), but this version, by A Taste of Honey (3:49).
WEES, pretty much.
Didn't fall into the Spasm trap cuz my first fill was Tatum, but it took a while to get to Start. Never heard of Mary Jane shoes, so that had me scratching my head. That T start for STRAP crossing MOTILE was my last fill and even though I liked it, didn't feel certain.
Having spent some time as a carpet installer, I really enjoyed the KNEES clue. Also liked those for STEVIE and FLIP A COIN. That last one really sent me down the wrong avenue, trying to think of some sort of bribery or payoff.
That pair of shrubs is really clever CC.
My twin sons were tow-headed when very young, so that answer came easily, but didn't know the source of the phrase, so thanks for that DO.
C.C.: I always enjoy your write-ups.
Since I do these in INK, I look at the "crossing clue" before entering.
Ryans daughter, TATUM, kept me from having a spasm.
Hahtool, I had the same thought on Green Eggs.
Either we had this EMU clue before or it was an answer recently on Jeopardy.
At 20-A,"Unappealing music" I wanted "RAP" (wouldn't fit) since I consider it just NOISE.
For, 32-D,"Mary Jane feature" I wanted "Rolled"...
And now you know why I don't like flying from O'Hare.
Rimple (last night): Yeah, I had ICE in the Coke.
But I didn't put it there.
Cheers to all at Sunset.
Good morning to all:
This was a DNF for me. Brain is just not working full-speed. Good expo, CC. Maybe I'll fare better with the NY Times later. That is if the gray matter cooperates!
Happy Sunday.
If I'm not mistaken Bonnie Gentry is from Arizona and I see two shout outs, TEMPE, where ASU is located and SEDONA(S) the picturesque town north of us.
Good morning CC and the corner gang. Great puzzle, Bonnie. I enjoyed your write up, C.C.
Yeah, I fell right into that trap at 1a also. I briefly considered DWEEB at that location, thinking that the clue might mean a person that couldn't help being a jerk. A quick check of the first down, SWAB, disavowed that notion and I went with the obvious.
Everything else went pretty smooth, except for putting in ROEmER for Ebert's cohort. That gave me a rather DF phrase at 112a that conjurs up a second gettogether of a couple of big hairy gay guys.
Hand up for having no idea why Mary Jane needed a T-STRAP. I just let it fill itself. I've learned that when confronted with a nearly impossible combination of letters such as TSH_ TSR_ TST_, etc., cover up the T and see what's left.
Lot's of clever clues today. I'll have to 'decide with money' to figure out my favorite.
Carpet layers aren't the only ones who work on their KNEES...
Which reminds me - pitchers & catchers report a week from today!
Hahtool@7:27
My favorite Abe Lincoln quote was his response to a critic that called him two faced:
If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?
Abraham Lincoln
16th president of US (1809 - 1865)
Grumpy1@10:00
i get SH_SR_S_??? am i doing something wrong?
I never knew EMU EGGS were green.
And... i do not see the "T" in the strap, but really wonder what kind of woman would wear 3 Mary Janes?
Good morning C.C. and everyone.
Not so hard today. Sufficient anchors throughout to work on in several directions. Got the themeISH fills in due course with perp help. NOD was a complete WAG as was OSSA. No look-ups needed. Good job Bonnie.
Here is a link to a picture of Task Force Alfa Taken in Aug. 1959 somewhere between Bermuda and Virginia. I am in the 2nd destroyer in the left column (waving:-)). The carrier is the Valley Forge.
Nice photo Yellowrocks.
Have a great day.
I would recognize you anywhere, Spitzboov, from that photo of you on the destroyer! ;-)
I also started with spasm in the NW corner but awoke with a start when I realized Tatum was Ryans daughter. Have enjoyed this blog for a year-- you guys crack me up and are obviously much wiser than me. The Sunday puzzle is one of my favorite past times; I enjoy it with a cup of Joe and the Montana sun coming through the window.
Hello.
First fill was also Tatum. So...
Never finished because Daisey wanted to play.
40TG untill St Pete.
Started book #2 of Trilogy.
Ordered DVD.
No eagle eggs yet.
eddy
Thanks for the nice summary, CC. Fun puzzle to work. Caught on to theme quickly. Favorite clues: classic pops and more-than-one-hit Wonder. Got stuck for awhile staring at "said too often" but perps filled that in easily. Great rest of the weekend to all!
eddyB-
A late note, but I wanted to let you know I'm going pass on the Rover. I think you'll be able to sell it for more than I can offer.
Hal @ 11:19-
Is the Montana Sun your daily paper? How many windows have you replaced?
I enjoyed the theme clues and answers. Droll. However, I was off to a bad start at 1A when I was sure of SPASM. (I see it was a common error.) Since nothing much worked going down from there, I had to start over in that corner.
I"ve got to go watch Sunday Morning. Sure sad about Whitney Houston. I think the Lakers are on too. They're pretty sad also.
I'm officially obsessed with CC.
Hi All ~~
This was fun! I made the same mistakes that others have mentioned but managed to finish with no problems. Besides starting out wrong at 1A, I kept trying to get something with _LAB at 1D, i.e. 'Crime lab' ... watching too much CSI I guess. I caught the theme at SELFISH DEFENSE and it helped fill in the other entries.
~~ Besides 'Spasm' before START I also had 'Ocean' before OODLES and 'Alas' before AH ME. Perps took care of the corrections.
~~ Favorites were 'Carpet layers work on them' - KNEES and 'Turn blue' - SADDEN
~~ After the October storm/week-long power outage, we made great use of our OIL LIT lamps.
~~ C.C. -- I do pretty well with sports clues but I had no idea about the Colt .45 - ASTRO connection ... thanks for the info! Also ~~ regarding the tinted moisturizer -- I've used it as a light foundation make-up ... not sure if that's what you're thinking ... kind of a dual-purpose thing.
Enjoy the day!
Disco Duck.
You would have been surprised at how little he wanted for the Rover.
Up to 66 in the back yard and a lot of sun.
Might take the putter to Muni and
have a reuben for lunch.
Hockey at 5PM PST.
Take care. eddy
Ah, a Reuben sandwich. Jewish rye, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing. Yum!
We're heading off to a play this afternoon. It's 'Emma.' I don't know much about it.
Did anyone else do today's NY Times puzzle? It was another toughie (for me, anyway). Coincidentally, dacha was an answer in both of today's cws.
Good afternoon! I'm amazed. I had no intention of even trying this puzzle, opened the blog then thought - why not? I used only 5 red letters and actually finished in just over an hour. I know that doesn't sound too terrific but for me it's awesome! Needless to say, I feel this was a terrific puzzle ;-). Enjoyed the write-up as well.
Fermataprime, thank you! I went back to yesterday, wrote down your instructions and will try it after posting this?
HeartRx, my heart is breaking for that poor sock!
Joe and Montana all at the same time...
Hello everybody. I found this delISHous puzzle to be clever, well-executed, and entertaining. Id est, I liked it. ASTONISH MARTIN is close to genius.
Started off on the wrong foot, however, by over-confidently penciling in SPASM at 1A. (Can penciling it in ever be considered over-confident? LOL)
Best wishes to you all.
Wow, What Barry Said :)
(I should have read the remarks here first, before posting mine.)
I cannot understand why the management of the L.A. Times would deliberately drive people away (by screwing up their on-line xword software.) It must be some sort of cost-saving deal; maybe the license fee of the "good" software was too expensive or something. Otherwise, it makes no sense to diminish their newspaper in any way whatsoever, even if it's in the eyes of a relatively few consumers of what they offer.
This one was fast for a Sunday. Fresh clues and misdiretions requiring a little thought kept it interseting. i finished early but have been too busy to comment until now.
I tested 1A by looking at the Downs. My first answers were TATUM, TENNIES, RTE and SWAB, so START was a gimmee. START reminds me of a newborn's sudden jerks as if startled.
I dearly wanted Mary Janes when I was a girl. My mother tried one time and found that there were no Mary Janes in my narrow size at that store. She took it as Gospel that they were not made in my size and never tried again. When I was old enough to buy my own shoes, I no longer wanted that style.
We saw this GREEN EGGS clue before. It reminds me of Green Eggs and Ham, too,Hahtool. I was fascinated that EMU eggs are green and so I remember that.
AMARETTO poured over fresh sliced strawberries is a favorite dessert. Yum!
My two boys were towheads. their hair turned almost white in the summer. Now they both have brown hair. I had heard somewhere that TOW comes from a part of the flax plant.
Hi Y'all,
Great puzzle to engage the mind on a gray day threatening snow. Great write-up & lovely song, C.C.
Yellowrocks, I too had very narrow feet plus being the flatest possible. One of my happiest childhood days was when the only pair of shoes in the store in my size was a delightful pair of YELLOW Mary Janes. And mom BOUGHT them! Usually, I had to wear specially heeled brown oxfords that i hated. Someone had ordered the yellow shoes for a wedding and didn't take them. Those shoes were dancers every time I wore them. I wore them til my toes curled.
MontanaHal:
Welcome! I enjoyed driving across your state last summer with my sisters. It's big!
Fun puzzle and theme today, Bonnie! Like Jayce, ASTONISH MARTIN my favorite by far. I worked it with my 9-year-old grandson (he did fine and stuck with it for an hour) and afterwards had to leave to go to a VB tournament for 15-year-old granddaughter (they won and I finished the the last 5% in the bleachers!) and so blogging is late and abbr. I love my family here at the Corner but how can you spend a Sunday better than that? C.C.’s touch on the blogging was also very nice and informative! See you on Valentine’s Eve.
Good evening, folks. Thank you, Bonnie G, for an excellent puzzle. Really liked it. Thank you, C.C., for the review.
I worked this on the Pennsylvania and Ohio Turnpikes today. On our way back to Cicago.
I too wanted SPASM but held off until I got some crosswords. Finally START became obvious.
Liked ISBN for 11A. We refer to those at our book club meetings, the next of which is tomorrow night. Just finished "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson. Non-fiction about U S Ambassador Dodd in Germany in the 1930's. Quite a book.
Enjoyed the theme. BURNISH RUBBER was my first. Liked ASTONISH MARTIN as well. Reminds me of the James Bond movies.
Wanted SISKEL for 95D, but ROEPER became the answer.
Always like INRI. Iesus Nazaranus Rex Iudeorum
My last was MOTILE. Had MOBILE at first. No idea what Mary Jane referee to. Thought it might have been similar to John Doe.
Expect to get home about 1:30 AM. Had fun in the DC area.
Abejo
Abejo-
Erik Larson! Have you read The Devil in the White City? If not, I bet Mari (and her passion for the history of crime in Chicago) can fill you in. A great piece of non-fiction that reads like a novel.
They're supposed to be making a movie of it, but I haven't heard much about that in a while...
PK @4:51 Love those yellow Mary Janes! Hands up for the hated brown oxfords. My first parent acceptable non-oxford pair of shoes was only available in blueberry color, just a tad lighter than navy blue. I proudly wore them with every color clothing imaginable. I still love those blue shoes. When I was in high school I wore the popular white bucks. That set me on the way to socially acceptable shoes. I now have a closet full of beautiful shoes which my podiatrist advises me not to wear. From age 15 to 2 years ago was my golden age of shoes.
A mommy hummingbird has built a beautiful nest in a camellia bush near our front door. I've got a couple of nice photos that I'd like to share. I downloaded Picasa for Macs but I don't yet know how to create an album and provide a link. I've got the photos and Picasa but I don't know what to do next.
Goodnight everyone.
Even though late, I have to add to the shoe tales. I also had to wear the awful brown lace up oxfords until I was out of 8th grade. And I do love shoes and have a closet full. But the pretty ones are unworn because living in S. Florida, all I wear is flip flops. And my toes are good, unlike my fingers. My fingers are ugly because of arthritis, so no bracelets or nail polish. But I do get pedicures to show off my toes in my flip flops. I think that my toes are good because my mom made me wear those awful shoes as a child. When I see youngsters in heels, I think they'll be sorry later.
Both my DHs made and make fun of all my shoes. What do they know?
Cheers
Late to the party, played golf this morning in beautiful weather (sorry, non-Californians!), went to dinner with my ex-inlaws.
Hand up for SPASM, loved ASTONISH MARTIN, waited for the crosses to decide between OCHRE/OCHER and totally missed the "colour" part of the clue - thanks for pointing that out, CC!
I've never had OLIO either, sounds a little too chemically-fabricated for me.
Well, Steve, during the war years (#II)there was no butter available and OLEO was the substitute. In the past on this blog we have discussed that it was sold in white blocks and accompanied by a small packet of a yellow substance which had to be mixed into the white.
Hello There, Puzzlers, what're you doing up this late?
Well, it's Monday in my time zone, anyway. Just finished watching the latest Downton Abbey - didn't know it was to be a double feature - and WOW, have we got lots to discuss!
Crazy Cat, are you caught up? Can we let fly with all the gossip? :-)
Hi, Dudley:
I just watched Downton Abbey, too, and am still trying to process all that activity. Wow! A death, a funeral, a wedding, a rejection, an acceptance and on and on. Did I miss anything?
I don't want to spoil it for anyone, however.
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