Theme: The Fonz
In each theme entry, AY is replaced with EY, to create new takes on familiar phrases.
17-A. Luminous Spanish king? : REY OF LIGHT. I was looking for a ray of light to shine down on me for finishing this puzzle unassisted. (Didn't happen.) (The light, I mean.) (I did finish.) (Unassisted.)
29-A. Chart containing only threes? : TREY TABLE. TREY usually refers to a card, die or domino with three pips, rather than the number itself.
49-A. Turkish sty leader? : BEY OF PIGS. BEY is the Turkish word for "lord." The failed Bay of Pigs invasion was a serious blot on JFK's record.
61-A. Rock in actress Susan's path, perhaps? : DEY TRIPPER. This one evoked a chuckle. Susan Dey was in "LA Law," and nothing seemed to trip her up. "Day Tripper" was a 1966 Beatles song. 2:24
10-D. Casual greeting craze? : HEY FEVER. Another chuckle. All I could think of was Willie Mays, the "Say Hey Kid."
39-D. How owls know when mice are bluffing? : PREY TELL. Guffaw! Can you picture owls and mice playing poker together? Who do you think would win, pray tell?
Six theme entries for a total of 54 squares is a nice chunk for a weekday puzzle, and they are all solid. Not too much dreck in the rest of the fill, either. Michael Sharp writes the blog "Rex Parker Does the N.Y.T. Crossword Puzzle." It's rare that we get one of his puzzles in the LAT. So, let's see what he has to offer. Marti here, back in the Thursday seat.
Across:
1. Polynesian tongue : MAORI. Ouch to start. I forgot that New Zealand, where the Maoris live, is part of Polynesia.
6. Early Democrat's foe : WHIG. I can never remember which is whig.
10. Diary closer : HASP.
14. Pump name : EXXON.
15. Premoistened cloth : WIPE. Ubiquitous freebies in stores next to the shopping carts around here, especially during flu season.
16. Still-life subject : EWER.
19. Practitioner of meditation : YOGI. Before or after he steals your pik-a-nik basket?
20. Lassie's "In a pig's eye!" : NAE. I was trying to figure out how Lassie would refuse to go get help for Timmy.
21. Monopolize : HOG.
22. Seed source of omega-3 : FLAX.
23. Back-of-the-book items : ADDENDA.
27. Bloodhound's 48-Across : NOSE. and 48-A. Plus : ASSET.
31. Salt's "Halt!" : AVAST. Nice rhyming clue.
35. Flat hat : TAM. Short for Tam o'Shanter, named after the Robert Burns character.
36. Like a comics pea? : SWEE. Poor thing was left on Popeye's doorstep.
37. Close tightly, as one's hand : CLENCH.
38. Groggy response : I'M UP.
40. "Welcome to Maui!" : ALOHA.
42. Seldom seen, to Seneca : RARA. Seneca the Roman philosopher, who was ordered by Nero to kill himself for supposedly being involved in an assassination attempt. Seneca took it stoically.
43. Grinch portrayer : CARREY. His makeup scared even me.
45. Myrna's "Thin Man" role : NORA. Tough to find new clues for this crossword staple.
47. KoKo or Yum-Yum, in Lilian Jackson Braun mysteries : CAT. All her novels' titles start with "The Cat Who..."
51. Bulldogs' home : YALE. Gimme.
53. Seven-time MLB All-Star Soriano : ALFONSO. Here I should insert some well-known fact about him, to cement his name into my memory...(From C.C.: Yankees traded Soriano for A-Rod)
54. Fair : JUST.
57. Sighing sounds : AHS.
59. Consume : EAT.
60. Bee's charge : OPIE. Aunt Bee, on the old "Mayberry RFD" TV show. [Update: The show was "The Andy Griffith Show." "Mayberry RFD" was a spin-off, and did not have either Opie or Andy in it.]
66. Hon : DOLL.
67. Lang of Smallville : LANA.
68. "Monster" (2003) co-star : RICCI. Christina. Never saw the film. I was trying to think of John Goodman's co-star in this one.
69. Like many LAX flights : INT'L. International.
70. First place? : EDEN.
71. Trap : SETUP. or SET-UP. or SET UP. I wasn't exactly sure whether to make it one word, hyphenated or two, since both the clue and the answer could be the noun or the verb form.
Down:
1. Large body of eau : MER. French for water in the clue hints at the French word for "sea."
2. Dismiss : AXE. or 49-D. Execute, in old France : BEHEAD.
3. Acne treatment brand : OXY.
4. Longtime "60 Minutes" pundit : ROONEY. The inimitable Andy. I miss his humor.
5. Babies : INFANTS.
6. Teens conflict, briefly : WWI. Oh. Not a fight between the Sharks and the Jets, but a war that took place in the teens (1914-1918). I should have noticed the missing apostrophe...Bill G., I bet it didn't get you!!
7. Up in the air : HIGH. I bet Tinbeni will have a different take on this one.
8. Droid alternative : iPHONE.
9. Day one, informally : GET GO.
11. One who might get caught off base : AWOL. "Absent without leave."
12. Company with a hedgehog mascot : SEGA. Sonic the Hedgehog.
13. ___ fixe : PRIX. I had "idée" at first....and could not get it out of my head!
18. Took out in handcuffs, say : LED AWAY.
23. 1971 prison riot site : ATTICA.
24. Works on stage : DRAMAS. Nice misdirection. I wanted something like "acts" or "plays a role..."
25. Expresses doubts : DEMURS.
26. Biblical brother : ABEL.
28. ESPN reporter Paolantonio : SAL. Move over, Mineo. There's a new sheriff in town.
30. Sierra ___ : LEONE.
32. Analgesic brand : ANACIN.
33. Skinny types : SCRAGS.
34. "Oh, really?" : THAT SO?
37. Itinerant Yuletide singer : CAROLER.
41. Georgetown player : HOYA. "What's a Hoya?"
44. LAX posting : ETA.
46. Business matters : AFFAIRS.
50. Deep-dish comfort food : POT PIE.
52. Soup dispenser : LADLE. Oh, not Nazi.
54. Author Picoult : JODI. I knew the name, but don't think I have read any of her books. Any recommendations?
55. Supported by : UPON.
56. Bank deposit : SILT. I don't think anyone is fooled by this clue any more.
58. Last word on New Year's Eve? : SYNE. "...for auld lang syne."
62. Brown in a bed : TAN. But only for us Northerners. Would anyone in Florida really need a tanning bed?
63. Loan no. : PCT. Percent.
64. Old French coin : ECU. Real old. Discontinued in the French revolution, and worth about $25 today.
65. Upholsterer's target : RIP. I will now let this post Rest in Peace.
That's all I have for now. See you on the other side!
Marti
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteFine puzzle from Rex Parker (a.k.a. Michael Sharp) today. In fact, I'd say this was the most polished effort I've seen from him to date. The theme was a lot of fun and absolutely no junk fill.
I struggled a bit in the SW corner as I didn't know JODI and had trouble thinking of the TELL party of PREY TELL. DOLL could have been many things (went with DEAR at first) and the clue for OPIE was deliciously tricky. Once I finally guessed TELL, however, it all came together nicely.
Easy theme answers, some hard fill.
ReplyDeleteGood morning all,
ReplyDeleteAnother DNF thanks to the SW corner. OPIE was my only fill. Had PREY, but no TELL I had SILT for a while, but I ended up erasing it.
Everything else came together with a minor snag here or there. 6D WWI &11D AWOL, were among my favorites today. 62D Brown in bed/TAN had me going until Marti 'splained it. My thoughts were somewhere else.
Whatever his name is, Mike or Rex or ??? I hope we have another offering from him in the future.
From fridgid CT... -1... have a great Thursday.
Now if i can figure out the Damn Captcha.
Nice Puzzle by Michael Sharp(aka Rex Parker) nice write up by marti I would like to say I did this in speed run time but my puzzle wigged out as I was 2/3rds of the way finished and I had to start over. Knew Jodi Piccult as i have read a few of her books that gave me doll and opie intl so southwest corner was easy. well its trash day so i have got to jet.
ReplyDeleteHello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteHigh theme density today. Clever puzzle!
Same trouble as Barry in the SW corner. Also took a while to get to the Tripper part, even though Susan Dey had already arrived.
Speaking of Susan Dey, I recall reading somewhere that when casting was being done for The Partridge Family, the producers took great care in picking out their Laurie. They wanted just the right mix of wholesomeness and understated hotness - and got exactly that with a young, adorable Susan Dey. I was hooked.
Morning, Marti! Glad you're back in your regular time slot. Cold today, eh?
Bill G - went back and looked at the dolphin video, outstanding!
The Big Chill continues here in the beautiful mid-Hudson valley with a sunrise temperature of 0.7°F.
ReplyDeleteAfter a slow start I had everything filled except the SW corner. Had HIVE before OPIE. Had EVEN (and even GALA?) before JUST. Had LOAM before SILT. Had PREY before TELL. So mostly WAGs in the end. [21:49]
Dudley, thanks for pointing out Bill G.'s dolphin video from last night. Wow - that was incredible. How did the dolphin know that humans could help him, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteCold? It's -2°F here, with a wind chill of -20°F. It's so cold, that the politicians are walking around with their hands in their own pockets today!!
Good morning, group!
ReplyDeleteI thought maybe the theme of this one was an homage to our CanadianEh. Marti, your comment on PRIX was exactly my experience. I also had IDEE and scratched out AWOL because it wouldn't work with IDEE. Several minutes later AWOL went back in and IDEE changed to PRIX. Whew!
My WWI started out as WAR. Reminds me of that Tom Lehrer lyric:
“Once all the Germans were warlike and mean,
But that couldn't happen again.
We taught them a lesson in nineteen eighteen,
And they've hardly bothered us since then.”
If there hadn't been the baseball reference for ALFONSO Soriano, I would have thought he was some Italian Renaissance artist.
And do they even make ANACIN any more? It started out as Aspirin, Phenacetin and Caffeine (APC), then lost the Phenacetin due to kidney problems and a possible cancer link.
Anacin is back or still out there I worked a contract at wyeth pharmacueticals in the late 90's and it was availabe at their company store. it is now sold by insight pharmacueticals and is asperin and caffine i can find it in my local mom and pop pharmacy as well as the big chains.
ReplyDeleteToday is both Eskimo Pie Day and Peanut Butter Day. Happy day either way.
ReplyDeleteThank you Michael Sharp and thank you Marti.
I hit the ground running on this one, nailing MAORI / MER right off the bat. Kept a good pace going with just a few speed bumps to slow me down. Still, had all but the SW corner done in just over 20 minutes.
Then hit the SW Corner. Pitiful. Words wedged in my mind and wouldn't weave. Here's what I was stuck on:
For the acrosses:
Fair - Equal wouldn't depart.
Bee's charge - Hive, Queen.
Hon - Babe
Like LAX flights - Late
For the downs
Picoult - No clue with this clue (for me)
Supported by - Held
Bank Deposit - Cash
and 39D, PREY----
Had to walk away for a half hour and forget the the puzzle. Came back and got it. First TELL, then OPIE, then UPON, INTL, JUST, SILT and DOLL.
Very Amused by 10D HEY FEVER. Liked Teens conflict = WWI
Had 46D as AgendaS for a bit. Did not understand 33D SCRAGS.
So, DW and I went to the comedy club for the fundraiser last night. We were 24 hours early. Note to self. Time to start making more notes.
See you all later.
And this relates to absolutely nothing, but I thought it was interesting...
ReplyDeleteI learned today from AWAD that shrapnel is an eponym. Henry Shrapnel was an English officer who invented an artillery shell containing metal balls. The shell would explode in the air near the target. Who knew?
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Michael Sharp, for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for the great review.
ReplyDeleteCould not get started in the NW, so I went to the middle top. WHIG was easy. Eventually got the entire North by going back and forth. FLAX came easily. I take that oil each day by order of my eye doctor.
Caught the theme with HEYFEVER. Had an "A" to start with, but EWER fixed that.
Lots of misdirection today. HASP, SYNE, SILT, NAE
Had DEAR for 66A. Fixed that to DOLL.
MER was easy. MAORI, EXXON, and REY OF LIGHT helped a lot.
Never heard of ESPN reporter Paolantonio. SAL appeared after the Acrosses.
Off to my day (dey?) 7 degrees F here. Should go up as the day (dey?) progesses.
See you tomorrow from Pennsylvania. Heading there tonight.
Abejo
Good Morning, Marti and friends. Interesting Thursday puzzle. I agree with Hungry Mother ~ easy theme answers, but hard fill.
ReplyDeleteCain slew ABEL and was exiled from the First Place.
I am suffering a relapse of the illness that wiped me out in December. I feel like a Robot this morning.
QOD: There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. ~ Edith Wharton (Jan. 24, 1862 ~ Aug. 11, 1937)
Re: shrapnel @7:48
ReplyDeleteThere is another school of thought that says that "an eponym is a person or thing, whether real or fictional, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named", in which case Henry Shrapnel would be the eponym of "shrapnel", not the other way around. But I'm not taking sides on this one.
Hi Everybody, greay puzzle today. I got REY OF LIGHT first and then I figured out the theme.
ReplyDeleteI really liked 6D: Teens Conflict, Briefly: WWI, because at first I was fooled into thinking the clue refered to teenagers.
Bank Deposit: SILT was nice, and I also liked DEY TRIPPER...very clever!
Today's high in Chicago is 24 (Tuesday it was 8, Wednesday it was 16 - seems to be increasing by 8s). If the weatherman can be believed it will be 55 degrees on Tuesday. From 8 to 55 in a single week? Very odd. (No complaints on the 55 though.)
Have a wonderful day - we're getting close to the weekend!
Good morning. It's a nice day.
ReplyDeleteI got all of the puzzle solved except the SW block of 16 squares. I could not solve any there; couldn't even WAG. I did so well on the rest of this Thursday puzzle that I feel great.
Pinto from yesterday--I agree with you. I would solve early in the week puzzles, but without this Crossword Corner to come to, I wouldn't bother with Fri-Sun. I have learned a lot this past couple years from fellow posters.
Kazie--yes I am. Friend of mine who lives 45 miles east of me is editor of our state newsletter. She thinks she may have met you at an Int'l convention.
Montana
TTP @ 7:41 am: Last Friday DH and I went to Harry Carey's Restaurant for a dinner with his family. We were 24 hours early, but didn't realize it until we stood in the lobby for a good 15 minutes or so.
ReplyDeleteOne thing you can say about us Chicagoans is that we're often punctual, never late :)
Marti: Excellent write-up & links. Esp.the Soup Nazi etal.
ReplyDeleteSooooo, "change-a-letter, create a wacky phrase, day" came a day early (we usually see these on Friday).
OK Rex, I'll give you "props." Enjoyed the themes. Thank you for a FUN offering.
Hand up for IDEE before PRIX.
Not really sure if 66-A, Hon, is a clear clue for DOLL.
SAL & ALFONSO were my gimmies today. (3 weeks until Spring training begins).
Why would anyone use their POT to make a PIE is beyond me.
(Do you get HIGH when you EAT them, like with Alice B. Toklas brownies?)
ATTICA! ATTICA! I can still hear Pacino shouting that from "Dog Day Afternoon."
A "toast" to all at Sunset.
Cheers !!!
PS Believe it or not, there are lots of TAN Salons here in Florida.
Why? ... I haven't got a clue.
This is one of Sharp's better puzzles. Neat theme, great misdirections.TAN was all perps. I never think of bed in relation to tanning. I tan very well naturally just in the course of daily living.
ReplyDeleteI read JODI Picoult's "My Sister's Keeper" about a girl who was conceived in order to become a bone marrow donor for her sick sister. She rebelled and sued her mother. It is a fine study of ethics and family relationships. Very moving.
I had IDEE, but EWER and FLAX soon changed it to PRIX. I had DEAR but JODI and UPON soon changed it to DOLL.
Until I was 18, the only Pot Pie I knew was a PA Dutch dish. It is a chicken stew with squares of homemade dough that are usually a cross between noodles and dumplings. I preferred it leftover when Mom drained the broth off and fried the dough.
Witty and interesting write up, as usual, Marti.
I just tried to post from my iPad. I had forgotten to click into Web Version. It was very difficult in the Mobile Version. Typing area kept freezing. I must have clicked the Edit word 8 times. Then the Captcha was right on top of the message.
ReplyDeleteAny helpful tips from iPad users would be always be appreciated.
(Of course, I can always rewrite my post after switching versions, but there must be an easier way.)
Montana
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteLittle stinker today. Got the BEY- words well enough but had some crunchiness in the NE and SW. Had 'idee' before PRIX. In the SW had 'late' for LAX flights before INTL. Small victory; I did guess AWOL and SILT. Great clues.
Our destroyer squadron collective call sign was PRAYTELL. I guess you never forget some things. We had 'hedgehog' ASW weapons, and, yes, our Captain occasionally uttered "AVAST" when he felt it was needed. No one else used it.
Hi All ~~
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle today from Michael Sharp / Rex. I picked up on the theme with TREY TABLE. Great misdirection in a number of places. My favorites were those already mentioned, especially 6D - TEENS.
The SW corner was my stumbling block also. Had 'Dear' before DOLL and got fooled (again) thinking of Aunt 'Bea' instead of BEE so was looking for something "buzzing" related. After getting OPIE, it finally all fell into place.
~ I'm currently reading JODI Picoult's "Keeping Faith" - my first book by her.
~ I've read some of Lilian Jackson Braun's CAT books but not recently.
~ Thanks for the great write-up, Marti. I had the same reactions to clues/answers as you did in a number of places, i.e. - thinking of 'Works' as a verb for DRAMAS, and picturing Timmy with 'Lassie.' Loved the Soup Nazi clip!
~ Stay warm and enjoy the day!
Good puzzle today. Had a fair number of blanks this morning, but only had to look up 4 or 5. The SE corner was my easiest fill in getting DEY TRIPPER as my first themed fill-in. Kicking myself over 'Bee's charge', never thinking of Bee as a woman and was trying to fit hive there lol. But love Jodi Picoult so that fill in took care of knocking out 'hive'. Kicking myself over 'Diary closer' trying to think of how to end a 'dear diary' entry. Duh.. You'd think I'd be used to the double meanings by now. Only unknowns today were SWEE and NAE.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the puzzle and the review - Thank you
Keeping warm today in sunny Florida while at home family and friends are struggling with -15 degrees and wind. Brrrrr
"Mayberry RFD"??? Are you trying to say you are too young to remember the"Andy Griffith Show"? Was Opie even still around when they tried that RFD version with farmer Ken?
ReplyDeleteAnyway thanks for the continuing help when I get stuck.
For those of us in cold climates, enjoy this.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful “Sharp” puzzle, a day off after subbing for three days and Marti’s write-up (great title!). It don’t get no better! The cluing was great/maddening and the theme was helpful. HEY FEVER? Wow!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Loved Salt’s halt, Lassie’s NAY, Bee’s charge, Teens conflict, Caught off base,
-I remember DEY on Partridge Family first. I agree Dudley, she had that great combination.
-There is a M*A*S*H episode where Charles’ poker TELL is whistling opera when he has a bad hand
-Joann keeps a diary/journal and it’s the only way we can remember who had Thanksgiving last year
-The YOGI I knew caught a lot of base stealers
-APPENDA before ADDENDA slowed progress
-A friend stupidly told us that the doctor said he had a high sugar content in his urine during our football physicals. His nickname forever became, you guessed it, Sweet Pee. Ah, high school.
-My first Bulldog was from Georgia but I didn’t have a lexicon shoe horn for Athens
-Marti, it was easier to remember baseball players when there were only 16 teams and players stayed on a team
-Where I subbed yesterday, a woman was giving the staff Massages for $5. AHH!
-One of our INTL flights left from the Cincinnati airport (which is in Hebron, KY)
-Was there life before I got my iPhone?
-Pols, athletes and financiers have all been publicly LED AWAY doing a perp walk lately
-Joann makes a spectacular POT PIE
-Low dose Aspirin is a part of my daily regimen
-I’m off to answer the many lovely lurker emails I’ve gotten and I may post some more of their adulatory comments.
DNF for me too. Have never heard of a TRAY table so that wasn't coming. I had no little ones to take to a Grinch movie so didn't know CARREY was in it. Wanted IDEE with fixe, never thought of PRIX despite many purchases at Monoprix in Montpellier in '70-71. Thought many LAX flights were LATE, and was sure the owl answer would start with THEY.
ReplyDeleteSo all in all a mess.
Montana,
Good to know of another DKG sister on here. I've never attended an International but I often communicate via email with other editors when I get their newsletters, so perhaps if yours feels she knows me, that would be why.
Way below zero here in the beautiful Mohawk Valley. The sky is blue, so I turned off the porch light! The cloudiest place in the country is Binghamton, NY, my son's alma mater. Which leads me to..
ReplyDeleteRex did good. I began with a sweep from the NE thinking this was too easy for a Thurs. Then, had to Google for CARREY, LANA, RICCI JODI. Have seen RICCI in early work and she's excellent. I want to dislike CARREY, but, darn it, I always laugh.
Also, "idee" before PRIX, soU before ECU, Dear before DOLL.
DNF, like others, at the SW. I never watched The Andy Griffith Show because I thought it was finger-down-the-throat corny, so never got OPIE. PREY TELL is adorable.
Is BRAUN a good read? She's referred to as "lght-hearted." that's generally a turn off to me as I translate it as shallow. Any recommendations? I see them 2nd hand everywhere.
Thank you Michael Sharp ( a.k.a. Rex Parker ?) for a challenging puzzle. Got about 30% - WW I, Maori, Hasp, Mer etc. Didn't even dream of 'Yogi', (very appropriate clue - ).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Al Cyone, for the REAL use of 'eponymous' ! I am shocked to find, that I have been using it in the wrong order, all the time. The Wiki article does not explain what the 'reverse order' is called - so I shall continue to use the word, as I have already done .... my listeners are apparently very comfortable with it, and 'know' what I mean. Why change a good thing going, when it works so well....
Thank you Marti, for your humorous wit and very funny comments. Absolutely LOVE your blogging.
I have noted the name of the Shackelton book. ( Poor chap.) BTW, I was researching meteorites,- and, historically, some Inuits, Thules and Greenlanders who found big, huge, meteorite pieces, would treat them like 'Gods', and chip small bits off, and use the nickel heavy, iron for tipping their lances etc. - there was no other source for iron ore, out there.
Well, along comes R.Adm. Robert Peary, in 1897, putative, 'first-to-reach' the the North Pole, exploring, and came across several local Greenlander 'Gods', the biggest meteorites they had, in Greenland, and just hauled them off, for sale to a NY museum, for a reputed $ 50,000 ( in 1897 - ), leaving the Greenlanders, high and dry, with no metal, and gave the Greenlanders, no compensation, nothing (!), not even a cup of tea. Just plain stole them. So much for generosity.
Have a good week, you guys.
Warm and sunny on Sanibel this am, but we have to take an unexpected trip to Chicago next weekend with no winter clothes. Yikes! Here's hoping for a thaw.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the puzzle this morning especially the clever bee reference and all the theme answers. I remember eating TV dinners off tray tables in the 50's. never cared much for Susan Dey or Jodi Picoult either!
YR @ 8:15, I just looked into "My Sister's Keeper," and think it would be a great book for our next book club - thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 8:53, thanks for the catch. I updated the blog. I do remember “The Andy Griffith Show.” It was corny, but I just loved the goofy antics of Barney. “Mayberry RFD,” not so much.
Mari @ 9:14, loved the cold climate link. What is the adorable animal in the second picture?
Kazi @ 9:25, do you mean to say you have never flown? "Please make sure your seat backs and TRAY TABLES are in their full upright position..."
Al Cyone@8:07: Your comment and the Wiki article, got me to doing my own online search. This article seems to say just the opposite. I'm not much of a grammarian. Can any of our resident experts settle the question?
ReplyDeleteThanks Marti, C.C. and friends. A struggle but ultimately doable for me today.
ReplyDeleteImagined on the "cutting room floor" of constructor Sharp:
Former Dodger third baseman: CEYNOMORE
Former Turkish leader who now sings: BEYONCE
King Kong meets 30 Rock sunbeam: FEYRAY
Sorry! Couldn't resist. I'll keep my day job.
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteGot only a few today – too tough for me!
I believe desper-otto is correct in calling the term shrapnel an eponym.
Cheers
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteA clever theme with lots of misdirection. Finished w/o help but originally had Mariano instead of Alfonso for Soriano. Liked the clues for WWI, Opie, and dramas.
Thanks, Michae Sharp, for a Thursday challenge, and thanks, Marti, for your always sparkling expo.
Koko and Yum Yum brought a smile as I read several of their books by Lillian Jackson Braun. Nothing deep or complicated; just light-hearted and cute "tails" of cats
with a penchant for solving crimes.
Mari, the animal clip was delightful. We're having another frigid day and more of the same right into the weekend.
Happy Thursday and stay warm everyone!
JimmyB, good ones! (^0^)
ReplyDeleteMarti,
ReplyDeleteOf course not--I'm just not a good listener in flight. Actually, the vision they conjured up was more of TV dinner trays, but I'd never heard those called tray tables before.
This was actually a good all-round puzzle, something for all ages and eras, just too many that I didn't/couldn't relate to.
Lovely Lurker Comments Part 2
ReplyDelete- ...I've been curled up in the easy chair over there in the corner, just listening, for some time now. It was quite a virtual visceral shock to find that my easy chair, indeed the entire room, had fallen prey to the Google Monster. I shall not go blue but continue to sit quietly in the corner, just listening to the oh-so enjoyable erudite conversation. I am very grateful to CC and her delightful family for allowing me to start my days in such a congenial fashion...the day just goes better with a friendly start and I feel a great gaping chasm whenever I am forced to even postpone my visit for a few hours. (Withdrawal Symptoms? It is addicting, you know.) Without this family, there would be little point in even attempting the puzzles each day
-I love reading the comments
-Please include me on your email list. Hopefully our beloved blog will stay up and running now! Amazing what an important part of my morning routine this has become – even if I don’t always have time to post, it’s one of my first stops every weekday.
-I am a young 72 year old grandma, who has been visiting your site for about a year. I discovered it when I was needing an answer or two. I began to read it more and more, especially for the comment section.......Then I became hooked! Everyone is so nice!
Hello, Marti et alii. I'm posting before I read the comments (38 already!).
ReplyDeleteNice sashay with Michael Sharp or whoever he is, that made me ponder long and hard in some places. I like that!
In the SW, I wouldn't let go of DEAR, JUST didn't make sense and it was erased several times. Finally started over then PREY TELL surfaced along with DOLL and it all fell together.
The NE however was a different story. IDEE fixe was firmly set and I could not get it out though YOGI and EWER seemed firm, too but didn't know FLAX. Learning moment there.
Finally gave up and came to look at the grid. Grrrr. Hate to do that but it's late and I have things to do.
Thank you, our own divine Miss M for your crunchy commentary.
Have a delightful Thursday, everyone! We have rain!
Similar to earlier this week, I sailed through the puzzle like I knew what I was doing. All came to a screeching halt in the NE and SW corners. I did immediately get OPIE, and figured UPON but I wanted DEAR for hon, and something didnt fit. Also wanted IM ok instead of IM UP. Chipped away, got that settled, went up to the NE. Hand up for wanting IDEE fixe. Also thought whatEVER for HEYFEVER, not realizing it was a theme clue. Had to cheat, I looked up omega3 and found FLAX, which then brought it all together. So, yuup, good Thrusday Puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI almost got the whole thing--even the tough SW--except for the dumbest mistake ever in the NW. Put ENRON instead of EXXON and wondered how ANE could possibly mean DISMISS. DUH! But I loved the clever theme of this puzzle and the many brilliant misdirections, Michael. Of course, had HIVE instead of OPIE for the longest time, and couldn't believe WWI for "Teen's conflict," when it finally dawned on me. This is what makes puzzles such a joy. And then there was that TAN clue. As a Californian, I naturally couldn't get rid of the image of our governor in a bed--no fun at all even though I'm not displeased with the job he's doing (well, except on education).
ReplyDeleteBut I'm rambling. Great write-up, Marti, as always. And now let's pray (PREY?)that cap--thingie works.
Have a great Thursday, everybody!
Good morning everyone!
ReplyDeleteHappy to get the Ta-Da on a Thursday puzzle, although I had a lot of the same write-overs as previously mentioned.
Originally had some troubles in the NE, mainly due to misreading DAIRY for DIARY. Coffee consumption solved that issue….
Also did my usual “cheat” of pre-entering an “S” at the end of 23A, since the clue suggested plural, but a biblical brother named SBEL didn’t make any sense…. So much for cheating….
Biggest hang-up was the SE, since I really wanted to keep SNARE for 71A. Finally gave it up and when DEYTRIPPER appeared, it was all she wrote.
In summary, a really fun puzzle today with excellent cluing and many mine field misdirections to carefully step through. As per usual, excellent expo and comments. Have I mentioned that I’m really happy The Corner is back?
Marti:
ReplyDeleteOur book club read and enjoyed Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. Excellent story.
My research in quite a few places shows that EPONYM can be either the source or the derived name from that source.
ReplyDeleteThe Free ONLINE Dictionary:
1. A word or name derived from the name of a person. The words atlas, bowdlerize, and Turing machine are eponyms.
2. A person whose name is or is thought to be the source of the name of something.
Mari, cute pictures. Thanks.
Marti, please let me know how you like the Picoult book.
I have a set of small folding tables which fit in a rack. They are csalled tray tables upon which my guests can set they drinks or snacks.
11D is a foul. "AWOL" is an abbreviation, and there was no clue to that in the clue – no "briefly," no "short," no "abbr." As my former secretary Jonell would say, "An' they think they're doin' it right."
ReplyDeleteAnd who gave permission to spell Opie and Andy's Aunt Bea's name "BEE" (60A)? Her name was Beatrice Taylor. Wikipedia acknowledges that but calls her "Aunt Bee" without explaining the misspelling. At least IMDB.COM refers to her as "Aunt Bea / Aunt Bee." I have a friend whose mother's name was Bertha and another friend with an aunt named Bertha; yet the nickname of each, when spelled out, is almost always "Birdie" (not "Bertie"). As my son's friend Clint would say, "'at's not right."
Well, Shuguh (YR), yer soundin' downright Suthen! Just kidding.
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to accept that ole Epo swings both ways. Up to now I'd always thought that the person was eponymous and the derived word was the eponym.
61A: Anyone else get stuck thinking this one had something to do with that old TV show "McMillan & Wife" starring 'Rock' Hudson and 'Susan' Saint James?
ReplyDeleteHi, everyone.
ReplyDeleteI too had trouble with the SW (don't know why) & the NE because I too had IDEE. Ishould have done better there because I am/was in the oilseed business. But I think here too much knowledge got me knowing that most omega oils are marine.
Lovely Lurkers 3
ReplyDelete-I suppose I would be considered a lurker. I really enjoy the wit of the posters... Unfortunately, I am a truly left-brained math teacher and not up to snuff with the posters, so I will continue to lurk, smile and chuckle at all of the banter in the corner. I managed to find the posting on the “lost days”, but would appreciate being on “the list”. Thanks.
-Good morning – I lurk on the LA Times Crossword Corner to check my puzzle and possibly, probably, learn something from the clue links, etc. I enjoy the humor within and was afraid I’d lost y’all.
-Please include me in the corner list. I'm almost suicidal without this daily fix.
-…when i looked for the CC blog and it wasn't where it was supposed to be last week I almost fainted. I knew I enjoyed it but until I couldn't find it, I didn't realize how much. Pure fear and persistence led me to Ginger Roots, thank goodness. I emailed you once several months ago to say how much I appreciate teachers. I cannot imagine what amount of work goes into this blog, and how much more when it disappeared. I am a dedicated lurker, but believe I may find the courage to participate more often I live in Cupertino, CA,(have a Mac Book but no iPhone!) and feel embarrassed when I read posts about the cold weather - we pansies here in California complain if it is below 50. I am a substitute nurse, sort of like your substitute teaching, have been working too many days in a row for the last few weeks due to many sickies. Please add my email address to your list, and thank you for doing that. Many good wishes.
-I've been following this blog for many years now and love it (certainly helps me with the puzzles)! Was hoping this blog/spam mess would be resolved quickly for the future, please include me in your emails
HGary:
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting all those lovely comments from lurkers. What a glowing tribute to C.C.!
i failed to mention earlier how much I loved the clever misdirection of today's puzzle. And BTW, Aunt BEE's name was spelled that way on the show, long spelling of the letter B I believe.
seMarti-anything by Jodi Picoult, except Lone Wolf. All others are superb, very thought provoking!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the puzzle and the writeup. Yes, Marti, I got "Teens conflict" = WWI OK. I always enjoy tricky clues so long as they are fair. Even if I don't get them at first, I enjoy it when the light bulb goes on.
ReplyDeleteGary, I appreciate your posting the responses from so many lurkers. I hope many of them will go blue and become regular contributors.
Marti and others, Sunday puzzles take me a long time since they are bigger. Is there a rule of thumb for how hard they are supposed to be? Thursday level maybe?
Damn liars! (A couple of puzzles):
At a party of truth-tellers and liars, you meet a truthful-looking guy. He tells you he has overheard a conversation in which a girl revealed her identity, saying that she was a liar. Is your new friend a liar or a truth-teller?
Lying days: Roberto and Twyla are chatting together. Bob says, “Yesterday was one of my lying days.” Twyla says, “Yesterday, was one of my lying days too.” Bob lies on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Twyla lies on Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays. On other days they tell the truth. What day is it?
I struggled early with this puzzle to the extent that I really didn't want to like it. It seemed too clever by half. But then I finally gained some traction, and it finally began to fall. Ultimately, it was quite a lot of fun. So many misdirections, clever puns and no real clunkers.
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon,
ReplyDeleteGot theme pretty quickly. Found cwd entertaining and challenging. HEYFEVER (LOL)
Didn't know RICCI or JODI. (I have bought the her cat books for my oldest daughter.)
WWI- tricky clue
MAORI-Learned that New Zealand was apart of Polynesia.
Wrote dear before DOLL. DOLL and Babe are not my favorite endearing nicknames. I really don't know why!?!
SEGA- I like the little hedgehog that get a haircut so he can provide smaller needles for flu shots commercial. Much cuter than "Sonic".
Carrey was a convincing Grinch, but I still like the cartoon better.
SCRAGS seems to be a mean way to say skinny.
I make a turkey POTPIE after Thanksgiving and freeze it for later. Usually sick of turkey about that time.
D Otto, Interesting history on the origin of Shrapnel.
Stay warm if you can...
Bill G., We have publication guidelines from the editor that say puzzles range from easy (Mon-Tue) to Moderately hard (Fri-Sat), and that Sunday puzzles should be of moderately (mid-week) difficulty. So yes - either Wed or Thurs level.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, Welcome new bloggers!
ReplyDeleteInteresting article in yesterday's newspaper mentioned a few words/terms that are never or rarely used now days-
ReplyDeletefender skirt
curb feelers
steering knobs
emergency brake ( now "parking brake")
foot feed (accelerator)
running board
store bought
supper
in a family way(wasn't proper to say pregnant)
lumbago( Suggested maybe it was cured by Castor Oil since you never hear mothers threaten their kids with it.)I never hear the term rheumatism anymore.
I'm sure our crew could think of many more.
Hi Y'all, Excellent puzzle today, Mr. Sharp--and one needed to be sharp to do it.
ReplyDeleteAH! I had only two squares wrong: the two "c's" in RICCI. Knew it was wrong. 63d had PmT for "payment". EcU was EsU which annoys me since ECU shows up often in an anagram game I play on my Kindle.
Marti: enjoyable commentary, as usual. I have read & own all JODI Picoult's books. She writes well researched and timely medical/legal/moral dilemna novels which are set in the lives of very realistically portrayed every-day people. The one I read twice was "House Rules" about autism since my youngest grandson is high-function autistic. Her "Plain Truth" was made into a good movie several years ago as was "My Sister's Keeper". Good reads, I think.
I thought "many LAX flights" were INTo for awhile as opposed to "out of". Changed that.
24 degrees here today. Glad I grocery shopped yesterday during our 49 degree heat wave.
Blue Iris @ 3:39. Here’s a few more:
ReplyDeletePercolator
Kerosine can
Picture show
Brassiere
Milkman
Long johns
Ice box
ATTICA always reminds me of an early 70s protest by the X-ray students who lived on the 4th floor of our nursing dorm. They were upset by some of the rules or mad at the dorm mom...yada yada yada. They made a big banner saying ATTICA and hung it from the roof. Oh, the 70s. Hospital administration more than unhappy.
ReplyDeleteMarti, I still use ice box. It drives my kids crazy.
ReplyDeleteBlue Iris: I don't think New Zealand is part of polynesia. But the Maoris are a polynesian people who left wherever they were before and sailed their war canoes to New Zealand to become the first settlers there.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest daughter was a Rotary Scholar to the south island of New Zealand at Dunedin in 1988. We heard & read lots of kiwi stuff then.
Always like comments that contradict links from the write-up.
ReplyDeleteI guess Marti was JUST trying to fool us with that link at 1-A, MAORI, showing what made up Polynesia (along with Micronesia and Melanesia). lol
Marti, that was sly ...
Cheers !!!
Hola Everyone, I misspelled Jodi(y) Picoult so the very last word (Intl)would not come. Especially since, like Barry, I had Dear in for Doll. I also could not get money out of my head for Bank Deposit. Sooo, a DNF for me today, but I had everything else in except those three words.
ReplyDeleteI thought that Bee's charge/Opie, One who might get caught off base/AWOL, and Brown in bed/Tan were great misleading clues. I have a big bump on my head from the Opie fill. I really chuckled when that fell into place.
I have read some of Jodi Picoult novels, but I find them rather dark and somewhat depressing. I prefer to read a good mystery or historical fiction novel instead.
It is raining here today. It started out very light and sporadic, but has settled down to a steady downpour. We haven't had any rain for a few weeks, so this is going to make our garden very happy. But my husband will be unhappy if he can't get outside this weekend to finish up some sprinkler repairs.
I'm without my car as my husband's car is in the shop and he took mine to work. I feel like I'm confined when I can't get out to run errands, or go to the gym whenever I want.
Have a good rest of the day, everyone.
Look even the Germans agree with Marti's map. She sure is a sly one as Tinman pointed out at 1638.
ReplyDeleteMarti,
ReplyDeleteLong johns and ice box are still in
my vocabulary, especially this week.
Milk Man..... Hmmm
Early one morning, the milkman was doing his rounds. He stopped at a house to ask for his monthly fee, only to find a small boy at the door slurping from a beer bottle, smoking a Havana cigar, and with his arm around what appeared to be a call-girl. Surprised, the milkman asked the boy if his parents were home.
"Does it look like it?"
Had to clean that one up a bit.
Thanks, Marti for your great writeup today.
ReplyDeleteOur evening news showed the Dolphin being helped by the diver. Amazing footage. So many sea animals are being trapped by netting and other types of garbage in the ocean, that it has become a real hazard for them.
Thanks, Spitz, for the Air bus landing at SFO. I watched the entire thing. I have landed at SFO many times and this gave me a whole new perspective in coming in over the bay waters to the runway. It was fun seeing familiar landmarks from the air as the pilots circled around to come in for their landing.
Anacin has been taken off the shelves here in our area. There was a note on the analgeic shelf saying that there was a problem at the plant or some such. I was able to buy a generic brand with the same formula.
Manac, do you remember when milkmen delivered the milk to your house? When I was a kid, we used to race each other home after school in the winter, because the first one there would win the "prize." After sitting in the cold for a few hours, the bottle of whole milk (remember, that they had a cardboard cap?) would freeze up. Of course, it was not homogenized back then, so the cream would rise to the top. The frozen cream could be skimmed off, mixed with a little sugar, and voila! We had home-made ice cream! At least, that's what we thought ice cream was. Mother would always yell at us, because she would end up with what she called "skimmed milk" !! Little did she know, that 60 years later, "skim milk" is the beverage of choice for the health conscious. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteTo the Cupertino Lurker: We would love to add you to our Calif. Coven. We are at least four women in the San Jose, Los Gatos, Gilroy, Milpitas area who get together several times a year to just visit and talk about the CW!! If you would like to join us you could e-mail me. We all met on this blog and have really really enjoyed each others company.
ReplyDeleteMarti:
ReplyDeleteI thought Scotch was the "beverage of choice for the health un-conscious."
Cheers !!!
Oh good, some other people DNF either. it was fun, though. Loved Bee's charge, OPIE. The theme answers were easy to get once I saw REY OF LIGHT. It seems we've had quite a few REYs lately.
ReplyDeleteWhat nice comments from lurkers. Thanks for posting those, HG. We are a fun bunch, aren't we.
Is anyone else finding the darn Captcha letters fuzzy? took me three times for that last post.
ReplyDeleteI filled in more of a Thursday than usual. I think I'm getting better. Reading the blog and posts sure do help. Thanks Mr. Sharp and Marti.
ReplyDeleteUntil I was about 12 years old my dad was a milkman. I can remember going on the truck with him in the afternoon after lunch. He had the metal crate to put the glass bottles in. Some customers had insulated boxes for the milk to go into until they got home to refrigerate it.
In this weather long johns are needed for walking the dogs.
Wow, lots of great posts (so far) today.
ReplyDeleteLong johns, kerosine can, running boards (have them on my truck) and steering knob (on my John Deere) are still in my vocab.
Thanks to all for all of the great posts. Read them periodically during the brief breaks at work today.
Now have to get ready the fundraiser at the comedy club tonight. Mari, together we would probably be 48 hours in advance.
Tin, LOL. Drink enough of it and you will be unconscious! I am a real lightweight when it comes to alcohol, although my avatar suggests otherwise. Scotch would probably put me out for a week!
ReplyDeleteMarti.
ReplyDeleteSadly, yes I remember all too well.
Our race to the bottle (apologies to Tin) was for the cardboard cap. They would print a joke, riddle or rebus on the underside of it so you just had to open it. Never knew what it going to be.
Re: Milkman
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little I used to go out "into the country" (about 3/4 mile from my house in town) to stay overnight with grandma. In the morning I'd catch a ride with the milkman and continue on his route until he got to my house. Fun times. Turns out he was my uncle, but I didn't know that then. I only learned that recently while building a family tree on Ancestry. You know, those Mormons have got it figured out. Get non-Mormons to pay money to do their research for them. Smart!
Marti, I remember that those old fashioned milk bottles had a narrowing just below the rounded upper part that contained the cream. We had a special dipper to skim the cream from the upper section to make whipped cream. When it was cold the cream in the upper section froze and lifted the cardboard cap. The frozen cream was a delightful treat.
ReplyDeleteI much prefer the original classic Grinch cartoon to Carrey's update.
I have read 10 books on my new Kindle. I am finding that many books I would like to read are not yet available in that format. I am going to the print librtary to get some more Picoult novels.
Late to the party, WEES!
ReplyDeleteIn between chores, i would take a crack at this puzzle. took me all day,but i got way more than i thought i would at first. But, the SW corner was incomprehensible without red letters.
Fun write up Marti!
Lots of great comments.
HG really enjoyed the Lurkers comments!
Bill G, oh that poor dolphin!
JimmyB, Good Stuff! :)
(Way too many comments to remember)
(sorry if i forgot anyone)
6A Whig, ( i really wanted to link SpongeBob in a wig) You know what,,, i think i will!
Marti, you owl/ mouse reference got me thinking of poker faces...
Mouse poker face
owl poker face
i dunno, but i think the owl is bluffing...
Lassie! Nae!!!
Not only did we have a milkman, we also had a "bread" man, an ice man, and two different produce men. A local bakery delivered bread and other baked goods daily. My mother would put her order in the window every night, and, if we were lucky, there would be chocolate chip cookies in our lunch bag. Delivery was via an enclosed, wagon-type vehicle, pulled by a horse.
ReplyDeleteOne produce man came Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the other came Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. They both had wonderful, fresh fruit and
vegetables, especially sweet corn.
Before my time, there was also a fish man; my older sister remembers that haddock was .69¢ a pound. Today, it is $10.00. And, the dry cleaners picked up and delivered. Those really were the good old days, in many ways.
Irish Miss..I wonder what the younger generation will be saying years hence, when they look back on paper mail, actually delivered daily by mailmen. (er, "postal workers" for the PC police out there...)
ReplyDeleteI remember in Australia, in the 60's, the milk would be delivered every day in a glass bottle, with a tin foil cap. We would drink the cream off the top, & then use the tin foil cap as a mini frisbee. (before they were ever invented!) It took a special way of flinging it, you had to put it between your 1st & 2nd fingers after you crossed them like you were getting out of a promise, & then snap your fingers to make the cap fly!
ReplyDeleteI know we have shown this before, but someday, cats will show you how to do it!
I wish newspapers would print the puzzle theme and any play on words info as you do here. Makes it ten times easier.
ReplyDeleteTinbeni: I stand corrected on New Zealand, I guess. I have not been able to access a lot of the links lately, for some reason and didn't try on that one. I went back and checked now. Big surprise! Not sure I believe it yet.
ReplyDeleteDayle @ 7:15, the LAT on Mon-Fri does not have a theme title. Saturdays are always "themeless." The themes that are printed here are simply products of the imagination of the daily blogger team. Sometimes we hit the nail on the head...sometimes, not so much! But the fun of doing Mon-Fri puzzles is that after you have finished, you have another puzzle to figure out: the theme!! So, you get two...two...two puzzles in one!
ReplyDeleteAh ... so that's how it works. I only recently became interested in crossword puzzles. My mom is a whiz.
DeleteMarti (wouldn't ya know it) got the second liar puzzle. Not only can she construct and analyze C/W puzzles but she can accurately determine who is lying and who is telling the truth. Multitalented!
ReplyDeleteMarti,
ReplyDeleteYou could of linked something like This
Took me a while to remember
Bill G., I think you are lying?
ReplyDeleteManac, LOL!!
Hmm, late nite post,,, sometimes i just can't find good theme links.
ReplyDeletei.e:
Rey of light
One more frog & it might have been a trey table?
I gave up trying with Dey Tripper!
CED- loved the cat & milk commercial!!!!
ReplyDeleteCED:
ReplyDeleteYour first link, Rey of Light, opens up blank.
It did open but now it doesn't; so try this link.
ReplyDeleteRey of light claims four more victims.
Working yesterday and did not complete puzzle until this morning as SW corner would not resolve on a tired brain.
ReplyDeleteRe desper-otto "I thought maybe the theme of this one was an homage to our CanadianEh" - Nice!