Theme: "All Fired Up" - Fire can precede both words in each two-word theme entry.
23A. Extra-strength panic button? : POWER ALARM. Fire power. Fire alarm.
29A. "No hitting below the belt" et al.? : FIGHTER CODE. Fire fighter. Fire code.
49A. Saltine special? : CRACKER SALE. Firecracker. Fire sale.
71A. Subdivision at the mannequin factory? : ARM DEPARTMENT. Fire arm. Fire department.
95A. First critters on a farm? : STARTER ANTS. Fire starter. Fire ants.
113A. Legion of ventriloquist dummies? : WOOD BRIGADE. Firewood. Fire brigade.
124A. Sharon's home? : STONE PLACE. Firestone. Fireplace. Sharon Stone.
43D. Hard-to-read preliminary print? : LIGHT PROOF. Firelight. Fireproof.
48D. Head judge on "Top Chef"? : CHIEF EATER. Fire chief. Fire-eater.
Robin is back! Remember her "Front money" puzzle a while ago? With a dollar sign in the grid. Simply amazing.
Today's theme is also intricate. You need the new phrases to have surface sense and pair up symmetrically.
Across:
1. Weathered the storm : COPED. Timely clue. Sorry about your lost cottage, Linda. Will you build another one?
6. Crocodile's greeting? : G-DAY. "Crocodile" Dundee then.
10. Turquoise relative : AQUA
14. Comment to the audience : ASIDE. Dodo told me Bill G also called her about her computer problem. Thanks for caring, Bill!
19. Fade away : ABATE
20. Dramatic solo, often : ARIA
21. Abridges : CUTS
22. Host at a communion : WAFER. I don't get this clue.
25. Lukas of "Witness" : HAAS
26. Photographer Adams : ANSEL
27. Kevin's "Footloose" role : REN. Kevin Bacon. I don't know any REN other than "Stimpy's pal".
28. Spin doctor's concern : IMAGE
31. St. Clare's town : ASSISI
33. Kingdom : REALM
35. "Silent Spring" subj. : DDT
36. "I __ mean it" : DIDN'T
39. Orbital shape : ELLIPSE
42. Detrained, say : ALIT
46. Acronymic candy company : NECCO (New England Confectionery Company)
52. Grammar best-seller "Woe __" : IS I. Guessed.
53. Filmmaker who alternates top billing with his brother : ETHAN COEN. And Joel Coen. The pride of Minnesota.
55. SeaWorld barker : SEAL
56. Babydoll : SUGAR
58. Hidden retreat : LAIR. CrossEyedDave must be going crazy without internet. Pas de chat, remember the "Puff, the Magic Dragon" verses you & AriadneArts wrote a few weeks ago? Dave was so impressed that he sent the blog discussion to the Peter, Paul & Mary fan club.
59. Savory gelatin : ASPIC. Sure miss my grandma's aspic and dumplings.
61. Tap type : SOFT SHOE
63. Schumann songs : LIEDER. Plural of lied.
65. "Magic Hour" author Susan : ISAACs. Never heard of the book.
69. Destined : MEANT
70. Mischievous sort : ELF
74. La Jolla winter hrs. : PST
77. Willies-inducing : EERIE
79. World's largest desert : SAHARA
80. More beloved : DEARER.
82. Pots-and-pans noises : CLATTERS
85. "Fiddler" meddler : YENTE
87. Oak trunk : BOLE
88. Gate fastener : LATCH
89. Yom Kippur War prime minister : MEIR (Golda)
92. Ho-hum : WEARISOME
94. "You __ My Sunshine" : ARE
99. Upholstery jobs : SOFAS
100. Curiosity destination : MARS
102. Notable 1968 groom : ONASSIS (Ari). He actully loved Maria Callas.
103. Hombre's title : SENOR
105. Time's 2006 Person of the Year : YOU. Cop-out choice.
107. Joint at the corner : MITER
109. Turns to swing : AT BATS
118. Texas attraction : ALAMO
121. __ kwon do : TAE
122. Product suffix suggesting noodles : A-RONI
123. Theater level : LOGE
126. Zellweger of "Chicago" : RENEE
127. The Auld Sod : ERIN
128. "Shucks" : HECK
129. Flop or lop follower : EARED
130. Gets in the game : PLAYS
131. Faction : SECT
132. Silk Road locale : ASIA
133. "NYPD Blue" actor : SMITS (Jimmy). He played the cool Bobby Simone.
Down:
1. "Lost Horizon" director : CAPRA (Frank)
2. Bright-toned winds : OBOES
3. Little men : PAWNS
4. When Nancy bakes? : ETE. Nancy the French city.
5. Mockery : DERISION
6. Jamboree : GALA
7. Big snooze : DRAG
8. ABC or BET, e.g. : AIRER
9. Versatile veggie : YAM. Not versatile to me.
10. Paris was too much for him : ACHILLES. Paris killed Achilles, who had killed his brother Hector. But, "We'll always have Paris".
11. Serious predicament : QUAGMIRE
12. Its motto is "Industry" : UTAH
13. Busy ed.'s request : ASST. Has to be Rich's clue. He's one busy "editor".
14. Cy Young, e.g. : AWARD. No one will top his 511 career wins.
15. Safe places : SANCTA
16. In that case : IF SO
17. Transfer document : DEED
18. Della's creator : ERLE. Della Street.
24. In the center of : AMID
29. Columbo portrayer : FALK (Peter)
30. Biographer Leon : EDEL. Henry James biographer. I learned from doing Xwords.
32. Wallet item : ID CARD. 104. 32-Down datum : NAME
34. Common Market inits. : EEC
37. Some PX patrons : NCOs
38. Apprehensive : TREPID. I've only used Intrepid.
40. Antidrug commercials, e.g., briefly : PSAs
41. Seven-veil dancer : SALOME
44. Golfer Aoki : ISAO. Literally "achievement". Aoki = "Green tree".
45. Freeway roller : TIRE
46. Harper Lee's first name : NELLE. Did not know this. She's as reclusive as J.D. Salinger.
47. Online commerce : E-TAIL
50. Ouzo flavorings : ANISES
51. Big spread : ESTATE
54. "Sex and the City" role : CARRIE
57. Adm.'s milieu : USN
60. Bit of bullring gear : CAPA. "Cape" in Spanish.
62. Dent site : FENDER
64. "At the __ Core": Burroughs novel : EARTH'S. Never developed an interest for science fiction.
66. Reclining chair user's sigh : AAH
67. Supercomputer name : CRAY
68. Scattered : STREWN
72. Broadway's first Oakley : MERMAN (Ethel). New trivia to me.
73. "The Luncheon on the Grass" and "Olympia," e.g. : MANETs. Both are at Musée d'Orsay. Very daring eyes.
 |
| "The Luncheon on the Grass" |
 |
| "Olympia" |
75. Alabama march city : SELMA
76. Maple and pine : TREES
78. Inclusive abbr. : ETC
81. Soak up : ABSORB
82. Chowder tidbit : CLAM
83. Zhivago's love : LARA. Also love Julie Christie in "Away from Her".
84. Antitoxin sources : SERA
86. Put a charge into? : TASE
90. "I can't explain how I did that" : IT'S MAGIC. No one with a K in their first name has lost a presidential re-election! It's magic.
91. Junk mail addressee : RESIDENT
93. Chemical variants : ISOTOPES
96. __ de force : TOUR
97. Baptism, for one : RITE
98. Polymer ending : ASE
101. Bondi Beach city : SYDNEY. I associate Bondi Beach with Kazie & Jessica Hart.
106. Stage prizes : OBIEs
108. Motel posting : RATES
110. Asteroids creator : ATARI
111. "Don't play," on a score : TACET. Must have the same root as Tacit.
112. Origins : SEEDS
113. Bend : WARP
114. Hershiser of ESPN : OREL
115. Chaplin's fourth wife : OONA. Long time no see.
116. French cruise stops : ILES
117. Bush fighter : GORE. I'm excited about next Tuesday. First time to cast a vote for a US president.
119. Centers of activity : LOCI
120. "My Way" lyricist : ANKA (Paul)
124. '50s song syllable : SHA
125. Hasty escape : LAM
C.C.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteNot too many unknowns, but for some reason I read the 79A clue as "world's largest dessert", and found myself wondering just what a really large dessert might look like. Then the light came on.
Morning, C.C. - I didn't recall the Time choice of "You" from 2006, but I agree it does feel like a cop-out.
As usual the time change is messing with my head.
G'Day All!
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, Robin! Swell write-up, CC!
CC: The wafer given out at communion in Catholic and Anglican churches is used to represent the body of Christ, or the host. (May apply to other churches. I do not know.)
Rather intricate puzzle with double theme. I bludgeoned through it almost all of the way w/o trying to make sense of title. Silly me! No cheats but several answers were not immediate.
Worked Merl's offering also. Harder row to hoe. Ended up using red letters (bone tired). There is a mistake in the answers!!!
Have a great week!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeletePretty smooth sailing today. I got the theme (which was nicely done) early on and that helped make sense of a lot of the clues.
A couple of unknowns (REN, NELLE) and some missteps (OCCUPANT for RESIDENT, UTEP for UTAH, ASAP for ASST), but nothing the perps couldn't take care of.
Have we heard from all the East Coast regulars at this point, or are some still MIA?
The NW corner was the last to fall. I kept thinking of LADS for "Little men" even though the lads were too short. And, as usual, I never got the theme (which is not displayed online). [28:37]
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, C.C. and friends. Interesting Sunday puzzle. I found it a bit challenging, but eventually got it figured out.
ReplyDeleteRachel Carson wrote the Silent Spring, which discussed the dangers of DDT. The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is located in southern Maine. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.
Former Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis wrote You Are My Sunshine.
I learned that Destined is not Fated, but MEANT.
I also learned that a Mischievous Sort is not an Imp, but an ELF.
My favorite clue was the tricky Curiosity Destination = MARS.
I had stopped watching NYPD Blues by the time Jimmy SMITS joined the cast. I remember him from LA Law, though.
I never saw the Frank CAPRA movie, Lost Horizon, but read the novel by James Hilton. Wonderful novel.
QOD: You don't make peace with friends. You make it with very unsavory enemies. ~ Yitzhah Rabin (March 1, 1922 ~ November 4, 1995)
Good morning, C.C. and fellow fall-backers. It seemed weird doing the crossword when it was already light outside.
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle. I got the theme for a change and it actually helped in the solve. I need to try that more often.
I was on Hatoolah's wavelength with FATED/MEANT and IMP/ELF. C.C., your Paris comment was great. Loved it. And I agree with what you said about TREPID, it's akin to describing the weather as clement.
93 down -- "Chemical variants"
ReplyDeleteThe answer should be "Isomers" -- does not fit.
Isotopes have the same chemical properties ie, they do not chemically vary. Actually they are atomic variants.
Hi Everyone ~~
ReplyDeleteI actually realized that BOTH parts of each theme answer was "fired up." I usually miss it!
All fell into place pretty easily except for one spot. I had filled in 'Enc' for 78D - Inclusive abbr. Since I didn't know NELLE or LIEDER this really messed things up. Thinking 'Imp" before ELF contributed to the problem. Finally, the light dawned!
~ I'm never sure it it's 'Tacit' or TACET. I seem to remember 'tacit' from my violin-playing days in grades 3-12.
~ Not familiar with TREPID - just 'trepidation.'
~ I really liked 'NYPD Blue." I wish there were reruns.
~ C.C. - as always your write-up was informative and filled with interesting comments. Congrats on your upcoming first-time Presidential vote!
The lost cottage in RI was one that we've rented for many years. The current owner bought it just three years ago and had recently made many improvements. He lives in Florida but says he will rebuild and have it ready for summer. Quite a long-distance undertaking, but we're very relieved!
Enjoyable with a few minor hurdles which all fell eventually. I agree with the ISOTOPE/ISOMER challenge; rare to encounter a technical error of this sort in crosswords, but fun to find. Technically, now that we're there, the Antarctic and Arctic Deserts beat the SAHARA handily, size-wise, but the Arctic doesn't look to be in the running for the long term.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why so many saints came from Assisi? Agnes, CLARE, Francis, and Vitalis. Does Donald Trump pray to St Vitalis?
Just watched an episode of PBS's wonderful "Broadway, The American Musical", in which Ethel MERMAN's debut was featured. Best $40 I've ever spent on a DVD.
Only 2 other "K" presidents: Franklin Pierce, often called the worst president in US history, was rejected by his own party for renomination, and FDR we all know about.
No comment re K number 3; wouldn't want to influence C.C.'s first vote. Congratulations!
I'll be working the polls on Tuesday as usual, probably being even more thankful for early voting. Over 75% turnout expected in our county.
Good morning everyone. Thanks, C.C., for explaining in detail the theme.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable puzzle today. Just the right difficulty for a Sunday. I thought the clues for ÉtÉ and G'DAY were quite clever. I agree with Tnaug @ 0848 about ISOTOPES and wanted 'isomers', too, but it wouldn't fit. Isotopes are atomic variants, not chemical variants in the normal sense of chemical reactions. Guess many will be chewing on this one today.
37d was a crapshoot albeit easy. Rets (Retirees), Pvts, Sgts, Gens, ADMs, CDRs, and CPOs also come to mind.
Overall a delightful puzzle like CC said.
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteFound this a tad more difficult than a usual Sunday. Didn't get the theme until coming here. Like others, imp before elf, fated before meant, and Eire before Erin.
Kudos to Robin and thanks to CC for a great expo.
Did anyone else think this past Thursday's episode of Person of Interest was a little over the top?
Happy Sunday.
I copied this puzzle from the Chicago Trib and so did not have the Title. I purchased the paper after I had all the theme answers but one,LIGHT, then the light dawned. It was challenging, but fun.
ReplyDeleteI liked PAWNS and SOPFTSHOE.
I, too, was thinking of same form of isomer for 93D, but ISOTOPES are defined as variants of a particular chemical element. Adding the word element to the clue would have been better
TREPID is used infrequently, but it did appear in Newsday on May 7, 2000.
Link TREPID
I often see clement, regarding weather, people, and policies.
I must be off my rhythm this week. IIRC, every puzzle this week seemed a little harder than normal for it's given day. This was no different. I kept trying to figure out the theme (it was in the paper), but couldn't grasp it until I was nearly done. But it did help get the final L in CrackersaLe, so it was useful if late in coming.
ReplyDeleteSeeing and hearing words like trepid makes me gruntled. :-)
Congratulations on your first vote for President as a citizen, C.C.
Hi, C.C. Hugs to you! Hello, all.
ReplyDeleteThis turned into a QUAGMIRE for me because I couldn't suss SUGAR, SOFTSHOE and though I was proud of myself for remembering ISAO, I misspelled it and that caused all kinds of problems so finally I had to stop as it's time to go. Brilliant puzzle, though. Thanks, Robin.
Congratulations on being able to vote! I did so two weeks ago.
Have a great Sunday, everyone. I'm going to the ballet, Giselle.
Here is an example of a Schumann lied. So many people think the German language is harsh. "Achtung!" Here is tender, sweet language written as Schumann is falling in love with Clara.
ReplyDeleteIm wunderschönen Monat Mai,
Als alle Knospen sprangen,
Da ist in meinem Herzen
Die Liebe aufgegangen.
Im wunderschönen Monat Mai
Als alle Vögel sangen,
Da hab' ich ihr gestanden
Mein Sehnen und Verlangen.
In the wonderfully beautiful month of May
When all the buds are bursting open,
There, from my own heart,
Bursts forth my own love.
In the wonderfully beautiful month of May
When all the birds are singing
So have I confessed to her
My yearning and my longing.
Link listen
Argyle, did the Spam filter catch my post again? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat it did.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand "alit" for "detrained."
ReplyDeleteAlit means stepped down from a vehicle. Detrained means got off a train. Deplaned means got off a plane.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good Sunday puzzle to do with red-letter hints. I was satisfied with my effort. Thanks, CC for the explanations to clues I didn't know.
ReplyDeleteI think I have changed my avatar to a picture of me at Bondi Beach. I had no trouble with that clue!
Nice weather here today,
Montana
Oh! Thanks for that explanation, Anon! (I was thinking "detrained" along the lines of dog training.)
ReplyDeleteAfter yesterday’s college football games full of upsets and miracle finishes, this puzzle still was able to “Light My Fire”. Great level of difficulty and fun theme that was more fun to discern than useful. East middle was last fill. Just back from getting my WAFER at church during a DRAG of a RITE.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-I started late this morning after making rolls for breakfast and reading about fb in paper.
-We were at a VB game last winter and the FIRE ALARM went off. Everyone in the gym just looked at each other and didn’t budge. After at least 5 solid minutes, it stopped. Hmmm…
-Jeff Dunham and his WOOD BRIGADE are going to be in Omaha in February. Very funny!
-Couldn’t leave FIRST PROOF for a while.
-Some African countries today are begging to use DDT to stem tide of malaria. Action/reaction.
-Time, Newsweek, et al are dying on the vine
-I’ll discuss anything as long as I get my AT BATS
-Our BTEAM yesterday got to PLAY in blowouts
-Merman lamented, “Ya cain’t get a man with a gun!”
-What an accommodating woman at MANET’s luncheon
-Way more people claim to have been at SELMA and Woodstock than actually were
-Me Too on ISOTOPE comment even it is a little nitpickish. No chemical process in the world will change U238 into U235
-Name song with “Get out in that kitchen and rattle (CLATTER) those pots and pans”
G'DAY mates, Enjoyable puzzle with a theme that actually helped me. Still in a good mood.
ReplyDeleteGreat commentary, C.C., I hope you enjoy your trip to the polls. Great to have you as a citizen!
I'm going to cancel out my son's vote. He is voting for the wrong person! LOL! Strange situation: all women in my family want one candidate. The men are leaning toward the other one.
I've read MAGIC HOUR several times. A gimmee.
I couldn't COPE with the NW corner so the POWER didn't come on for me. Wanted "dwarf" for little men. Had most of the block but couldn't suss it.
Two other little misses "L" in ALIT/LIGHT was "s". Spelled SYDNEY with an "i".
Bed bug & brown recluse spiders may finally drive us to accept DDT & chlordane once more.
Mikey @9:24: Good one! If The Donald is prays to St. Vitalis, his prayers go unanswered. Maybe the water in Assisi...
This was sure a hard start to my Sunday. I never made any sense of the theme until coming here. I thought more of the clues seemed tricky than is typical for a Sunday.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking about trepid and gruntled, maybe it's time to repost my New Yorker essay full of words like that. C.C., what do you think?
Argyle, what causes a post to get stuck in the Spam filter?
As usual, I am enjoying "Sunday Morning" this Sunday morning.
Gary, I think that song would be "Shake, Rattle and Roll" by Bill Haley and the Comets.
C.C. again, congratulations on your first presidential vote!
HG: "Shake, Rattle & Roll". Danced to that one a lot.
ReplyDelete4D, The only Nancy's I could come up were Pelosi and Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum who married Sen. Jim Baker. Too much emphasis on politics these days to come up with a simple answer here. After C.C. "COPED", the light dawned.
Maybe the Donald is praying to the wrong saint.
ReplyDeleteBesides Francis, isn't there a patron saint of animals, particularly Muskrats?
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Robin Stears, for a great Sunday puzzle. Enjoyed it, even though I did not have the theme. thank you, C.C., for the swell review.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, C.C., for being able to vote for a U S President. I will be a worker at the polls on Monday night and all day Tuesday.
I did not know the theme. I printed my puzzle from the Chicago Tribune site and the theme was not visible. Still finished.
Lots of tough words. With some thinking and a few wags they all fell.
Thought PAWNS was good for 3D. Took me a while to get it. Trying for ELVES, DWARFS, etc.
Wanted to put in bread for 22A, but held off until I had a crossword. Saved me some ink. Our church uses bread quite often instead of wafers. It's about 50/50.
Wrote down ROOMS for 108D. Had to overwrite RATES after a while.
I still marvel at Ansel Adams' photography.
Saw the Bears win 51-20 against the Titans. They are now 7-1.
I did not get when Nancy bakes, ETE. got the answer with perps. Then I read the write-up, Nancy is a french city. How would I have ever known that?
Had a chili cookoff at church after the service today. It was fun. lots of chili and cupcakes. I did not win, but sure had fun.
Tomorrow AM to the dentist. Tomorrow night to the polling place.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
where is manac?
ReplyDeleteSpoiler alert:
ReplyDeletePlease don't discuss Person of Interest yet! Since I teach at night I record it and haven't had a chance to watch it yet.
Giselle was a beautiful performance! We have a really good ballet company in Phoenix.
Yellowrocks - The Chicago Tribune does show the theme above the constructors name, but it doesn't print it out. After I print my copy I just write it on the paper (before I forget it).
ReplyDeleteHello everybody. Enjoyable puzzle today. Gotta run.
ReplyDeleteChicago Tribune always gives the first clue as the title. Today it was weathered the storm, 1A. But the title was actually All fired up. See CC's blog.
ReplyDeleteYR - My Chicago Tribune initial page of the LAT puzzle entitles the puzzle for today as "All Fired Up"; the same as C, C.'s theme title.
ReplyDeleteLucina, I won't give anything away, but will address the earlier question about Person of Interest. That's such a dark show that I don't think it can go over the top. It's violent, it's ugly and it makes your ski crawl. But it's so well written that it always keeps your attention. There's a lot to not like about every show, but there's more to like. I'm hooked and it sure beats most of the crap they foist off as "reality".
ReplyDeleteJoe said,
ReplyDelete" It's violent, it's ugly and it makes your ski crawl"
Sounds like must see TV to me. :-)
That's why I stick to radio.
Link See this
ReplyDeleteAvgJoe
ReplyDeleteThank you. For the reasons you cite, I am inexplicably hooked on it! That and the mesmerizing Jim Caviezal. Yum!
YR: Your link shows the title as: All Fired Up. If you see something else it must be a personal setting, maybe a old bookmark.
ReplyDeleteLucina, since you like Jim Caviezel so much, have you seen him as Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo? I recommend it. I found it on TCM but I'm sure you could get it from Netflix or elsewhere. I'm a week behind on Person of Interest. I like it but not as much as The Good Wife, my co-favorite these days along with NCIS.
ReplyDeleteSince it's been mentioned here several times, I tried Elementary. I'll try it once more before I give up. I didn't find the characters likable.
Good evening C.C. and all. Sorry to be so late to the party, but I did want to thank everyone for the warm welcome yesterday. And to add my congratulations as well to C.C. on voting in your first presidential election.
ReplyDeleteIt usually takes me most of the day to complete Sunday puzzles because I “nibble” at them a few clues at a time. The theme really helped move things along, but I still needed to peek (they print the solution in my local paper on Sundays) to finish. Nevertheless, I ended up misspelling Sydney with an “i”, which gave me IOU for Time’s 2006 Person of the Year. Thought it was some kind of comment on the amount of debt Americans carry, until I read the expo – D’oh!
Hope to be able to comment regularly, but will probably be in the evenings. Although I solve the puzzle on my morning bus ride to work, the Internet nanny-ware at my office blocks such unauthorized distractions as blogs, Facebook, You-Tube etc., so most of my posts will have to wait til I get home from work.
JavaMama
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about your late posts. They will be read.
BillG:
Thank you. I'll look for that video. Lately I haven't watched many movies because school and other activities keep me occupied.
Am I invisible?
ReplyDeleteChefwen, I read what you wrote. I think it's a good idea to keep posting and concentrate on the positive interactions. But then again, my advice is worth just how much it costs you. :>)
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, "Shake, Rattle and Roll" is originally by bluesman Big Joe Turner, who co-authored the song with Jesse Stone AKA Charles E. Calhoun. I believe the great Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records also had something to do with it.
ReplyDeleteAmerican pop music, and even the World's pop music, would be a very different place without Ahmet's contributions and guidance at Atlantic.