Theme: Ho, Ho, D'oh! - from our constructor: "The puzzle is a reincarnation of a song I composed and recorded in 1996. Mara & Sue, a popular local kid-oriented duo performed the vocals and I myself performed all the instrumental tracks—keyboards, bass, drums and percussion. I recently remastered it to make a fun go-with for your blog write-up. This may be a groundbreaking combination of YouTube and crosswords!
All the best wishes to you and your family, John.
Also, there is a Christmas present for Jason in one of the down entries."
17A. With 26- and 48-Across, unexpected Christmas morning observation : SOMETHING HUGE IS
26A. See 17-Across : CLOGGING UP
48A. See 17-Across : OUR CHIMNEY
61A. Goodies unclaimed as a result of this puzzle's predicament : COOKIES FOR SANTA
Watch it here: Link.
Argyle here. Hey! I resemble that remark. I suppose you could call this a quote puzzle but the quote isn't famous...yet.
Across:
1. Easy mark : PATSY
6. Where X marks the spot : MAP but 57A. Where eggs mark the spot? : NEST
9. British county : SHIRE. Home to Hobbits, too.
14. Marry on the sly : ELOPE
15. Top pilot : ACE
16. __ wave : TIDAL
20. Oompah maker : TUBA. In case you missed Abejo Saturday night, go here, starting @8:25PM.
21. "To a ..." poem : ODE. The title of odes often start with "Ode to a __"
22. Take a breath : INHALE
23. Rocky Balboa skipped it : ROPE
25. Choir recess : APSE where you might find the 40A. Choir voices : ALTOS.
30. Office supplies order : REAM. It may be the electronic age but you still need reams of paper.
34. The Tigers of the NCAA's Southeastern Conference : AUBURN
35. __ about: approximately : ON OR
37. Prez on a penny : ABE
38. Old battle-ax : CRONE
39. Big bang creator : TNT. Not the one created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady.
42. Giggling syllable : HEE
43. __ gin fizz : SLOE
45. Zips along : SPEEDS
46. ExxonMobil trade name : ESSO. Their international trade name.
50. "That's unlikely" : "I BET"
52. Start from scratch : REDO
53. Pitchman's "Don't delay!" : "ACT NOW!". "But wait!..." 5D. "However ..." : "YET ...". "That's not all!"
56. "Sure, skipper!" : "AYE!"
64. Has the guts : DARES
65. Agua, across the Pyrenees : EAU. Spain/France, in the Pyrenees, ur is the Basque word for 'water'.
66. Milk dispenser : UDDER. Going right to the source, the primary producer.
67. Bonnie's partner in crime : CLYDE
68. Paul's partner in song : ART. Simon and Garfunkel.
69. Outdoes : BESTS
Down:
1. Pantry ant, e.g. : PEST
2. Matty or Felipe of baseball : ALOU. "But who's on first?" "I don't know." "Third base!"
3. Mummy's home : TOMB
4. Underwater weapon : SPEAR GUN. 62D. Ocean : SEA. 63D. Ocean traveler : SUB
6. Damsel : MAIDEN
7. Teen's woe : ACNE
8. Place to hang your hat : PEG
9. Astonishes : STUNS
10. More expensive : HIGHER. I wanted DEARER.
11. Item in a writer's notebook : IDEA
12. Commuter's option : RAIL
13. Alternatively : ELSE
18. "Climb aboard!" : "HOP IN!"
19. Safari heavyweight : HIPPO
24. Shrek and his relatives : OGRES
25. Family reunion attendee : AUNT
26. Secret supply : CACHE
27. Angler's boxful : LURES
28. Melodious winds : OBOES
29. Dead duck : GONER. Evocative
31. Unlike leftovers : EATEN
32. Home : ABODE
33. Like many a dorm room : MESSY
36. Fast : RAPID
39. Publicize in a big way : TOUT
41. Sidewalk stand buy : LEMONADE
44. "My Fair Lady" composer Frederick : LOEWE
45. Transparent, as stockings : SHEER
47. Sounded like a pig : OINKED
49. Shout : CRY OUT
51. Northwest capital : BOISE
53. Electrically flexible : AC/DC
54. Naughty child's stocking filler : COAL. Theme related.
55. Revolutionary British sympathizer : TORY. Tens of thousands of Americans opposed the Revolution. They called themselves Loyalists; the Patriots called them Tories. from "Tories, Fighting For the King in America's First Civil War" by Thomas B. Allen. The word Tories was originally used to describe rural bandits in Ireland. Origin: 1640–50; < Irish *tóraighe outlaw, bandit, derivative of tóir chase, pursuit. 56. "Bearing gifts, we traverse __" : AFAR. Theme related.
58. Comes to a stop : ENDS
59. Kill the dele : STET
60. Finishes, as a road : TARS. Stop, kill it, finish...OK, I get the idea.
Argyle
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Here is a picture of Argyle, our dear Santa. Merry Christmas!
56 comments:
Wow ! Number One and I din't even solve the puzzle.... isn't that special !
Have a great morning, and a great day, and a great rest of the year - and the the next year as well.
Peace on Earth, and Goodwill towards all Mankind.
P.s. Santa, you look great ! ( I hope its eggnog, you're drinking - coffee will keep you up tonight as well ... you need your beauty sleep, now. )
What a delightful puzzle for the day! And the video to go with--was great.
An easy puzzle today; good way to start a holiday.
Snow started at 8:30 last evening to give us a beautiful layer of white. (Plenty of snow back in MT.)
Relatives from Brisbane, AU, are loving it but having trouble keeping warm outside.
Have a wonderful day,everyone,
Montana
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang, and a very MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone! What a nice treat getting one of John's offerings this morning, and a timely one to boot.
Couple snags kept this from being a speed run: I was looking for a nautical term for 18D, CLIMB ABOARD, and needed the perps to get Frederick LOEWE. Perps filled in the fun theme. Thanks, John, for a most enjoyable solve.
Argyle, great picture, apropos of the day, and a very Happy Birthday to Fermatprime and Yellowrocks.
I hope today is one of unbridled happiness for everyone; may all your dreams come true.
Merry Christmas to all from the (barely) snow-covered (and always beautiful) mid-Hudson valley. [6:13]
A Merry Christmas to all. A really fun puzzle John. With a shout out to Lemonade. ! Also like you composition. Thank you Argyle. It looks as if you are peering intently into your mug of eggnog. Or am I misreading the visual ? Nice pic there Kathy. You look so happy.
Morning, all (and Happy Birthday to Fermatprime and Yellowrocks)!
We let the little guy stay up extra late last night in the hope that he would be too tired to get up at the crack of dawn this morning. Didn't work...
Fun puzzle today. Very smooth solving experience with an interesting theme reveal. What more can you ask for on a Tuesday?
Feeeling quite groggy now - so copied the entire quip down - so technically a DNF ! (lol). The rest of the puzzle was easy. Thank you Mr. Lampkin.
Thank you Argyle, hope you get a good night's sleep, tonight. Loved all your links. Sorry, to hear of the ex-con's crazy fire/ shooting in Webster NY... I use to live in Rochester, long ago.
Wife had to go in at 5 am., - some toddler swallowed an Abe penny. Why can't Santas be more more normal and sensible and give their kids plastic, like everyone else.
Loved the Lemonade clue, so a toast of lemonade tonight in honor of Jason and the Argonauts.
Have a great week, you all and best wishes of the Season.
Was reading 1 Down as 'Panty art'. Sorry, haven't seen near enough panties to figure that one out. Some 4 ltr word that starts with a 'p'.
Merry Christmas to one and all from the southern tier.
DH is sleeping late, so I got to enjoy the puzzle. Great way to start the day.
Thanks Argyle for the clips.
Wow, lots of folks are up early this morning!
This one was a John Lampkin speed run -- all but the pantry ant. I was trying to think of a particular kind of ant. D'oh! WDS about HOP IN.
In addition to My Fair Lady, Lerner and Loewe were also the creators of Camelot and Brigadoon.
Happy Birthday Fermat and YellowRocks! Hope you both have a great day. I'm spending the day preparing our traditional roast beef with potato dumplings. Afterward I'll be looking a lot like Santa Argyle.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. What a fun Christmas crossword. I can just see Santa stuck in the chimney! Nice YouTube addition, too,
My favorite clue was Where Eggs Mark the Spot = NEST.
Nice shout out to our Friday commentator, LEMONADE.
There are two Tiger teams in the SEC, so whenever AUBURN plays LSU, the Tigers are guaranteed to win.
Bonnie and Clyde met their END in Louisiana.
Happy Birthday Yellowrocks and Fermatprime.
We are currently under a tornado watch. I hope you are all safe and are with family and friends.
I have cinnamon-raisin bread baking. Yum! Smells good.
QOD: Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world. ~ Annie Lennox (December 25, 1954)
What a wonderful way to start Xmas, unwrapping a JL puzzle with musical interlude, all holiday themed. Did you listen to those fingers dancing across the keyboard ?
This is a vintage John Lampkin creation, with clechoes with clenched MARKS CHOIR PARTNER OCEAN and fun cluing, e.g. for ROPE, UDDER and IDEA. The only thing missing was LAMB but instead we got LEMONADE, clued with the funny STAND BUY. Thank you.
HBDT to Fermatprime and YR. Great pics. Hope you all had your wishes fulfilled. I was with Charlotte and her parents so it was great.
Sleepwalk through the park, yet enjoyable. Thanks.
"More expensive : HIGHER. I wanted DEARER."
I wanted RICHER.
Merry Christmas.
Ah, the irony. Now that kids are old enough to sleep in, I'm getting too old to sleep in without getting stiff. A little cheer from this puzzle. Today on Sporcle.com, if you do three Christmas quizzes then you can earn the Feliz Navidad badge!
Hi gang -
Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
Fun puzzle from John today. Love the silly song.
We had our clan gathering last night - great fun.
Going to visit the mom's today.
Step son Tom from Fla just called. Gloria is talking to kids now.
It's all good.
Christmas cheers, everyone.
JzB
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Lots of surprises under the tree this morning, and we even woke up to a white Christmas. "It just don't git no better'n dat!!"
Fun, fun, fun puzzle today. I laughed out loud when I filled in the theme. But I especially loved the bonus Christmas song, JL! You are amazingly talented!!
And happy birthday to YR and Fermatprime. I hope your days are extra special.
Hello Puzzlers -
Zoomed right through John's clever Christmas puzz. Will have to come back later to hear his audio re-masterpiece! For now, though, I must dash through the snow to my sister-in-law's.
Morning Argyle, you are definitely THE trooper.
Happy Birthday to Fermat, and to YellowRocks, whose avatar photo I still find adorable!
A very Merry Christmas to you all, Corner Family! Cheers!
What a lovely present to unwrap on this Christmas morn. Thanks so much John!
Musings
-An offer to pay for a very nice ELOPEment did not dissuade my daughter’s from a big church wedding ;-)
-We no longer seem to have ACEs in lieu of drones
-INHALE? Bill Clinton said he didn’t do that.
-The APSES in the churches of Angels and Demons held some big surprises
-Missouri are also tigers in the SEC but had a rough first year
-I have always read that Christ was not born ON OR about December 25th
-All those gimmicks that on TV seem to cost $19.95 and, wait, you get two of ‘em and you don’t need one.
-Simon’s genius for composition and Garfunkel’s angelic voice. It don’t get no better!
-My claustrophobia and a SUB? I don’t think so.
-A MAIDEN on the track is a horse who’s never won a race.
-No Hungry HIPPO playing was allowed when another child was napping. Yikes, it’s loud.
-Hudson and Elise’s AUNT Missy is bringing her boyfriend of a year and his two wonderful boys to Christmas this year
-Joann has baked so much this year that there is no chance all will get EATEN
-The 1938 movie Pygmalion contains many of the lines of My Fair Lady sans music. It’s on TCM occasionally.
-BOISE is the actual capital of our MONTANA’s state and not spending cash
-Happy Birthday to Ferm, YR and that boy from the stable in Bethlehem.
-Father was stunned by the 1,800 people who showed up for the 4 pm mass yesterday with the 6 pm, 8 pm and midnight masses to follow.
Feliz Navidad!
Happy birthday, Fermatprime and Yellowrocks! I hope it's outstanding for you both.
Wonderful, RAPID puzzle, thanks, John L. Breezed right through it even before coffee.
Great shoutouts to ABEJO (TUBA) and LEMONADE.
Time to go to my daughter's home so they can open presents.
Have a lovely day, everyone!
Hi everyone,
Merry Christmas. Ours has been outstanding so far. Old friends brunched with us yesterday. # 2 son here today, & tomorrow we go north to # 1 son & family.
Best of all is a nagging matter that has been affecting us of late has been cleared up. The best present of all. So for the first time in a while I can say:
LIFE IS GOOD
Merry Christmas everyone!
The puzzle was a neat treat. Thanks, John. I'm having trouble getting your song to play. I'll get some tech assistance.
Fun anticipating Lemon's gift. Abejo , too. ala Lucina.
Santa's picture got my heart.
Fermatprime and YR, I hope its an extra special day. Happy Birthday!
Have a great nice day everyone.
CC Thank you for this wonderful blog! I hope all is well with you and Boomer!
You have been a daily blessing for me. Love
Thanks Argyle, you look terrific! And thank you all for the kind words.
Hey Lemonade, that's the only Christmas present you're getting from me. No exchanges or refunds, so glad you liked it.
Merry Christmas to all and Happy Solving in 2013!
- John Lamplkin
Argyle: Nice write-up & links. I enjoyed the shout-out to you, SANTA !
John: Thank you for a FUN Offering with a Christmas theme.
Happy birthday, Fermatprime and Yellowrocks!
A "toast" and Merry Christmas to ALL at Sunset.
Cheers !!!
A nice Christmas tune from Remember WENN ...
You make it Christmas
Please note, in the box is also "Christmas is Waiting"
(It's a two-for-the-price-of-one!)
Cheers !!!
Delightful Christmas treat, thank you John! (& a song too!)
I had planned to use this link yesterday for Ad-Mission, but i got sidetracked with all the festivities. But it works just as well today...
Happy Birthday Fermatprime!
Happy Birthday Yellowrocks!
& Happy Holidays To All!
Husker, when did they move Boise?
Good morning, folks. Thank you, John Lampkin, for a great Christmas puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the great write-up.
I expected a Christmas theme and was not disappointed. Great job!
The North filled in easily. Except for the first theme answer. That took a while. Nice to see TUBA. Thanks for your kind comments, folks.
I hesitated writing in ODE for 21A. "To a ODE" did not sound grammatically correct. I would have thought "To an ODE". But, in the end I wrote it in.
Of course I wrote in BWANA for 19D. Eventually HIPPO replaced it. That is my only smudge on the paper.
Yes, Lemonade, I thought of you as I wrote in LEMONADE for 41D.
My family bought me a book about an inch and a half thick full of Sunday Chicago Tribune Crosswords. I guess my spare time is now accounted for.
Happy birthday to Yellow Rocks and Fermatprime. Christmas birthdays. That is nice. Say "Hi" to Harvey for me Fermatprime.
Prime rib for dinner today. My oldest daughter, her husband, and their two kids are here from SW Ohio. Plus my youngest daughter is here. She lives here. Having a nice time.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
I always work the newspaper version of the puzzle in the Daytona Beach News Journal. Today the grid didn't match the clues. It really had me going for awhile until I gave up and came to the blog. Anyone else have this problem?
Good morning:
What a pleasant way to start Christmas Day, with not one, but two "presents" from our witty, talented JL: a cute, clever puzzle and a delightful ditty, to boot. And on top of all that, we have our own Santa to thank for his wonderful expo.
I had stash before cache but all else was a smooth run.
Having dinner at a niece's house with two other sisters and two brothers and families, a total of 12 of us. We have a light dusting of snow so it's a little White Christmasy!
Happy Birthday Fermatprime and Yellow Rocks; hope you have a terrific day.
Merry Christmas to all.
Dang, Otto! Missed it by that much! What a Butte of a mistake to miss Helena!
Merry Christmas to all!
My holiday season started last night with the annual Christmas Eve viewing of the movie Bad Santa. So wrong in so many ways – another classic from the Coen brothers.
Here’s my favorite clip from the movie.
And to all a Good Night!
Merry Christmas all! Happy birthday to Kathy and Fermataprime!
Thank you, John for a jolly bit of silliness from your apparently bottomless bag of talents! I got stuck tho by "pLuGGING" up that chimney for a while and putting in the "tee" half of a giggle. I had been anticipating a Xmas goody after your teaser awhile back, so I was a bit startled when we started out with PATSY, PEST, TOMB, and SPEARGUN. Not Christmassy stuff! I thought Rich had given us the wrong puzzle.
Thanks for coming through for us as always, Argyle or Santa Baby, whichever you are answering to today.
C.C., Thanks for the great year-round gift of the blog.
Nothing on my schedule today. Will get together with two of my brothers and their wives tomorrow.
Merry Christmas !
Nice pic Santa , happy birthday Ferma , YR
Enjoyed JL 's present , nicely done!
It's also my birthday today , no double presents tho !
Hope y'all have a safe and happy holidays
St. Z:
A three for for birthday today at the Corner, how cool. HBDTY @ and many more.
BOISE will be BOISE.
JL, you present is in the mail.
SL Zalameh Happy Birthday, as well! So glad you're one of our bunch.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Zelamah. I wish you a very happy and special day, too.
A fun Holiday puzzle. Thank you John and Argyle.
And a Happy Birthday to YR, Fermat and Z Car Guy.
I'd be happy to send our weather to you all as a present:-) It was 4 this morning, around 7 now.
Fermat, Yellow Rocks and St Zalemah, Happy Birthday !!!!!!
John L. always BESTS (outdoes) himself. A crossword and a matching song was a nice Christmas present.
Santa, how did you manage a sweet write-up and deliver all those presents? You look little tuckered out with your hot beverage resting on your "belly".
Happy Birthday, Fermat and YR. We always bake Jesus a birthday cake at our house. It has candles that don't blow out.
My sister and husband are scheduled to arrive any minute.
Have a Merry Day...I know you all have made my life richer!!!
Happy Birthday to St Zalemah!
Merry Christmas and happy birthday! Great puzzle and cute song. May all of our chimneys remain unclogged!
Hi Kids,
Fun, fun, fun!
LEMONADE! TUBA!
Slept 'til 11:00 a.m. Went to bed at 4:00 a.m.
Party last night at friend's house. Mostly musicians. Probably 40 or more guests.
Absolutely NOTHING has to be done today. DH and I will hang around the house or go out to food shop.
Happy Birthday to
Yellow Rocks and Fermatprime.
Have a great day, and many more!
Merry Christmas to all of you!
SL Zalameh:
I hope your birthday was stupendous!
Wow! Three birthdays on the Corner!
Happy birthday to Yellowrocks, Fermatprime and St. Zalameh.
Prime prime rib from Costco in the oven. Jordan's got some fun presents but waiting for a battery to charge on one of them is taxing his patience.
The Lakers are on and they look to be in synch for a change.
I hope you all have a great day and a great year to come.
Fond regards,
~ Bill G.
Ho! Ho! Ho! to one and all!
Loved your puzzle, John..it was perfect for the day. Enjoyed your video too...clever guy.
Argyle, thanks for all of your Mondays and Tuesdays..always a treat.
Happy Birthday to Yellow Rocks, Fermatprime, and SL Zelamah!!
Hugs to you Creature.
The day is still young and we have more Lincoln Logs, Legos,and numerous board games to explore.
Hi Everyone ~~
Just brought hubby home from the hospital ~ FINALLY - six long days! He had surgery on his leg Friday night and all seems to be going well.
I've been really busy but wanted to stop in before the day is over to wish all at C.C.'s wonderful Corner a Merry Christmas!
A very Happy Birthday to Fermatprime, Yellowrocks/Kathy and SL Zalameh!
Lemonade @ 12:20:
I can't wait! Do you think it's come yet? Should I check my mail box?
For those of you who are wondering, Lemonade is the only CC Blogger I've met in person. I certainly didn't set out to include him in this puzzle, but when he popped up as a fill option I seized the chance to give him a stocking stuffer.
And hey a thank you shout to Annette who tested the puzzle.
LaLaLinda. That was a nice Christmas present to have your husband return home from the hospital. I wish him a speedy recovery.
I see that several of us enjoyed prime rib roasts for Christmas dinner. Barbara got ours at Costco and chose 'prime' instead of 'choice'. It was fantastic, the best we've ever had at home. However, it was eight pounds and cost $125. OMG! We cooked about two-thirds of it and froze the rest for another day.
Jordan got some neat toys we had fun playing with. I gave him a digital camera that is a couple of years old and like new. He seemed delighted to get a big-boy present. Among other things, I got a digital crossword dictionary. We'll see if that does me any good.
LLL, I'm happy to hear about your husband.
Barbara has two Hallmark lighthouse ornaments on our tree. I found another one on eBay so next year we will have three.
Thank you all for the birth day wishes ,
You made my Christmas that much special .!
Just got home after an enjoyable day with family and a lovely dinner.
Happy Birthday, SL Zalameh.
My calendar is clear which is comforting as we are facing two separate storm possibilities this week. Not to worry: the larder is stocked and there is no shortage of Dewar's!
An Irish Miss drinking Scotch. I'm so proud!
Blue Iris, what was your sister out doing with your husband? Did they make it back in time for dinner...?
Happy Birthday to F', YR, and SLZ.; though I feel for you. I'm glad my birthday isn't today - I think I'd feel gypped.
Off to watch Titanic. Nothing says Christmas like appreciating your loved ones with (fake) cold breath in an icy setting!
JL you came back. No mail today but you can start waiting tomorrow. Annette is a sweetheart but so is John.
LLL great news. Creature always good to see you. My best to all the people who have passed through the Corner whe)re ever you are. I hope it is all good
Sweet Creature,
I'm blessed to have readers like you! I hope you're surrounded by family and friends. We all love you and look forward to having you at our big virtual "family table" more regularly next year.
Linda,
Great news! Now you can relax and enjoy the holidays.
Marge,
I hope you're getting better.
I guess only anonymous and myself tried to do the Daytona News Journal version of Tuesdays puzzle. The grid didn't match the clues, and I didn't see any acknowledgement of it in todays paper
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