Theme:
Words: 70 (missing Y,Z)
Blocks: 32
Phew~!
This one drained me mentally. The proper names and biology just did me
in ( I counted 17 in all ). First I had to switch to red-letter, then
Google, and finally to a straight up cheat. Oh well. Still, I enjoyed the
challenge, and I was thrilled to get a "mini-theme" on Saturday~! The last
time I had Mr. White for a constructor, I was in the middle of the summer bench
project (that's 41a.) - while I'm not interested in the hostess from there anymore,
I'm still hopelessly in love with the blue-eyed hostess. Anyway, one
spanner crossing one climber:
36a. School hallway warning : USE INDOOR VOICES
8d. Highway warning : CLICK IT OR TICKET - The national highway traffic safety admin's campaign to get you to wear your seatbelt; I always do. Some male driver humor here
And the "reveal";
62a. Things to obey, like 36-Across and 8-Down : THE RULES
ACROSS:
1*. Plant reproductive structure : SPORE SAC - I got the "C", which led me to "sac", and on from there
9. Sharpens : WHETS - D'oh~! Not HONES
14*. Lindbergh nickname : LONE EAGLE - name - His Wiki
16. Goat __: chaotic situation, in slang : RODEO - Never heard of this; around here, we call it a clusterf**k
17. European travel pass : INTERRAIL - One of their itineraries lets you stop at Neuschwanstein Castle
18. "You Must Love Me" musical : EVITA - Total WAG - but then again, a 5-letter musical....
9. Sharpens : WHETS - D'oh~! Not HONES
14*. Lindbergh nickname : LONE EAGLE - name - His Wiki
16. Goat __: chaotic situation, in slang : RODEO - Never heard of this; around here, we call it a clusterf**k
17. European travel pass : INTERRAIL - One of their itineraries lets you stop at Neuschwanstein Castle
18. "You Must Love Me" musical : EVITA - Total WAG - but then again, a 5-letter musical....
19. NYC travel org. : MTA
20. Trig function : ARCSEC - Cosine worked, too, but the abbr. "trig" meant otherwise
22. West end? : ERN - Western
23*. Internal walls : SEPTA - Biological term - as a carpenter, I was baffled trying to figure out what interior walls are called ( as opposed to 'bearing' walls, i.e. )
26*. Lizard that can shed its tail : SKINK - OK, so I threw in GECKO to start - Bzzzt~!
27. Passing event? : FAD - Dah~! I had to cheat the "D", but that finally opened up the NE
28. Book ending : ISH - Bookish
30. Like 23 of Haydn's symphonies : IN D - I put the "IN" part down, then waited....
31. Standing losses? : LAPS - when you stand up, you lose your lap - that's a kindergarten joke
32. Signifies : ADDS UP TO
35. "What have we here?!" : "HELLO~?!"
38. Fingers : NAMES
39. Media section : PRESS BOX - Dah~!!! My mind was stuck in the library, trying to get "Children's" to fit
40. Anthologies : ANAS - I goofed and put in ADAs, but that was 75% correct
41. Project : JUT - the verb, not the art/construction/school kind
42. Number of single-syllable U.S. states : ONE - Which one? I know the answer~!
43. Cosmo, for one : MAGazine
44*. One Direction singer Zayn __ : MALIK - name
46*. Kirkuk native : IRAQI - name
50. "Every Moment Counts" gp. : USO - I pondered "REM", the music group
51*. 1965 Nobel Peace Prize recipient : UNICEF - I thought it might be this man, who just passed away, but his Nobel Prize was 1964
53. Vow taker : NUN
54. 8-Down and others : SIGNS - I have to admit, I have not seen "click it or ticket" as a sign; just the TV spots
56. A carve turn may be taught in one : SKI LESSON - Dah~! Dah~! Dah~! First, I read it as "Caught", and not Taught, so I was stuck in the mental rut of carving wood, thus I was trying to get "WOOD KNOT" to work - or something like that.
59. Bring forth : EDUCE
60. S-shaped sofa : TÊTE À TÊTE - aww, a kissing bench
1. Diets, with "down" : SLIMS - Ooops, went with TRims first
2. Bridge overseas : PONTE
3. Slated : ON TAP
4*. R&B artist Des'__ : REE
5. "As wicked dew as __ my mother brush'd": "The Tempest" : E'ER
6. 1979-'80 Fleetwood Mac hit : SARA
7. Food stabilizers : AGARS
9. Highway closer, perhaps : WRECK - yup, that'll do it
10. Highway lane, for short : H.O.V. - High Occupancy Vehicle; I think it's a colossal waste here on L.I.; a better solution would have been a zipper wall
12*. Four-stranded DNA structure : TETRAPLEX - uh, OK - the Wiki
13. Scoundrels : SO-AND-SOs - ugh; just wasn't coming to me
15. Where "Hamlet" opens : ELSINORE - there's a castle there, too - more here
24. Spruces (up) : TIDIES
25. Like-minded orgs. : ASSNs
29*. __ Bannon, Paul Newman role : HUD - I've heard of it, but never seen it - IMDb
31*. Jerry who wrote lyrics for many Presley songs : LEIBER - ugh, please
32. How a stage line might be spoken : AS AN ASIDE - I got this, and it gave me some hope in the SW
33. Rabble-rouser : DEMAGOGUE
34. Champion of the common man : POPULIST
35*. Successor to Anwar : HOSNI
36. Not laughing : UNAMUSED
37. Brandy designation : VSO - Very Superior Old
41. 31-day mo. : JAN - on the first pass with no perps, could have been MAR, JUL, AUG, OCT, & DEC as well
44. Beaux-arts venue : MUSÉE - Frawnche
45*. Sports commentator Olbermann : KEITH
47*. Adams who shot El Capitan : ANSEL - ah, but I know this guy~!
49*. Novelist Hammond __ : INNES
52. Run : FLEE
55. Big name in bar code scanners : NCR
57. Tin __ : EAR
58*. Tommy Pickles' dad in "Rugrats" : STU
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to dear Bill G, who has brought us lots of fun and uplifting links since he joined our blog. Whenever he sees a feel-good story via Barbara's Facebook or other sites, he shares with us immediately. Bill's posts are always cheerful and lighthearted, even his comments to those mean anons are polite. My heart aches with him for the tragic loss of his son Dan. I'm also very grateful for Bill's steady presence on our blog the past few years. The Comments section just does not feel complete without Bill's late night posts.
 |
| Barbara & Bill |
The police have a jingle to add some juice
ReplyDeleteTo their ad campaign SIGNS on seat belt use:
"CLICK IT
OR TICKET!"
But some folks still felt them a canvas noose!
At concert hall THE RULES were a pain to Jazzbumpa,
He was constantly having to cop a mea culpa.
"USE INDOOR VOICES"
Left him poor choices --
As trombonist, his indoor voice was omp-omp-omp-OOMPA!!
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteWhat Splynter said! I really had to work at this puppy. Lots of trial and error. In the end it was like filling a pool with a garden hose - bottom up, and slow.
Hand up for Cosine, and for thinking library media section - I had Classics in there for a long time.
Have the best birthday you can, Bill G!
Grueling. All I can say. Sapped my strength. Very difficult clueing. Got through it even though there were several non-perpable and non-waggable crosses which required research. Thanks, CC, for including the informative Ned White interview; I plan to review it when I have more energy. Happy Birthday, Bill G. Thanks, Splynter. Another good learning day.
ReplyDeleteMorning, all!
ReplyDeleteA very happy birthday to Bill G, and continued condolences. Today is my son's 10th birthday and Bill and his family will definitely be on my mind today as we celebrate.
Brutal puzzle today. On the bright side, I did eventually manage to finish unassisted, but only after making a ton of guesses that I did not feel comfortable about at all. There was just way too much obscure stuff and proper names for my taste. TETEATETE (clued as a sofa), INNES, REE, LEIBER, MALIK, TETRAPLEX, LONEEAGLE (total WAG), INTERRAIL (really wanted EURORAIL), etc.
There was certainly a lot to love in this puzzle (CLICK IT OR TICKET and USE INDOOR VOICES were fantastic), but it just wasn't a pleasant solve overall.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I have to go do some more shoveling...
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI was sure this one was going the DNF route. The first two I felt sure enough to ink in were HONES and GECKO -- both of which turned out to be wrong. In the end, it came together right on schedule. My final entry was an alphabet run to get the D in IND/END.
I remember Jerry LEIBER very well -- everything except how to spell his last name -- I went with IE at first. Jerry, along with Mike Stoller, wrote some of the most memorable R&R songs of all time: Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, Kansas City, On Broadway, Love Potion #9, Searchin', Stand By Me, Yakety Yak.
Bill G, this probably won't be your best birthday. Hope you and Barbara are coping, somehow..
We've had some tough offerings lately, but this one trumps them all, IMO. So many guesses and too many sticking points with multiple options (Jan, Sara where I really wanted Tusk, Jut not Job, Educe not Evoke, Lieber, not Weiber and certainly not Beiber, etc...). The final fill was the M at the corner of Musee and Malik, and it was a complete wild guess, but at that point I was in "No mas!" mode. Took about an hour and while it ended well, I need a nap. Enjoyed the challenge, but Monday ease will feel very welcome.
ReplyDeleteBill, this can't possibly be an enjoyable birthday, but do take as much solace as you can from your family and friends. You're in the thoughts of many.
Happy Birthday, Bill. Little sprinkles of fun, will slowly start up again. Hope today is the beginning of a new normal for you and family.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was too tough for me to enjoy and I returned to it four times before I gave up.
Splynter, thanks for the expo.
After a week of record breaking heat, snow returns here today.
Montana.
On the first pass, I filled HOSNI, ONE,& IRAQUI. That was it.
ReplyDeleteWas it RTA or MTA; IBM or NCR; AETNA or DEERE; CUP or EAR; SECANT, COSINE or ARCanything; EVOKE or EDUCE, ANOLE OR GECKO (both wrong). The SE fell and CLICK IT OR TICKET was a WAG with 'KET'. Then the NW followed by NE. Finally got the SW but had a brain fart by writing ADDS UNTO , instead of UP TO. NO PURIST didn't seem correct and MALIK was a total unknown. Others solved by perps were RE E, EER, ERN, USO, HUD, SARA, EVITA and UNICEF.
It took three sessions totaling about 45 minutes just to have a DNF. Nice challenging puzzle.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Bill G. I hope you find some solace in family and friends as you mark another of life's milestones.
¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫
Great job on the write-up, Splynter. I can see where the carpenter in you would have a different take on a lot of those clues.
I made slow but steady progress on this one, but had to leave that MALIK / UNICEF / KEITH area for last.
I also shot myself in the foot by confidently entering SKI "school" instead of LESSON. I used to have an antique TETE A TETE, so that was a gimme, and immediately filled in "can" instead of EAR at 57-Down. What a mess! What name could 58-Down be, starting with "ht_"???? I finally checked the crossings, and ANSEL helped get me out of the school fiasco.
Finished with no lookups or help, but went into overtime doing it. Thanks for the challenge, Ned!
Happy Birthday, Bill. Baby steps. . . . Your new avatar is precious. . . .
ReplyDeleteHello, super puzzlers!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this, splinter. I can't say the same.
Again, a puzzle overloaded with unknown names, but that's my failing not the constructor's. One thing that held me back was Lindbergh's nickname. LUCKY LINDY was stuck in my mind and though it didn't fit, couldn't change, until I cleared it away.
It was fun, though, to suss out CLICK IT OR TICKET and USE INDOOR VOICES. Boy, do I know that one!
Thank you for the challenge, Ned White and Splynter for the analysis.
BillG, have a good birthday and find comfort in the memories of years past as well as the best wishes of friends and family.
Happy Saturday, everyone!
For Bill G on his Birthday:
ReplyDeleteUse Ctrl and + to make image bigger...
Ipad users, just pinch...
P.S. my answer is one...
-------------------------
Oh nuts! I just enlarged the pic after the fact & realized my guess would not work, I have no idea how to cut this cake in half...
Okay, Dave,
ReplyDeleteIf I want to make a four layer cake, I cut two laters horizontally and end up with four (I hope) equal layers. SOOOO, I think this cake can be cut into two equal pieces, half, by cutting it horizontally. N'est-ce pas?
Yum!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteSomehow I managed to finish this puzzle w/o help, although it took one hour and forty-five minutes. I can't say I enjoyed the process, but I can say it was a challenge. (Mr. Silk remains my favorite Saturday constructor: tough but fair and, almost always, inevitably doable.)
Any questionable thoughts I may have had about Mr. White's devilish cluing/fill skills were erased after reading CC's informative and insightful interview. Besides, anyone lucky enough to live in our only one-syllable state has my vote! Thanks, also, to Splynter for setting us straight.
Although this won't be the happiest of birthdays, Bill G, I hope the thoughts and words expressed by CC, and shared by all of us who consider you our friend, will bring some little measure of happiness and peace to you.
Have a great day.
Well this one was a ba... um, brain buster. DNF to the very end.
ReplyDeleteBill G, Birthday wishes to you, my friend.
Dave, Piece of cake.
This was a goat rope (what I've always heard it called.) It was fun to come here though, and read the interview and then get to the explanations. As soon as I saw the answers, I thought I should have known those clues. But since I usually break quite a few rules, I never evoked most of them and decided I needed some ski lessons and a sit down in my kissing sofa. Using my indoor voice, I say thank you all for the explanations and I'll even thank Mr. White for such a challenging puzzle. It's back to a touch of winter for the Black Hills. I hope all those one syllable readers here are not too sore from shoveling. Spring isn't too far off, thank goodness.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWell, in spite of my heroic efforts, this toughie got the better of me, even though I got ELSINORE and IRAQI and ANSEL early on. I eventually did get the top and a chunk of the bottom east corner, but the southwest totally eluded me, and I had to start cheating. But hey, that's what Saturday challenges are for, so thanks, Ned, and you too, Splynter, for the sympathetic write-up.
Bill G, a very special, heart-felt happy birthday to you today. C.C. said it best!
Have a great weekend, everybody!
Done at last, done at last! What a test! The SE had to get me started and then bit-by-bit…
ReplyDeleteMusings
-CLICK IT OR TICKET is the backdrop for UNL press conferences
-We all carried WHETstones for our nursery knives
-Our INTERRAIL trip was from Berlin to Munich overnight
-My Baby loves WESTERN movies (2:34)
-My first standing losses were TKO’S, Bring forth was BEGET,
-Oh, Oh! I had PRESS ROW and so I’ll take two bad cells
-I got ONE but Grandson had to tell me the state. Duh!
-We know way more IRAQI geography now, don’t we
-Collecting for UNICEF was part my childhood Halloweens
-My favorite NUN and priest got married years ago
-Both are ON TAP for tomorrow. God bless DVR’s.
-The Great POPULIST was a Nebraskan
-HBD to our good friend Bill. I hope your day is as good as it can be for you and Barbara.
This felt like a Silkie, at first I couldn't get anything and then slowly but surely got a foothold here and there. Halfway through my husband looked in and I said, "No way am I finishing this solo", but piece by piece finally got 'er done. Biggest mental block was trying to think of a person whose named ended in F rather than a group for the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the interview with the constructor, CC. Thanks Ned, and Splynter.
And HB and continued prayers for Bill and his family
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteDear Bill, may your birthday be as good a one as is possible. Later ones shall be better. My heartfelt condolences to you and Barbara on the loss of your son.
I managed only a few correct answers on this one. But enjoyed the write up. Thank you splynter.
Cheers
Another doozy! I had to cheat too many times to get the full satisfaction of completing it. But I credit its creator, Mr. White, with giving me a number of Aha! moments, C.C. for an enjoyable interview, and Splynter for a fine analysis and explanation.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the link to Kronborg castle. It cued me to post this photo of yours truly standing in the middle of that castle in Hamlet’s Royal Court! Actually the castle was built long after the Hamlet plot occurred, but that doesn't stop countless tourists from wandering its halls and towers every year.
Very odd to see a theme on Saturday. Boy, did I screw up ! 28A I put LET, as in book(let), which made me think 24D was CLEANS for spruces(up).It only went down hill from there. Hands up for HONES instead of WHETS. For 27A, I though a passing event meant something to do with dying. Shows you where my head was at. A really big DNF.
ReplyDeleteA good weekend to you all!
Happy Birthday, Bill G! What C.C. Said.
ReplyDeleteI flat-out loved this puzzle, a really fun challenge. Some learning moments and good crosses to help out with the unknowns.
Thanks for the expo, Splynter.
Nice interview, C.C!
Very odd to see a theme on Saturday. Boy, did I screw up ! 28A I put LET, as in book(let), which made me think 24D was CLEANS for spruces(up).It only went down hill from there. Hands up for HONES instead of WHETS. For 27A, I though a passing event meant something to do with dying. Shows you where my head was at. A really big DNF.
ReplyDeleteA good weekend to you all!
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Bill G. Hope you can celebrate in a special way.
Very tough puzzle today. What Splynter said. Proper names did me in but I did get Hosni and Ansel early on.
C.C.: Thanks for the interview with Ned White. Very interesting.
Saturday puzzles aren't my favorite but I turned on red letters and plugged through it. Out of curiosity, given two puzzles with clever cluing and excellent fill, one with a clever theme and one themeless, why might one prefer the themeless one?
ReplyDeleteGary, the Superbowl/Downton Abbey sign you found seems to imply one or both are in poetry. Hmm...
The Google doodle was one wishing me a happy birthday! Very cool.
Thanks to CC and everybody for all of the birthday wishes. In a little while, Barbara and I are going to head out to one of our favorite restaurants, Il Fornaio, for a birthday lunch. I'll report back. Not the best period of time for us for a happy birthday but this will get our minds headed in a better direction for a bit.
Every time I am feeling down or a little bad about myself, I am going to go back and read CC's post and all of your comments over the last few days. At a time like this, friends really mean a lot. Thanks you all so much.
A Saturday with a Theme? How unusual...
ReplyDeleteClickItOrTicket?
LOL, like a sign... is going to make kids... talk quietly...
The rules, on signs? Meh, get in line....
What makes me buckle up...
You started it Dave. Buckle up
ReplyDeletePretty much WEES about the puzzle, except that I finish it, albeit with much red-letter assistance. I knew Zayn Malik through another puzzle site I haunt where I'd gotten him as a random selection
ReplyDeleteCED: I immediately thought of Mlle De's solution, but that's sort of cheating (and typical of a traditional riddle). One "trivial" solution would be a line through the points that are at the center of each square. But there should be a general solution for a cut starting at any point on the perimeter of the cake. Been out of school too long, so I'll have to think on that for a while.
The solution to the cake puzzle can be found here.
ReplyDeletePlease note that MAY also has 31 days.
ReplyDeleteThe clue called for an abbreviation though.
ReplyDeleteAnon @6:07 -- May may have 31 days, but it couldn't have been the answer. The clue for 41d indicated the solution was an abbreviation, but MAY would have fit without being curtailed.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Bill G.
ReplyDeleteMy "1st" Sunset Toast was to you.
Cheers!!!
Yeah, I didn't do the puzzle.
(I rarely do a Saturday or Sunday).
But I do like to read their write-up's and comments.
Manac, that clip was to short. This crowd is not going to understand why you need to buckle up...
ReplyDeleteColonel Sanders may be a chicken, but he's in one piece...
Yesterday and today were typical "over my head" puzzles. I come here to read the answers and the comments.
ReplyDeleteYR from last night: Congratulations on using a cane for support so soon! I used a walker for a month before I had the strength/balance for the cane.
Bill G: Happy birthday. I hope you find some enjoyment in your special day!
Have a good Saturday evening!
Pat
Happy birthday, Bill G. Today will be difficult but I hope going to your special restaurant with your sweetie and your strong bond will help ease the transition to your new normal. You are both in my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteGOAT RODEO or GOAT ROPE are both new to me. I learned something interesting today. There are many things common to others that I have not heard of.
We had a really nice birthday lunch. We split an unusual salad (including avocado, arugala, capers and blackened shrimp), butternut squash ravioli and a thin crust pizza with mozzarella, ripe olives, ham and artichokes. They gave us a birthday sorbet and I had a café mocha. I needed a nap afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI tried watching "Grantchester" and I think I will enjoy the series. On the other hand, I seriously disliked "How to Get Away with Murder."
OK Dave, I will concede that seatbelts are sometimes a Good Idea
ReplyDeleteJust a quick comment. I just saw where Bernice Gordon passed away at the age of 101. What a career she had!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThank you Ned and Splynter. Bill you're in my thoughts on this bittersweet day.
It was a day-long marathon session. I thought it hopeless after the first hour, but kept pecking away. Finally threw in the towel tonight with hideous NW an inky mess. It didn't diminish my personal pride on the other sectional victories.
When there's not bad weather or construction, CLICK IT OR TICKET messages are posted on electronic display boards on I-80 in Nebraska. They rotate with a message to report drunk drivers at #-555 (or some such number).
Whew! I'm spent after this one. Gonna do it all over again when the Sunday paper hits the porch tomorrow morning.
Seatbelts,,, Protecting what matters...
ReplyDeleteDo check out the Google Doodle today. It's a really nice tribute to poet Langston Hughes.
ReplyDeleteI found this New Yorker cartoon while browsing. It made me smile. Cartoon
Then there's this one that's a favorite of mine. Another cartoon
Happy belated Birthday Bill G. Cheers, -T
ReplyDeleteBillG.: Sorry, but that first cartoon you linked to went to the google page with all the couple million cartoons they've published over the years. No hint which was the one you tried to show us. Try again?
ReplyDeleteOwen, it worked for me, both in Preview and just now. I had to wait about 10 seconds before the chosen cartoon shows up.
ReplyDeleteNed White is an idiot. Tetraplex is not the term for 4 stranded DNA structure, it a Quadruplex. This puzzle was designed specifically to confuse not provoke thought.
ReplyDelete"During the last decade, four-stranded DNA structures known as G-quadruplexes, or DNA tetraplexes..."
ReplyDeleteI predict a Seattle blowout.
ReplyDelete