Theme: Sounds Funny - Cartoon Characters.
17A. "I am ze locksmith of love, no?" speaker : PEPE LE PEW
26A. "Ándale! Ándale! Arriba! Arriba!" speaker : SPEEDY GONZALES. Product tie-in.
42A. "That's a joke, ah say, that's a joke, son" speaker : FOGHORN LEGHORN
56A. "I'm hunting wabbits" speaker : ELMER FUDD. More product placement.
65A. See 59-Down : BLANC - 59D. With 65-Across, longtime voice of 17-, 26-, 42- and 56-Across : MEL. Short interview.
Argyle here. I don't know what it says about my ute but I didn't need any perps to get the theme entries. A fun start to the week.
Across:
1. Rose Parade vehicle : FLOAT. Timely.
6. Had a snack : ATE
9. Got older : AGED
13. Garlicky mayo : AIOLI. Are you getting it now?
14. Mark of an old cut : SCAR
15. Wind of 32 to 63 mph, on the Beaufort scale : GALE
16. Item on a 9-Down : TOPIC
19. Naval Acad. grad : ENS.ign
20. Mr. Kringle : KRISS. Almost timely.
22. Opposing army : ENEMY
23. Voting alliance : BLOC
24. Moved quickly : HIED
32. Took a risk : DARED
33. Olympian queen : HERA. The wife of Zeus.
34. Lodge member : ELK
35. Genesis grandchild : ENOS
36. Selected : CHOSE
38. 951, in old Rome : CMLI
39. Novelist Rand : AYN
40. "In __ of gifts ..." : LIEU
41. French city where Joan of Arc died : ROUEN
46. Snowfall unit : INCH
47. France, under Caesar : GAUL
48. Extremely high heel : SPIKE
51. Toothbrush brand : ORAL B
53. Run up the phone bill, perhaps : GAB
58. Puerto Rican pal : AMIGO
60. Very close : NEAR
61. "Your guess __ good ..." : IS AS
62. Kelly's 2000s morning co-host : REGIS. Philbin.
63. Calendar squares : DAYS
64. Super __: game console : NES. (Nintendo Entertainment System)
Down:
1. Unavoidable outcome : FATE
2. King of the jungle : LION
3. Butterfingers' cry : "OOPS!"
4. "The Greatest" boxer : ALI
5. __ pink: delighted : TICKLED
6. Highest poker pair : ACES
7. Footwear for Gregory Hines : TAP SHOES
8. Old-style "prior to" : ERE
9. List of items to be discussed : AGENDA
10. Stare in wonder : GAPE
11. Preteen sch. : ELEM.entary
12. Wet, as grass at sunup : DEWY
14. Like much Cajun cuisine : SPICY
18. TV host Gibbons : LEEZA
21. Reel partner : ROD
23. Hive insects : BEES
25. With regard to, on memos : IN RE. Latin for "in the matter [of]".
26. Japanese electronics giant : SANYO
27. Pitchfork point : PRONG
28. Grave robber : GHOUL
29. Madagascar primate : LEMUR
30. Actress Barkin : ELLEN
31. Potato covering : SKIN
32. Unable to hear : DEAF
36. Mag. sales : CIRC.ulation
37. Chicken coop : HEN HOUSE
38. Like many a fall day : COOL
40. Hardly a social butterfly : LONER
41. Strawberry's partner-in-pie : RHUBARB
43. Walkers on trails : HIKERS
44. "Jeepers!" : "EGADS!"
45. __ pal : GAL
48. Drop in a mailbox : SEND
49. Ardent request : PLEA
50. Noncommittal response : "I MAY"
52. Dietary stds. : RDAs. (Recommended Dietary Allowance)
53. Prefix with byte : GIGA
54. Not fer : AGIN. Not for, against.
55. Greenish-yellow pear : BOSC
57. Creepy "Jaws" sighting : FIN. Da-Dum...Da-Dum...Da-Dum-Da-Dum-Da-Dum!
Argyle
61 comments:
Morning, all!
Fun Monday puzzle, right in my wheelhouse. Didn't know the actual quote from PEPE LE PEW, but was able to guess the speaker easily enough. The rest of the theme answers required no guessing whatsoever. Everything else was smooth sailing except for some self-inflicted wounds here and there (LEIU instead of LIEU, for example).
Smooth sailing for me to this Monday almost but not quite a speed run.
Good morning!
I don't get Monday delivery, and Shortyz didn't have the LAT this morning, so I wound up doing CC's timely NYT puzzle first. Then printed the LAT from the Barnacle's e-issue.
Quick solve this morning. I only stumbled with the first theme answer. I had PE_E and immediately penned in PETER. TAT SHOES didn't look right, though.
Doncha think ORAL A would be better? What's with the B?
PEPE LE PEW fell in love with a kitty.
He thought with her stripe that she looked very pretty.
He just wanted to pet,
But she played hard to get --
Her babe's scent is best when their diapers are sh*ty!
SPEEDY GONZALES really could dash.
He's here and then he's gone in a flash.
His speed was so drastic
He broke through to Jurassic;
Velociraptors had Mexican mouse hash!
FOGHORN LEGHORN, I say son, I say,
Was having a very bad day.
He couldn't much squawk
About a kid chicken-hawk,
'Twas his echo that caused him dismay!
I say son, dismay!
ELMER FUDD was a hunter of habit;
He kept trying to bag this one wabbit.
That wascal he'd stifle
With his weally big wifle;
And wegain his Wogaine hare-restorer, dagnabit!
MEL BLANC was a master of voices
And of sound effects, too, he had choices.
Jack Benny's old jalopy
He could make sound so choppy,
Or purr like a fleet of Rolls Royces!
[Easy puzzle today. Shout-out to me at 32d.]
Desper-otto - Could Oral B be Oral (B)rush?
Fun little romp this morning. Easy to guess both the theme answers as well as the theme itself.
Yesterday, Andy Capp was featured. Today's strip is appropriate:
Andy Capp
June, turns out that you're absolutely right. They should probably call their floss Oral-F. Or not.
Just finished reading last night's late posts. The last two tickled my funnybone.
And BarbieMom (from last night): Yes, that's the book I was thinking of. I also remember that documentary. I had never heard of Gullah before then.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Fun puzzle today! I actually knew all the theme entries without a single perp. But I don't think that says anything bad about our ute, Argyle - we could have been doing a lot worse than watching some innocent cartoons.
Avg Joe, funny (and apt) cartoon of Andy Capp!!
Congrats on your NYT puzzle today, C.C. I didn't know any of your theme entries (well, maybe one), but perps rescued me. Nicely done!
Another "How the fight got started".
Comic
Good morning all,
Fun start to the week and some of my favorite toons are featured.
The only rhubarb(s) I ever enjoyed were those on the baseball diamond when an umps decision making was taken into question.
According to the weather prognosticators, we will be experiencing some GALE force winds over the next 24 hours or so. And it will be brisk.
I wanted KRISS to be Kris.
"Nuff for today. Lots of stuff to do for my better half.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Amy Johnson, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the fine review.
Got up early to check the weather. -16 degrees. Paper was not here yet. Cruciverb did not have the puzzle, so I printed it from the Chi Trib site. Where there's a will there's a way.
Got through easily. A few stickers: AIOLI, KRISS with 2 S's?, LEEZA, NES, and ROUEN.
Theme was great. Enjoyed it.
Staying in today. Watching the squirrels and birds on the deck eat the seeds we throw out. Not sure how the birds survive in this cold weather. They must have super metabolism.
See you tomorrow (I hope).
Abejo
(gtytam ashamed)
It's 20 below here with a wind chill of minus 45-ish. My Arkansas son came up here over the weekend to go with a friend to the Packers game in Green Bay. He emailed last night that they'd lost(he knew we weren't watching) but that he didn't get cold. He'd taken all his cold weather gear from when he used to work on the North Slope in Alaska, so I guess he was at least as well prepared as anyone could be. He's get home here later today and be staying for the rest of this week.
Anyway, I must have been a bit foggy in the cold this morning, reading byte as byle (ignoring what would have been a misspelling) and that, along with not having known of FOGHORN LEGHORN meant that SE corner took longer than it should have.
Otherwise a smooth run.
Of course I meant he'll get home later today.
Hmmmm. Odd that you should follow that comic strip, Argyle.
Easy sashay with very popular toons. I got MEL BLANC with just the ME,but I hadn't know exactly which toons he voiced or how many. Thanks, Argyle. I enjoyed the clips.
On our Savannah trip we visited a village where Gullah was still spoken, very interesting.
The only rhubarb I like is strawberry-rhubarb pie. My mom made delicious ones. I have never tried to bake one.
What a lovely trip back to my yute! I have made a good faith effort to watch today’s cartoons but many are either so sickeningly sweet or grossly violent that I can’t stay with them. WB and Disney made cartoons that were silly but had enough meat on the bone to entertain all ages. Add the wonderful classical music…
Musings
-If you haven’t seen the Rose Parade live, it should be on your bucket list
-Some SCARS are not visible
-COOL? The high here today is going to be 0°F (it’s -8°F now) and 31°F in Anchorage, AK.
-This GALE was born in Texas as Josephine Owaissa Cottle
-I DARED to start my own high stress summer business that required teens to walk through DEWEY corn and it paid off in five figures for 23 years
-Are young people becoming ELKS, Eagles, Moose, Raccoons (Ralph Kramden) etc. anymore?
-Don’t want to GAB to a telemarketer?
-I’m not DEAF but soft, high pitched voices in a crowded room…
-One of Garrison Keilor’s stories contain the poignant line about life in Lake Woebegone, MN that says, “Life here is like rhubarb pie; full of sweetness but with the persistent underlying presence of bitterness”
-What movie featured Eli Wallach being forced to be a Grave Digger?
Son of Musings
-It is not my intent to start a thread on Downton Abbey although it made for a wonderful two hours for Joann and me to watch last night. However I do want to mention the incredibly interesting PBS show that followed about the actual castle used in the show The Secrets of Highclere Castle well worth the 54 minutes even if you are not a fan of Downton. Even King Tutankhamen has a role in this castle’s history as do ROE Deer that were in a puzzle last week.
Not quite a speed run today but we have had PEPE LEPEW before. I also didn't realize that Mel Blanc had voiced so many cartoon characters.
Like Abejo I didn't want 2 S's on KRIS Kringle.
I make strawberry-rhubarb pie and prefer the combo for a good balance of sweetness/tartness. I also find the combo doesn't have quite so much "spring cleanout" effect. LOL
No GALE here or INCHes of snow but some areas to the north got it.
Classic Mel Blanc.
Good morning everyone.
An easy romp today. Probably pay for it later in the week. While the theme fill were gimmes, it brought pure joy to enter SPEEDY GONZALES and FOGHORN LEGHORN. I enjoyed these cartoons as a kid, and then again with our own children. Some things we never get tired of, I guess.
RHUBARB - We usually favored strawberry rhubarb Grütze particularly in the summertime, when it was a major part of supper. Served with milk or cream.
Good morning Argyle, C.C., and all,
What fun! Thanks Amy Johnson for the walk down memory lane...although I did not recall Foghorn Leghorn. Thanks Argyle for all the links, and to CEDave for the classic Mel link.
Had to work to fill leghorn.Subbing thief for ghoul did not help..nor did pen pal for gal. sheesh!
Sunday family night was noisier than usual due to the 49er's victory. Hats off to all of you who are living in the c-c-cold. Stay inside!
Bill G., I saw this compilation on Slate, and it blew me away. I had a feeling you might appreciate these beautiful pictures of our universe from 2013.
A fun puzzle. One quibble, though. While Mel Blanc later did do Elmer Fudd's voice, he is not the one who did it in most of the Warner Brothers cartoons. Arthur Q. Bryan is the one who did it most often and best. Mel Blanc himself admitted that he never did Fudd nearly as well as Arthur Q. Bryan did.
Argyle: Excellent write-up & links, esp. the "Argyle" comic.
Thanks to Aug.Joe & CED for the Andy Capp & MEL BLANC links, also.
Amy Johnson: Thank you for a FUN Monday puzzle. Wonderful theme!
Liked the "shout-out" to my GAL-pal, KRIS(s). She spells it with one 'S'.
When I went out to get the newspaper it was 72°F ... then the "front" went through ... those young boys "diving for the Epiphany cross" in Tarpon Springs (in about an hour) are going to be a bit colder ... it's now 59°F, and falling by the minute.
Cheers!
Hello, friends!
Thanks to Amy Johnson and Argyle for today's fun.
I loved all those cartoon characters growing up and they are still fun to watch. Wow! Lucille Ball was a knockout, wasn't she?
My self inflicted wound, however (thanks, Barry, I like the phrase)was at GAB where I had TAB instead. Sometimes I just don't check.
Have a wonderful Monday, everyone! Stay warm.
kjinc:
Thank you. I knew it was New- something. (From last night.)
Marti, WOW.. thanks for photos!
A Speedy (Gonzales not Alka Seltzer) Monday. (BTW, how do you know if it will be GonzaleS or GonzaleZ?)
I saw hidden bonuses in DEW(e)Y, without Huey and Louie and HEN HOUSE, where FOGHORN works.
I too love Strawberry/Rhubarb pie for the sweet/tart combo. We had rhubarb and strawberries growing in our yard when I was a kid.
HG, I actually started watching DOWNTON after seeing the special on the castle last year. Only saw part of the first episode, but will watch the rest Tuesday. Tonight is National Championship get together with my Florida State son and dil.
My warm regards for all suffering through this horrific cold spell. I went to school in the mountains and recall those temps and they are painful. Be careful.
Good Morning:
What a fun, easy-peasey start to the week with some lovable cartoon characters and the oh-so talented Mel Blanc to entertain us.
Thanks, Amy, for a delightful romp and thanks, Argyle, for those wonderful clips.
We had rain this morning but the temps are going to plummet throughout the day, so tonight and tomorrow are going to be bitter cold, with high winds.
Stay safe and warm.
Good morning everybody! I enjoyed the theme. The puzzle was pleasant but even easier than the usual Monday fare I thought.
For some reason, I woke up with a cold and stuffy nose this morning. I haven't had those symptoms in years.
Marti, thanks for thinking of me. I really liked those photos.
I don't have to tell you it goes without saying there are some things better left unsaid. I think that speaks for itself. The less said about it the better.
Amy, this will go down as one of my favorite fun puzzles of all time. What can I say, I love comics--and I especially love MEL BLANC. One of my favorite movie experiences of all time has to be a short called "What's Opera, Doc?" (was that the title?). I still remember ELMER FUDD singing "Kill the Wabbit!" Great expo, Argyle--you and Amy have gotten my week off to a terrific start!
GAUL reminded me of another favorite comic to which my son became addicted when we lived in Heidelberg for a year: ASTERIX.
Thought it was cute to work KRISS Kringle into a puzzle dealing with the joys of "ute" (is that what we call it now?).
Anyway, what a great way to start a morning and a week. Have a terrific one, everybody!
I also thought of you this morning with both Gal Pal and Kris, Tin. And yes, I really wanted Kris for the puzzle, but it just refused to work. BTW, I'm not sure if you've given me a demotion or promotion :-)
Had to go to dentist this morning and while reading Time in the waiting room realized I'd been remiss. Ray Price died recently, so it's only appropriate to link his biggest hit (written by another Kris): For the Good Times
The jumble also had a mel blanc theme. Wife finished the puzzle before I had a chance to look at it. Too bad because I love those cartoons as well.
Hi Y'all! Fast and fun with all our old childhood favorite cartoon characters. I made like GONZALES on this and only slowed down for the "N" in FIN/NES cross. No red-letters used or seen. That's gotta be a first. Thanks, Amy.
Great one, Argyle! Lot of work on your part to insert all those clips.
Mulberry RHUBARB pie or cobbler was a favorite at our house. We had one tree that had the plumpest sweetest mulberries. I tried growing strawberries but the German shepherd ate them all two seconds after they reached peak ripeness.
My daughter-in-law in Oklahoma City sent me pictures last night of her and her four boys who went to see the Thunder beat the Celtics in basketball. They were all wearing heavy coats. I can't imagine how people survived at a football game.
Schools and almost everything else is closed here with a -2* this morning and only 3-4 inches of snow that was plowed out yesterday. We haven't had a winter this cold in 30 years.
JB in VA
What fun. Thanks Amy Johnson for a great puzzle and Argyle for the memorable clips. Everyone have a good week.
AVGJoe:
Thanks for the Ray Price link. I love his music. R.I.P.
There was a time, long ago, when country music had a haunting beat and memorable words. I'm sorry to say that is no longer true. At least not for me.
Marti:
Great pics.
Hola Everyone, I started off with a bang, but bogged down about half way through. Foghorn Leghorn was unknown, so that area took all the perps I had to suss out the answer.
I can never remember how to spell aioli and I started off with cold for fall days, rather than cool. My Pay Pal took a while morphing into Gal Pal. Other than those bumps along the way, I had some answers filled in before I even read the clues.
JD, The two of us made as much noise as all of your crew when the 49 er's winning field goal was kicked! LOL!
My daughter's Strawberry Rhubarb jam won a blue ribbon at their local county fair this past year.
For everyone in the frigid part of our country, stay in, stay warm, and stay safe.
There are so many things to enjoy about a cartoon Monday! I had a good giggle and wished it was a harder puzzle so I could keep on solving. To add to the cartoon reminiscing, I liked Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent, Rocky and Bullwinkle and Gummy Bears (more recent)- suppose this dates me. Anyway, out into the frozen, but brilliant, sunny day. Happy solving all.
Lemonade@10:50:
To answer your question about GONZALES vs. GONZALEZ I checked my telephone directory (had to dust quite a few layers) and all end in -ez. Actually, -ez is the Spanish surname addendum for "son of" as is Mc, Mac, Sen, Son, etc.
I believe the -es is an adaptation.
Is it still possible to download puzzles like CrosSynergy from Cruciverb in AcrossLite format? I only see how to solve it online.
I love Ray Price. Thanks.
Lucina, I completely agree with your thoughts about country music. I don't find much to like about contemporary popular music either. I'm definitely a musical fogy.
Hey, earlier I ended a post with "I don't have to tell you it goes without saying there are some things better left unsaid. I think that speaks for itself. The less said about it the better." I see it could be interpreted as a complaint or a criticism. Sorry. Rats! It was meant as a little joke, like a tag line. I saw it somewhere and thought it sounded funny.
At 1:35 it's -12 and Wind Chill index of -38 in Chicago. Cold!
I think I remember reading a few years ago that Mel Blanc's son took over the duties of doing all the voices for the toons that his father had done. I might be wrong on that, but that's my recollection. I'll Google it later. Stay warm
Thank you Amy Johnson. Your puzzle brought a smile to my face.
And thank you Argyle. Loved your links to the theme answers !
In retrospect, I shouldn't have spent all these hours since then watching youtube cartoons...
Here's a short (:24) video that caught my eye today:
Tow Truck Fail
THE WINDY CITY TEMPERATURE CONVERSION CHART
60° F: Arizonans shiver uncontrollably; people in Chicago are still sunbathing.
50° F: Californians try to turn on the heat; people in Chicago plant gardens.
40° F: Italian sports cars won't start; people in Chicago drive with the windows down.
32° F: Distilled water freezes; Lake Michigan water gets thicker.
20° F: Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves and wool hats; people in Chicago throw on a light jacket.
15° F: People in Chicago have the last cookout before it gets cold.
0° F: All the people in Phoenix die. Chicagoans close the windows.
10° below zero: Californians fly away to Mexico . The Girl Scouts in Chicago are selling cookies door to door.
25° below zero: Hollywood disintegrates; people in Chicago get out their winter coats.
40° below zero: Washington, DC runs out of hot air; people in Chicago let the dogs sleep indoors.
100° below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Chicagoans get frustrated because they can't start 'da car.'
460° below zero: All atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale); people in Chicago start saying, 'cold 'nuff for ya?'
500° below zero: Hell freezes over. The Cubs win the World Series.
JJM,
I dunno. That last one may be stretching it a bit.
Avg.Joe
OOPS, that was a typo (Aug.Joe) by me @10:42 am of your name.
JJM, too funny!
At 51° people in Tampa Bay, walk around and say "it's f***ing freezing" ...
Our Chicago visitors are playing golf in "shorts & shirt-sleeves.
(I'm probably in shorts, since I abhor long-pants ... but I have on a sweatshirt).
BTW ... I don't believe The Cubs win the World Series even at 500° below zero. Just sayin' ...
Cheers! Spring Training begins in about 40 days!!!
This was a fun puzzle! I remember the characters quite well, unlike anything on TV currently.
Marti, love the pics.
It's 3*. It should be 8* tomorrow, then into the 20's for a warm-up. This is excellent soup weather, so it's simmering on the stove right now.
Stay warm.
Pat
Yellowrocks @ 8:56 My mom also made delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie. I liked it so much, as a young kid I tried to grow rhubarb in our yard so my mom would have a supply of it.
It's definitely soup weather. Lentils and ham yesterday. Ground beef, potatoes and bacon today. Woke up to -11 today and it's a torrid 6 right now. Not nearly as bad as what those of you in WI, MN and Chicago are getting, but it's still cold.
I have to call foul on the Cubs winning the series too :-)
MST3K Cubs
TTP @1:47
"Tow Truck Fail" has "Set the Bar" pretty high as the funniest link of MMXIV.
(C.C. how's that as a "shout-out" to your NYT puzzle?)
Avg.Joe, MST3K Cubs also earned a ROTFLMAO.
Can't wait until Sunset (I need some warming-up sips).
Cheers!!!
Hello Puzzlers -
WEES. A nice easy puzzle to honor the one and only Mel Blanc. What a talent!
Favorite clue has to be the rhubarb one.
Lineman - was that rhubarb hard to grow? We had a small patch on the edge of the property, near where the old dump heap used to be. It wasn't prime agricultural land, but even so the rhubarb prospered.
I thought it was hard to grow because as a little boy I received lots a praise from my parents. But come to think about it the rhubarb plants probably grew themselves with little help. I do remember the freeze would knock it down a little but it would recover.
Now I remember. The best place for me to grow the rhubard was right by the side of the house where the hose was attached to the outside faucet. That way when someone used the hose the rhubarb plant got water from the leaky hose connection.
Our RHUBARB on the farm was growing at the edge of a low place where the wash water ran out from the house and near the stone-lined cess pool. It had been in that place for three generations. I sanitized & modernized the place and put in a septic tank with laterals and piped the washer water into that. We filled the old cess pool with sand. The next summer was hot and dry. The RHUBARB died. I felt so bad.
I'm guessing if you find a place it likes, it lasts forever.
I love Foghorn Leghorn! I enjoyed this puzzle, too. Oh, and strawberry-rhubarb pie is in the top 3 of my list of favorite pies.
The theme answers had to be the easiest of all time for me. I grew up with all these characters and remember well Mel Blanc's name scrolling by at the end of every cartoon.
I'm very thankful to have lived my formative years before political correctness began to rear its ugly head so I was allowed to enjoy all the racist, violent, demeaning and sexually inappropriate cartoon Warner Bros. released. I say, I say, I say I enjoyed every last one of them. At least three times each.
PMF
Seriously??
I can't wait for Spring.
Fifty years ago, there was a simple Spring ritual to observe: my dad would fire up his old Roto-Tiller, put it into high gear, and run it down the hill to our neighbors' place. The lady of that house, Luella, kept a nice little garden in the back, which my dad would carefully stir up with the tiller - except for the rhubarb patch. That being a hardy perennial, it didn't need tilling. Once done, it was a simple matter of running the cranky old machine back uphill and sticking it into the barn, then waiting a day for payment. The fee: one rhubarb pie. Hot out of the oven. Mmmmmmm!
Good eve all.
I loved the puzzle and everyone's comments. FOGHORN LEGHORN and PEPE LE PEW are clasics that only Phineas & Ferb can come close to (though not as zany).
Argyle - thanks for the links.
JJM I grew up a Cubs fan and yet that's funny. Everyone else bashing the Cubbies - Wait'n'till next year!
Cheers, -T
Dudley @ 10:01. right on man. I think its cool that rhubarb pie has brought back a great memory for you. Most of the times its the simple things.
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