Theme: Amazing! - Each 3-word theme entry start with WOW.
23A. Steal : WALK OFF WITH
29A. Wouk work, with "The" : WINDS OF WAR.
35A. 2000 Sean Penn film, with "The" : WEIGHT OF WATER. Generally I'm not a fan of dropping articles for theme needs. But both "The" are dropped here. Quite consistent.
59A. Have a drink : WET ONE'S WHISTLE
80A. Last book in Robertson Davies' "Deptford Trilogy" : WORLD OF WONDERS
99A. Sage advice : WORDS OF WISDOM
106A. Laurel and Hardy film set in Brushwood Gulch : WAY OUT WEST
118A. '30s show tune that became a 1960 Dion and the Belmonts hit : WHERE OR WHEN. Not familiar with the song. Waiting for Argyle to link.
So four OFs in the middle, the other O's are different. I like the variety.
Have not seen Alan Arbesfeld's by line since Dec 2009. Excited to have the chance solving and discussing his puzzle. He is a veteran constructor and has been a regular contributor to the NY Times.
Only 67 black squares in this grid, and no cheater! Lots of nice fill today.
Across:
1. Colorful talker : MACAW
6. Hair net : SNOOD. This is similar to the one my Grandma used to wear.
11. Thai currency : BAHT. No plural form in Thai language. But "Bahts" seem to be in common use here.
15. Legal opening? : PARA. Paralegal.
19. Prominent period : EPOCH
20. New Mexico county whose seat is Alamogordo : OTERO. Sounds like Spanish. What does it mean?
21. Buck chaser? : AROO. Buckaroo.
22. Elliptical : OVAL
25. Shows no restraint : LETS LOOSE
27. Hit sign : SRO (Standing Room Only)
28. Work out an agreement : SETTLE
30. Honorary Muslim title in old India : NAWAB. I only know Nabob.
32. Fed. auditing agency : GAO
34. Crib sheet users : TOTS. I was thinking of cheat sheet.
40. Spoils : GOES BAD
45. WWII Italian beachhead : ANZIO. You did not think of OMAHA?
46. Waterfront org. : ILA (International Longshoremen's Association)
47. It's gone in less than a flash: Abbr. : NSEC (Nanosecond)
49. Go for an ace, maybe : SERVE
50. Corporate honcho : SUIT
51. King in "The Tempest" : ALONSO
53. Bilko and Klinger, e.g.: Abbr. : NCOs
56. "The Namesake" director Mira : NAIR. Excited about this new clue. She also directed "Amelia". She's an Indian.
57. Busy, design-wise : ORNATE
62. Blowup source, briefly : NEG (Negative). Photos.
63. Shield border, in heraldry : ORLE. Troublesome word for me. I can never remember it.
65. Germany, to Meg Ryan: Abbr. : ANAG (Anagram). Tricky clue.
66. Conference clip-on : NAME TAG
67. Defended : STOOD BY. Stand by Your Man.
69. Nailed down : SECURED
71. "It's my fervent wish!" : I HOPE SO. Splynter will need lots of luck in Las Vegas.
74. French monarchs : ROIs
76. Dr. visit : APPT
77. "Cheers" bartender : SAM
83. Mexican man, say : LATINO
85. Summer treat : ICEE
86. Whim : LARK. Made me think of CrossEyedDave, who's full of whimsical ideas, as you can see from his fun & creative links.
87. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer David : CROSBY
89. Had too much : OD'ED
90. Sole protectors : SHOES
92. Said three times, a story shortener : YADA. "Seinfeld".
94. Sudden death cause : TIE
95. Last word in doughnuts : KREME. Krispy Kreme.
96. Self-important boss, facetiously : HIS NIBS. Is there a "Her nibs"?
102. Aid factor : NEED
104. Sun Valley loc. : IDA (Idaho)
105. Parts of some area calculations : RADII
111. They take things in stride : STOICS. Most East Asians are.
114. Go downhill, in a way : SKI
117. Basically : IN ESSENCE
120. Fictitious : TALL. Tall tales.
121. Time co-founder : LUCE (Henry)
122. Board : GET IN
123. Topple : UPEND
124. 1944 Normandy battle site : ST. LO. So is CAEN.
125. Unwanted messages : SPAM
126. Prevailing tendency : TREND. This eye make-up is very trendy, black eyeliner on the upper lid and a little wing tip around eye corner. I'm thinking only LaLaLinda will notice it.
127. Giving lip : SASSY
Down:
1. Cat calls : MEWS
2. On __ with : A PAR
3. Empire-building activity : COLONIZING
4. "Eew!" kin : ACK
5. A-list : WHO'S WHO
6. Cook for three minutes, say : SOFT BOIL. Do you like soft boiled eggs? .
7. Abbr. on many a can : NT WT
8. Eye, in Versailles : OEIL. Irrational spelling.
9. Maker of Taco Kits : ORTEGA. I've never had tacos.
10. "How stupid of me!" : D'OH!
11. Indonesian island on its own sea : BALI. I bet Dennis wants a "Bra brand" clue since he's an expert in the field. Lovely color, isn't it?
12. Isn't for couples? : AREN'T. Cute clue.
13. Show off : HOTDOG
14. Have an easy catch with : TOSS TO
15. Disappearing word : POOF
16. Declare : AVOW
17. Tabula __ : RASA
18. Tiger, e.g., briefly : AL-ER (American Leaguer). Detroit Tigers, for Jazzbumpa & Linda's husband, though I doubt they use AL-ER.
24. Something to be proud of : FEAT
26. Fails to prevail : LOSES
29. Troubles : WOES
31. Bad gut feeling : AGITA
33. When a memorable movie gunfight occurs : AT NOON. "High Noon".
35. Aired, as a TV show : WAS ON
36. Harden : ENURE
37. Ran smoothly : FLOWED
38. Dwindle : WANE
39. Break a promise : RENEGE
41. Had a feeling : SENSED
42. Benjamin of "Law & Order" : BRATT. Curtis! Who's the coolest TV cop? To me, it's Bobby Simone of "NYPD Blue".
43. Walled Spanish city : AVILA
44. Easing of govt. restrictions : DE-REG
48. IV amts. : CCs
51. Spray : AEROSOL
52. Extend one's visit : STAY ON
54. Confess : OWN UP. So, Bill's crush is Sofia Vergara. Mine is Daniel Craig. How about yours?
55. How rebukes are administered : SHARPLY
58. Schlepped : TOTED
60. Sadat's predecessor : NASSER
61. "__ man who wasn't there ..." : I MET A. What's the poem about? I read a few lines. Sounds creepy.
64. Bath scrubber : LOOFA
67. Anger : SPLEEN
68. Rather rival : BROKAW (Tom)
70. Othello's lieutenant : CASSIO
71. "If only!" : I WISH
72. __ Minh City : HO CHI. Saigon.
73. Hydrox rivals, once : OREOs
75. Driver's license, often : ID CARD
77. Fries and slaw : SIDE DISHES
78. Prefix with meter : ANEMO. meaning "wind".
79. Computer accessory : MODEM
81. Like some humor : WRY
82. Spoils : ROTS
84. Sculptors' subjects : TORSI. Plural of torso.
88. Get close to : BEFRIEND
91. One may get congested : SINUS
93. "Go ahead!" : DO IT
95. Former children's clothing chain : KIDS R US. Was it related to Toys "R" Us?
97. Chewable Asian leaves : BETELS
98. Clinched : SEWN UP
100. Reindeer name : DASHER
101. Baylor University site : WACO
103. "Rock Around the Clock" label : DECCA
106. Mental faculties : WITS
107. Gray area?: Abbr. : ANAT (Anatomy). "Gray's Anatomy" (Henry Gray). The TV series "Grey's Anatomy" is a play on word on former.
108. Whoop it up : YELL
109. Munch Museum city : OSLO
110. Appear to be : SEEM
112. Nice bean? : TETE. Again, Nice the French city.
113. Online __ print : OR IN. Drew a blank.
115. Guy dolls : KENS
116. Fedora-wearing adventurer, familiarly : INDY. Oh, Indiana Jones.
118. Driver's lic. stat : WGT. OK to lie a little.
119. FDR program : WPA. Works Project Administration.
Answer grid.
Happy 18th Wedding Anniversary to Ron Worden!
C.C.
23A. Steal : WALK OFF WITH
29A. Wouk work, with "The" : WINDS OF WAR.
35A. 2000 Sean Penn film, with "The" : WEIGHT OF WATER. Generally I'm not a fan of dropping articles for theme needs. But both "The" are dropped here. Quite consistent.
59A. Have a drink : WET ONE'S WHISTLE
80A. Last book in Robertson Davies' "Deptford Trilogy" : WORLD OF WONDERS
99A. Sage advice : WORDS OF WISDOM
106A. Laurel and Hardy film set in Brushwood Gulch : WAY OUT WEST
118A. '30s show tune that became a 1960 Dion and the Belmonts hit : WHERE OR WHEN. Not familiar with the song. Waiting for Argyle to link.
So four OFs in the middle, the other O's are different. I like the variety.
Have not seen Alan Arbesfeld's by line since Dec 2009. Excited to have the chance solving and discussing his puzzle. He is a veteran constructor and has been a regular contributor to the NY Times.
Only 67 black squares in this grid, and no cheater! Lots of nice fill today.
Across:
1. Colorful talker : MACAW
6. Hair net : SNOOD. This is similar to the one my Grandma used to wear.
11. Thai currency : BAHT. No plural form in Thai language. But "Bahts" seem to be in common use here.
15. Legal opening? : PARA. Paralegal.
19. Prominent period : EPOCH
20. New Mexico county whose seat is Alamogordo : OTERO. Sounds like Spanish. What does it mean?
21. Buck chaser? : AROO. Buckaroo.
22. Elliptical : OVAL
25. Shows no restraint : LETS LOOSE
27. Hit sign : SRO (Standing Room Only)
28. Work out an agreement : SETTLE
30. Honorary Muslim title in old India : NAWAB. I only know Nabob.
32. Fed. auditing agency : GAO
34. Crib sheet users : TOTS. I was thinking of cheat sheet.
40. Spoils : GOES BAD
45. WWII Italian beachhead : ANZIO. You did not think of OMAHA?
46. Waterfront org. : ILA (International Longshoremen's Association)
47. It's gone in less than a flash: Abbr. : NSEC (Nanosecond)
49. Go for an ace, maybe : SERVE
50. Corporate honcho : SUIT
51. King in "The Tempest" : ALONSO
53. Bilko and Klinger, e.g.: Abbr. : NCOs
56. "The Namesake" director Mira : NAIR. Excited about this new clue. She also directed "Amelia". She's an Indian.
57. Busy, design-wise : ORNATE
62. Blowup source, briefly : NEG (Negative). Photos.
63. Shield border, in heraldry : ORLE. Troublesome word for me. I can never remember it.
65. Germany, to Meg Ryan: Abbr. : ANAG (Anagram). Tricky clue.
66. Conference clip-on : NAME TAG
67. Defended : STOOD BY. Stand by Your Man.
69. Nailed down : SECURED
71. "It's my fervent wish!" : I HOPE SO. Splynter will need lots of luck in Las Vegas.
74. French monarchs : ROIs
76. Dr. visit : APPT
77. "Cheers" bartender : SAM
83. Mexican man, say : LATINO
85. Summer treat : ICEE
86. Whim : LARK. Made me think of CrossEyedDave, who's full of whimsical ideas, as you can see from his fun & creative links.
87. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer David : CROSBY
89. Had too much : OD'ED
90. Sole protectors : SHOES
92. Said three times, a story shortener : YADA. "Seinfeld".
94. Sudden death cause : TIE
95. Last word in doughnuts : KREME. Krispy Kreme.
96. Self-important boss, facetiously : HIS NIBS. Is there a "Her nibs"?
102. Aid factor : NEED
104. Sun Valley loc. : IDA (Idaho)
105. Parts of some area calculations : RADII
111. They take things in stride : STOICS. Most East Asians are.
114. Go downhill, in a way : SKI
117. Basically : IN ESSENCE
120. Fictitious : TALL. Tall tales.
121. Time co-founder : LUCE (Henry)
122. Board : GET IN
123. Topple : UPEND
124. 1944 Normandy battle site : ST. LO. So is CAEN.
125. Unwanted messages : SPAM
126. Prevailing tendency : TREND. This eye make-up is very trendy, black eyeliner on the upper lid and a little wing tip around eye corner. I'm thinking only LaLaLinda will notice it.
127. Giving lip : SASSY
Down:
1. Cat calls : MEWS
2. On __ with : A PAR
3. Empire-building activity : COLONIZING
4. "Eew!" kin : ACK
5. A-list : WHO'S WHO
6. Cook for three minutes, say : SOFT BOIL. Do you like soft boiled eggs? .
7. Abbr. on many a can : NT WT
8. Eye, in Versailles : OEIL. Irrational spelling.
9. Maker of Taco Kits : ORTEGA. I've never had tacos.
10. "How stupid of me!" : D'OH!
11. Indonesian island on its own sea : BALI. I bet Dennis wants a "Bra brand" clue since he's an expert in the field. Lovely color, isn't it?
12. Isn't for couples? : AREN'T. Cute clue.
13. Show off : HOTDOG
14. Have an easy catch with : TOSS TO
15. Disappearing word : POOF
16. Declare : AVOW
17. Tabula __ : RASA
18. Tiger, e.g., briefly : AL-ER (American Leaguer). Detroit Tigers, for Jazzbumpa & Linda's husband, though I doubt they use AL-ER.
24. Something to be proud of : FEAT
26. Fails to prevail : LOSES
29. Troubles : WOES
31. Bad gut feeling : AGITA
33. When a memorable movie gunfight occurs : AT NOON. "High Noon".
35. Aired, as a TV show : WAS ON
36. Harden : ENURE
37. Ran smoothly : FLOWED
38. Dwindle : WANE
39. Break a promise : RENEGE
41. Had a feeling : SENSED
42. Benjamin of "Law & Order" : BRATT. Curtis! Who's the coolest TV cop? To me, it's Bobby Simone of "NYPD Blue".
43. Walled Spanish city : AVILA
44. Easing of govt. restrictions : DE-REG
48. IV amts. : CCs
51. Spray : AEROSOL
52. Extend one's visit : STAY ON
54. Confess : OWN UP. So, Bill's crush is Sofia Vergara. Mine is Daniel Craig. How about yours?
55. How rebukes are administered : SHARPLY
58. Schlepped : TOTED
60. Sadat's predecessor : NASSER
61. "__ man who wasn't there ..." : I MET A. What's the poem about? I read a few lines. Sounds creepy.
64. Bath scrubber : LOOFA
67. Anger : SPLEEN
68. Rather rival : BROKAW (Tom)
70. Othello's lieutenant : CASSIO
71. "If only!" : I WISH
72. __ Minh City : HO CHI. Saigon.
73. Hydrox rivals, once : OREOs
75. Driver's license, often : ID CARD
77. Fries and slaw : SIDE DISHES
78. Prefix with meter : ANEMO. meaning "wind".
79. Computer accessory : MODEM
81. Like some humor : WRY
82. Spoils : ROTS
84. Sculptors' subjects : TORSI. Plural of torso.
88. Get close to : BEFRIEND
91. One may get congested : SINUS
93. "Go ahead!" : DO IT
95. Former children's clothing chain : KIDS R US. Was it related to Toys "R" Us?
97. Chewable Asian leaves : BETELS
98. Clinched : SEWN UP
100. Reindeer name : DASHER
101. Baylor University site : WACO
103. "Rock Around the Clock" label : DECCA
106. Mental faculties : WITS
107. Gray area?: Abbr. : ANAT (Anatomy). "Gray's Anatomy" (Henry Gray). The TV series "Grey's Anatomy" is a play on word on former.
108. Whoop it up : YELL
109. Munch Museum city : OSLO
110. Appear to be : SEEM
112. Nice bean? : TETE. Again, Nice the French city.
113. Online __ print : OR IN. Drew a blank.
115. Guy dolls : KENS
116. Fedora-wearing adventurer, familiarly : INDY. Oh, Indiana Jones.
118. Driver's lic. stat : WGT. OK to lie a little.
119. FDR program : WPA. Works Project Administration.
Answer grid.
Happy 18th Wedding Anniversary to Ron Worden!
C.C.
43 comments:
Greetings!
Wow! I did it all w/o help or reds. But took an hour.
Thanks Alan, CC!
Lots of fun! The WOW pattern was readily apparent.
Am going to croak if I do not get some sleep. Not much last night either.
You speak and I obey: Where or When(2:39)
Good Morning, C. C. and friends. Tricky theme, but what can I say. WOW! I hope we see Mr. arbesfeld more often.
I couldn't function in the office without my PARALegal.
Happy Anniversary, Ron!
Morning, all!
WOW, this one really slapped me around, but good! So many things I just didn't know today, including WEIGHT OF WATER, WORLD OF WONDERS, WHERE OR WHEN, NAWAB (I tried SAHIB at first), ANZIO, ALONSO, NAIR and CASSIO. And plenty of missteps and misdirections as well (the clue for ANAG was brilliant, but deadly).
I did manage to finally get the job done unassisted, more or less. I didn't get the *TADA* at the end and it took awhile to find my mistake (I had ILO instead of ILA at 46A, but once I saw that this resulted in WONE for 38D it was easy enough to correct).
Good day folks,
It's a rare Sunday when I can do the puzzle, but glad this was one of them. Finished it off rather easily, but until reading CC's write up, there were several answers I wasn't sure of; OTERO (wanted Lincoln), AGITA, LOOFA, & ANEMO, but the crossing fills looked solid so they were left alone. What's a LOOFA?
Fun puzzle, now off to some R & R with the better halfs blessing.
Hey guys.
Google translate defines OTERO as Spanish for "knoll".
I actually originally did this in the Argonaut paper, which appeared A WEEK EARLY, (and I'm presuming the same is true of the one I have now).
Even my dad couldn't figure out HISNIBS or AVILA, although I also had BRETT, as me nor dad knew MAIR.
I've actually never played it, but I'll say the one theme answer not in the puzzle just to be first: WORLD OF WARCRAFT!
Good morning C.C. et al.
Thanks for all the explanations, C.C. But I still don’t get “Blowup source” for NEG? I was thinking “NEGotiations” can sometimes blow up. But does that make them a blowup source?
I liked Germany, to Meg Ryan for ANAG. But there were a lot of partials that seemed awkward and just would not come to me right away, like, I MET A, OR IN, A PAR, SOFT BOIL (I usually hear it as “soft boiled”), TOSS TO, AT NOON, WAS ON.
The theme didn’t “wow” me, either. “Walk on water” seems more fun that “walk off with” as a theme entry. War of words is another candidate. Using a theme entry that needs “with ‘the’” in the clue just doesn’t work for me. I know plenty of you will love this one, but I’ll just chalk it up to experience and move on.
Have a nice Sunday!
Concur fully with HeartRx. That "Blowup source (62A)" just mystifies me. I did smile after staring at 12D and seeing the apostrophe in my mind's eye. And after rubbing out DONDER DONNER and DANCER I had mangled the newsprint.
Good morning, all.
HeartRx and Fly_Navy: The blowup (enlargement) source is a photo negative.
C.C: I remember Garry Moore referring to Her Nibs, Miss Gibbs (Georgia Gibbs). But it wasn't meant as a put-down.
I also started with NABOB. Took quite a while for me to let it go. And my "Ran smoothly" PURRED before it FLOWED, and I had MODEL before TORSI.
The worst spot for me was the BRATT/NAIR cross. I didn't know either name, and both E and A seemed to work, but NAIR looked better than NEIR, so I WAGged the A. Could easily have turned into a DNF day.
Just found this spot. Great Stuff. I think the clue for Blowup is neg for negative as in the old negatives from film cameras. Also remember the movie Blowup. Good film.
Good morning, folks. Thank you Al=a A., for a very good puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for the review.
HeartRx, a NEG is a Negative, as in the old way we took pictures.
Once I caught the theme that really helped with the entire puzzle. Enjoyed it all.
My last area to complete was in the West center. WAS ON, AGITA, and SUIT.
65A was good ANAG.
NAWAB was a wag, but it worked.
Had ID BADGE for 66A for a short while. NAME TAG appeared.
Once again, happy anniversary, Ron Worden. I thought it was yesterday. Either way, have a good one.
Off to a funeral this afternoon for an old friend. He was 91. He was from Canada, but served in the U S Navy in WW-II. He had three ships sunk out from under him during the war.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Welcome McPoke, and thanks to you, Desper-otto and Abejo, for clearing up the "blowup" mystery!
Good morning all:
Nice puzzle, Alan, and great write- up, CC.
Finished w/o help but it took a while. Had Sahib first but perps came to the rescue. Some clever cluing today.
Happy Sunday everyone.
How long you been doin’ crosswords, Gary? Well I put in SNOOD, AGITA and BAHT without blinking to start! I got the W…O…W theme but didn’t see the WOW, so I ain’t all that and a bag o chips. What fun today, AA (no MCO)!
Musings
-Loved “Isn’t for couples” and “Sudden death cause” among others
-naIr/avIla crossing was tense but wagged the heck out of it. I wonder what depilatory she uses. He was an ALER!
-I HOPE SO and I WISH shared 71 A/D and RADII and TORSI with unique plurals shared a crossing
-I loved Meg Ryan anagram. How do ‘ya do that?
-My NAWAB was first a SAHIB
-I wonder if GAO peeps party like the GSA?
-GOES BAD, have you ever asked someone, “Does this milk smell funny to you?”
-Hilary said she wasn’t a Stand By Your Man kind of woman, but she did.
-The meadowLARK (NE state bird) songs fill the air on the south side of my golf course. Lovely!
-David Crosby on Roseanne
-George Costanza got nervous when his girl friend said she and old boyfriend YADA, YADA, YADAed
-ST LO is very near Omaha Beach in Normandy
-Parents of H.S. seniors can get a letter from a company offering to put your child’s name in a Who’s Who book but it is just a ploy to separate them from $50 to get a worthless publication
-Don’t you think of this when you hear BALI
This was from the play starring JR’s mom Mary Martin. What character sang this?
-Do you HOT DOG when you SKI, Marti?
-C.C., crush was Haley Mills when I was 13 and cop is Jerry Orbach
been lurking for quite some time & doing CW for years. 1st time my favorite author Robertson Davies mentioned. Canada's answer to Mark Twain!!Although this puzzle was a bit of a chore with some obscure clues, Alan Arbesfeld is now my BFF for the R. Davies clue. made my day....
Needed some initial help from Mr Google, but eventually slogged through it.
I puzzled over 65A: ANAG, was certain it was right, but never understood it. Tricky clue, indeed; thanks, C.C.
Perked up at 47A: NSEC. I have a nanosecond, personally given to me by the late RDML Grace Hopper, one of my heroes, which I will always treasure. IT historians will understand.
Some enjoyable clueing (favorite: 94A: Sudden death cause, TIE. I first thought TIA, but it didn't smell right.) and wordplay, but for some reason not an enjoyable puzzle for me. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood after tearing off part of my roof yesterday in search of a leak, and looking forward to getting back up there today.
I hope everyone else is having a better Sunday.
Hello, puzzlers. C.C., you are a hoot! BALI bra!!
WOW! Can't say I saw that theme but the Ws were obvious and helped immensely. Since I work across then down, or vice versa, it helps to have that first letter. Very ORNATE puzzle, Alan A., thank you.
BTW, OTERO does indeed mean a hill in Spanish. And OMAHA Beach never occurred to me because that is in Normandy whereas the clue said Italian beachhead.
Since Benjamin BRATT is easy on the eyes I remember him but especially in Miss Congeniality.
Many cute clues today including colorful talker, MACAW, crib sheet users, TOTS, but the winner has to be ANAG, Meg Ryan: Germany!
We also see double spoils, ROTS and GOES BAD.
Fun time today though the AROO / ARENT crossing took me longer than necessary to suss. LOL when I did.
Have a sensational Sunday, everyone, especially Ron W. as you celebrate your anniversary!
Ah Sunday! luckily my paper was not delivered today, so i had to do the CW online. Makes it much faster, but doesn't that screw up the whole point of CW's?
CC: Tx 4 the shoutout, (but now the pressure is on to keep it up!)
Hmm, it wasn't till after i typed that that i realized some sicko's may take it the wrong way, get yr mind out of the gutter!
Too much too praise with limited blog space, so i must concentrate on the Nits. 62A (alas needs to be archaic), 67D anger=spleen? talk about obscure! 1D Mews, anyone with a cat knows they are not cat calls, but kitten calls. And most importantly, AL-ER should have been clued "BEER GUZZLER", Jeez, give us couch potatoes a sporting chance willya?
Hmm, Google images seems to be as confused about Tete as i am.
Hondo, Loofa, ( i swear i did not look at the side bar links...) (yet)
Hi Everyone ~~
I enjoyed this puzzle and after discovering the WOW theme I had a fairly easy time of it. I had two write-overs: 'Bamboo' / BETELS and for 122A- Board - 'Get on' / GET IN. I was stumped by the Meg Ryan clue - I kept thinking of 'analogy' but that made no sense - ANAG - now I get it!
~~ 63A - ORLE - strangely, this came to me quickly as a crossword staple from many years ago.
~~ Favorite words today, just because I like how they sound: ACK, YADA, and especially at 58D - Schlepped!
~~ I will OWN UP to my crush on Johnny Depp.
~~ For my favorite TV cops, like HG I always liked Jerry Orbach - Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order and from NYPD Blue - Any Sipowicz, even though he wasn't exactly eye-candy. ;-)
~~ C.C. - that eyeliner reminded me of Amy Winehouse who really took that idea to an extreme.
~~ 18D - Tiger /ALER came easily - my husband was thrilled you remembered his team. LOL Also - Alex AVILA (43D) is the Tigers catcher. We'll be watching the Tigers at 1:00 today and the Red Sox at 2:00.
Thanks for a wonderful write-up today, C.C. I'm glad you got a shout-out at 48D!
Enjoy the day ~~
Sao Paulo is a mess. Another full course yellow and more 55 mph laps.
Guess who is leading the merry go round.
Re RAdm Hopper. Heard her speak at the Acadamy. Everyone got their 12 inches of copper wire.
Used to turn my enlarger around and
do a 16 by 20 inch print on the floor.
Back to Sao Paulo and then the Devils and the Flyers.
Take care. It's ladder time later.
eddy
Pretty much WEES. Lots of work today, but it finally came together. Just one nit, I've heard the expression vent one's spleen, but I don't get how spleen by itself means anger. Can someone shed some light?
i should have mentioned that OTERO is now used mainly as a surname.
From Word-detective.com:
“To vent one’s spleen” means “to express one’s anger,” usually in forceful terms and/or at top volume.
The spleen is, of course, one of those brave little organs nestled in the human midsection (just east of the stomach, in this case), performing those thankless tasks we don’t notice until something goes wrong and our deductible becomes relevant. The spleen’s job is to act as a sort of filter for the blood, but in medieval times, when each bodily organ was thought to be the home of one emotion or another, the spleen was regarded as the seat of melancholy (a mood we now know to reside in the wallet). There was apparently a brief period later on when the spleen was suspected, improbably, of supplying humor and good cheer, but by the late 16th century it was decided that the spleen was the source of rage and ill-temper. Thus “spleen” has for several centuries been a metaphor for “anger,” “resentment” and general crankiness.
“Vent” comes ultimately from the Latin “ventus,” meaning “wind,” and as a verb means “to emit or discharge from a confined space,” as a fan “vents” cooking fumes from a kitchen. The “vent” in “vent one’s spleen” is a metaphorical use of the verb that arose in the 17th century meaning “to relieve or unburden one’s heart or soul,” a sense we still use today (“Don’t mind me, I’m just venting”).
Really needed the theme here to break the logjam. Didn't finish - a personal Natick at BRATT/NAIR put paid to my ambitions today!
The rest was a lot of WBS and a few more problems of my own.
Thoroughly enjoyed this one!
Great picture links C.C. - the eye makeup is fun timing, I had surgery on my eyes on Friday and mine, even if I were a girl, certainly don't look anything quite so attractive. I'm wearing dark glasses at the moment so I don't scare the neighbors!
The BALI picture didn't do my stitches any good either!
Happy Sunday everyone!
Thanks for the info, Grumpy. Sure makes a lot more sense now!
Have a great Sunday, everyone.
Benjamin Bratt now has an occasional role in Modern Family
Off the ladder, I've determined this is a job for the pros.
Grace Hopper was promoted to Commodore in 1983. This rank was replaced by "Rear Admiral (lower half)" in 1985. So she is RDML, not RADM. I'm sure some constructor can use that tidbit somewhere.
I enjoyed the puzzle. It seemed harder than usual for me. Geez, Sunday puzzles take me a long time but it's time well spent. C.C., thanks for the writeup.
Speaking of enjoying, Sunday Morning was good. I haven't finished it yet but it was fun to see The Beach Boys again. Also re. enjoying, the White House Correspondent's Dinner was very entertaining last night.
Had a big crush on Patricia Crowley back in the 60's, then on Markie Post in the 80's. Now I guess my crush is on Kaley Cuoco of The Big Bang Theory.
Coolest cop was Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet. Coolest cop now is a tossup between Jethro Gibbs of NCIS, although he's not really a cop per se and Kimball Cho of The Mentalist, played by Tim "Stone Face" Kang. He's the coolest of the cool.
It took the Flyers 10 min to get a shot on goal.
Mikey, Just to argue. We have had one and two star Admirals in the USN since forever. Called them both Rear Admirals Just like LTs and LT(jg)s. But a LT Commander was a LT Commander. Strange Navy.
Always had a two star on board the Boston. Whether 2nd or 6th Fleet.
Did Grace get her second star when she retired?
eddy
It is always a pleasure to see or hear the name of Adm Grace Hopper. She was an inspiration to many. During one lecture I attended many years ago, she noted that, "You do not manage people. You lead them.".
Started 4:02 PM EDT and finished at 5:03 PM EDT (Elapsed time - 63 minutes)
In bowling it's called a turkey. In hockey it's called a hat trick. I wondered what I would call nailing three LA Sunday puzzles in a row. Well, it's a moot point, since I missed three intersections...
Colonizing / Nawab
Nair / Bratt
Getin / Orin
We just got back from a good lunch. Barbara has a chicken Cobb salad (which I shared a little of) and I had a rib-eye steak open sandwich. Everything was good but I made a polite complaint about their steak knives. They aren't much good for cutting anything tougher than soft butter.
What's black and white and black and white and black and white and...?
A nun rolling down a hill.
WOWee gang! Another mind blower for me. Had a lot of look-ups, but that's fun for me. Had to come for C.C.' WORDS OF WISDOM to finish. Got most of the long ones. The NW GOES BAD right away when I put in Boos and Yuk and Make off with.
I knew ANZIO because a character in a series I'm reading was a veteran of that beachhead.
After all the negatives I blew up in the darkroom, I put in TNT and didn't budge.
Ron & mate, happy anniversary!
CED: I WISH for you, may you always have enough pressure to keep it up.
Now better go see who won the Zurich TIE and the Laker game.
Bill G@2:31
I loved watching the correspondents dinner! Haven't laughed so much in a long time.
Today I went to see Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. It is an excellent movie with a slight twist on political posturing.
Argyle,
Nice link, but how could you have overlooked the magnificent Ella's version?
Where or When
Greg
Another vote for Jerry Orbach, a multitalented guy, also a broadway star. He suffered greatly during the taping of those few episodes of his last Law and Order series, Trial by Jury, I read.
Tino Techie, the clue was for Dion's version.
Mira Nair is kinda hot.
Lucina : I really enjoyed Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.
Lucina & Hahtoolah, Is there really any salmon fishing in the movie? I knew a oil company engineer who spent time in Yemen and saw his slides. I didn't think there was much there but sand (and oil).
PK:
That is the story! Without revealing too much I'll just say the project of salmon fishing creates the tension of the movie. It's really well done.
Hahtoolah:
I recall your previous recommendation of it and so decided to see it today.
For me, there were several problems. Despite the metaphor, I've never heard of spleen by itself being a synonym for anger. My driver's license doesn't have my weight on it, so that was wrong. And 127 should be "sassing", not "sassy". The clue clearly calls for a verb, not an adjective.
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