google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday April 14, 2013 Amy Johnson

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Apr 14, 2013

Sunday April 14, 2013 Amy Johnson

Theme: "Subway Series" - ELS is added to each theme entry.

23A. "I say! Lovely places to worship!"? : JOLLY GOOD CHAPELS. Jolly good chap.

36A. Teflon advisory groups? : NON-STICK PANELS. Non-stick pans.
 
57A. IOU? : VOWELS OF POVERTY. Vow of poverty. Great clue!

81A. Really bad nursery color schemes? : CRIMINAL PASTELS. Criminal past.

99A. Ones who control the markets? : GROCERY CARTELS. Grocery cart.

120A. What to grab for an early morning flight? : BAGELS AND BAGGAGE. Bag and baggage.

I always try to guess the theme after I download the puzzle and read the title. So my mind immediately went to the baseball Subway Series! But the theme quickly revealed itself. Loved the title!

Only 6 theme entries, but they're all quite long, a total of 90 squares. Rich's minimum is 6 entries with 84 squares.

Across:

1. "___ Mia!" : MAMMA

6. Botanist's study : FLORA. I'm going to plant yellow tea roses this year, if spring ever comes to Minnesota. Still snow on the ground. I can almost smell the scent.



11. Economics pioneer Smith : ADAM

15. Evite letters : RSVP

19. Victim of Artemis : ORION. She unwittingly killed him. Love stories often have a sad ending.

20. Chewy chocolate treats : ROLOS

21. Wrap alternative : PITA. Do you like alfalfa sprouts? I don't. Bean sprouts, yes.


22. Sport with touches : EPEE

26. Summers of Food Network's "Unwrapped" : MARC. I like "Unwrapped". Fun to learn food history.

27. Ancient concert venues : ODEA

28. European chain : ALPS. Mountain chain. Not IKEA.

29. Functional clothing accessory : TIE TAC

30. Mount near Olympus : OSSA

31. __-am: kids' book character : SAM I

33. Symphonic finale : CODA

34. Sleep inducer of a sort : SANDMAN. Mr. Sandman.

42. Cry over, maybe : RUE

43. Division word : APIECE

44. Surg. workplaces : ORs

45. Concerns in substance abuse therapy : ENABLERS. Not an easy clue for me.

50. Insert "@#$%!," say : CENSOR. Shouldn't you remove the curses rather than insert?

51. RAZR MAXX manufacturer : MOTOROLA. They have a big factory in Tianjin, hometown of Barry G's wife. Hope everyone is feeling better today, Barry.

55. Its first maps were pub. in 1905 : AAA

56. Central Eur. power until 1806 : HRE

61. Western treaty gp. : OAS

62. Speakeasy difficulty : RAID. "Difficulty" did not make me think of RAID.

64. Horn of Afr. country : ETH

65. King and queen : TITLES. So literal.

66. Filled Italian fare : RAVIOLI. Like Chinese dumplings, except no cheese in Chinese cooking.

69. Showed (in) : USHERED

72. White House middle name : DELANO. The D of FDR.

75. Religious sch. with the motto "Make no little plans here" : ORU.  I like the new clue.

77. Latin I word : AMAS

78. Pod resident : PEA

86. 24-hr. banking service : ATM

87. She played Mia in "Pulp Fiction" : UMA

88A. It was held outside of California only once, in 1942 : ROSE BOWL. From Wiki: "Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 1942 game was moved to Duke University's Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, as officials were wary of allowing such a large crowd to congregate anywhere on the West Coast due to World War II security concerns."

89. "Memoirs of a __" : GEISHA. The Geisha's real name was disclosed in the book. A big no-no. She later did write her own biography "Geisha, a Life". Yellowrocks probably read it.



92. Ristorante topper : PARMESAN

96. Comfy top : TEE

97. Salon supplies : RINSES

98. Pretense : ACT

104. Curious box opener : PANDORA. Also the music station.

108. February deity : EROS. For Marti, who was born on Valentine's Day.

109. Frankfurt's river : ODER

110. Suffix with smack : EROO. Smackeroo.

111. "Food, Glorious Food" musical : OLIVER

113. Lyon lover's word : AIME. "Je t'aime."

115. Shopping list entry : ITEM

119. __ hall : TOWN

123. Agt. after tax evaders : T-MAN

124. DOE part: Abbr. : ENER

125. Half a historic bomber : ENOLA. Enola Gay.

126. VW and BMW : AUTOS

127. Sisterhood name in a Rebecca Wells novel : YA-YA. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood".

128. Hardly leave wanting : SATE

129. Latin for "he holds" : TENET. Etymology!

130. Food often spilled? : BEANS. Not MILK.

Down:

1. Charm : MOJO

2. Fading star of the East? : A-ROD. AL East. So true.

3. 1,760 yards : MILE

4. Sugar refining byproduct : MOLASSES. Important part of Spitzboov's breakfast.

5. Whichever : ANY

6. Gambol : FROLIC

7. Roller coaster inversion : LOOP

8. Road travel pioneer : OLDs

9. Mythical flying giant : ROC

10. Kutcher of "That '70s Show" : ASHTON

11. Word with sex or snob : APPEAL

12. Downsizing program? : DIET. Another great clue.

13. World carrier : ATLAS

14. Maybelline purchase : MASCARA. Lots of LIARs (74. Makeup artist?) tout Maybelline's Great Lash mascara. It smudges so badly. Get yourself a water-proof Clinique.


15. Update, in a way : REMODEL

16. Muscle malady : SPASM

17. Vice __ : VERSA

18. Pie nut : PECAN. Never liked pecan.

24. More sordid : GAMIER
 
25. Helper : AIDE

32. Onetime Yes label : ATCO. ATlantic COrporation. So, what's the most famous song of Yes?

33. Social group : CASTE

35. Crux : NUB

36. Cheese-topped chip : NACHO

37. Palais Garnier performance : OPERA. I always call it Opéra de Paris.

38. Tiger's front and back? : NINES. Tiger Woods. So strange what he did on Friday. He knew the rules.

39. Dragon's island : KOMODO. Komodo dragon is a giant lizard. Is that a dead tree branch in his mouth?

40. Figurehead place : PROW. Wiki said "A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships largely made between the 16th and 19th century".

41. Confident leader? : SELF. Self-confident.

46. Siesta : NAP

47. Eponymous inventor Tupper : EARL. Tupperware. Did not know this trivia.

48. It might be going : RATE. Going rate.

49. What Simon does : SAYS

52. Soccer stadium shout : OLE

53. Alphabetic run : RSTU

54. July 4th reactions : OOHs

57. Jury trial Amendment : VII. Here is a detailed list.

58. Señorita's other : OTRA

59. Joins the race : VIES

60. SFO approximation : ETD

62. Indian royal : RANI

63. Lady's business? : AVON. Avon lady.

66. St. Louis player : RAM.  Originally Cleveland Rams (1936–1945), then LA Rams (1946-1994).

67. Prunes : LOPS

68. Wrath, in a hymn : IRAE. Dies Irae.

70. Eponymous comet tracker : HALLEY

71. Maximum trio? : EMS

72. Bra spec : D-CUP. And 102. Victoria's Secret purchase : CORSET.




73. Funny Bombeck : ERMA

76. PC port : USB

78. Far from in vogue : PASSE. Splynter linked a similar shoe image a few weeks ago. Lady Gaga is actually a sweet person.



79. Merman of Broadway : ETHEL

80. Squirrel away : AMASS

82. College Football Hall of Fame inductee 29 years after Knute : ARA (Parseghian). Notre Dame.

83. Like epics : LONG

84. Beach bags : TOTES

85. Still-life vessel : EWER

89. Like drinkable milk : GRADE A. Did you ever drink sheep milk?

90. Beckett's homeland : EIRE

91. Mystery writer's forte : INTRIGUE.  Yes, Gary, “What's up, Tianlang?”. Or possibly "What's up, Ah Lang", or "What's up, Lang Zai". Cantonese like to add "Ah" in front or "Zai" after the last character to show familiarity.

93. Frequent child companion? : MADONNA. Oh, Madonna and Child.

94. Earth-friendly prefix : ECO

95. Some disco lighting : STROBES

100. Admire to the max : REVERE

101. Hurler Hershiser : OREL

103. Fight : COMBAT

104. Picayune : PETTY

105. Therapy prefix : AROMA. Aromatherapy.

106. "When pigs fly!" : NO WAY. NO CHANCE yesterday.

107. Ex of Rod Stewart : ALANA

112. "__ a Kick Out of You": Cole Porter : I GET

113. Soon : ANON

114. Like chitchat : IDLE. And 122. Chitchat : GAB. Look forward to Lucina & California Coven's gabbing report! Argyle has been thinking of a similar gathering in NY area. Anyone interested?

116. "Bye" : TA TA

117. Bespectacled Ghostbuster : EGON. Got me last time.


118. Neatnik's bane : MESS

121. Prop- suffix : ANE

C.C.




55 comments:

fermatprime said...

Hello,all!

Thanks for great puzzle and write-up, Amy and CC! No cheats necessary. However, did not really see the theme until later on (could not read title, also). Did not really matter. Lots of fun.

Watched Men in Black 3 tonight. Good for some chuckles! A few great one-liners.

Way past bed time! More later, maybe!

Have a great Sunday!

Lemonade714 said...

I loved VOWELS of poverty.

Marc Summers was the host of much of early Nickelodeon WHEN my kids were little.

The censor is the one who takes out the oath and puts in the #&@!! instead.

ENABLER is such popular pop psychology word, if you do not stop an addict you are helping them.

I remember big controversy when the Geisha book came out, but I never read it.

Thanks Amy and C.C.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

I'm feeling much better today, my wife is still sleeping (and may or may not be feeling better), and my MIL is being kept in the hospital until Monday to make sure they have the fever under control. Thanks for the concern, everyone.

Fun puzzle today. Got the theme right away, which helped immensely. The only theme answer I struggled with was the last one, since "Bag and baggage" isn't a phrase I'm familiar with and the repeating "bag" had me thinking I had made a mistake at first.

The rest of the puzzle was pretty smooth overall, but there were a few spots I struggled with:

* I know who AROD is (and even know that he plays for the YANKEES), but wasn't aware that he was "fading" in any respect since I don't follow baseball regularly.

* No idea who MARC Summers was, at all.

* I know what a CORSET is, but had no idea you could still buy them at places like Victoria's Secret.

* ATCO was another complete unknown.

* I've never associated "GAMY" with "sordid" before. I always think of it with regard to meat that tastes a little "off".

[anesry]

HeartRx said...

Good morning C.C. et al.

I “got” the theme at JOLLY GOOD CHAPELS, and it was off to the races from there. Nice write-up, C.C., and thanks for the EROS shout-out! I have about 15 tea roses in a special garden in the front yard. I think I may have lost a couple of them this winter, though.

Lots of stuff for the ladies today, don’t you think? MAMMA, GEISHA, YA-YA Sisterhood, sex APPEAL, MASCARA, AVON, D-CUP, CORSET, MADONNA (Wha? How’d she get in there?) It’s all good!

Have a wonderful day everyone.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

I got the theme with CHAPELS, but I still don't understand what it has to do with a "subway series." Els are Elevated Trains, not below ground. Anybody?

When I see ATCO, I think of the Coasters, Searchin', Charlie Brown,Along Came Jones ad nauseum.

So the Rams are no longer in LA. Who knew? I also didn't know that Tupperware was named for a person. And, C.C., that's the Komodo dragon's tongue -- not a stick. But you knew that...

Montana said...

I started this puzzle last night and almost completed it. This morning I only got a couple more clues, so turned on red letters. Newspaper late because of snowy/icy roads. I needed help with 8 squares. Pretty good for me for a Sunday.

I have a Motorola RAZR phone. I only use it as a phone.
Sam I am, I read to grandson often.
I got all the theme answers but didn’t understand the theme until CC explained it. Thanks, CC. I still have a lot to learn about crosswording.

Heavy snow falling on top of ice this morning. It is supposed to keep snowing until noon tomorrow. BUT we aren’t getting it as bad as ND is supposed to. Ours will be measured in ‘inches’ ND’s in ‘feet?’ We can really use the moisture, so I am not complaining today.

Have a good day, everyone,
Montana

Madonna M said...

Its 88oF in Delray Beach, FL. But I'm going to stay in my bed all day and not let the sun tan me.

I'm not frying for you, Montana.

HeartRx said...

d-otto, in Chicago and Phila. the ELS also go underground in certain areas, and are called "subway lines."

Dennis said...

Madonna, here in Boca, next door, it's only 80; are you closer to the sun?

Madonna M said...

I was trying to invoke or evoke Evita, Dennis , but I see your point. I guess the question as to whether I am closer to the sun depends on how you define 'sun'. I feel I am 'hotter' than you are, ergo, so, apparently I am.

LaLaLinda said...

Hi Everyone ~~

I enjoyed this puzzle and sailed through quite easily. Like C.C., I at first thought we might have a baseball related theme, after filling in AROD at 2D. The Yankees - Mets games are referred to as the "Subway Series." However, NONSTICK PANELS after JOLLY GOOD CHAPELS showed me that that was not the case.

~ Nice write-up, C.C. I found myself agreeing with many of your comments about the cleverness of various clues/answers. I especially liked VOWELS OF POVERTY and Food often spilled / BEANS.

~ Write -over: at 66A - I had 'Canoli' which was a misspelling that I didn't realize at first. RAM changed that to RAVIOLI.

~ Marti ~ I liked your "stuff for the ladies" observation.

~ Montana ~ I guess I won't complain about it being a bit chilly here today in CT - all that snow and ice and you're still cheery!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Irish Miss said...

Good morning:

Enjoyed the puzzle and got the theme with the first related clue. My only downfall was Komodo; I totally blanked on the " d" so that gave me a DNF.

Nice work, Amy, and super write-up, CC. I read Memoirs of A Geisha when it was first published and, if I recall correctly, it was written by a man.

It would be nice if those of us within reasonable distance of each other could get together sometime. Santa, put your thinking cap on!

Happy Sunday.

Husker Gary said...

VOWELS OF POVERTY? Wow, ya gotta love it! After realizing adding ELS to the end only was not the theme I had a lovely Sunday morning.

Musings
-FLORA is struggling here too, CC. I played 27 holes yesterday Thursday it will be a snowy/icy 41°F. Thanks for the name info. That boy is amazing to the nth degree!
-Basketball and football players are also concerned with how many “touches” they get in a game
-Captioned SANDMAN (shouldn’t it be BUM and not BAM?)
-Stopping ENABLING isn’t easy. Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.
-The CENSOR sometimes misses it when Tiger when drops “f-bombs” on one of his NINES
-I suppose a RANI can’t sleep if there is a PEA under her many mattresses
-Moving venues like the Rose Bowl (didn’t know that) during WWII was a reason some aircraft manufacturing was moved far from the coasts to Omaha where the ENOLA Gay was built
-Some families can’t avoid opening PANDORA’s box (spill the BEANS?). Let those sleeping dogs lie!
-Will the Yankees finally get to dump grossly overpaid/under-performing A-ROD because of this?
-My first roller coaster with a LOOP (a long 1:23 ;-))
-REMODEL - My 22-yr-old neighbor just got a BA in neuroscience but in her wedding announcement she describes her current job as a self-employed home improvements sub-contractor. Splynter?
-I do toe raises at the Y but they can generate foot SPASMS that are killers
-Soccer has taken up OLE now that bullfighting has become PASSE
-It’s NOT Hay’ lee it’s Hal’ lee. Dang Bill and those other Comets!
-I don’t know/care anything about Rod Stewart and so _LANA had to wait for a perp

CrossEyedDave said...

Manac! This clip is for you! Because I have to admit I could never get cats to do this!

CrossEyedDave said...

Oh heck! There go 2 of my posts, & I have not even done the puzzle yet!

Beached Dolphins get a helping hand!

Dennis said...

madonna, lol, just saw your post. Nicely done, and no doubt true.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Very amusing, chuckle-worthy puzzle, Amy! I got the "EL" beat out of me on some of these, but did get the theme on the first one which helped with others. Living far from ELS & subways, I, too, wondered what the connection could be. Strangely, I got most of the themes before the shorter fills.

Thanks, C.C. for all you do. Gaga's footwear made me think of women's bound feet in the old days of China: with white stockings and elevated stumpy clogs. How Gaga walks on something like that is a mystery.

The NE corner was the last to fill. I couldn't come up with REMODEL--I, who because of my VOWELS of POVERTY spent 20 years in constant REMODEL.

Still not sure what "evite" means but perped RSVP.

Two sets of very religious friends have kids at ORU now. I have to CENSOR my language with them.

111a At first I couldn't think of the name of that kid who had the audacity to want more.

PK said...

The wind is blowing at near-gale force today. I had planned to go out and broadcast grass seed in my front yard today before predicted rainy week. The seed would probably end up over at my neighbor's yard today. Can I procrastinate or what! Oh well, it's still only April. Sometime before July....

desper-otto said...

PK, Mark Twain always liked to have religious folk around. He claimed it added zest to his swearing.

HeartRx, I'll take your word for it. But there's something illogical in calling a train that runs underground an el! El of an idea!

CED, those bluegrass dogs had funny looking paws.

PK said...

DO: I rarely curse since I quit remodeling. But there is just something perverse in me that wants to say bad words around overly religious people. Teeth must stay clamped on tongue.

CrossEyedDave said...

Ok, I finished the puzzle. & maybe because it is a Sunday, & not too many will see me make an nitwit of myself I can complain about the Bias of 102D. No man is going to think "corset" after Victorias Secret,,, this puzzle was obviously created for, & by, a woman! (also note that I thought 47D, Inventor tupper = WARE...)

Did you know that a Komodo dragon breathes while swallowing using a small tube under the tongue that connects to the lungs.

Most popular Yes song???
(let the bias begin...)
by popular demand, it is Roundabout. But if you ask me, my favorite is And You And I by a very smalll margin.

Lucina said...

Hello, C.C., and all.

Great puzzle and expo, thank you, Amy and C.C.

There is so much to like here starting with the theme which I have to admit, I didn't really stop to examine, just took my time filling it. Sadly I DNF because CANNOLI was my filled fare and didn't think to change it.

Loved some of the clues:
Make up artist, LIAR
Pod resident, PEA
Downsizing program, DIET
World carrier, ATLAS

I loved Memoirs of a Geisha and the movie, too. I did not know she had written an autobiography. I'll have to look for that.

Have a spectacular Sunday, everyone!

Avg Joe said...

This one was a slow but steady solve until the SE corner. Based on the theme I went with Bagels and Luggage, which completely threw me off the scent. So....a DNF with several peeks at the answer grid (see only on Sundays in our paper).

Dave, I'd agree that the most popular Yes song is Roundabout, but oddly the one I hear most locally is Owner of a Lonely Heart. No clue why. I enjoyed hearing And You and I.

It's worth mentioning that Jon Anderson also did 3 projects with Vangelis that are very interesting, but got little notice. My favorite, from Friends of Mr Cairo might just be Outside of This (Inside of That) but they're all very good albums.

Avg Joe said...

PK, You might be getting a break from the wind soon. It's dropped from 40+_ to less than 20 here. Good thing too...Earlier today I saw a Kansas license plate blow by....that alone isn't so bad, but this one had a bumper attached:-)

Anonymous said...

Easy to get the pattern for the theme answers, so quick run through. But I agree with D-Otto and PK-- Elevated trains with a theme of Subway series-- a fail.

Spitzboov said...

Good afternoon everyone. Always like your informative intro, C.C.

Fairly easy Sunday today. The theme was fun and was based on fairly well-known phrases. Had Frankfurt a. d. ODER today. The more well-known is Frankfurt am Main in the old West Germany. No look-ups needed today.
C.C. your dossier on me is correct. I have slow cooked oatmeal for breakfast 5 days a week always topped with blackstrap MOLASSES. A bit of an acquired taste.

Have a great day. Who will win the Masters?

Yellowrocks said...

I agree with Heart Rx @ 8:39. In Phila. The Market-Franklin Subway-Elevated Line is elevated in certain areas and dips underground in others. We simply called all of it the EL.
One summer as a college student I worked in the Settlement House in the slums of Phila. The El racketed by my upstairs bedroom window, shaking the entire room. I could see from my bed what the passengers were wearing. They were so close I felt that I could reach out and touch them. A block or so farther along that train dipped underground.

CC, I read Memoirs of a Geisha twice and saw the movie. Though I thoroughly enjoyed it, I suspected some artistic license was taken by the author. Now I see that Mineko Iwasaki, upon whose life story much of the novel was based, wrote her own autobiography to correct the misperceptions in the novel. Thanks for the tip, CC. I will have to read Geisha, a Life. We saw real geisha when we visited Gion in Kyoto. Contrary to popular belief geisha are not prostitutes. However, I understand that GI’s during the WW II occupation of Japan referred to prostitutes as GEISHA.

CE DAVE, you gotta admit that Victoria Secret corset pic is pretty sexy.

Yellowrocks said...

I have frequently heard BAG AND BAGGAGE, From dictionary.com: All of one's belongings, especially with reference to departing with them; completely, totally. For example, The day he quit his job, John walked out, bag and baggage.

Originating in the 1400s, this phrase at first meant an army's property, and to march off bag and baggage meant that the departing army was not leaving anything behind for the enemy's use. By the late 1500s, it had been transferred to other belongings.

GAMY can mean
1. Having the odoror taste of wild game.Some people think venision tastes too GAMY.
2. SQUALID or unwholesome. The street person in need of a bath smells GAMY.
3. LEWD I won't allow my ten year old to see that GAMY movie.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Hand up for Roundabout as the most famous Yes song. Some very nice work by Rick Wakeman on keyboards.

Just right puzzle for a Sunday - it kept me busy during the wee hours when wakefulness outpaced sleep. It's hard to avoid disturbing the cat under those conditions.

Cheers All

Bill G. said...

This puzzle seemed harder to me than the typical Sunday fare. I liked it though. WEES. Thanks Amy and CC.

Did you see the last segment on Sunday Morning with the cherry blossoms in bloom around the Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial? Beautiful!

Also on Sunday Morning today, the history of Income Tax, Purell, Annette Funicello and Jonathan Winters, Cicely Tyson, Kon-Tiki and other good stuff.

I'm thinking our Florida CW puzzlers already know about this but I found this article on NBCNEWS.com interesting about a giant snail invasion. SNAILS.

HeartRx said...

YR, obviously, people who think venison tastes GAMY have not had it prepared correctly. In Austria and Germany, some of the best meals I have ever had were venison!

And I also read the book and saw the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha." I was amazed that it was written by an man, because the insights were so real. Usually, I hate movies based on booksI have already read, but this one had such beautiful images that it was enthralling to watch the book unfold before me. Now I will also have to add "Geisha: A Life" to my list. We'll have to compare notes!

bea from Fargo said...

Happy Sunday. I found it tough to catch the theme today. Didn't see it until grocery cartels then went back and started seeing things in a new light. Montana's right about our wonderful winter weather. Started snowing & blowing this afternoon, supposed to get up to 12 inches.
Enjoying the Masters. What's that green stuff? Oh yeah, GRASS! Haven't seen any since October.
Have a good week, everyone. We'll be digging out, again.

Al Cyone said...

An unavoidable (and hopefully temporary) return to the ranks of the unemployed, combined with the hideous new format of the puzzle, had kept me away from this site for awhile. But a recent post mentioned that the old format could be found on the Mensa site and, for that, I'm grateful. Today's puzzle was tough for me (did I get rusty?) but I persevered and surprised myself by finishing. [27:12]

Yellowrocks said...

HeartRx, I like venison myself. My mother prepared it well. During hunting sesaon many of the farmers bagged deer and dropped off a roast for us. One of the VFWs here had many members who hunted dder. They'd cater a very popular venision fund raising dinner. But I do know some who don't care for it, maybe because they don't know how to cook it properly. My point was just to use that meaning of gamy in a sentence.
PS, my children are well past ten years of age, too.

Bill G. said...

Al C, I completely agree with you. I don't know why several sites switched to the new format but I was a happy puzzler to find the old Uclick format again. Don't make me change when I've got something I like and am used to.

I'm sorry to hear about your employment woes. I remember how I felt years ago when it happened to me. It's not a pleasant feeling. So good luck wishes heading your way.

PAcrossB said...

Hello folks! Some of you saw me as PAB yesterday, but I've settled permanently on PAcrossB. Thank you everybody for the warm welcome yesterday!

Thank you for the puzzle, Amy! Great write-up, C.C.! Smooth sailing for me (33:04), with a few unknowns (EGON, YA-YA, AIME, among others) - thank goodness for the perps.

As Lemonade will likely recall, MARC Summers hosted Double Dare on Nickelodeon. It was a messy kids' game show that I watched a lot as a kid. Marc had OCD, although I don't think he realized it then. I admire him for overcoming it and for putting himself through those "slime"-y stunts.

I still use my MOTOROLA RAZR that I got in 2006. It's good to see somebody other than me use an "old-fashioned" cell phone, Montana! We may as well use them until they break!

I'm glad you and your family are on the mend, Barry G. Have a good rest of the day and week, everybody!

Anonymous said...

I thought this was a fun puzzle, got it fairly quickly. Criminalpastels, don't get it. As the wife and mother of Italian American people, enjoyed ravioli and parmesan. Put the 2 together, great dinner! Saute ravioli in brown butter and sage, yum. Best wishes to all, have a great week!

HeartRx said...

YR, I got your point about using it in a sentence. But like you, I happen to love venison (well-prpared!!)

PAcrossB, welcome to the fold!

Bill G. said...

I've never had venison. I would like to try it. I'm willing to try (and probably enjoy) stuff that other folks think is good to eat.

I was wandering through Barbara's Facebook page and came across Elvis singing "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again," a favorite of mine. (Barbara is a BIG Elvis fan.) That led to Merle Haggard singing his version of it (which I like even better though I would never tell her that). It is so simple and sweet that I thought some of you might like it too. (I also love the backup harmony in this version.) When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again.

Qli said...

So much to like about this puzzle, and about your explanations, C.C. Good luck getting those roses in this year! Our snow didn't start till after lunch, but is coming down hard now. Bismarck already has over a foot of the stuff. @#$%&!

Our singing group is doing a song from "Mamma Mia!" this spring. Great musical.

Epee as a sport puzzled me. I know it is the sword-thing.

Hand up for WARE instead of EARL!

Saw the cherry blossoms on Sunday Morning, Bill, G. I think that is my favorite show. What a nice way to start a week!


HeartRx said...

Qli said "@#$%&!"...is that, "expletives deleted???"

Lucina said...

PAcrossB
Welcome! And don't think you are the only one with an antiquated cell phone. Mine is a flip phone with no texting or other capabilities other than talking on it.

klilly said...

Thanks for the information about Mineko Iwasaki. I loved memoirs of a geisha. I will read her

Yellowrocks said...

Re: Eponymous inventor Tupper.
Hint-
Eponymous means being the person or thing for whom or which something is named. The Colt revoler is named for Samuel Colt. Tupperware is named for Earl Tupper. When seeing eponymous or eponym in a x-word clue, always look for a name, not an ending, such as ware.

Does anyone know how to get the Kindle Fire to note the amount of reading time needed to finish the book, reading at the current rate?

Manac said...

Dave, Enjoyed that bluegrass link. Never came across those before. But really, you have to admit you can't get a cat to do anything!

My train of thought for Victoria's Secret is:

#1 - Bras
#2 - Panties
#3 - Teddies
#4 - Corsets
So you may be in the minority of men.
I bet Bill is drooling now as he reads this :-)

Manac said...

Bill, Not sure if know of this Sofia person, But is this a Teddie or Corset?

Bill G. said...

Manac: (From last night, this is from the Man of the House.) Oooh! Of courset, that's a corset. The poor thing looks all well constricted and well constructed. Can you tell from that picture that she is witty, clever, funny and smart? It's written all over her face.

Manac said...

Bill, Huh? What? She had a face?!?!

PK said...

Down boys!

The only time I ever had venison was the year I was pregnant with my first child. My husband bagged a deer and I was expected to cook and serve it. The smell of cooking venison made me ill and the tears ran down my face every time. The only way I could eat it was to smother it in piccalilly relish. I think the acid helped to dissolve the meat.

We were poor and that was almost the only meat we had all winter. My MIL sent me an old hen she'd killed and dressed. I made lovely noodle soup and wouldn't let my husband have any.

My husband never shot another deer. I think he thought if he filled my freezer with that smelly meat again, I would be out the door. I didn't argue. Who knows, if it hadn't been during my pregnancy, I might have liked it.

Bill G. said...

Manac: Victoria's Secret is a big, mostly classy retailer. When I first came to the Los Angeles area back in the 1960s, I made a special field trip downtown to Fredrick's of Hollywood. I was almost too embarrassed to buy anything for a present for Barbara. Fredrick's

Manac said...

PK, No fun in that :)

Bill, I found the security tape of you in Fredrick's

Abejo said...

Good evening, folks. Thank you, Amy Johnson, for a very good puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for the very good review.

I never got started on this puzzle until the afternoon. Then I looked at it off and on, being busy. I am now on a train and just finished at 10:30 central time.

I never got the theme until I was finished. I could not connect any sort of subway with what I was seeing. After I had them all I figured it out. I live in the Chicago area and am aware that the EL was named for the elevated trains that have been around for over 100 years here. Yes, they go under ground and a referred to as a subway in those sections. The system is generally called the "L" in street terminology.

There were some tough words for me. Did not know ATCO. Perped it.

Has RSA for 64A, for Republic of South Africa. I thought the horn was at the bottom of hat continent. Fixed that later to ETH. Still remember that great book I read, "Cuttng for Stone."

All that gave me the wrong alphabet run for 53D. Fixed that afterba bit.

Had PIECES for 65A. Thinking of chess pieces. Fixed that to TITLES, which gave me EARL Tupper.

In also had a time trying to picture GAMIER as the correct word for More sordid.

Irish Miss: Where are you from?

PAcrossD: Welcome. Where are you from?

Forgot my blood pressure medicine in Illinois. Hope I can get some in Erie or Johnsonburg.

See you tomorrow from Erie.

Abejo

(equines)


PAcrossB said...

HeartRx @ 6:48 PM: Thank you for the welcome!

Lucina @ 7:49 PM: I don't even consider my phone antiquated. All I care about is being able to talk to people - not texting, which I disabled on my phone to avoid spam messages (or whatever it's called for cell phones). In my opinion, if it's important, one should call or e-mail me, not text me. Texting just seems too impersonal for my taste. And that's coming from a Gen Y-er. It's not like I need the latest Android or iPhone; smartphones would only distract me from the important things in life that unfortunately seem a bit lost in my generation. In fact, I'm trying to avoid smartphones as long as I can!

Abejo @ 10:57 PM: I live about an hour or so south of Seattle.

Time to catch some Z's - good night, everybody!

Anonymous said...

Lol, love your comment rules, make sense.

I am new to crosswording a loving your site, TY!

Charlotte said...

*Its hard to comment here name part should be on top.