Theme: Crazy - The four themes are hiding their frailty but it is easily distinguished.
18A. Area’s distinguishing qualities : LOCAL COLOR
29A. Bud Abbott’s partner : LOU COSTELLO
48A. Fly off the handle : LOSE CONTROL
59A. Jurisdiction whose decisions may be appealed : LOWER COURT (From C.C.: In my submission, I used Lemonade's fun clue: Trial setting whose unappealing decisions may be appealed.)
68A. Off one’s rocker, and a hint to what the four longest puzzle answers have in common : LOCO
Argyle here. After the pyrotechnics of last week, it's good to start the week with a puzzle that is more in tune to a laid back summer day. The climbers in the corners are a nice touch.
Across:
1. Norway’s most populous city : OSLO
5. Sonata finales : CODAS
10. Trident-shaped Greek letters : PSIs
14. Sentence subject, usually : NOUN
15. Film critic Roger : EBERT
16. In real time : LIVE
17. Risk or Clue : GAME
20. NW, vis-à-vis SE : OPP. (opposite)
21. Jury member : PEER
22. Phantom’s hangout : OPERA
23. Work like a sponge : ABSORB
25. Flood zone procedure, briefly : EVAC. (evacuation)
28. Little bite : NIP
31. Gym shirt : TEE
32. Marvel superheroes : X-MEN. comic books and now movies.
33. Those, in Cuba : ESAS
34. Porgy’s love : BESS
35. Gelatin made from seaweed : AGAR
37. Fly high : SOAR
39. Stretch across : SPAN
42. Garr of “Tootsie” : TERI
44. Tide type : NEAP
47. Sunbather’s souvenir : TAN
51. Sinusitis-treating MD : ENT. (ear, nose, and throat Doctor)
52. Kindle Fire alternative : iPAD
53. Jot in the margin, say : NOTATE
54. Ritzy Twin Cities suburb : EDINA
56. At it : BUSY
58. Soup cooker : POT
62. Versatile tubers : YAMS
63. Parts of history : ERAs
64. Hägar the Horrible’s wife : HELGA. from the comic strip.
65. Chase, as flies : SHAG
66. Flit : DART
67. Lazybones : IDLER
Down:
1. Like accurate hockey shots : ON GOAL
2. Street performer’s stand : SOAP BOX
3. All at once, as a payment : LUMP SUM
4. Tip jar addition : ONE
5. Star Magazine stars : CELEBs
6. Clarinet cousin : OBOE
7. Formal orders : DECREEs
8. Palindromic constellation : ARA
9. Letters on a Cardinal cap : STL. A baseball cap.
10. Fall heavily : PLOP
11. Last letter in June, e.g. : SILENT E
12. Keys that may be tickled : IVORIES
13. Bright wraps : SERAPES
19. Fashion’s Chanel : COCO. №5 was her biggest fragrance.
21. Fork point : PRONG. No tine this time.
24. Vast body of water : OCEAN
26. Pickle brand with a stork mascot : VLASIC. With a Groucho delivery.
27. To boot : ALSO
30. Revered Mother : TERESA
34. Football’s Favre : BRETT. Maybe retired?
36. At the peak of : ATOP
38. Irritate : ANNOY
38. Irritate : ANNOY
39. Braced (oneself), as for a challenge : STEELED
40. Mythical box opener : PANDORA
41. Like many '60s -'70s protesters : ANTI-WAR
43. Energy drink with a bovine logo : RED BULL
45. Wyoming tribe : ARAPAHO. Close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language. (Wiki.)
46. Washington’s river : POTOMAC. Washington threw a dollar across the Potomac but a dollar went a lot farther in those days.
48. Tall-tale teller : LIAR. Too harsh. Let's just say embellisher.
49. GM tracking service : ONSTAR
50. “C’mon already!” : "LET'S GO!"
55. Cheep digs? : NEST. Out on a limb?
57. Yen : URGE
60. Energy, in feng shui : CHI
60. Energy, in feng shui : CHI
61. British ref. work : OED. (Oxford English Dictionary)
62. French designer’s monogram : YSL. (Yves Saint Laurent)
Argyle
53 comments:
Morning, all!
Smooth Monday puzzle, and I was right on C.C.'s wavelength for most of it. I was a bit surprised to see ARA, EDINA and ARAPAHO on a Monday, but they're all old crossword friends by now and didn't cause me any grief.
Hello Puzzlers -
Today's puzzle file hasn't appeared on Cruciverb yet, as far as I can tell. Figured I'd mention it in case others are having trouble.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. This is Monday, but this puzzle nearly did me in! I immediately filled in LOU COSTELLO, but wanted Trial Court instead of LOWER COURT. Then I reached the unifier and realized that all the theme answers began with LO CO.
Congrats, C.C., on your solo run.
I struggled with the NorthEast corner. The SILENT E just wouldn't come to me and for the longest time I had Phis instead of PSIs.
How did I ever survive before I got my iPad?
EVAC is know all to well for those of us living in hurricane-prone areas.
QOD: If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance. ~ George Bernard Shaw
Nice and easy Monday puzzle. wanted to put in TINEs for 21D (created all sort of problems in the rest of the puzzle) I also initially misspelled Arapaho (switched the P and the H)even though a soup cooker is hot you can't spag a fly after switching those 2 letters everything else fell into place. As I had no real difficulty with the theme clues I did not notice the theme until I read the blog post.
Good morning Argyle, CC. et al.
Easy peasy Monday puzzle, which I filled from north to south with hardly any hesitation. Nice smooth grid, and a consistent theme that I didn't even think about until the unifier, because they had all been filled in!
I loved the nice double/triple columns of seven in each corner. It's not easy to do that and still have smooth fill, but you did an outstanding job on this one!
Thanks C.C. for another fun Monday walk in the park !!
Good morning Argyle and all.
After the initial easy OSLO, the solve settled down to a slower pace but fun to suss out. The theme mostly escaped me until the unifier cleared it up. It's interesting that for the 1st three theme fills, the LOCO connection can be applied as a palindrome. Much of the fill was fresh and had clever cluing. I particularly liked SILENT E, OPERA, and NEST. I have a cousin named HELGA.
BZ to CC.
QOD: In tranquillo esse quisque gubernator potest.
"Any one can hold the helm when the sea is calm" - Publilius Syrus (85-43 BC)
Have a great day.
That's cheep digs, not cheap digs.
Good Monday one.
Hi everybody, I'm back after a week of vacation from work. I was solving the puzzles, but not logging in. I hope everybody had a nice week and a wonderful Independence Day.
Letters on a Cardinal's Cap used to fool me all the time. I was thinking of Catholic cardinals, but this has become Crosswordese for me now. Good clue though.
I likedd 22A Phantom's Hangout: OPERA. Duh! For some reason I couldn't get this one. I also loved 55D: Cheep digs. I wanted CAGE but it wouldn't work.
Have a great week everybody!
That's Jessica Lange, not Teri Garr, in her reference to Tootsie
WMS -- what Marti said. Nice job, C.C.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a great Monday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the review.
Started easily and worked my way East and South simultaneously.
No write-overs. Only used perps a couple times.
My last entry was LOCO. Then I saw the theme.
Enjoyed HELGA for 64A. Hagar the Horrible has always been one of my favorite comic strips. My all-time favorite was Lil Abner, but that is history.
EBERT is a local Chicago guy. Has had lots of health problems, but perseveres.
EVAC for 25A reminded me of my recent experience in Minot, ND. They EVACed 10,000 people last year. No deaths. (except for the 15 suicides that happened after the flood)
Last night we had cooler weather, at last. Now all we need is some rain.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Mari: Where did you go for vacation?
Abejo
What does "suss" mean?
Good morning Argyle, CC, et al., Thank you CC for a fun run. Thoroughly enjoyed it and was as tickled as my IVORIES to see your name at the top. Very well done. Loved 'Cheep digs' and OPERA. Very clever.
You're channelling me, CC. I just returned from OK and my sister and I watched Abbott and Costello CD's..esp who's on first. What a hoot! Pack and unpack was another hoot! Such talent! I'll be a PEER on Jury Duty for the next 9 WEEKS in LOWER COURT. And PSIS, EVAC, CODAS, IVORIES, POTOMAC, and RED BULL are all so me..esp the theme LOCO, which is hilarious if you only knew. I think I need to lay off the Red Bull. That'll take two DECREES at least. Thank you for the laughs. Excellent job!
And thank you for the write up, Argyle. As usual you are outstanding! How's your bag of toys comin'? Time's a nearin', Santa Baby.
Enjoy your day.
Great Monday solo, C.C.!
I knew most of this and what little I didn't perped easily. the unifier wasn't needed to help get the theme answers, but it evoked an Aha when I got it. Just what I like for a start to the week!
Thanks Argyle, for the Big Bang links, among other things.
Anon @ 9;07,
Suss means to seek information until it is revealed to you.
Anon @0907: "to inspect or investigate so as to gain more knowledge —usually used with out"
Also WKS what Kazie said
Thank you CC for your wonderful solo debut and Thank God(!) for Mondays, and thank you Argyle for your wonderful blog. I went out to get the paper before I threw out the trash, and when I saw the constructor's byline, I sat on the grass and started solving the puzzle, before I even put-out the trash. I finished with enough time to spare before the garbage truck pulled up.
I have read at least 3 biographies of Coco Chanel ( and seen the movie - meh! ). Apparently, she was a spy for the Germans, during the Occupation, and then spied for the British allies, when she read the handwriting on the wall, around the closing months of the War. All I can say is, don't judge a spy until you have walked a mile in her moccasins and have personally lived under enemy occupation....
ALT QOD:- The other day I saw a subliminal advertising executive, but only for a split second. ~ Steven Wright.
Have a good week, you all - now that all the patriotic holidays are over, we can all really get back to work.
Abejo @ 8:37 am: I stayed in the Chicago area for my vacation. I do a lot of history and genealogy projects, so I spent several days exploring Chicago's wonderful historic cemeteries.
Actually, C.C.'s solo debut was June 5. This too was a really fun puzzle that did not drive me crazy.
I am a big fan of Teri GARR .
Good morning everyone.
I've just returned from Italy (with a horrendous flight Venice to Rome to Miami – about 22 hours.) The cruise was wonderful.
Today's C.C. crossword was perfect to get back into solving puzzles. Thank you C.C., and thank you Argyle for a fine write up.
I had trouble with SHAG and CODAS. But the perps got them. Also having VL as a start for 26D had me worried for a bit. But reading the perp made me relax, so all is well.
Hope everyone's week is a winner.
Cheers
Great puzzle, C.C.! Definitely on my wave length! Thanks, Argyle!
Seen, thank you for the "I'm farming and I grow it!" Link Saturday evening. I've been wanting to link that but don't know how. I wonder if anyone saw it since there were no comments. Those strapping young men live about an hour from the farms where I raised my family. Looks very familiar. The video went viral. Those guys certainly EMIT the joy of being useful.
Seen, you mentioned "bunk" as a place for cows. Actually, he means "feed bunk" which is the feed trough they put the hay or grain into for cattle.
Cattle are very curious critters, they will line up and watch whatever is going on. Bet they enjoyed the making of the video. Very appreciative audience but they don't clap very well. They also line up when they know it is meal time. And they beller if it is past time to be feed.
It's nice to have a Monday puzzle that doesn't drive you crazy, it gives me hope that i can finish Tuesday, Wednesday, & maybe even Thursday's puzzles! Thanks CC!
My only nit is i got "annoyed" that i put "anger" for 38D irritate, & now the "O" in notate is just a big inkblot. (56A at it's = busy looks like the Y is wagging it's tail.)
I was not aware of the constellation Ara, probably because being below Scorpius, it is below the horizon for me.
I was looking for an image to explain "Suss Out" & this little guy popped up!
Greetings, Argyle, and all. What fun to return home for a treat from C.C. today!! Great job, C.C. I loved it.
I sashayed and DARTed like a LOCO person. Loved the clever cluing of cheep digs, NEST and phantom's hangout, OPERA. Great job on that, C.C.
Speaking of LOCAL COLOR, what a drag to return to the scorching desert after four glorious days in Highland, CA and Big Bear Lake. It was a perfect setting for my grand nephew's wedding, surrounded by tall blue spruce and Monterey pines with 100 of our close family and friends. What a blast!
The cabins we rented each contained multiple families, 14 people in ours. Seeing double bed bunks was a first for me and the dining table seated 18. Three other bedrooms had regular or queen size beds.
It was a lovely time.
On the road I worked Thursday's puzzle and so wished that I could have blogged as it was a hoot! I loved those strings of letters.
Have yourselves a terrific Thursday, everyone!
Good morning:
Terrific puzzle, CC. I went astray with chase, as flies, first with swat, then shoo. I should have known baseball was involved. Liked the clues for nest and opera. All in all, a nice beginning to the week. And thanks to Argyle for his commentary.
Dudley @ 6:04 - Glad you mentioned the Cruciverb problem as I thought maybe my app was acting up. I
tried to get the puzzle all last night and this morning
with no luck. Had to go back to pen and paper, which is fine.
Mari, welcome back; we missed you. Hope you enjoyed your week off.
Have a great Monday.
There is the "on goal" I have been waiting.
Laser surgury on left eye this morning.
Fell again. This time I have a 4 x 1/4 " gash on top of my head.
Not following my own advise of not taking care.
eddy
Hello everybody. Gotta love a puzzle with VLASIC in it! Fun fill and clever cluing today. Thanks.
What a terrific way to start a Monday, with a C.C. puzzle that was also a totally delightful speed run! And a fun Argyle commentary.
C.C., I loved your original LOWER COURT clue! "Tootsie" is one of my favorite comedies of all time. And HELGA was my mother's name: made me tear up when I saw it. She died while my husband was still in the hospital from his stroke and I had to miss her funeral.
Lucina, your California family wedding sounds absolutely magical. So glad you had a fabulous time!
Have a great week, everybody!
Misty, that is exactly the right word to describe it, "magical" much like a scene from "Brigadoon" then we all vanished. LOL
This was a very enjoyable Monday puzzle. Thanks C.C. and thanks Argyle for your write-up and clarifying what OED was. I was at a loss on that one.
I had SHOO first for 65A Chase, as flies. I take it SHAG is a baseball term. I only know SHAG in the Austin Powers or hair style context.
55D Cheep digs was particularly cute.
Have a nice day everyone. We are going through a replacement of our driveway, patio, front walk and garden path. What a mess! Nothing like the sound of jackhammers at 7:30 am. It will be beautiful when it's done though. Can't wait!
Mari, your quest sounds intriguing. I'm sure Chicago must have some really old and interesting cemeteries.
Eddy, I'm so sorry about your fall. DO TAKE CARE as you always caution us to do.
Nice replacement pic A man. Lucina, sounds awesome. mari, is a vacation if you stay home, or the new hybrid a staycation? I too like the cheep digs pun, and I love the visual synonym link even if I could not read it. Thanks CED. Also was the eye closed or hurt? Hi Lois. Hmm sounds like a good name for a cartoon; only XXX rated.
This was ten times better than last monday. But other than what the regulars say, a wee bit difficult than usual. But still fun. I have every Abbott and Costello movie, they are my favorite, with Threes Stooges, Little Rascals (Our Gang too) and Laurel and Hardy. All of which movies and shorts I have in my dvd collection.
Lindberg solos in ’27 and C.C. in ’12! What a fun and clever puzzle.
Musings
-The best administrator I ever had had a bad habit of Flying off the handle when challenged. I have found the ferocity of his argument was inversely proportional to the validity of his position.
-Is OLSO the most used city in cwd history?
-Tin is not opposed to a NIP
-I remember Teri as the erstwhile wife in Mr. Mom and Close Encounters too.
-Could an ENT man cure my snoring?
-I love YAMS and try to remember to get some for meals other than the 4th Thursday of November
-The Yankees lost a very valuable player in Kansas City this spring while he was SHAGGING flyballs.
-I think of politicians as being on a figurative SOAP BOX more than a performer
-The STL Cardinals are doing fine without Pujols this year. The Angels have to be rethinking giving that much money to a man who is past his prime.
-BRETT was listed as a target by the New Orleans Saints’ bounty system
-My kids in Fla. drank Mt. Dew and RED BULL
Hola Everyone, A neat, no-nonsense puzzle today. I had some clues that I didn't even read as I had filled them in with the perps.
I loved the clue for nest/Cheep digs? Red Bull was something that I dredged up from somewhere. I've never tried the drink. The long answers in the four corners were more of a Tuesday/Wednesday puzzle configuration, but all of the answers were doable. Thanks C.C. for a fun puzzle today.
Hatool, I loved the QOD. Good advice.
Loved the "Big Bang" link, Argyle. We just watched that episode (again) two days ago.
Eddy, Good luck with your eye surgery today. I was so sorry to hear about your fall. Do take your own advice and take extra care not to fall again.
Lucina, What a gorgeous setting for a wedding. Wish you could have extended your stay down here to the bay area.
Have a wonderful day, everyone.
I enjoyed the puzzle. Thanks C.C. and Argyle. eddyB, stitches? I hope everything's better now. Lucina, your trip sounds great. If you'd have gone an hour downhill and I had gone an hour uphill, we oould've gotten together. That's a pretty area.
Lois, how's the weather in your area? Did you experience those big thunderstorms a week ago? It's starting to warm up here but only to the high 70s.
My bike riding friend was commenting on the Orioles' hats. It says O's and he was asking why the apostrophe since he knows I enjoy thinking about grammar and usage. I told him that certain plurals need an apostrophe to avoid looking odd. If I were to write: This puzzle had 13 As, I think it looks odd. So instead, I would write 13 A's. Is there a hard and fast rule? Or is my 'looking odd' rule good enough?
Well, I just saw that I'm ahead of myself on the days of the week! As you can tell, I had a very good time!!
C.C. Thank you for a FUN Monday.
Liked how ANTI-WAR and POT made it into the grid.
Husker: Yup, I enjoy a NIP now and then ... mostly at Sunset.
Cheers!
Lucina - forgot to mention that the wedding sounded lovely. I love Big Bear and Arrowhead. It's beautiful in the fall. The only thing not to like is the drive up if it's foggy and you can't see over the edge of the mountain - or if its snowing.
Eddy, good luck with your eye surgery. Sorry to hear of your fall. Please take care.
Yellowrocks (hugs) from Kathy
Bill G. since nobody is answering, I would say there is no rule to allow an apostrophe when there is nothing be either possessed or contracted. If the A bothers you, you can say 15 "A"s in the puzzle. You can avoid confusion and still maintain the proper use of the apostrophe. And that ain't just my opinion.
Sallie: I bet your trip to Italy was fantastic! (except for the horrendous flight)
Eddy - Best of luck with your eye surgery.
Eddy, good luck with the eye surgery; had that also last year.
Good late afternoon! Thank you C.C. for a fun Monday puzzle. I did last week puzzles and read comments, but no time to personally comment. My twins were home for the week. They haven't been home together in awhile and forgot how they simultaneously laugh all the time. Miss them today.
(Also enjoyed yest. OREO puzzle and all the OREO links. I wouldn't have enjoyed it without this blog. A little over my head.)
EddyB, sorry to hear about your fall and gash. I have fallen twice this summer while in backyard. Just bruises and sore muscles. It's scary to hear you needed stitches. Do you use a cane,etc? I finally had to give in to using my cane.
Bill G - 30 years ago, I was asked by my employer to take a short course in technical writing. When it came to the apostrophe, the advice was "with a single letter or number, the apostrophe is needed to prevent confusion. 'There are two c's and two m's in accommodate.'
Hi all,
C.C.Thank you for a fun puzzle, I actually got most of it. The bottom half was much easier than the top. Thanks for a great write up Argyle. Last week was such a busy week I didn't do much with the puzzles. July 4th,etc.
I didn't really get 65A, shag.
Our weather is a little cooler but still no rain. The corn is beginning to look really bad. Across the road from us they are harvesting wheat. I don't know how it is.
Have a good evening all. Tomorrow is a busy day-going to Fond Du Lac for lunch and to a pot luck supper after we get home from there. No wonder I can't lose weight.
Marge
We have noticed while traveling that much of the LOCAL COLOR in regions of the U.S. has been lost to all the chain stores and restaurants. Our favorite stay was in Savannah,GA. It felt like stepping back into history.
Lucinda, Big Bear Lake is now on my wish list.
I highlight and NOTATE even when reading for pleasure. It's a habit I picked up in nursing school. It helps my short-term memory now.
See you tomorrow, hopefully!
Sheldon, in Italian.
A long day here, so checking in late. Smooth solve with no major hang ups. Good second solo outing, CC. As for comments, WEES.
Sorry to hear about your fall, Eddy. Do take care, and I hope you survey goes well also.
Damned autocorrect!
Surgery, not survey.
Greetings!
CC: Thanks so much for the lovely puzzle! Great expo, Argyle.
Favorite entry: NEST. (I read the clue wrong at first.)
Hotter than hades here today. Haven't been able to sleep much. Now I have to wheel myself out to the kitchen (really love those ramps that I had installed) to make chili, with help from Harvey (who has thankfully returned after a long weekend).
Jeannie, if you are around, please give me a chili recipe for future reference! Anyone else?
EddyB: so sorry to hear of your woes. I do hope the surgery went well! Was it Lasix? Have you tried a quad cane to avoid falls?
Cheers!
Mari, thanks for the comment on my trip. It was fabulous.
Interesting advice Spitzboov; I personally do not care, but they tell me these are the RULES
Lemon - Thanks for posting the RULES. I'm sure the elements of style used by various editors speak to this question as well. Like I said, I was exposed to this some 30 years ago, and there may have been some shifting in what is 'preferred'. In any event, I usually defer to lawyers when it comes to writing skills. Have a good night.
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