In the never ending CSO's in the world of the LAT, our feerless leader gets her puzzle from Julian Lim, who lives in Singapore. Normally, Julian's puzzles are very hard for me, but this one was just hard enough for a Friday, with a low word count, and the theme, once revealed really helped relieve the stress. The letter "C" is added to the beginning of first and last word of a known phrase or name to create a new and completely unrelated phrase. 3 are two word phrase; 1 has a proper name, both before and after. I saw no other hidden agenda here, and the reveal which we usually do not get was not a slam dunk reveal so it is a Friday. We have some fun 6 letter fill HONCHO, PHOBIA, PORTIA, PSYCHO, SCROLL, SMOOCH and some longer sparkle BELABOR, GOLIATH, DIES IRAE, DOVETAIL , EMOTICON and NICE SHOT
18A. Jar for leafy vegetable storage? : CHARD CROCK (10). This is difficult on so many layers; first you need to know that CHARD is a leafy vegetable. I hear it mostly as Swiss Chard, and it is called Spinach in South Africa but it is the leafy part of a type of beet. The leaf is quite healthy. HARD ROCK is a developer of hotels, casino etc., here they have partnered with the Seminole Tribe.
24A. Actor Jackie's pet fish? : CHANS CARP (9). We usually see the ARTIST as Jean Arp, founder of Dada, but in German he was Hans. Jackie Chan has had a successful career as a comedic martial arts expert. I was surprised to read that he had done a porno.
50A. Emulate an inveterate swindler? : CON AND CON (9). On and On we go.
57A. Vessel with limited space? : CRAMPED CUP (10). I did not get (r)amped up about this fill, I guess it runneth over.
And the hint:
37A. Opine ... or create four long answers in this puzzle? : ADD ONE'S TWO CENTS. This is not a simple reveal because the symbol for cents, while a C, is really ¢.
Across:
1. Sardine cousin : SHAD. These are both generic names for types of herring.
5. "My take is ..." : I'D SAY. The Millennial phrase.
10. Princess from Amphipolis : XENA. If you need the whole STORY.
14. Iota : MOTE. Little things.
15. One-up : OUTDO.
16. "Head With Pipe" artist Nolde : EMIL. No idea.
20. 2000s World #1 female golfer : OCHOA. She came, she conquered, she retired; her CAREER. I remember when she came out of Arizona and played the futures tour winning 3 of the 10 events she played. We obviously have some who like the LPGA because we also have 49A. With 60-Down, only South Korean World Golf Hall of Fame inductee : SE RI. 60D. See 49-Across : PAK. She changed the face of golf with her success inspiring the Asian world of golf.
22. Nurture : REAR.
23. Word with cake or break : TEA. Any other day would have CUP added.
27. "__ Love" (Maroon 5 hit) : THIS.
29. Smoking, perhaps : HOT. Interestingly next to another sexist measure of females....
30. Half a score : TEN. Ladies and gentleman, please let us know who think is a TEN.
31. 1959 novel in whose film version Mary Crane became Marion Crane : PSYCHO. Still one of the most unsettling movies of all time. I love that the P crosses with 31D. Psychologist's concern : PHOBIA though some may suggest it is an impermissible dupe of fill/clue... If you have not seen it and are squeamish, do not watch.
33. Giant : GOLIATH. This guy slings back into our radar.
36. Rabbit's friend : POOH. Can you bear any more Winnie references?
41. Literary __ : LION. This was a struggle, while it is a term I have heard (Mailer was a literary lion) I needed perps to get started.
42. More than hammer home : BELABOR. Very nice fresh fill, which I will not say too often.
43. Video game segments : LEVELS. I do remember the thrill of new levels back in the days of playing pac man in the bar.
45. Jr.'s jr. : III. The kids are often called Tre.
46. Spot for a soak : SPA.
53. Small songbird : TIT. We must have a GREAT picture.
54. Work on a canvas? : SPAR. Excellent misdirection, not a painting but in the boxing ring.
56. Unfortunate : SORRY.
61. Bard's verb : DOTH. A soupçon of Shakespeare.
62. "See Dad Run" star : BAIO. Scott. Never heard of it.
63. Steer snagger : REATA.
64. Mishmash : OLIO. Along with morel, the word that defines Crossword Corner.
65. TripAdvisor alternative : YELP. My oldest uses their review all of the time for restaurants.
66. "No worries" : IT'S OK.
67. White side, maybe : SLAW. Really, I always have carrots and purple cabbage in mine.
Down:
1. More than peck : SMOOCH.
2. Head __ : HONCHO. Comes from Japanese hanchō squad leader, from han squad + chō head, chief. We got it from returning servicemen. Han Solo?
3. Besides : AT THAT.
4. Plymouth's county : DEVON. This area has an interesting HISTORY.
5. Org. with a multi-ring logo : IOC. International Olympic Committee.
6. "No __!" : DUH.
7. Whitewater figure : STARR. Ken. No politics, just a LINK.
8. Pitcher? : AD REP. One who 'pitches' i.e. gives a sales pitch.
9. Green sage : YODA. Now that Episode VII is in the works I am sure we will see more Star Wars references, though Yoda is dead?
10. Survey taker, at times : X'ER. I guess this means one who x'es, checks boxes. A complete meh.
11. Text clarifier : EMOTICON. Since people do not talk and only text, you need some idea of the facial expression to get meaning of the words.
12. Compliment on a course : NICE SHOT. Gary, I am sure your golf game will be ready.
13. Antacid brand word : ALKA. My old pal...
19. Old PC monitors : CRTS. Cathode Ray Tubes.
21. Martin's start? : ASTON. Bond, James Bond.
25. Hollywood glitterati : CELEBS. Eh.
26. Sambuca flavoring : ANISE. Licorice anyone?
28. On a sugar high, say : HYPER.
32. Quaker Honey Graham __ : OHS.
33. Toast, with "a" : GONER.
34. U.S.-U.K. separator : ATLantic.
35. "Truth is more of a stranger than fiction" writer : TWAIN. One of the great minds of all time with a true way with words.
37. The works : ALL.
38. Second section of Verdi's "Requiem" : DIES IRAE.
39. Fit nicely : DOVETAIL.
40. Quarters, e.g. : COINS. So simple, but...
44. Daffy Duck has one : LISP.
46. Move on a screen : SCROLL. To the finish?
47. Shakespearean heiress : PORTIA. My weekly dose of Will. Who said it better?
"The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:"
48. "But I digress ..." : ANY HOW. I am an any way man, Drat.
50. Trainee : CADET. Not just in the service.
51. Marine predators : ORCAS. Whale of a good answer.
52. Bygone birds : DODOS. CSO!
53. Mango tango smoothie server : TCBY. This Can't Be Yogurt. Cousin of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.
55. Prefix with cardial : PERI. The sac where the heart truly is.
58. Post-spill need : MOP.
Hasten jason
Get the basin
Oops plop,
Get the mop.
59. __-Aztecan languages : UTO.
I do not think it is going out on a limb to say that this was a challenge in places; well I had fun I hope you did. Lemonade out.
This was closer than Rich normally allows to a rebus puzzle, with ¢¢s as CCs. (or is it CCs as ¢¢s?) Needed a lot of red letter help on this one after the first pass, from ANYWAY>AT THAT, WAY>DUH, PETA>POOH, BILL>LISP, MYRO>PERI, CRUET>CROCK, PSYCHE>PHOBIA, DEJA (Thoris)>XENA. The last fill I had to run the alphabet on, though I saw it at once when I got to it, and that was the X in X-ER.
ReplyDeleteThe theme brought this classic limerick to mind, before I could try to think of one of my own:
That terrible perfume that Willy sent
Was highly displeasing to Millicent.
Her thanks were so cold
That they quarreled, I'm told.
O'er that silly scent Willy sent Millicent.
There once was a Husker named Gary
Whose medicinal needs would vary
On the blog, this fine chap
Would share his nightcap,
By CCing C.C. 200cc's of sherry!
(I resisted using roman numerals for this paraphrase of what HG presciently wrote in the Crossword Corner yesterday, "If I wanted to share my med quantities with our blog mistress, I could CC C.C. about my CC’s.")
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteGot everything except for the entire NW corner and then ran out of time. Haven't read the write-up or the comments, so maybe I'll have time later to attempt to finish. I think the theme has something to do with adding extra Cs to common phrases, based on the ADD ONES TWO CENTS reveal, but I'm not sure...
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteOther than the four corners and the center, this one was pretty easy. Even with the reveal, I didn't get the theme. Thought it was just two weird words beginning with C.
In Florida it took lots of Wite-Out to transform TUB crossing URANIA into SPA crossing PORTIA. In New England I was slowed by my foot injury. I wasn't sure what PEE ice was, but I knew what a PEE Break was. D'oh! And that princess...LEIA, nope, OONA? Maybe that survey taker could be NPR and the princess NANA? Nope, XENA.
This one went way into overtime, but I got 'er done. I was still sure I'd screwed up in the Black Hills. I don't understand "No DUH" -- anybody?
All right, I finally got back to this one and managed to get the job done. Looks like I was right about the theme, except that I couldn't get the first one to work. I knew that CHAN'S CARP had to be right (oddly enough, I introduced my son to classic Jackie Chan movies over Christmas vacation and we watched another one last night), but what the heck is HANSARP? HANS ARP? OK, so I see from the write-up it's an alternate name I've never heard of for somebody I have heard of. Whatever.
ReplyDeleteI also struggled trying to remember any famous female golfers without much success. OCHOA came entirely from perps, and I went astray down south thinking the "vessel" in 57A was a CAR instead of a CUP (what the heck is a CRAMPED CUP, anyway?) That finally got taken care of, however, when I realized that RAMPED AR didn't mean anything (although for awhile I was thinking I had misunderstood the theme since HANS ARP didn't mean anything either...)
One of these days I'll remember UTO-Aztec, but for awhile there ATO-Aztec looked perfectly plausible.
desper-otto: I think No-DUH is just regional slang. Some people say "well, DUH!" to indicate, "That's obvious, you moron," while others say "No-DUH!"
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a DNF for me. Duh and Yoda did me in. Never saw any of the Star War movies, so had no idea Yoda was green. This took me a lot longer to finish than the usual Friday offering, probably because of Mr. Lim's talent at misdirection and seemingly complex, yet straightforward, clues.
Thanks, JL, for a mental workout and thanks, Lemony, for the cogent expo, I did get the theme which helped with chard crock. Very big CSO to our own CC.
Have a great day.
C'mon, it can't be just me. No one else saw the relationship between 53 and 57 across? It made struggling through this puzzle well worth it.
ReplyDeleteLol! As a DDD cup that hit home!
DeleteWhat is CSO?
ReplyDeleteCoincidental Shout Out
ReplyDeleteWhere a member of the Corner is referenced in a puzzle, which is by coincidence, not a puzzle created by one of us.
Montana your CRAMPED CUP observation is brilliant and I galdly take 2 demerits for missing a opportunity; my excuse is the I am always free of restraint.
It took a while for this one to start making sense. I did finish but it took over an hour, off and on. So many unknowns that required WAGS and Perps.
ReplyDelete10A- LEIA or XENA
8D- AD MAN or AD REP
63A- LASSO or RIATA or REATA
20A- ANIKA or OCHOA
12D GOOD SHOT or NICE SHOT
DUH was hard to look at even though it was the only thing that would fit my CHARD CRATE that changed to CROCK as my last fill, with EMIL being an total perp. I only know TCBY as a frozen yogurt shop and they advertized as 'The Country's Best Yogurt' around here.
My first choice for 49A was CHOI but he didn't win enough for the HALL and K.J. only had two letters.
Other unknowns were DEVON, TWAIN, PORTIA, BAIO, UTO, YELP, PSYCHO, SHAD, ANISE, DIES IRAE, and I still don't get "a GONER"
Over and out.
I quickly ran out of patience with this puzzle, even with red letter help, so I didn't try to finish it. If I get help with three answers, I get discouraged and don't feel that I have actually succeeded in any way. Now I can see many answers where walking away and coming back would have been useful.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am just eager to get on with my day and go shopping on this first day I am allowed to drive after my catheterization this past Monday. I am picking up Alan this afternoon and am very eager to see him, but not for shopping. We will go out for pizza. He always wants to go with me to the mall, but gets impatient if I take too long.
A puzzle that stretches my abilities with a creative and helpful theme – I did pretty got AT THAT.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Amen to Lemon’s praise of “fun fill” in his great write-up
-Not much at first blush but got to SE corner and started back
-Hitchcock scared us all without gore
-A struggling III
-Canvas sail, canvas painting surface, canvas survey, nah.
-Shows ON TV that depict dads as idiots and kids as savants is a trope that is overdone
-Maybe YELP could have helped avoid a bad meal (e.g. tasteless SLAW) in Lincoln on Wednesday night. I paid the bill, tipped 20% and will not go back.
-If you’re pitching the IOC, bring lots of cash upfront
-I never progressed beyond the first Star Wars
-Lemon, I could have played today, but I’m doing a Bernoulli presentation for some physics classes in Omaha
-This new TV (post CRT) we are getting on Monday is so thin, we had to also get auxiliary speakers. Old set is a GONER!
-This burger appears to have “the works”
-In my ute we did not need a Quarter when using this machine like today
-Loved the limerick, Owen!
Big Easy: He's toast! He's a GONER.
ReplyDelete"Puzzling thoughts"
ReplyDeleteOwen, great lim for HG and CC; quite clever
A big DNF for me; I googled and used any and all measures, and still couldn't figure it out - been super busy and haven't done many puzzles this year, but that's no excuse!
Ok, if you'll allow, here is one of my favorite lim's that uses another description of 53 across;
There was once a young girl who begat,
Three male babies named Nat, Pat and Tat.
'Twas fun, in the breeding,
But hell, in the feeding,
When she found there was no TIT for Tat!
Love it!
DeleteReminds me of "there was an old hermit named Dave" . . .
Brutal!
ReplyDeleteIt took forever to get started, and when progress began, it was in bursts of energy followed by prolonged lulls. Oddly, Lion was the first fill that I had confidence in. Aston was the second. From there, it was a wagfest. Finally got it all but the Maine zone. Wanted Leia and resisted emoticon heavily. Finally googled for Emil and it all came together. Tweren't purty McGee.
On the Ten topic, I have to mention that to some the definition of a 10 is a 4 with a 6-pack. :-)
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteStill no Cruciverb. This must be a record for them - five days, no updates.
Struggled a bit with this one. The theme came out early with Chard Crock, but it didn't help much. The biggest logjam was Footnote before Emoticon, which fit enough places to look solid. Duh did not seem to belong, but perps said otherwise.
Lots of golf today, not my strong suit, but at least I could suss Se Ri Pak because she has appeared in so many puzzles.
What Yellowrocks said, 9:03. Maybe it's the after-effects of having general anesthesia yesterday, or not. Found today's offering just too brutal, even for a Friday. Not that enjoyable. HANS ARP? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteI think this would have been fun had I committed more time to it. After I 100% finished it with red letter help, the YOUR PUZZLE RESULTS screen gave me a 98% (A+) and I question that... first time I'd seen that screen. Didn't deserve a C, even. (I amuse myself.)
I'm a big fan of the LPGA but question the length and locations of its Asian tour, something like eight straight weeks of tourneys, and by memory only I recall: Hainan Island, Viet Nam, Japan, Korea, Taipei?, another Chinese course (CC!) and perhaps Julian Lim's Singapore. Wish they played as many in California.
TGIF. Thanks, Lemonade, for the writeup. Thanks for explaining CSO.
Come to think of it, maybe I'm just a big fan of Michelle Wie. Wish she could get it altogether. This might be her best year. Her wrist injury will be cured, I hope.
Whew, boy! Not a good morning here. I saw too many vowels and couldn't work my way around them. Couldn't get away from canvas and art, ad man, anyway. I had cramped cup and still didn't see anything. CSO came to me after going back to read Lemonade's very helpful explanations. I often cannot decide whether to focus on the words and letters or the theme and the constructor. At my age I guess I should be bi-focal.
ReplyDeleteI, too, ran out of patience. I left the puzzle to watch the city cut down the Green Ash. I never liked it anyway (anyhow), and I am easily entertained. God must have been tired the day he designed those trees. They all look like they belong in a Halloween movie. Then...
After the hiatus I came back to the puzzle and immediately saw Goliath. After that quite a bit fell into place. With plenty of "Duh"s on my part. Or is it "No, Duh!" Thanks to Mr. Lim for the challenge. I hope I don't cave tomorrow.
Happy Weekend.
Sorry, but Thumper said it all for me, today.
ReplyDeleteMontana
This one was a really white fill through the first pass. Really had to take some WAG's to get anything to start working. Nice puzzle, and good write-up!
ReplyDeleteDudley,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you post "still no Cruciverb" so I know others are having the same problem. If that site is the only one allowed to post LA Times puzzles in cruciverb format they should be more attentive to their users.
I can retrieve the puzzles from other sites (Mensa, LA Times Games, etc.) but their structures are not conducive to solving without having to awkwardly scroll to view the clues.
Suggestions are welcome.
Come back Cruciverb!!
P.S. I read this blog everyday and have been doing so for several years. I feel like I am friends with many of you and can identify strongly with a few. I remain 'anonymous' because I am shy and not as witty or intellectual as the rest of you.
Well this one required Google and red letter help to complete. I did get the theme but there were a lot of unknown names and odd clues. I don't consider SLAW to be white (rather light green and orange with carrots added. Agree with meh for XERS.
ReplyDeleteI had TEND before REAR and smiled at Jr.'s Jr.=III.(I was trying to fit sophs).
But it is Friday so I am happy just to finish.
Anonymous@10:42 - I felt that way too. Hope you continue to post.
Have a good day all.
I cringed when I saw who constructed today's puzzle. J.L. is my biggest nemesis. I'd be willing to bet he has caused me more DNFs than all other constructors combined. Despite that, I dove in anyway. The first pass through for the low hanging fruit was surprisingly, well. . .fruitful. With a good toehold I made several passes through, gaining a little ground each time, until I had about 75% filled in and hit a stone wall. And here I thought I might get a "Tada" today. Nope, had to turn on red letter help, and even then it was still a slog to the finish. Last fill was the X crossing XENA and XER. Heard of XENA though I never watched the program, but XER, really? That's it. I'm done for the day. That puzzle was too much of a brain drain for this old curmudgeon.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday! Add me to the list of people who had difficulty with this puzzle. I tried and tried to avoid turning on red letters but I finally gave up. I had "Ad man" and "Herb" instead of ADREP and YODA. Lots of other blank squares. But when I got finished, I was able to admire Mr. Lim's clever composition. Also, thanks to Mr. Lemon.
ReplyDeleteNeat limericks Owen.
I am a III too since my father was a Jr. I haven't used III since childhood.
Ditto, Montana!
ReplyDeleteYODA is dead?! Thanks for the spoiler alert!
ReplyDeleteActually, Lemony, you remain pleasantly consistent. Thanks for the weekly laughs...
Where are my manners? Thank you, Lemonade714, for an educational exposition. And Owen, great limericks.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThis was a Friday puzzle? Give me a break! Not a great way to head into the weekend.
Thanks, Lemonade, your expo explained a lot of things.
Here's hoping for a better day than its beginning!
I only got 8 answers correct here, and would never have sussed the theme. Many of the clue and answer phrases are totally unknown to me, as were all the names. Sorry Lemon, you did a good job, but nothing here was fun today.
ReplyDeleteIf all my calendars didn't say this was Friday, I'd have never known. I QUICKLY came to this site for the answers, explanations, giggles and, in my part of the world, "well, duhs." This felt like a Saturday puzzle to me and I've spent way too much time away from the things I should be doing. Back to the fray and thanks, All! PS Shy, Anonymous, me, too. That's why I tip toe through.
ReplyDeleteI have read that the person who maintains Cruciverb is having health issues, so that may not be resolved for a while.
ReplyDeleteDo you all have acrosslite downloaded?
I have been watching the ENDEAVOUR prequel on my Amazon prime, and I had forgotten all the puzzle references, albeit cryptics. Along with Fermatprime, I recommend them.
Anyone else still watching The Mentalist?
Sorry some did not enjoy todays efforts.
To answer the implied query, No, I did not have fun with this one.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate Lemonade's attempt to help Mr. Lim's efforts seem plausible for a Friday, but I found the strain between the level of difficulty and the eventual Ahas! to defeat this Xwd's purpose. The obscurity (in English, anyway) of HANS ARP and the awkwardness of reaping Cs from CENTS are merely two of the sorry choices here. I wish after all the effort (and the need to cheat more than twice) that I could say I enjoyed the discoveries, as that is what makes the toil worth while. But I am with Yellowrocks and a few others: the true art of the Crossword is finding that elusive balance between labor and reward.
I wish Mr. Lim well in his next effort.
Hola Everyone, Friday's are a slog for me, but I had some time today to slog along. Google was my best friend. Julian Lim's puzzles are always a challenge, but I try to learn something from them. Today was no exception.
ReplyDeleteEmil Nolde, Ochoa, and Belabor were just three things I learned. However, how long they'll stick is another question.
Thank you Lemonade for your writeup and Julian Lim for the learning experience, even though it was a slog!
Have a great day, everyone.
Lemonade,
ReplyDeleteYes, acrosslite is downloaded. When I access the acrosslite app and click open it takes me to Cruciverb.com and the message "file does not exist or cannot be found" appears.
thanks for the suggestion
I have to share one real life memory featuring the word TIT.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a grad student at The Shakespeare Institute in Stratford, UK, in 1960, our dean, Professor Allardyce Nicoll, had the gracious practice of inviting all new students to his home in small groups where he and Mrs Nicoll would serve tea.
The day came when four other American students and I (all male back then) were invited. As part of the polite conversation, Mrs Nicoll told us of the lovely Blue Tits who dined daily at the feeder in the garden of their country home.
"And if any of you should happen to be in our neighborhood, you have a standing invitation to come see my Blue Tits. Really, I believe they're the loveliest Tits for miles and miles. Please come see my Tits!"
(She went on at greater length.)
I have to give immense credit to my fellow Americans and myself for never cracking more than an avian-appreciative smile. We maintained the dignity of the occasion, but there were more gasps covered by coughs and more worried eye contact-- and then more secretive eye-rolling-- at that tea than at any other time I can recall.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
My feelings about a Julian Lim puzzle mirror Blue Hen's. Today, after thirty +/- minutes, I had twelve entries of which half were wrong. I've never been on this guy's wave length and likely never will.
I do not ever turn on Red Letters or Google when solving (trying to) a puzzle, but today it would not have helped. This guy is a masochist, IMHO.
Working weekend coming up so I'll talk to you all on Monday. Be safe and have some fun.
The Trib site uses a different interface you might like. A print-out has the grid and the clues on the same page, just a little small but like most papers.
ReplyDeleteTrib
Yes, I'm still watching The Mentalist because it is its last season.
Agree with what many others have said about this one not being much fun. After 30 minutes the red letters revealed that 50% of my entries were wrong :(
ReplyDeleteTried again after an hour, but the break hadn't helped much. Seemed more like a Saturday to me, too.
Anon@10:42 -- You might want to try the PuzzleSociety.com site for the daily LAT when Cruciverb is down. I think one can still do the crosswords for a week as a free trial there.
This ought to be good:
ReplyDeleteJohn Lampkin’s Chronicle of Higher of Education crossword, “Tom Swift Considers a Major”
It is available on Cruciverb.
Keith at 12:44:
ReplyDeleteVery good saying. Astute and eloquent in its brevity:
"The true art of the Crossword is finding that elusive balance between labor and reward."
For me, the true art is that balance, plus the joy of learning. I've not always been a fan of gaining knowledge, but now I find it's the most enriching thing.
Waytogo.
Ray
Anon 10:42, many were shy when they first went from lurker to poster and many still are, that is why they do not go blue, like tiptothru. But we have a continuity of comments and we get to know people from their comments. It is fun and I am sure you are at least as witty as we are
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm a dinosaur but I still do my puzzles in ink on the newspaper and they don't publish or deliver on Monday or Tuesday. Whatever cruciverb is is not known to me.
ReplyDeleteThe only way I know if I completed it correctly is through this blog. And I would never take a laptop to the bathroom with me.
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually do well on Julian's puzzles. Probably a wavelength thing. But I took a crack at it today and was glad I did. Got the NW and SE easily. (I did scratch my head over 'white side' SLAW.) Finally got the 'hang' of the theme, and gradually was able to build out from the theme fill.
Didn't know for sure DEVON was a county but knew Plymouth was not too far from Cornwall and that Devon was next to it.
Alternate spellings like REATA were not helpful.
Needed more WAGS than I'm comfortable with but it worked out.
New learnings included clue interpretations like for EMOTICON.
Good intro, Lemon. Thanks.
Took me hours to solve this one, chipping away little by little. Had to walk away several times, which actually helps. I have been well entertained today.
ReplyDeleteI interpreted TEN as half a score, which is 20, as in "four score and seven..."
Excellent limericks, Owen. Best wishes to you all.
Excruciating. HANS ARP? Why not John Arp? Or Juan Arp? Maybe Johannes Arp? Had CRAMPED CAR as 59D & 60D could have been practically anything, and the theme didn't seem to make sense except for two of the entries. So that made this a DNF for me. Add to this the fact that Cs are not cents symbols (you could do the same with the letter S and $ and it would be just as inane). Not much in the way of interesting fill, either. Oh well. They can't all be winners.
ReplyDeleteI have never watched Parks and Recreation. So, I thought I would look at least one show before it's off the air. The first thing I heard was an Indian (native American) recounting a story about an ancestor who had lost a battle. He was killed, he said, by the "calvary." That can't be right, can it? Is confusing 'calvary' and 'cavalry' a common mistake? I think maybe it is.
ReplyDeleteIt must be obvious but in case it's not..., you guys who are having trouble with Cruciverb, why not try the Mensa site? I like the format even better than Cruciverb but if you don't, just print it out. It's better than doing without for a week.
So Keith, finish the story. Were Mrs. Nicoll's Blue Tits indeed the lovliest?
Do any of you watch Nova? I love the WWII era. The recent Nova was about using stereo camera imagery to locate important targets to bomb including the V2 rocket emplacements. A year or two ago, they had a segment about bouncing bombs, dropped on a lake from low altitude and then would skip like a stone until they hit and took out an important dam.
HANS ARP
ReplyDeleteI thought we had him so many times....
My 2 cents worth?:
ReplyDeleteThe lack of time (& perps) forced me to read the Blog first, but I still managed to get a little mental excercise by picking up the puzzle later in the afternoon, & trying to fill it in from memory. (I still had trouble...)
Looking at the finished puzzle, I am still scratching my head. How does the clue unfortunate @ 56A lead one to "sorry."
3D besides = at that? Incomprehensible!
6D no (blank)! could be anything (Duh!)
On the other hand, I did like 54a work on a canvas = spar, and 33D toast (with a) = goner (tough but fair...)
Big Easy,
ReplyDeleteI also do the puzzles with ink in the newspaper...but the New Orleans Advocate is delivered daily so I get do a puzzle every day. You should try it! Better writers, too, IMHO, but that's another story!
67a white side, maybe = slaw is also a controversial clue...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteI sit corrected.
Since Maroon 5 was included this morning, I thought this would be of interest. I'm not a follower of anything pop, but this is a very cool setup and from all appearances the bride and guests are all completely taken off guard.
ReplyDeleteMaroon 5 as Wedding Crashers
Bill's seat mate on the plane was a girl and a pretty one AT THAT. "Besides" or "to boot" could be substituted for AT THAT.
ReplyDeleteWhen she asked me to help her with her term paper it was already a SORRY mess. Sorry=unfortunate. In college, this frequently happened at 9 or 10 PM on the night before the paper was due.
She was doomed, TOAST, a GONER.
Thanks for the great expo, Lemony. Owen,fun limericks.
Good afternoon, Wizardly Puzzlers! Count me in as one who found this very hard. YODA was my first fill but a hard march all the way after that.
ReplyDeleteJulian Lim always stumps me and today he forced me to think and think and step outside the box. I managed slowly to solve small quadrants at a time, then like others of you, leave it and come back for another fill.
But then I had to go for a haircut and on my return, saw EMOTICON and NICE SHOT but still did not know XENA. Finally, decided to research the proper names I didn't recognize. OCHOA is one I do know and that helped fill the NW corner.
So then with SE RI PAK and TWAIN, in place, I finished. But it wasn't a satisfactory feeling.
CSO to our DODO. I hope she is well.
OMK:
Funny story about TITs.
Owen:
Great limericks
Thank you, Lemonade for your gracious and elucidating analysis. I didn't even look for the theme.
I hope your Saturday is going well, everyone!
The John Lampkin is tons of fun
ReplyDeleteThank you Lemon and Julian.
ReplyDeleteYou know you're in trouble when your first fill is 30A. Sakes...
I accidently stumbled on this site about 2years ago. It is the only one I visit every day. Like anon @ 1042 am I feel a connection with many of the regular posters. I thank CC for starting it all and all the great people who help make this such an interesting and informative site. I look forward to Owen K and the chairman's witty limericks every day.
ReplyDeleteAnon@10:42 (and Lemonade@1:29):
ReplyDeleteI agree. I have only recently quit lurking and decided to "go blue." As Heart Rx said to me recently, it's more fun to be involved. True.
Some days, I feel soooo smart, and other days I wonder what in the world I have ever learned. Plus there's a lot to learn here. It's fun, so join in.
I thought TCBY stood for The Country's Best Yogurt, but I digress!!
ReplyDeleteNice blog Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote,'Jackie Chan has had a successful career as a comedic martial arts expert. I was surprised to read that he had done a porno.'
Would that also make him a successful comedic marItal arts expert ?
Anonymous at 5:58..... I agree. Down here in The Swamp TCBY stands for The Country's Best Yogurt. A regional difference, surely.
ReplyDeleteEpic DNF!!!
ReplyDeleteGeez, I put this down, then picked it up ... about 5 times and still I was in the weeds ...
Hmmm, that gives e an idea ...
My toasts which sometimes include an "a" is never GONER ...
I like to celebrate by cyber-friends ...
Just glad that my "Bygone birds" was DODOS, CSO to our DODO!
And I was never going to get where you can be served a "Mango-tango smoothie.
I'll have something ... Dewar's Heartlander Honey or Ouzo or Pinch ... NEAT ...
No "_ _ _" will be involved in any drink for me ... LOL!!!
Cheers!
O. Lurker that was funny. Jackie Chan where are you
ReplyDeleteThe fact is everyone is right about TCBY
ReplyDeleteThanks
Thanks all. This puzzle was good company in the hospital watching over my oldest girl. I finished it this morning without help after the usual unpleasantness of a ward bed. Excellent theme and theme answers. Isn't it really the logic of the form its best reward? No, the community around it rivals that enjoyment. Thanks C(rossword) C(orner) for bringing it to me.
ReplyDeleteExactly what alexscott said:
ReplyDelete"Cs are not cents symbols (you could do the same with the letter S and $ and it would be just as inane)."