Theme: "Dog Days of Summer" - The first word in each theme entry is just "hot".
23A. Cozy sensations : WARM FUZZIES. Every time bad girl Lois stops in.
33A. Turkey site : ROASTING PAN. Marti used this clue for ASIA once, I think.
49A. One may be set in a race : BLISTERING PACE. Alas, no medal for Phelps (yet).
91A. Stock held by a fence : HOT MERCHANDISE
105A. Place for future cookies : BAKING SHEET. I've been craving date cookies.
121A. Mae West attribute : SULTRY VOICE. Well, subjective.
3D. Crucial topic : BURNING ISSUE
66D. Critical threshold : BOILING POINT
Amazing grid. Look at the theme intersections here. Very impressive.
Here is my guess at how the puzzle was created:
1) Gail came up with the theme idea (Her name came up first in the byline);
2) Bruce liked it, then they brainstormed for the full set of the theme answers;
3) Bruce did the grid design;
4) They each filled in half the grid;
5) Gail clued the whole grid, since Bruce is not fond of cluing.
Across:
1. Sussex sword : SABRE. Saber here.
6. Full : SATED
11. On its way : SENT
15. Make comparisons at the mall, say : SHOP. I fell in love with Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" while shopping in a mall last year. This kid is amazing.
19. Challenge to __ : A DUEL
20. Amazed : IN AWE
21. Reebok rival : AVIA
22. Manage : COPE
25. Cat named for its island origin : MANX. CrossEyedDave is a cat expert. Ask him if you have any cat problem.
26. Part of AMA: Abbr. : AMER
27. Feminine suffix : ENNE. So is ETTE.
28. "Brighton Beach Memoirs" playwright : NEIL SIMON. Nice to see his full name.
30. Deal sealer : AGENT
31. Source of athletic rage, briefly : ROID. Roid rage. Too much steroids.
32. Union agreements : I DOs
36. Peeples and Vardalos : NIAs
38. Look closely : PEER
40. "Most likely ..." : ODDS ARE
41. Darling : ANGEL. So lately I've been listening to Neil Young's rock version of "Oh Susanna" (that kid smokes later on), though I don't understand why Susanna will cry. I'll be crying if my love leaves me, not when he's visiting me.
43. Fussy sort : PRIG
45. Letter-shaped track : T-SLOT
48. MLB execs : GMs
52. What a password provides : ACCESS
55. '50s political monogram : AES
56. Make changes to : EDIT
57. Field standouts : SILOs. Not the "field" I had in mind.
58. Chicken, in a Chinese dish : GAI. I mentioned last time that hookers are called "wild chicken" in Chinese.
59. Play mates? : CAST. Stage play.
61. Miss roll call, say : GO AWOL
63. Available without a scrip : OTC
65. Top banana : MR BIG
69. Throne grabber : USURPER
71. Cabin fever, e.g. : ANGST
73. Daily sorting criterion : ZIP CODE. For the mailmen.
75. Take the wrong way? : STEAL. Great clue.
76. Arabic "son of" : IBN
78. List : ROSTER
80. Isn't up to snuff : AILS
81. Blue : SAD
83. When cocktails may be served : AT SIX
85. Tiptop : ACME
87. Net grazer, at times : LET
88. Nymph pursued by Apollo : DAPHNE. Literally "Laurel". She turned into a laurel.
94. Land in la mer : ILE. Both Lemonade and Marti have a French mother.
95. Safari boss : BWANA. Haven't heard from JD for a whole.
97. Classic wheels : REOs
98. Colors lightly : TINTS
99. Prevails against, in slang : ACES OUT
102. Waterfall feature : MIST. Hi there Misty!
104. "Walkabout" director Nicolas : ROEG
108. Prime Cuts in Gravy maker : ALPO. No idea. We don't own dogs.
111. Flow with force : SPEW
114. Victor Vasarely's "Zebras," e.g. : OP-ART. See here. Never heard of that guy.
115. Stubborn : TENACIOUS
117. Capitol cap : DOME
118. It might be pierced : LOBE
119. State firmly : AVER
123. A party to : IN ON
124. Actress Virna : LISI. Total stranger to me. Great eyelashes.
125. Mediterranean tourist attraction : CRETE
126. Possessed : OWNED
127. Bus. bigwigs : CEOS
128. French spread : PATE
129. Catkin bearer : ALDER
130. Enters into a deal? : ANTES
Down:
1. Carpenter, at times : SAWER. Want a beautiful deck, call Splynter!
2. Hersey's bell town : ADANO. "A Bell for Adano".
4. Puts right : REMEDIES
5. Seasonal sprite : ELF
6. Judged, with "up" : SIZED. Are you a good watermelon picker?
7. 1944 Italian beachhead : ANZIO
8. Dramatic decline : TAILSPIN
9. Fleecy meadow grazers : EWES
10. Long for : DESIRE
11. Island group near Fiji : SAMOA
12. '70s-'80s Red Sox star Dwight : EVANS. I'll leave him to Husker Gary/LaLaLinda to comment. I might have his baseball cards.
13. "Collages" novelist : NIN (Anaïs). I read the first few stories of her "Delta of Venus". Similar experience as PK. Couldn't finish the book.
14. Invoice add-on : TAX
15. "Lido Shuffle" singer Boz : SCAGGS
16. Website entry point : HOME PAGE
17. Welcoming sight? : OPEN ARMS. Quite a few nice long entries in this puzzle.
18. Saucy behavior : PERTNESS
24. Canberra colleges : UNIs
29. Human being : MORTAL. Yellowrocks, nope, I'm not aware of the code word "Little Secretary", though sleeping with the boss doesn't seem to be too uncommon for secretaries, even in western countries,
30. Also : AND
34. Also : TOO
35. One might dangle from your neck : ID TAG. Mine is a silver cross. It's magical!
37. Adjective for Adenauer : ALTE
39. Encourages : EGGS ON
41. Ancient adder : ABACUS. The clue always makes me feel old.
42. Baseball div. : NL EAST
43. A __: logician's term : PRIORI
44. Pinup Hayworth : RITA
46. Skedaddles : SCOOTS
47. "__ we forget" : LEST
50. Advantage : EDGE
51. Plymouth Colony settler : PILGRIM
53. Roughing-it spot : CAMP
54. About : CIRCA
60. Destroy : TRASH
62. Uncalled-for : WANTON
64. Composer Dvorák et al. : CZECHS. Boomer has Polish blood. We had Polka dance at the family gathering a few weeks ago.
67. Least busy : IDLEST
68. Beaux __: noble deeds : GESTES
70. Opposite of improvise : PLAN
72. Bobby __ : SOXERS
74. Early Shirley role : IRMA. "Iram la Douce".
77. Island band The __ Men : BAHA. The annoying "Who Let the Dogs Out".
79. Folded food : TACO
82. Fix, as software : DEBUG
84. Where to find the anther : STAMEN. So, where is anther?
86. Inner: Pref. : ENTO
88. Outrageously wicked : DIABOLIC
89. Symbol of Prohibition era lawlessness : AL CAPONE. I remember watching "The Untouchables" in Chinese, with Roberto. I did not really understand the plot. Now I do.
90. Face-covering game : PEEK-A-BOO
92. Sold : RETAILED
93. Loses steam : DIES DOWN
96. Mg. and kg. : WTS
100. Chase scene sounds : SIRENS
101. Niagara Falls prov. : ONT
103. Source of the Mississippi : ITASCA. Here in MN.
104. Looking up : ROSY
106. '50s blast, briefly : H-TEST
107. Uncanny : EERIE
109. Austrian singer Lenya : LOTTE
110. More virtuous : PURER
112. Dais VIP : EMCEE
113. Bed intruders : WEEDS. Garden bed. I'm disturbed by the clue.
116. Weightlifter's rep : CURL
119. Mont Blanc, e.g. : ALP. The pen name is Montblanc, one word.
120. Itinerary word : VIA
122. Intl. broadcasting initials : VOA
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. Cozy sensations : WARM FUZZIES. Every time bad girl Lois stops in.
33A. Turkey site : ROASTING PAN. Marti used this clue for ASIA once, I think.
49A. One may be set in a race : BLISTERING PACE. Alas, no medal for Phelps (yet).
91A. Stock held by a fence : HOT MERCHANDISE
105A. Place for future cookies : BAKING SHEET. I've been craving date cookies.
121A. Mae West attribute : SULTRY VOICE. Well, subjective.
3D. Crucial topic : BURNING ISSUE
66D. Critical threshold : BOILING POINT
Amazing grid. Look at the theme intersections here. Very impressive.
Here is my guess at how the puzzle was created:
1) Gail came up with the theme idea (Her name came up first in the byline);
2) Bruce liked it, then they brainstormed for the full set of the theme answers;
3) Bruce did the grid design;
4) They each filled in half the grid;
5) Gail clued the whole grid, since Bruce is not fond of cluing.
Across:
1. Sussex sword : SABRE. Saber here.
6. Full : SATED
11. On its way : SENT
15. Make comparisons at the mall, say : SHOP. I fell in love with Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" while shopping in a mall last year. This kid is amazing.
19. Challenge to __ : A DUEL
20. Amazed : IN AWE
21. Reebok rival : AVIA
22. Manage : COPE
25. Cat named for its island origin : MANX. CrossEyedDave is a cat expert. Ask him if you have any cat problem.
26. Part of AMA: Abbr. : AMER
27. Feminine suffix : ENNE. So is ETTE.
28. "Brighton Beach Memoirs" playwright : NEIL SIMON. Nice to see his full name.
30. Deal sealer : AGENT
31. Source of athletic rage, briefly : ROID. Roid rage. Too much steroids.
32. Union agreements : I DOs
36. Peeples and Vardalos : NIAs
38. Look closely : PEER
40. "Most likely ..." : ODDS ARE
41. Darling : ANGEL. So lately I've been listening to Neil Young's rock version of "Oh Susanna" (that kid smokes later on), though I don't understand why Susanna will cry. I'll be crying if my love leaves me, not when he's visiting me.
43. Fussy sort : PRIG
45. Letter-shaped track : T-SLOT
48. MLB execs : GMs
52. What a password provides : ACCESS
55. '50s political monogram : AES
56. Make changes to : EDIT
57. Field standouts : SILOs. Not the "field" I had in mind.
58. Chicken, in a Chinese dish : GAI. I mentioned last time that hookers are called "wild chicken" in Chinese.
59. Play mates? : CAST. Stage play.
61. Miss roll call, say : GO AWOL
63. Available without a scrip : OTC
65. Top banana : MR BIG
69. Throne grabber : USURPER
71. Cabin fever, e.g. : ANGST
73. Daily sorting criterion : ZIP CODE. For the mailmen.
75. Take the wrong way? : STEAL. Great clue.
76. Arabic "son of" : IBN
78. List : ROSTER
80. Isn't up to snuff : AILS
81. Blue : SAD
83. When cocktails may be served : AT SIX
85. Tiptop : ACME
87. Net grazer, at times : LET
88. Nymph pursued by Apollo : DAPHNE. Literally "Laurel". She turned into a laurel.
94. Land in la mer : ILE. Both Lemonade and Marti have a French mother.
95. Safari boss : BWANA. Haven't heard from JD for a whole.
97. Classic wheels : REOs
98. Colors lightly : TINTS
99. Prevails against, in slang : ACES OUT
102. Waterfall feature : MIST. Hi there Misty!
104. "Walkabout" director Nicolas : ROEG
108. Prime Cuts in Gravy maker : ALPO. No idea. We don't own dogs.
111. Flow with force : SPEW
114. Victor Vasarely's "Zebras," e.g. : OP-ART. See here. Never heard of that guy.
115. Stubborn : TENACIOUS
117. Capitol cap : DOME
118. It might be pierced : LOBE
119. State firmly : AVER
123. A party to : IN ON
124. Actress Virna : LISI. Total stranger to me. Great eyelashes.
125. Mediterranean tourist attraction : CRETE
126. Possessed : OWNED
127. Bus. bigwigs : CEOS
128. French spread : PATE
129. Catkin bearer : ALDER
130. Enters into a deal? : ANTES
Down:
1. Carpenter, at times : SAWER. Want a beautiful deck, call Splynter!
2. Hersey's bell town : ADANO. "A Bell for Adano".
4. Puts right : REMEDIES
5. Seasonal sprite : ELF
6. Judged, with "up" : SIZED. Are you a good watermelon picker?
7. 1944 Italian beachhead : ANZIO8. Dramatic decline : TAILSPIN
9. Fleecy meadow grazers : EWES
10. Long for : DESIRE
11. Island group near Fiji : SAMOA
12. '70s-'80s Red Sox star Dwight : EVANS. I'll leave him to Husker Gary/LaLaLinda to comment. I might have his baseball cards.
13. "Collages" novelist : NIN (Anaïs). I read the first few stories of her "Delta of Venus". Similar experience as PK. Couldn't finish the book.
14. Invoice add-on : TAX
15. "Lido Shuffle" singer Boz : SCAGGS
16. Website entry point : HOME PAGE
17. Welcoming sight? : OPEN ARMS. Quite a few nice long entries in this puzzle.
18. Saucy behavior : PERTNESS
24. Canberra colleges : UNIs
29. Human being : MORTAL. Yellowrocks, nope, I'm not aware of the code word "Little Secretary", though sleeping with the boss doesn't seem to be too uncommon for secretaries, even in western countries,
30. Also : AND
34. Also : TOO
35. One might dangle from your neck : ID TAG. Mine is a silver cross. It's magical!
37. Adjective for Adenauer : ALTE
39. Encourages : EGGS ON
41. Ancient adder : ABACUS. The clue always makes me feel old.
42. Baseball div. : NL EAST
43. A __: logician's term : PRIORI
44. Pinup Hayworth : RITA
46. Skedaddles : SCOOTS
47. "__ we forget" : LEST
50. Advantage : EDGE
51. Plymouth Colony settler : PILGRIM
53. Roughing-it spot : CAMP
54. About : CIRCA
60. Destroy : TRASH
62. Uncalled-for : WANTON
64. Composer Dvorák et al. : CZECHS. Boomer has Polish blood. We had Polka dance at the family gathering a few weeks ago.
67. Least busy : IDLEST
68. Beaux __: noble deeds : GESTES
70. Opposite of improvise : PLAN
72. Bobby __ : SOXERS
74. Early Shirley role : IRMA. "Iram la Douce".
77. Island band The __ Men : BAHA. The annoying "Who Let the Dogs Out".
79. Folded food : TACO
82. Fix, as software : DEBUG
84. Where to find the anther : STAMEN. So, where is anther?
86. Inner: Pref. : ENTO
88. Outrageously wicked : DIABOLIC
89. Symbol of Prohibition era lawlessness : AL CAPONE. I remember watching "The Untouchables" in Chinese, with Roberto. I did not really understand the plot. Now I do.
90. Face-covering game : PEEK-A-BOO
92. Sold : RETAILED
93. Loses steam : DIES DOWN
96. Mg. and kg. : WTS
100. Chase scene sounds : SIRENS
101. Niagara Falls prov. : ONT
103. Source of the Mississippi : ITASCA. Here in MN.
104. Looking up : ROSY
106. '50s blast, briefly : H-TEST
107. Uncanny : EERIE
109. Austrian singer Lenya : LOTTE
110. More virtuous : PURER
112. Dais VIP : EMCEE
113. Bed intruders : WEEDS. Garden bed. I'm disturbed by the clue.
116. Weightlifter's rep : CURL
119. Mont Blanc, e.g. : ALP. The pen name is Montblanc, one word.
120. Itinerary word : VIA
122. Intl. broadcasting initials : VOA
Answer grid.
C.C.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief after yesterday's minefield! Seemed to be on the right wavelength, most everything just clicked.
Morning, C.C., and thanks for highlighting the fabulous theme symmetry! I did not notice that grand accomplishment on my own.
A word about TAILSPIN: this comes from the early days of aviation, when the out-of-control corkscrew descent known as a spin was believed to be caused by an airplane's tail surfaces. It was pretty quickly worked out that the tail is innocent; asymmetric action of the wings is what causes a spin. Technically, then, there is no such thing as a TAILSPIN.
Happy Sunday all!
Good morning C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteYour link to the Bruno Mars song was truly amazing, C.C. It was a wonderful way to wake up on a Sunday morning.
There were many clever clues that I loved, like “Union agreements” for I DOS, “Take the wrong way” for STEAL, “Welcoming sight” for OPEN ARMS and “Bed intruders” for WEEDS (I was thinking “cats at 3 AM”). The clue for Dvorák threw me off, because I was trying to fit “Antonins” in there but ran out of spaces.
For 83A “When cocktails may be served”, I wanted AT sunset! (Cheers, Tin!) And I was real proud of myself for remembering Dwight EVANS. It’s hard not to have a little baseball sink in at some point!
Re: STAMEN. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Have a great day, everyone - I have to go ward off those "bed intruders".
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteWell, I must say I feel a bit dense for not being able to suss the theme. I kept looking for hidden dog names in the long answers...
Pretty straightforward overall, but I ran into difficulty in a few places. To wit:
* I had TRASH instead of ERASE at 60D, which gave me CASE at 59A. CASE is a perfectly fine word, but I just couldn't figure out what it had to do with "play mates." When I noticed that it also gave me DAPHENE at 88A, I figured it must be wrong.
* Verna LISI? Never in a million years.
* I've heard the song, "Who Let the Dogs Out" and also knew the name of the group that sang it. Except that I've only heard the name before and always thought it was BAJA Men. Oops. I stared at JOT MERCHANDISE for quite awhile trying to figure out what went wrong. It didn't help that the clue had me thinking of animals instead of stolen goods.
* ACES OUT? Not in my slang vocabulary, sorry.
* When all was said and done, I didn't get the *TADA*, so I guess that would be a DNF if I solved on paper. I went back over all the answers repeatedly and FINALLY noticed that I had ENDO instead of ENTO at 86D. Which also gave me DINTS instead of TINTS at 98A. Again, DINTS is a perfectly cromulent word, but I was wondering what it had to do with coloring...
What a fun puzzle to entertain me when I woke up too early! Thanks, Bruce & Gail. Faith in myself is restored.
ReplyDeleteGreat write-up, C.C! I had to come to you to get Daphne because I could not make the SW corner work. With that the rest fell into place.
Had 116D "turn" instead of CURL for some reason.DNF
C.C. I think the "anther" is in the pollen.
And now, back to the Olympic coverage.
Late the other night, someone questioned my stated book title "Alexandra Trilogy" by Anais NIN. They were right. I finally Googled it. It's been 40 years since I stood over the burn barrel ripping out pages of three books while my four young kids slept. My favorite author then was Dr. Seuss. My reading time was minimal and valuable to me.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I finally remembered and researched, the NIN book was probably a biography with excerpts from her diaries. I didn't finish that book. I couldn't remember the title--just the angry disgust with my relative for violating my mind with this.
Also sent to me were two books of "The Alexandria Quartet", "Justine" and "Balthazor" by Lawrence Durrell who lived with NIN at one time. I waded through "Justine" but didn't get far in "Bal". I'm terrible about remembering titles always.
Good Morning, C.C. and friends. This puzzle gave me the WARM FUZZIES. I had a spot of trouble on the east coast, but overall it provided just enough of a challenge to TAX my morning brain.
ReplyDeleteTake the wrong way = STEAL was my favorite clue.
What HeartRx said, to a tee. I had the same experience.
ReplyDeleteAdorable ANGELS in Just the Way You Are. Thanks CC. It spoke to my heart after 49 years of living this.
The title and theme definitely speeded up the solve. A PRIORI was my toehold this AM.
Piercing sites these days are anywhere and everywhere. Ouch!
The pollen is in or on the anther, not vice versa.
ReplyDeleteHi There ~!
ReplyDeleteThanks, C.C., for the write-up and shout out, of course~!
I had the same solving experience as BarryG, which seems to happen often -
I, too, had "ERASE" for destroy (I knew what you meant, even though it's backwards, BG) which made me wonder about what CASE had to do with PLAY, and I figured DAPENE was some archaic spelling for the proper name....
Right....
Splynter
I forgot to mention, that I laughed heartily at the STAMEN clue: "Where to find the anther", my initial thought was, "Jutht thearth the internet..."
ReplyDeleteHi,Everyone. I enjoyed the puzzle and C.C.'s comments. I would love to know how collaborations work, and I hope Gail and Bruce will tell us if C.C. got it right.
ReplyDeleteNow off to the Olympics.
emjay
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteWell, got it done without lookups, although I did not go at a BLISTERING PACE. Most fun clue was @ 91a, for HOT MERCHANDISE. Never heard of a superlative for 'idle' before, IDLEST, but I will take the editor's word. ONT and ITASCA were gimmes. I thought the clue for 130a, ANTES was quite clever. LOTTE was a complete WAG. While 71a, ANGST, was easy enough to get, my translation of 'angst' is more like 'fear' or 'trepidation'. Experiencing cabin fever suggests to me going squirrelly due to being cooped up due to rain or suffering a malady or watching after screaming kids. @65a, MR BIG, I have heard some ranking military types from a country in SE Asia referred to as the 'Big Cigar'. I thought it was apt.
I love C.C.'s take on the puzzle creation.
HeartRx @0845. ROTFLMAO.
Have a great day.
It’s gonna be around 100°F today in this endless HOT weather today and so the puzzle was bittersweet in that it was so well done but a reminder of this drought. One silver lining? There are no mosquitoes this year.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-At track meets I’ve seen inexperienced runners set a BLISTERING PACE early and then die in the stretch.
-Oh! That FENCE (Pawn Stars beware of things Taken the wrong way!)
-No personal slight to me is worth a DUEL where I would give up my life or take another. Today in certain places getting “dissed” can still cause this to happen.
-ODDS ARE the dryland corn here is done, but the irrigated corn looks fabulous
-Frasier and Niles were my favorite PRIGs on TV
-I got my girls a T SLOT set one Christmas and then the look that said, “Really, Dad?”
-I have the same Password for all my non-personal sites? You?
-Extreme heat can give you Cabin Fever as well!
-A/H BOMB or A/H TEST? AL/NL EAST or AL/NL WEST? Gimme a sec.
-I’d love to have Splynter be a SAWER for me but the commute’s a killer!
-DWIGHT (“Dewey”) was a consummate professional who did his job at an All Star level and didn’t embarrass his family or team.
-Best OPEN ARMS
-Lou Grant didn’t like SPUNKY, how ‘bout PERT?
-C.C., I need your magical cross for my ailing back! I’d have to hang it backwards.
-Some physics teachers might point out KG and MG are mass not weight but not this one.
-What cartoon had MR. BIG (BEEG) as a character?
Late to the party after pedalling 10 miles around the 'hood. We stopped to see the swans on Pine Pond. The resident ducks reminded us that we'd better bring some bread crumbs next time we stop by.
ReplyDeleteHusker, I feel your weather pain. That's what we went through last year -- triple-digit heat, day after day. We couldn't buy a raindrop. A good portion of Texas is still in drought, but not where we live. Officially we've had 32" of rain so far this year -- that's 4" above average. Not complaining.
Today was a straight-forward solve, and almost a speed run. The "G" in BURNING ISSUE led me to SUGAR rather than ANGEL, but ALTE straightened that out right pronto. I thought of Temple before Maclaine, so IRMA didn't immediately leap out at me.
No nits to pick...well, maybe one. IDLEST was ugly. I don't think I've ever seen that word before. I'm sure I've never heard it.
Marti, I had a similar thought about where to find the anther -- in the enthyclopedia, thoon to be extinct.
PSA
ReplyDeleteIf called by a panther,
Don't anther.
- Ogden Nash -
Speaking of OPEN ARMS, I just finished watching the USA Basketball team beat France. Afterward the members lined up and Michelle Obama gave a big hug to every one of those hot and sweaty athletes and the coaches. Bless her heart! Each one left with a big smile. Brought tears to my eyes. And they haven't even got the medal yet.
ReplyDeleteOPEN ARMS put a different set of arms in my head: Crazy Arms.
ReplyDeleteWARM greetings, puzzle people. Yes, C.C., thank you for highlighting the grid! It's brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThe theme could also be "Summer in Arizona."
WEES. A straight forward solve today with not many bumps along the way. Ditto for ERASE/DAPENE until CAST made more sense than CASE and TRASH emerged.
AND my SWELTERING turned to BLISTERING when BURNING ISSUE appeared. Had no idea what ROID meant. Thank you for that, C.C.
I taught my older granddughter to count on an ABACUS because I had used it successfully in class teaching sets to fourth graders. Now the baby is learning to count on an IPad.
Thank you, Gail and Bruce for a really entertaining puzzle.
I hope you are having a "cool" Sunday, everyone!
ETP'er here
ReplyDelete1 hr, 48 min, and a TADA at the end. But hardly easy. Thanks Gail and Bruce, and thanks CC for the write up. Would never have known 104A, but the perps filled in ROEG. 114A, had the _PART from the perps and never looked back at the clue as I then saw 88D DIABOLIC. If I had, the "e.g." would have nailed OPART.
Other trouble spots were: For a short time at 4D with REMODELS instead of REMEDIES. A longer time trying to solve the deep South. Know Lake ITASCA but just couldn't bring it to the front.
84D Anther clue, had all but the N, and decided it had to be STAMEN. So now had TEN_C__US Then saw tenacious and ITASCA came easily. So never would have known 109D LOTTE either, but 125A then had to be CRETE. Had CRUSH for awhile at 60D, but ABACUS was proved, and CASc just couldn't hold up to CAST for 59A Play mates in any litmus test. :)
Finally got to the point where all I had left was the crossing I at 43D and 76A, and the B at 77D Island Band The ___ Men. Seemed to me that it had to be a consonant, and pared it down to what became a lucky guess B. So, just started walking the alphabet at 43D 76A until I heard the TADA. Prior to finding your blog CC, this would have been an occasion where I would have had to wait until next Sunday or resorted to Google, which I will do because I still don't know either word.
I enjoyed the puzzle.
HeartRx, thanks for the link that explained Anther.
Husker Gary, thanks for the Journey Open Arms link.
Argyle ditto for the Ray Price link. Slow danced to that song at Houston area honkey tonks. A true country classic.
Mr. Big.
ReplyDeleteMr. Big Stuff.
Hello everybody. Me TOO: Temple before Maclain. AND of course Adder made me think of some kind of snake. Filled in the NE of DAPHNE as soon as I got the gimme DEBUG. Laughed out loud at Anther, but I knew STAMEN right away. My big difficulty was coming up with H TEST, being only able to think of N TEST and A TEST, which led me to BAKING SALE_. Didn't Anaïs Nin also sleep with Henry Miller of "Tropic of Capricorn" fame? I think I read every one of Miller's books when I was in college. Did they make me a better person? No. Do I remember what they were about, other than lots of sex? No.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, excellent puzzle today. Challenging yet doable. Not frustrating. And only one "Oh okay if you say so," namely IDLEST.
Best wishes to you all.
To add to Dudley's tailspin definition, the tail does not get you into a spin, but the name tailspin is a reminder of how to get out of a spin. Hard rudder opposite the direction of the spin is the answer.
ReplyDelete(the sidelinks will keep an aviation enthusiast busy for hours.)
the crossing of 76A IBN & 77D BAHA was a personal natick that ruined an otherwise doable puzzle for me. I felt that "B" could have been "any" consonant!
1 nit, cocktails at 6?
(i think i will have one now...)
Sundays "Pearls Before Swine",
(Don't lose perspective...)
I have one request for all future puzzle-makers. Please keep in mind that here in Boston area Chinese food chicken is uniformly, unilaterally and always called GAO or GAU. Most Boston references, such as today's Dewey Evans clue are obvious. However puzzles have specified Chinese chicken as anything from today's GAI to TAO and TAI. Isn't it only fair to footnote the geography you are referencing in future when going out or bringing home the Chinese chicken clue. Not fair without!
ReplyDeleteArgyle @ 10:45, thanks for the Ogden Nash - I had forgotten about that one!! Wasn't "Crazy Arms" done by Patsy Cline, too?
ReplyDeleteHahtoolah - your first link was the same MR BIG that I thought of when I filled in 65A.
ETP'er here
ReplyDeleteI know Patsy Cline sang "Crazy", the song written by Willie Nelson.
Willie wrote many songs that became hits for other artists, including for Ray Price, "Night Life"
Another was Willie's "Hello Walls", made famous by Faron Young.
Mother had Willie on tape. 8-tracks, cassettes, which she played over and over and over.
Anonymous @ 1:39 PM. What the heck are you talking about? Chicken in Cantonese is pronounced GAI. In Mandarin it's JI (rhymes with gee.) I've never heard chicken pronounced as GAO, GAU, TAO, or TAI. In crossword puzzles, sometimes the word TSO is referred to as the name of a chicken dish (General Tso's Chicken.) What words are you referring to?
ReplyDeleteI think it was quite remiss for no one to have linked to Lenya LOTTE so here goes. (There's a guy with a Big Cigar at about 1:12.) Being of N. German extraction, I find the Austrian dialect difficult to understand. Guess she was a big item in the 1930's
ReplyDeleteWEES,
ReplyDeleteSorry I am late but my computer crapped out again this morning, so I had to wait until I made it to work. really lije the puzzle, good to see Bruce V. again so soon; also curious about C.c.'s speculation, and the rest WEES.
For those of you who do not remember Virna Lisa, I provide this LINK to one of the many talented Italian actresses from the Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Claudia Cardinale mold who stormed Hollywood in the Marilyn days. She was the BLONDE .
CED:
ReplyDeleteWe can always count on you to put things in perspective! LOL
I sure enjoy Sunday puzzles more than Saturday. This was very enjoyable. Thanks C.C.
ReplyDeleteDamn! I was going to link the 'Anther' poem by Ogdan Nash but Argyle's just too speedy.
Here's a fun video I just came across. It's a little dog fetching a cat. Puppy fatching a cat.
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Gail and Bruce, for a fine Sunday puzzle. Thank you, as well, C.C., for the fine review.
ReplyDeleteStarted at the SW corner for a change and worked up. No specific reason.
Goofed myself up in the West for a while by writing in LEAGUE at 42D. Did not catch the abbreviation. Fixed it after a while to NL EAST.
Caught the theme after a while. That helped with the puzzle. My last theme entry was SULTRY at 121A. Had VOICE for a long time. Was thinking of SMOKEY but could not match any crosswords.
Had ANTSY for 71A. Changed that later to ANGST.
Had a few writeovers in today's puzzle, but fixed everything.
Now that I am back from Springfield, I may cut my grass. Haven't done that in about five weeks. Not much rain.
I always heard from my old flying days as a teenager, if you get into a spin, just pull back on the throttle and take your hands and feet off the controls. The plane will straighten out. Then pull up before you hit the ground. Fortunately, I never got to try that.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
I really wanted to chime in a couple of weeks ago, when you were all listing the names of all the cats you have had. i have had many, but my 1st, "Smokey" apparently arrived in our backyard while i was still in diapers. My Mother told me we were instant friends. But at the same time this disturbing article appeared in the paper. I did not want to discuss it, but eventually decided it did not matter, because i could never give up my friends.
ReplyDeleteToday i took my neighbor to J&R Tobacco, & while he & his son were shopping, i tried fishing in the Whippany River, (1 of the most polluted rivers in NJ that feed the Passaic.)
As for the Chinese chicken, "GAI" is Cantonese while the Mandarin is "JI". Both have the same character. It is possible that other variants may be due to other Chinese languages or, more likely, the use of non-standard systems of Romanization.
ReplyDeleteBill G., you have solved my problem! DH is always concerned when the cats are outside, because he worries that they will wander off across the street and get hit by a car. So when they don't come when he calls them (which is always, BTW), he comes inside to get me to bring them in...and he is always irritated when they immediately respond to my call.
ReplyDeleteSo now all I have to do is get him a cat-fetching puppy, and I won't have to drop what I'm doing every time they "wander" (which is usually no more than 75 feet from the house!!) So, big thanks and hugs!
I'm so confused! I get the Merle Reagle puzzles onSundays (back of the Arts and Books section) and the past two weeks have NO idea where to find the puzzles presented here. What am I missing?
ReplyDeleteThese puzzles are The LA Times, & if you cannot get them in print, the next best place is the Chicago Times Site.
ReplyDeleteAnon @5:10, click on the blue link...
Correction: Chicago Tribune
ReplyDeleteI would not want to offend any editors...
chin, exactly.
ReplyDeleteYes, I very much like that Chicago Tribune site cause it has the puzzle in the old format. I just went back to the LA Times crossword and it seems that they have improved that mess they had when they first changed formats.
ReplyDeleteMarti, how are you going to train a puppy to fetch cats? Or is your dog a natural? One of our cats, Speedy, used to cross the road like a teenager on a cellphone; that is, never look left or right but just dash straight ahead hoping for the best. Speedy got hit by a car and broke her leg. It was where the ball and socket joint is at the top of the femur. The 'ball' just snapped off. The vet removed the 'ball', filed off the end of the femur to make it smooth and let everything heal up. The muscle formed a pocket around the end of the bone and Speedy could move and run normally again. She never did learn to look both ways for cars though.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle, Gail and Bruce; fine write-up, CC!
We have had STEAL and clue recently, I think, so was a gimme. IDOs seems to appear often.
Hands up for wrong Shirley at first!
No cheats, but it took a long time.
Really feeling sick today. Shooting pains in head in addition to fever and usual complaints. No one available to take me to urgent care facility. Maybe can go back to sleep.
Cheers!
Just wanted to once again thank the IOC for making women's beach volleyball an olympic game.
ReplyDeleteMan oh man, there are so many Olympic games activities all going on at once! Can't keep up!
ReplyDeleteJayce, NBC is running 5,535 hours of Olympic coverage across all its platforms. No one could keep up.
ReplyDeleteAnd anon@6:54, amen.
Seems that usa has two good teams on the sand this year, Misty & Kerri and
ReplyDeleteRoss & Kessy. Gotta love it
I also use Chicago Tribune format when not using newspaper and pen. The only way I enjoy Sunday is to do it online with "solve letter" clicked on 6 times today. I sure don't plan on a BLISTERING PACE on Sat. or Sun.
ReplyDeleteI think of TENACIOUS as the positive side of stubborn.
We planted pumpkin seeds this year and now there is one watermelon growing amongst the pumpkins. (See C.C.'s picture in write-up.) Maybe we could sell this miracle watermelon on ebay for $$$$$$.
Yellowrocks, I supervised the care of 6 severely handicapped students when I was a school nurse. I loved C.C.'s video link. Their smiles mean alot. I hope you have rewarding times with your son. I know it can't be easy.
When they tore down the boy's locker room wall, used syringes fell out. Small town football is king here and I guess so is ROID rage.
BAKING SHEET-Wish I could have logged on earlier and and ask what everyone's favorite cookie is ????
ReplyDeleteMaybe, you can still let me know on Monday.
I love Jason's Deli cranberry walnut cookies. Unfortunately, they cost a dollar apiece.
I have a great Monster Cookie recipe that make dozens and dozens, but they disappear fast.
I wonder if I'm the only one who doesn't much care for Ryan Seacrest. I don't think he adds anything to NBC's Olympic coverage except a semi-pretty face.
ReplyDeleteI just bought my first new book with my Nook my family gave me as a Christmas present. I got it done but I am sure clumsy trying to type and enter data using the touch screen.
Finally finished the puzzle. SE corner gave me fits and I finally had to go online for some help.
ReplyDeleteStill haven't finished Fri or Sat's puzzles. My brain must be in fade mode.
Hubby and I bought bikes yesterday. So now I also have a case of BB (bicycle butt,guess I need more seat time :{