Theme: "'Tis the Season" - Giving can precede 5 of the theme entries.
23A. Event that kicks off shopping for 119-Across : BLACK FRIDAY
39A. *Space mission team : GROUND CONTROL. Giving ground.
51A. *2003 romantic comedy with multiple story lines : LOVE ACTUALLY. Bill G's favorite movie. Giving love.
67A. *Amy Dickinson, for one : ADVICE COLUMNIST.
Giving advice. Her column "Ask Amy" appears in our Star Tribune, and I
read it often. Also like her in "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me".
86A. *Botticelli on display in the Uffizi : BIRTH OF VENUS. With "The". Giving birth.
96A. *Friends for life : BLOOD BROTHERS. Giving blood.
119. Festive time : THE HOLIDAYS
Reveal entry:
101D. Important theme for 119-Across, and a word that can be used with the starts of the answers to the starred clues : GIVING. Great placement, crossing the last theme entry.
Sweet puzzle to kick off our Thanksgiving celebrations.
This
puzzle is very clean, Patti's hallmark, no obscure abbrs. or weird
words. She's another constructor who won't dazzle you hot debut entries. Just solid entries one after another.
Across:
1. Unnerving sound on a hiking trail : RATTLE. And 66. Nile cobras : ASPS. My grandma told me to turn my shirt inside out after seeing a snake to avoid bad luck.
7. GI on the run : AWOL
11. Saturate : SOAK. I put in SATE first. Nuts.
15. Passé players, briefly : VCRs. I was thinking has-been ballplayers.
19. On __ basis : A TRIAL. A rare 6-letter partial. Rich allows it occasionally.
20. "Flashdance... What a Feeling" lyricist : CARA
21. Year in Italy : ANNO. And 49. Sicily, to Sicilians : ISOLA. And 11D. City near the Amalfi Coast : SALERNO
22. "Not so fast!" : WHOA!
25. Bygone Fords : LTDs
26. Island east of Java : BALI. There are girls who go to Bali to find love. "Eat, Pray, Love" style.
27. Low voice : BASSO
28. Polish writing : EDIT
29. Verbal shrug : MEH
30. "Desire Under the Elms" playwright : O'NEILL (Eugene)
32. Qualifying suffix : ISH
33. They're often grad students : TAs
35. "Stop" : NO MORE. And 119D. 35-Across, briefly : TMI
37. Fight (for) : VIE
38. Iron-rich cabbage : KALE. How do you normally prepare kale?
44. Tight-knit group : CLAN
47. End-of-letter letters : ENC
50. Colleague of Ruth and Sonia : ELENA
55. Folks : PARENTS
57. Less cordial : ICIER
58. Cycle beginning : TRI. So is UNI.
59. Goblet parts : STEMS
61. Art in a parlor : TAT (Tattoo)
62. Giraffe kin : OKAPI
63. Unlikely lawyer in a 1992 film title : VINNY. I bet many of you nailed it. "My Cousin Vinny".
65. "Ta ta!" : CIAO
71. Calendar list, briefly : SKED (Schedule)
74. Blowups: Abbr. : ENLS
75. Pink hue : MELON
76. Potala Palace city : LHASA. Gimme for me. Dalai Lama used to live in the Potala Palace, which sounds very romantic in Chinese.
80. Christiane Amanpour's network : CNN
81. Super Bowl XLIV MVP : BREES. I have BR??? in place, so BRADY went in first.
82. Well-chosen : APT
83. Knock for __ : A LOOP
84. Danger sign : RED FLAG
90. Michelob beer : ULTRA
91. Strength : ASSET
94. Fashion monogram : YSL. I know who this girl is just by looking at her bag and cutout shirt.
95. Start to commute? : TELE. Telecommute.
100. Carry on : WAGE. As a war.
102. Large body of eau : MER
103. Keep mum : CLAM UP. Snazzy 6-letter entry.
104. Prefix with gram : EPI
105. Big initials in nutritional supplements : GNC
108. Westernmost Texas county : EL PASO
111. "__-Tiki" : KON
112. Layered cut : SHAG. Hard to pull it off.
114. Vice __ : VERSA
116. Fertilizer ingredient : PEAT
117. Interstate H-1 locale : OAHU
121. Emilia's husband : IAGO
122. 2012 U.S. Women's Open winner Na Yeon __ : CHOI. I forgot her name completely.
K. J. Choi is more familiar. CHOI is the same as Cui in Chinese.
123. Nothing but : MERE
124. Driving force? : ENGINE. Nice clue.
125. Stylish eatery word : CHEZ. Don't you want to be in Chez Lucina's?
126. Spots for holsters : HIPS
127. Footnote word : IDEM
128. Insurance __ : AGENCY
Down:
1. Hebrew for "my master" : RABBI. ADONAI is "my Lord".
2. Map collection : ATLAS
3. Refuse : TRASH. Noun "Refuse"
4. Personal quirks : TICs
5. Sioux language featured in "Dances With Wolves" : LAKOTA
6. Seasonal worker? : ELF
7. Sharp : ACID
8. Getting one's feet wet : WADING
9. Loud speaker : ORATOR. Loud indeed.
10. Nonexpert : LAY
12. Temporarily out, in baseball lingo : ON THE DL. And 42. Coming up soon : ON TAP. Patti normally does not allow these little "On", "Up", "The" dupes.
13. Far-away connection? : AND. Far and away.
14. State that declared its independence in 2008 : KOSOVO. From Serbia.
15. "Punch buggy" in a car trip game : VW BEETLE. And 85. Skipping nothing : FROM A TO Z. Two nice 8's.
16. Indian tea : CHAI
17. Bakery purchase : ROLL
18. Put out to sea : SAIL
24. Harbor a grudge against : RESENT
29. Unlikely to speak up : MOUSY
31. Frisco squad : NINERS. Never heard my sisters-in-law call their city "Friso".
34. Novelist Waugh : ALEC
36. Work hard : MOIL. Did you try TOIL again?
38. Bit of inline skating gear : KNEE PAD
40. Massachusetts resort : CAPE ANN
41. Pays to stay : RENTS
43. Stands the test of time : LASTS. Like my Shanghai Tang skirt. I bought it in 1998. I've been wearing that pair of shoes to death too. Lovers come and go, my taste in clothes stays the same, thankfully.
44. Ad writer's award : CLIO
45. Sure bet : LOCK
46. Sports shoe with a Cantilever heel : AVIA
48. Manicurist's concern : CUTICLE. My heart sank after reading Gary's pedi venture.
52. Drought-prone : ARID
53. "Gunsmoke" star : ARNESS (James)
54. "The Mod Squad" role : LINC
56. Not yours, in Tours : A MOI
59. Work on a bust : SCULPT
60. Addressee of two New Testament epistles : TIMOTHY. Got via crosses.
63. Salad dressing ingredient : VINEGAR
64. __ Kippur : YOM
66. Player : ATHLETE
68. Designer Wang : VERA
69. "O, that way madness lies" speaker : LEAR
70. Many a Balkan : SLAV
71. Hit the dirt? : SCRUB. Great clue.
72. Funereal ring : KNELL
73. Put an __: terminate : END TO
77. Super : A-ONE
78. Focus of some searching? : SOUL. Nice clue also.
79. Basilica area : APSE
81. Grass units : BLADES
86. "Borstal Boy" author Brendan : BEHAN. Unknown to me.
87. Particular : ITEM. Not en easy clue.
88. SUNY city on Lake Ontario : OSWEGO. Famous for what?
89. Book jacket part : FLAP
92. Rock 'n' roll era dance : SOCK HOP
93. Rams' home : ST. LOUIS
97. Scarf securer : BROOCH. So pretty.
98. Acted hastily : RUSHED
99. __ of influence : SPHERE
105. Wood pattern : GRAIN
106. Timberlake's old band : NSYNC. I like Justin Timberlake. Extremely talented and down to earth.
107. Jones of song : CASEY
108. Grand-scale tale : EPIC
109. Genesis wife : LEAH. Shout out to our Chickie!
110. Leaf : PAGE
113. "Beg pardon ..." : AHEM
115. Fringe : EDGE
118. Sushi-grade tuna : AHI
120. Pasture : LEA
Indie 500 crossword tournament will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2015 in Washington D.C. The constructors are all indie crossword constructors: Andy Kravis, Evan Birnholz, Peter Broda, Neville Fogarty & Erik Agard, who made two of my favorite LAT Mondays last year. They're holding a contest for the sixth constructor spot. The payment is $500 and the deadline is January 15th, 2015. Click here for the rules and submission details. Good luck!
C.C.
42 comments:
Morning, all!
Pretty straightforward solve for me today. Got a little hung up on some of the names (BEHAN, CHOI, OSWEGO), but nothing the perps couldn't take care of.
I thought the theme was a little weak, to be honest. "GIVING love" seemed especially strained to me.
You're absolutely right, a solid puzzle, although I did TOIL over MOIL for a short while. Amy Dickinson showed up again. Last time she did, I kept reading her name as Angie Dickinson, throwing a wrench in my square filling.
Thank you Patti Varol and thank you CC.
Sunday puzzles seem bigger than other days.
Didn't know CARA was the lyricist.
Passe players = VCRS... ha ha
Got Amy Dickinson this time. First thought that came to mind on who she was, "Alleged Bill Cosby victim", then no, that's not right, she's the actress that was in old westerns and in Police Woman, no, that's not right, she's that columnist we just had that everybody but me seemed to know.
Wanted oNLY for "nothing but."
I thought of Tin at "grass units." Pounds, ounces and joints fit count-wise.
Didn't know CHOI, but knew AHI.
OSWEGO IL. is on the Fox river, SSW from the area where Abejo and I live. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is noted as being from OSWEGO
Hand up for SATE, and testing UNI.
I like the SHAG "look". So did Austin Powers.
Good morning!
C.C., you have my curiosity now. Who is that girl with the YSL purse?? And yes, VINNY was a gimme!
I was looking for the theme entry UP IN SMOKE. But I wasn't GIVING up on Patti's puzzle. It was smooth sailing all the way.
Have a relaxing day, everyone!
Good morning!
I drowned in the Lake Michigan this morning. Yes, I had TOIL and wouldn't let go. I thought Sicilians would call their land some variation of Italy. MEH never occurred to me, nor did ON THE DL. MOUSY started out as TIMID. That whole area is just a mess. I'll wear my DNF badge proudly.
Hand up for JOINTS before BLADES showed up. I've never heard a Beetle called a "Punch Buggy." CLAM UP occurred to me immediately, because CLAM DOWN was too long.
Isn't OSWEGO part of the Air Force's theme song? OSWEGO into the wild blue yonder....
The Week in Review:
M 5:06 T 5:33 W 7:47 T 11:11 F 12:13 S 15:41 S 17:54
A fairly average week with today's puzzle being, apparently, a tad easier than usual. And, also as usual, Saturday's seemed daunting at first. Other than that, WEES.
See y'all next weekend.
Good Morning, C.C. and friends. Interesting Sunday puzzle.
I don't think of Melons as having a Pink hue. They seem more Coral or Orangish to me.
I wanted Squad instead of VERSA for Vice ___.
Hand up for Toil before Moil.
Favorite clue was the Passe Players = VCRs.
Stay dry. Heavy rains are predicted for southern Louisiana.
QOD: Frequently the more trifling the subject, the more animated and protracted the discussion. ~ Franklin Pierce (Nov. 23, 1804 ~ Oct. 8, 1869)
Hi there~!
Yeah, me too, C.C. - who is that~?
As for the puzzle, I do like the cleanliness of the fill; hand up with everyone else in the "TOIL" zone, and I just could not see "MOUSY" in the down. Did enjoy seeing "ON THE DL", "VW BEETLE" (punch buggy was a staple on college road trips), and "FROM A TO Z"....did not occur to me that OUNCES or JOINTS could work, too - clever, guys~!
I went with PESCI for VINNY - oh well.
Splynter
MOIL is a weird word, imho. Finally decided all the preps were good, so declared victory and looked it up. Rare that I learn a new word, but ultimately satisfying. Favorite clue: "Hit the dirt".
MEH.
And, not sure if Mrs Malaprop would agree, but desper-otto wins some kind of award for "Oswego...".
Marti & Splynter,
Her name is Jennifer Grace (Native Fox). I linked her legs for you before, Splynter. Google her images. She wears sunglasses often and seldom looks directly at the camera, so I don't know if she's blue-eyed.
This may be of limited interest but in racing circles Oswego is the home of the supermodified racer. This CLIP outlines the history of the track.(11:16)
Interesting note: Dennis Hastert is from OSWEGO, ILLINOIS, which is known for the town drag strip open from 1955 until 1979 where custom muscle cars were raced by drivers from all over the mid-west.
Good Morning:
Some nice clues and a timely theme. Thought of Bill G immediately at Love, Actually. Overall, an enjoyable Sunday romp.
Thanks, Patti, and thanks, CC, for the expo. Have never had kale; I know it's the greens du jour but, to me, it looks very unappetizing.
Nice, sunshiny day with temps in the 50's and tomorrow at least 60; a welcome reprieve from the last several days of below freezing temps and blustery winds.
Have a relaxing Sunday.
Greetings, friends!
Thanks to Patti and C.C.
Nice shoutout to LEAH and I hope her husband is doing well.
WBS. Quite straightforward solving this and I didn't have to skip around, it just filled seamlessly across/down.
I'm in the TOIL/MOIL and thinking that MELON is more orange than pink group.
Also I knew ON TAP but not ULTRA Michelob beer, perped all the way.
Loved the clue for SCRUB.
Giving LOVE is an admirable trait, IMHO.
C.C., you, too, are welcome to join us for Thanksgiving. It is a fabulous food fest.
desper-otto:
LOL at OSWEGO
Have a fine, relaxing Sunday, everyone! Baby shower time for one of my grand nieces.
MO_L/_SOLA was an official Natick for me and I made an ill-advised choice. I’ll take one bad cell on Patti’s great puzzle- well summed up by our Goddess Of The Blog.
Musings
-Launch control is at KSC but LBJ got GROUND CONTROL in Houston
-I’m sure Amy is great but I’ll take Ann Landers
-My daughter did GIVE BLOOD and then went to work out. The EMT’s said she was very nice in the ambulance.
-My friend said htat this is the best way to WHOA a horse
-Wonderful NFL PSA entitled NO MORE about domestic violence
-PARENTAL units (2:09)
-Our TAT parlor went belly-up and their building in the middle of town has quickly been repainted from garish yellow to beige. Yay!
-MELON pink
-Troubled students usually display RED FLAGS in class
-I got some sample diet pills at GNC and the caffeine and ephedrine made my heart nearly jump out of my chest
-Marty Robbins sang about El Paso and this HIP (4:03)
-About 15,000 people are bilingual English/LAKOTA speakers, many just north of here
-JAMES ARNESS and his famous brother
-Many stadiums play a funereal bell/KNELL to inspire their defense before a play
Pedicure addendum (non-puzzle posting, so please skip if not interested)
The experience was not as pleasant as I thought it would be:
-My Vietnamese nail technician did not/could not talk to me and watched TV to her right most of the time.
-She talked often to her fellow colleagues in Vietnamese (Remember the Seinfeld nail episode?)
-She was very aggressive with the emery board and took as much skin as nail and was indifferent when I flinched
-The hot rock massage on my feet and legs was more annoying than comforting
-My feet didn’t look any better than when I did them
-I was still self-conscious about being the only male in the store in the middle of the mall
-I guess I can soak and clip my nails by myself, try not to draw blood and save $30
Good morning everyone.
Always look forward to C.C.'s intros.
I like Patty's puzzles for the reasons C.C. mentioned.
Fun to do. Only one issue.
116a PEAT - I don't think it would normally be called a fertilizer ingredient in our neck of the woods. A soil type, soil conditioner, and in some places, a low BTU fuel.
_____________
36d. MOIL - I have not heard it used in English. To my L. German ear, it seems to have cognate roots in Möhl 'mill' . My Dad would say: "He het immer wat in de Möhl" (He's always busy.)
38a KALE - I like it best in a white bean soup called St. John's Kale Soup. You can google it. Include Polish sausage, chorizo, or andouille.
Greetings from Florida.
As a native New York stater, I had little trouble with Oswego. It is home to one of the SUNY (State University of New York) schools.
Enjoyed the puzzle and C.C.'s always excellent comments.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
HG:
$30 for a pedicure? That's highway robbery. Ours just went up to $22 but had been $18 for a long time. Presumably there is not much competition in your town.
You would also have male company here. There's always at least one sometimes two men when I go. I'm sorry your experience was not more to your liking.
Happy Sunday everybody! Our pre-Thanksgiving dinner went well and now I can enjoy the leftovers.
Spitz, I like that kale soup too.
It was fun seeing "Love Actually" in a puzzle. I was out for lunch with some teaching friends of mine when I mentioned how much I liked that movie. One of the guys said dismissively, "Oh, that's such a Chick Flick." I scratched him off my list of people whom I care much about.
Gary and Lucina, I get pedicures these days because it's hard for me to bend over with much back pain. Gary, I had the same experience with the woman talking to her friends in Vietnamese. I thought it was rude and it seemed like they were talking about me 'behind my back' right in front of my face. I switched to a local woman's shop. It's more expensive but I like it better.
JB in VA
Enjoyed the puzzle and expo. Hand up for TOIL. Resisted changing it to MOIL which I have seen before. When I did, that section came together.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
When I saw Patti's name I knew it would be a steady run. Didn't get the theme, until the reveal clues, but didn't hold me up much.
WEES about moil-- only "moil", I know of, is a homophone "mohel" which is the person who performs the circumcision at the Jewish ceremony (bris) on the 8th day of the child's life. I discovered that word when I was being trained to do circumcisions and one of my Jewish friends, gave me that nickname and told me I needed to say "mazel tov" as I finished.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving to the Crossword Corner, and thanks to CC who "moils" on this blog.
Good morning all,
Thanks Patti and C.C., a fun romp. Sundays take me forever, but today at least I knew enough to WAG and perp my way to the finish. Sked for schedule was not in my brain, and "punch buggy" made sense AFTER it filled. Everyone has a different name for it.
Not a lover of Black Friday, but liked the theme of giving.
enls? blow ups???
Kale has become a fun snack.Drizzle with olive oil, nutmeg, seasoned salt. 10-15 min in a 350 oven.
C.C., I don't think ANYONE who lives in or around SF calls it Frisco. To me it is like rubbing nails on a chalkboard. It is The City.
Gary, many of our Vietnamese manicurists have not learned English well enough to carry on conversations with customers. They usually just carry on conversations with each other. Many try. My manicurist does quite well, but then her children were born here. BTW, $30 is way too high. I pay $20...probably due to competition.
I may have linked this awhile back, a fun 6 min.Evolution of Dancing
Greetings!
Thanks, Patti and CC!
Got stuck on MOIL. One red letter to continue. Have looked it up now.
I like kale sautéed with other veggies. Not so much alone.
Still don't understand PUNCH BUGGY. Help!
Cute outfit, CC!
Cheers!
enls., enlargements or blowups of photos
thanks anonymous
Oswego is the location of the only USA camp for WWII Jewish refugees.
PUNCH BUGGY... Back in the day when VW beetles were a little rarer, it became a juvenile game to relieve boredom on a car trip. Whoever saw a VW first would yell something, "Punch buggy!" or something else depending on the region, and then get to punch the other guys in the arm. Mostly a game for juvenile males. It never caught on much with more mature females for some reason...
JD, I enjoyed the dancing video.
Where I grew up, the game was called "Slug Bug".
"Don't Call It Frisco" - Herb Caen (1916-1997)
SUNY, State University of New York at Oswego, New York, not Illinois.
Hello everybody. This is the first Sunday puzzle in a long time that I couldn't finish without turning on the red letters. It turns out I left the D in at the crossing of KOSOVO and VIE. What D, you ask? Well, at first I entered KOMODO at 14D because it was the only thing I could think of having already filled in KO_O_O, and "DIE for" seemed okay. After changing the M to S I simply overlooked that leftover D.
Yep, it was VERSA, not squad. Yep, it was MOIL, not toil. Yep, it was not Itala or Itale or anything like that.
I hate kale baked in the oven. I am definitely going to try that St. John's Club soup.
There is a Lake Oswego in Oregon. It is a suburb of Portland. Man oh man, how many Oregon towns have the same name as those in other states? Portland, of course, and Salem. At least I think the name Grants Pass is unique. My sister, who lives in Roseburg, Oregon, calls it Grass Pants. Oh, and nobody around here ever calls San Francisco "Frisco." Ever. What JD said: fingernails on chalkboard.
I am so lucky! LW gives me a wonderful pedicure every week. The works! It's the one advantage to having a bad back and being unable to reach my feet any more. Hi there, Bill G.
That Jennifer Grace sure has spindly legs!
Best wishes to you all.
Did this puzzle in the newspaper with several Google helps and thought I had finished it correctly. But then I came here and saw my TOIL/MOIL mistake!
OSWEGO NY is only about 185 miles from here but I don't think I have ever visited.
I remember the Punch Buggy game from public school (am I dating myself??). We had a "Volkswagon, dual exhaust" where you could give two punches.
Where da white women at?
The Friday/Saturday/Sunday puzzles are beyond my ability but I still read the blog and comments.
Anon-T from last nigh--you asked for recipes to "kick it up". How about a Spicy Sweet Potato Casserole? It has a bit of cayenne pepper in it. Or, Brussels Sprouts with a maple syrup glaze and Craisins?
It's raining. At least we don't have to shovel it.
Good Sunday evening, all!
Pat
Here's a math 'puzzle' that Barbara needed my help with. She wants to bake another pumpkin pie. The recipe calls for whole milk (4%). She has 1% milk and half-and-half (5%). How much of each should she mix together to get two cups (16 fl. oz.) of whole milk?
Extra cheese?
Thank you Patti Varol and thank you CC.
I usually don't finish Sunday's in their entirety. Today was no exception. I have blank blocks scattered randomly throughout the grid.
I did however enjoy getting all of the long answers. A rare treat.
Hi all!
I only had time to play about 1/2 the puzzle (printed from the Mensa site* - curses H. Chron!) before the day kicked into full swing. Thanks Patti & CC.
My fav. (of what I got): VW BEETLE. I entered "slug bugs" at 1st - GROUND CONTROL (to Major Tom) fixed that.
I would link Timberlake's SNL songs/sketches, but they are MA - Googling left as an exercise for the reader...
Lucina (from yesterday) - I probably won't introduce another meat to THE HOLIDAYS this year, but I'm keen on that pork recipe.
PJE - Sprouts w/ maple syrup?!? I've got some Vermont Grade B in the pantry, would that work or just A Grade? Oh, gosh, sorry, I'm starting to drool on the keyboard; it sounds absolutely wonderful. Thanks.
Cheers, -T
*the Mensa puzzle didn't have the clue for 67a in the printed version - that stunk. Amy Dickenson is on NPR's "Wait, Wait..." at least once a month.
AnonT:
I'll have it for you tomorrow or sometime very soon.
Good Monday morning, folks. Thank you, Patti Varol, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.
Well, I did not get this done until Monday morning. I was at Oswego, IL, for most of Sunday. I did hear about the drag strip from a guy that was at my event.
Zipped through most of this uninhibited. I had CAPE COD for a while. Fixed that to CAPE ANN. I had SERB for 70D. Fixed that to SLAV. Had BIRTH OF JESUS for 86A. Fixed that to BIRTH OF VENUS. Had ENERGY for 124A. Fixed that to ENGINE. HAD GFS for 105A. fixed that to GNC. Had AGENTS for 128A. Fixed that to AGENCY. Had ELIE for 34D. Fixed that to ALEC. Had WADDER for 8D. Fixed that to WADING. Those are all my ink blots.
Took me forever to get GIVING. I wanted DINING, but it would not work. Theme appeared after GIVING appeared.
I am going to bail out. Am going to try to go to a doctor today. I have quite a rash on my right leg. Does not itch, just is very annoying. Tough to sleep at night. Appeared suddenly on Saturday.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
(601)
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