Theme: The world's most beautiful mountain - or repeated K's splitting the a phrase or name - K2
Hello everyone - Steve here with a Sunday stunner. Goodness gracious - was it just me or was this a three-coffee puzzle? I went back to brew another pot of Peet's French Roast twice over! Don and C.C. had me reeling, it seemed that every clue was a challenge. Thank heavens for "One K = Two K's" otherwise I'd still be scratching my head!
Two K's in each theme answer means a tough task to come up with the crosses - there's a good reason why a K rates 5 points in Scrabble, it's not easy to use! Kudos (10 points!) to Don and C.C. for being able to make this one work.
So let's look at the theme answers first:
23A. Geisha wear : SILK KIMONO. My Japanese girlfriend would wonder if there was any other material!
35A. Oven seen at Colonial Williamsburg : BRICK KILN. Jefferson's house at Monticello was built from Williamsburg bricks.
43A. Be complimentary (of) : SPEAK KINDLY. As all of us would regarding Don and C.C.'s puzzle!
72A. Form of bank fraud : CHECK KITING. I hope anyone who wrote a check to the IRS today isn't planning on doing this with it.
92A. Warehouse worker : STOCK KEEPER. I worked in a warehouse when I was going through college. I'm not sure that "keeper" accurately describes the relationship of the workers to the stock *ahem*
105A. Friendly greeting : CHEEK KISS. So European. Learn to say "mwah mwah" whilst air-cheek-kissing in Italy or France and all vocabulary and pronunciation sins are forgiven!
119A. Prepare a seder, say : COOK KOSHER. Food!
14D. Football surprise : QUICK KICK. Probably a surprise to Coach too. Kicking is not something to be taken lightly.
80D. He debuted in Action Comics in 1938 : CLARK KENT. Super! Such a nice man.
Across:
1. C-section docs : OBS
4. Carrying on : WAGING
10. See 88-Down : BEST
14. Al Jazeera's country : QATAR. I'm never sure if you're allowed to play this in Scrabble, but it's a great Q-with-no-U word!
19. Top of some suits : BRA. This one made me laugh out loud. After a week of terribly proper business meetings, suits to the fore, the thought of someone wearing a bra to match an ultra-conservative bottom would have livened things up immensely.
20. Where Excalibur was forged : AVALON. King Arthur's sword. It was returned to the Lady of the Lake when Arthur died.
21. Terrier of mystery films : ASTA
22. One-time TV medical expert Art : ULENE
25. Hollywood Walk of Fame feature : STAR. You should be able to earn one for crossword construction - I'd camp out all night for Don and C.C.'s unveiling!
26. Intestinal : ILEAC
27. Attorney general before Dick Thornburgh : ED MEESE
28. Minor key of Beethoven's "Moonlight" : C SHARP. Music is a closed book to me. I thought this had to be "something-FLAT".
30. Hornswoggle : CON. This is why I love the English language. I have never seen the word "hornswoggle" before, and I'm only repeating it because I've never typed it before either.
31. Memorial __-Kettering: NYC hospital : SLOAN
32. Almost win : PLACE. Or, as I heard in a NASCAR preview today, "Second is first of the losers". That's harsh.
39A. Gmail outbox folder : SENT
40. Cuthbert of "24" : ELISHA
41. Shatner's "__War" : TEK. Short-lived series "officially" co-authored by William and writer Ron Goulart
42. "And how!" : DO I
48. Ventilate : AIR OUT
50. Corp. symbols : TMS. Registered Trade Marks. The red triangle™ on a bottle of British Bass Ale was the world's first trade mark!
53. Youngest Brontë : ANNE. And least well-known?
54. Diamond head? : DEE
55. Chews out : SCOLDS
56. Become useless, as a well : RUN DRY
58. Places to perch : ROOSTS
61. Cold War prez : IKE
62. __ Mountains: Missouri range : OZARK. Thank goodness for a band named the Ozark Mountain Daredevils who I saw on tour in England 1n 1978, otherwise I'd be looking at a blank section of the puzzle right here!
63. Stick a fork in : SPEAR
65. "This __ emergency!" : IS AN
67. Cheeky : BOLD
71. "Scarlett" setting : TARA. Funny, I was there this week - the Turner HQ in Atlanta is built to look like the Tara plantation house.
74. Password creator : USER. Password forgetter, in my case. I'm also pretty terrible at remembering the answers to the "unlock" questions!
75. Surfboard fin : SKEG
76. Jocular "Gotcha" : AH SO!
77. __ Birds: cellphone game : ANGRY
78. The "a" sound in "afire" : SCHWA. Is is only me that wonders why an "a" sound is described mainly with a SHHHHWWWW noise?
79. ATM maker : NCR. I'm a "PIN pattern" guy - I remember my PIN not by the digits, but by where it is on the keyboard. This worked fine until I went to Hong Kong, and found that the ATM keypads are "upside down" with the high digits at the top.
81. Seek advice from : TURN TO
83. "This is yours now!" : TAKE IT
84. Presses on : IMPELS
87. Lennon's lady : ONO
88. Droids, e.g. : PDA'S A Personal Digital Assistant sounds very old-school nowadays, but it was awesome back then when they came with little plastic pencils to write with!
90. Mule's parent : ASS
91. Umbrella-garnished drink : MAI TAI
97. African snake : ASP. Oh hey - here's our Nile Biter! Thank you all for not using that clue.
98. Kick and Zero colas : RCS. I have no idea about this one. Help, please?
100. Joins forces : UNITES
101. They may be rolled over, for short : IRAS
109. Outcast : LEPER
110. Extremely thin : GAUNT. 109A's are usually this, right?
111. Terr. that's now two states : DAK. Wow, now that is one obscure clue!
112. Have a go at : TACKLE
114. Deals with : SELLS TO
116. Big name in china : SPODE. Bone china from England, to be precise. You were either a Wedgwood or a Spode family.
118. Dip in "Swan Lake"? : PLIÉ. A ballet move - you must have the E-acute accent for the full effect!
122. "Whether __ or lose ..." : WE WIN
123. Mary Kay rival : AVON. "Ding-Dong - Avon Calling"
124. Hilltop homes : AERIES
125. Cold-climate seabird : AUK. I'd never thought of this before, but does Auckland, New Zealand have anything to do with the seabird?
126. Painter of café scenes : MANET. I always have to wait for the cross to decide between Monet and Manet.
127. Scads : TONS
128. Egyptian currency : POUNDS
129. Decorates mischievously, for short : TP'S. I think this is unique to the USA? I'd never seen a yard festooned with toilet paper before I moved here.
Down:
1. Haunt : OBSESS.
2. It has a bit part : BRIDLE. Mean, tough clue. I loved this one!
3. Sockeye, e.g. : SALMON
4. Arouse from sleep : WAKEN. Hmmm. I would have rather seen either "Awaken" for "Arouse", or "Waken" for "Rouse". Not a fan of this clue/answer.
5. Car rental company founder Warren : AVIS
6. Locker room strategy : GAME PLAN
7. U.N. workers' gp. : ILO. The International Labor Organization. Or the International Labour Organisation, your choice.
8. Persona __ grata : NON
9. Italian dumplings : GNOCCHI. Sage, butter, Parmesan. Food!
10. Party to remember : BASH
11. Abbr. on a cornerstone : ESTAB. I recently found my grandfather's name on the cornerstone of a hospital in Warrington, England, established in 1903.
12. Beatles drummer after 10-Across : STARR. Richard Starkey, following in the footsteps of Pete Best.
13. La Brea attraction : TAR PIT
15. Perfectly fine : ALL OK
16. Justin Bieber, e.g. : TEEN IDOL
17. Gasteyer of "SNL" : ANA
18. DVR button : REC
24. "Endymion" poet : KEATS. The poem is a thing of beauty, a joy forever.
29. Penn of "Milk" : SEAN
33. Take a shine to : LIKE
34. Set a price of : ASK
36. Discontinuing : CEASING
37. Hard on the eyes, in a way : LOUD
38. Minor quibbles : NITS
40. Counting-rhyme starter : EENY
44. It may have a theme : PARK
45. Bridge installer's deg. : DDS Department of Driver Services? This would work for installing bridges, but no - we're looking for Doctor of Dental Surgery here.
46. "Get over yourself!" : LET IT GO
47. Private aye : YESSIR! All one word, too!
49. Sears associate : ROEBUCK
50. Harness racing events : TROTS
51. Mall melodies : MUZAK
52. Simple trap : SNARE. I'd rate a 52D as cunning, a 57D as simple ...
57. "The facts, ma'am" series : DRAGNET
58. Runner-up's demand : RECOUNT
59. Former acorn : OAK. You could look at this another way and say an oak is an acorn's precursor.
60. Language in which "Shazbot!" is a profanity : ORKAN. Nanu, Nanu!
63. "Zip it!" : SHH
64. Basil-based sauces : PESTOS. I'm not entirely sure that pesto has a plural.
66. Whichever : ANY
68. Milo of film and stage : O'SHEA. I always assumed that Milo and Tessie were siblings, but no. Milo was Irish and Tessie was Welsh, so now I know.
69. Comedian Black : LEWIS
70. Cries of annoyance : DRATS
72. Turning green in the backseat, say : CAR SICK. That was me. Sorry, Dad
73. One may be returned for a TD : INT. Also called a "pick six" - an interception to pick off the pass, run the ball back for a touchdown and six points.
78. Encl. with an autograph request : SASE I can never remember if it's a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope or a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. In England it's a SAE (stamped, addressed envelope). The English don't care if you address it to yourself or the Queen as long as it's got a stamp on it!
82. Kanga's little one : ROO
83. GI's lullaby? : TAPS. The most haunting few bars of music.
84. All-in-one Apple : iMAC
85. Beer-brewing mixture : MASH. My local pub in England was called the "Mash Tun". It was a perfect crossword pub!
86. "Zip it!" : PIPE DOWN
88. With 10-Across, Beatles drummer before 12-Down : PETE
89. Moccasin material : DEER SKIN. Is a moose a deer's kin?
93. Gather discriminately : CULL
94. Patella : KNEECAP
95. Nap, in British slang : KIP
96. Iranian money : RIALS. Pounds and Rials today - Capital!
99. Stick to policy : SIT PAT, Why do you Stand Pat in Poker, but Sit Pat in business?
102. Charge : RUSH AT
103. Get in the game : ANTE UP. You can 99D after you do this
104. Long-legged waders : STORKS
106. "Embraced by the Light" author Betty : EADIE
107. Round of shots : SALVO
108. Boxy Toyota : SCION
110. Explain away, with "over" : GLOSS
113. Griffey and Griffey Jr. : KENS
115. Squeezed (out) : EKED
116. Seeker in personals, briefly : SWM. This Single White Male filled this in without a pause.
117. Stew veggie : PEA. I had peas for dinner tonight, but not in a stew.
120. LBJ's antipoverty agcy. : OEO. Lyndon Johnson's Office of Economic Opportunity.
121. Sch. named for an evangelist : ORU. Oral Roberts University, a basketball powerhouse in Tulsa, OK
Answer grid.
Wow. That's all from me - hats off to Don and C.C. for a real challenge today!
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great puzzle, Don and CC! Thought that I would be too tired to work it, but it was TONS of fun! Super write-up, Steve!
Favorite answers: TPS and BRIDLE. Some unknowns that the perps filled in, like SKED.
RC is Royal Crown (cola), Steve.
Time for bed!
Thanks Don and CC for a challenging puzzle to calm the nerves during a stormy night! One eye on the TV weather screen and one eye on the puzzle! Thanks, Steve for a good write-up. Especially enjoyed TAPS.
ReplyDeleteHad 26a ILEAC then ileum. Had never seen the word GNO_CHi so didn't know what was sharp. Only thing blank today. I had 42a DOI but couldn't figure out it was two words. DUH!
Liked the K2 theme which I caught onto early. Helped on 92a and 105a. I never heard of KIP as a nap. Thought it was food. Never heard of SIT PAT or SKEG. So it was a puzzlement for sure.
Didn't know they used POUNDS in Egypt. EADIE and ELISHA were new to me too. So lots of learning moments. But fun!
No hail or high winds here yet, but lots of rain and thunder again now. I guess I'll sleep when the sun shines.
I caught on to the two Ks in the theme words early, at SILK KIMONO. That helped me get the rest of the themes knowing the first word ended in K and the second started with K. It also helped at guessing at some of the perps I didn't know. Without this help I don't know if I'd been able to finish it. Had fun doing this, it held my interest all the way.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of Kick or Zero colas, but I believe they must be RC (Royal Crown) sodas.
Didn't understand DDS as a bridge installer's deg. until I got here (Thant's Steve for the great info).
Also don't know why Mall music is spelled MUZAK, I'll have to look into that.
Always glad to see CC & Don's puzzles.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle with a well executed theme. Who knew there were so many K2 phrases out there?
Nice solving experience overall, although there were a few clunkers to be seen. POUNDS/OEO was one of them, as was the whole ULENE/ILIAC/REC/QATAR section in the NE corner. The clunkers were balanced by the wonderfully inventive cluing in other spots (as usual), so it all worked out.
I wonder if I will ever remember SKEG?
Good Morning Steve, C.C., Don G. et al
ReplyDeleteFun run today. I always wonder who will be blogging when I see the Dynamic Duo’s tagline on the puzzle. Great job today, Steve! Lovely rendition of TAPS, so thanks for linking. I really chuckled when I read your comment on DEER’S KIN. It was exactly what I thought when that one appeared from perps, before I read the clue.
I agree with you about “Arouse from sleep” as the clue for WAKEN. If DH “aroused” me from sleep, we would have more than coffee on our minds!
With QUICK KICK crossing BRICK KILN in the NW, that corner was rather restricted. TEEN IDOL gave it sparkle, IMO. QATAR and ULENE are both common, so the fill didn’t seem clunky to me at all.
I loved all the theme entries, but I miss our constructors’ comments. How did you guys come up with this one? Was SILK KIMONO your seed entry? So many questions!
I hope all our OK friends ALL OK today!!!
Have a relaxing day of rest, everyone.
Good Morning, Steve and friends. I was really on Don's and C.C.'s wavelength today and was able to really zip through today's puzzle. Having the K-2 theme titled at the top of the puzzle helped. I knew I was looking for the KKs together.
ReplyDeleteI liked the crossing of STAR with STARR. (I briefly tried Ringo for 12-Down, though.)
Bridge Installer's Degree was a nice fresh clue for the DDS.
When SCHWA revealed itself, I knew that CC must have gotten this from some of our numerous blog conversations about pronunciations.
QOD: The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men. ~ George Eliot
Good morning, folks. Thank you, C.C. and Don G., for a great Sunday puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for the great review.
ReplyDeleteGot started slowly on this. I did not catch the theme right away. I guess I did not look for it. Once discovered with CHECK KITING I was off and running.
For 85D I had WORT for a while. That is what the beer mixture is called before you rack it. After a while I figured that maybe I was the only one that thought of that, so I tried MALT. That did not work either. MASH then appeared after CHEEK KISS.
Liked 129A TPS. Clever. According to my wife and daughter, it is an honor for a teenager's house to be TPed.
Haven't we had PETE BEST recently in a puzzle? I kind of remembered it.
45D, DDS, was a stumper for a while. I was trying to think of a Mechanical or Structural Engineer for the longest time. Eventually I switched gears.
96D RIALS was easy. I still own thousands of them. I actually thought I would be going back there some day. Oh well.
The rest of my day is ahead of me. Church, then a funeral of a Lodge Brother.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Morning, All.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad today starts a new week. That's all that saved me from two DNF's in the same week. DG/CC did me in today.
The NE corner had too many unknowns for me. I got QATAR and TEENIDOL right away, but I haven't watched SNL in years (no longer able to stay up that late), and I incorrectly WAGged Gasteyer's first name as AMI. That resulted in ULEME and ILEIC. I let 'em stand. DNF!
Everything else fell into place pretty quickly. I even got the theme for a change. "Droids" made me think of R2D2 and C3PO rather than PDA. Favorite misdirection: Dip in "Swan Lake"
Hope you made better puzzle progress than I did today. Time to go sulk....
Thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle; the NE corner stymied me for a bit, and the challenge only added to the fun. The interaction between Best and Starr was brilliant. I also tried Ringo first.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on a well-done theme.
This was a fun puzzle Don and CC. I didn't find any of the fill clunky. Perps and the KK helped a lot. Things we are unacquainted with are not necessarily clunky, just learning experiences. Nice going, Steve.
ReplyDeleteI knew CULL was called for, but I disagree with it being indiscriminate. It means sort or select, usually the bad and worthless. I grew up in a farm community where culling chickens and other animals to sort out the sick and worthless was common.
We taught the SCHWA sound as an indiscriminate sound. All the different vowels designated as schwa are pronounced alike, so you need to remember which vowel is needed to spell the schwa sound correctly.
Link schwa
I liked hard on the eyes = LOUD, bridge installer's degree= DDS,
it has a bit part= BRIDLE. My first thought was drill for bit part except that it is too short.
I was honored to see my initials, KK, featured today.
YR@ 8:26, the clue for CULL was "Gather DIScriminately" (not "INdiscriminately), so it is correct as it stands.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to high school kids TPing the front yards of other students, another "practice" where I live is to stick tons of plastic forks in someone's front yard. This is called "forking" someone, or "getting forked." The HS students seem to find this hysterical.
ReplyDeleteI think "forking" is kinder than TPing. The TP can last for weeks (months, during a drought) in the high tree branches. When homes get TPed in my neighborhood, it's usually the adults who I see trying to clean it up.
ReplyDeleteForking, OTOH, is at ground level, relatively easy to clean up, and has the additional benefit of aerating the soil.
Good morning. A relatively easy lope for me today. getting the theme early helped a great deal. The worst problem I had was writing triCK KICK, which sounded just fine but really bolluxed up the NE. T_T_R is not an Arab country, so that took a while to figure out. Several unknowns, but the perps saved the day in all cases.
ReplyDelete2" of rain total for yesterday. There was one tornado warning just before midnight near Lincoln, but no reports of damage and it's a pretty nice day today. Hope no one had any problems with the system.
Good morning everyone:
ReplyDeleteKudos Don and CC for a clever and challenging puzzle and to Steve for a great expo.
Loved the clues for plie, bridle, DDS and TPs. Needed some help so was a DNF but enjoyed it anyway.
Hope everyone in the midwest is safe and sound.
Happy Sunday.
I mis-guessed 40A as ALICIA and 43A as SPEAKFONDLY, which of course messed up 34D and 9D, but everything else fell magically into place. Meant to come back to 34D "ACF", but forgot.
ReplyDeleteNot too sharp today following a bit of food poisoning yesterday, so never caught on to the theme even after getting 8 of them.
Favorite clues were the same as Yellowrocks'. Great minds, I guess, but also a hand up for 47D YESSIR.
Steve, you need to look into a password manager. I use Roboform, which unfortunately is not free, but allows you to maintain hundreds of very strong passwords while remembering only one, and works across all your PCs and PDAs.
I grew up (or started to, anyway) near Saratoga, where "wholesome" (thank you, Harold Hill) harness racing (the TROTS) was king. Waited tables at a posh Saratoga restaurant where railbirds gathered to share their winnings (if any) with me.
Funny -- in my paper, 78D "Encl. with an autograph request" was "Encl. with a manuscript". Yours made more sense.
Fun puzzle, fun writeup, fun week.
Our paper omitted the theme and the constructors' names, so I was mighty surprised to see this was the fine work of our very own dynamic cup when I came here. Congratulations C.C. and Don for a delightful work of art.
ReplyDeleteOur paper also had 78A clued as Encl. with a manuscript rather than autograph request, not that it matters.
Got a clue to the theme when silk kimono appeared and the rest was relatively smooth sailing. I, too, had trick kick in the NE, but perps straightened that out.
I never would have dreamed you could come up with so many combinations of words ending/beginning with k. There were also a lot of other k's that weren't part of the theme - park/Ozark, Roebuck/take it, tackle/Kens. Great work!
Thanks, Steve, for a fine review.
Talk about procrastination, I'm off to finish my taxes. Have a great day, everyone.
Well drat, autocorrect. My comment should say "dynamic duo" not "dynamic cup" which makes no sense. Geesh
ReplyDeleteAnd if I try to put a period after Geesh, it comes out Geese.
And doh becomes dog.
Good morning, all. Thanks, Steve, for taking us on a nice Sunday tour of K2. Korner Kudos to our Dynamic Duo for a clever puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThis was a top to bottom fill for me. I'd do about four rows across, then switch to downs which filled most of what was missing. The tails hanging down gave me enough to pick up several of the across fill in the next four rows. The title and SILK KIMONO told me to look for double K's, which helped also.
Yellowrocks, I, too, misread 'discriminately' as 'indiscriminately'. I'm learning that our constructors and editors seem to know that our minds play tricks like that and use that knowledge to mislead us.
I guess we stand pat in poker because it won't take long and SIT PAT in business because we will be there a long while.
And what about Down pat...
ReplyDeleteCue the Nixon jokes.
Comments I hate from crossword bloggers: Anything they happen not to know is obscure. And anything obscure is bad. Why? Drives me crazy.
ReplyDeleteMorning all,
ReplyDeleteSilk Kimono gave away the theme early on , and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way , had to do some WAGING here and there as usual.
22A and 26A all perps , thank goodness ! Same with 106 D.
Minor nit .. Scion is a brand of it's own, not a Toyota model, yes it's owned and marketed by TMC.
So is Lexus
My new Avatar ? Jordan ( my youngest ) and I in the pool , he is shivering cold .
Fore !
I love K's in a puzzle so this was a treat for me. lots of terrific fill as well.
ReplyDeleteInteresting phrase SILKKIMONO. It holds Barry, Lil, and Yoko.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteThe DGCC team actually got me on this one. I got stuck enough in the SE that I needed a wee boost to finish up. Couldn't remember RIALS, that became a red letter situation. Technical DNF.
I didn't know Egypt uses the name Pound for currency. Resisted that for the longest time.
Steve: Nice hat trick on the blog images. One more for SKEG would have given you the grand slam or the quad triangles.
ReplyDeleteDon and C.C.: Fun puzzle. Lots of personal tie-ins for me. Worked at KK motorcycle supply during high school as a STOCK KEEPER. Lived in KETTERING when sub-contracting for NCR. Had a nephew show me ANGRY Birds on his phone recently as explained to him the best technique for TPS. I LIKE BRA and ASS in a grid. That's BOLD.
IS AN EENY NIT(S)a redundancy? That ALL OK as is STARR STAR.
Oh yeah, there's the shout out meeting ELISHA. I'll TAKEIT!
Lastly you put in my favorite player KENS Griffey. Did you know their names are George Kenneth Griffey. Also, they played together on the same team and hit back-to-back HRs in September of 1990.
Agree with Will. It is just a question of what you know and what
ReplyDeleteyou don't know.
Skegs are common on sail boats. Some boats have two fins so they settle upright in the mud when the tide goes out.
UPS package finally got to San Pablo from Memphis.
Waiting for the Indy Lights Race.
Daisy's reaction to the hail storm was priceless. She didn't know what to do.
eddy
My first two words filled in were Star and Starr. I smiled and knew that it would be a fun puzzle. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHello, all. Thanks, Steve, for your great commentary!
ReplyDeleteI lost my first post so have to start over. Loved this challenge from the Dynamic Duo and like so many of you caught the theme at SILKIMONO.
Took an easy pace to relish all the outstanding fill and helped me to AIR OUT my system from the tragic events of this week.
Loved big name in China, SPODE. I have a small SPODE clock brought by my U.K. friends when they visited.
SKEG is new to me as is ELISHA and didn't realize the OZARKS are in Missouri as well as in Arkansas.
My granddaughter told me about ANGRY birds else I would not know it. The AUK hang out in Newfoundland, Canada on their own island.
Steve, I enjoyed your assessment of the K in Scrabble as a 10! So true.
Enjoy your Sunday everyone and you midwesterners stay safe, please!
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteAnother nice puzzle from C.C. and Don. Rich's ears must be burning. I woke up this morning thinking we're about due for another puzzle from the DD. And voilà, there it was at the Sunday Chicago Tribune site. The K² theme was neat. SLOAN was a gimme since we go there twice a year for checkups. Favorite clue was for 47d Private aye - YES SIR. Pvts are the only ones to say yes sir. CDRs and COLs address their seniors similarly. Tried DDE before IKE. Think I've now got SCHWA down pat.
Taxes are done.
Enjoy the day.
Two comments re: yesterday's posts.
ReplyDeleteZcarguy: Great Thelma and Louise joke. A great guy-quip for a chick-flick.
placematfan: Glad you mentioned Frank Longo. His puzzles are published every Sunday in my local paper instead of either LATs. His puzzle today highlights the letter Z.
It's been a Sesame Street Sunday!
Today's letters are Z and K.
Hi Everyone ~~
ReplyDeleteWhat a great Sunday puzzle! I've recently found that I don't usually enjoy Sunday puzzles much because it seems like a whole lotta work and just not that much satisfaction. But that certainly was not the case today. Thanks C.C. and Don for making this so much fun!
I caught the theme early and in some cases it helped with theme answers. There were a number of answers that I really liked ... they were simple but nice ... things I don't remember seeing recently, if ever, such as 110D - Explain away, with "over" - GLOSS and 81A Seek advice from - TURN TO. Lots to like today!
~~ Glad to have a baseball clue at 113D - KENS
~~ At 14D - Football surprise - all I could think of was 'Dropkick'- (Doug Flutie) but when it didn't fit I was stuck there for a while. That whole NE corner was tough for me and the last to fill.
~~ Learning moments: EADIE, SKEG and ULENE.
~~ Agree with others on some of the really clever clues ~ my favorites were those for YES SIR and BRIDLE.
~~ I thought I was really clever filling in 'Ace' at 19A - Top of some suits. After finally getting BRA, I realized that an ace is the top of ALL suits! Duh.
Thanks for a really good write-up, Steve ... you added to the enjoyment!
Question: Any idea why for the past three Sundays the puzzle you solve is different from the puzzle in my Sunday Times? Does the inland Empire version differ from La County?
ReplyDeleteThis post is for the aviation, military and history buffs here on the blog:
ReplyDeleteB-25 Gathering
Click on individual pictures as the arrows do not work.
Article 1
Article 2
Schedule
I don't think it was mentioned that this is the largest gathering of B-25s since WWII.
There is also KG III who will go 2nd in the NFL draft.
ReplyDeleteSaavedra finished second.
Ray R: The Sunday puzzle in the paper is the Merl Reagle puzzle, not this one. Dunno why but that's the way it always is.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle and writeup. Took a while though.
Hands up for getting car sick. On our regular trip to my Grandmother's house in Upperville, Virginia, about an hour away from where we lived in Falls Church, my parents would sit in front with me in the back. My mother didn't like drafts so tended to keep the windows closed. They both smoked. We'd get a little more than half way there and I would have to throw up. Years later, after my parents had quit smoking, my father apologized to me. He had never realized how unpleasant the odor was in a mostly closed-up car.
I don't know about 50D Harness racing event: TROTS
ReplyDeleteThe trots where I come from is something you get when you eat leftover Chinese food that has sat in the frige too long.
Liked Will Shortz tweet @11:15am. It's kinda like driving on the highway, anyone you have to pass is driving too slow and anyone who passes you is driving too fast. Some of you may have hear this with vile language, but it's Sunday so I'm trying to behave.
Toodles all
That's RG3 eddyB.
ReplyDeleteIn re: Will Shortz 11:13-"Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world." Arthur Schopenhauer.
ReplyDeleteMy second indiscriminate error: Instead of calling the SCHWA an indiscriminate sound, I should have called it an indistinct sound.
Amen, Papa Cass. That popped into my mind too on seeing TROTS. BTW, I have just written POPPED to correct originally having misspelled it as POOPED.
KK
Hello everybody. Extremely satisfying puzzle today. My congratulations and thanks to C.C. and Don G. Some awesome cluing.
ReplyDeleteAuto-correct sometimes makes nonsensical suggestions. I have typed the completely wrong word sometimes; gotta keep a doggone sharp eye out top keep it from co-opting you.
Jayce - yup. Guess "top keep" is a case in point, no? LOL
ReplyDeleteSteve:
ReplyDeleteA really well done job blogging. I am so glad you stuck with this.
Don and C.C., fun as always. In my world people say K.K. to mean something is OK; don't ask me why.
And do not ask m why the LA Times syndicate does not publish the same Sunday puzzle which is available online, but such is life. It has always been so and will remain so.
mtnest995, haha, yes, case in point :)
ReplyDeleteWell, not really. It was my own typo; can't blame auto-correct.
new to cross word obsession, but I have expanded my vocab and sharpened my mind. What good is it in practicality?
ReplyDeleteWin
60 Minute fans should be aware that they are doing a tribute to Mike Wallace tonight. It's better than I expected, and I expected a lot. IOW, if you're a fan of him and/or the show, don't miss it.
ReplyDeleteBOOYAH!
ReplyDeleteStarted at 8:09 PM EDT and finished at 8:49 PM EDT (Elapsed time of 40 minutes).
Got every cell correct. That one went down like the Titanic!!!
Welcome Tar heel Frank and Win. You ask what good is it? Why expand your vocabulary, your knowledge and exercise your brain? Many reasons, it is fun, there is a sense of accomplishment, there is a sense of shared experience, there is the benefit of any exercise. There is also why not...you can always wow them at parties and by the water cooler.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the puzzle, Don and C.C. Cool theme. Friday’s puzzle sparked in me a love for the letter V; today, my fickle heart is lost to the letter K--so many letters, so little time. Got RCS just because RC Cola is a familiar phrase. Agree with Barry G. that the NE corner was somewhat clunky. Didn’t like that the ESE and WNW sections weren’t tied to theme entries, but looking at the theme-entry placement I can see how it was necessary. Learning moment: SKEG. I looked up the difference between ILIAC and ILEAC this morning, but I’ve forgotten already. Wasn’t familiar with OBSESS as a transitive verb. Loved SCHWA, GNOCCHI, and KNEECAP. Didn’t know ULENE or QUICKKICK. Thought SPODE and EADIE were too esoteric to cross; but I’m just bitter because that was my one empty square. Loved the BRA and CARSICK clues.
ReplyDeleteAvg Joe, I agree; 60 Minutes was excellent.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying the Lakers winning ways lately and the amazing Dodgers with the best record in baseball.
I am watching two movies recorded from cable. One is an old western with a good reputation; The Searchers. The other is a recent baseball movie called Moneyball. Very enjoyable so far.