Theme: "Hail to the Chief" - Each theme answer is clued as if it's related to a US president.
24A. Presidential thoroughfare? : MADISON AVENUE. Wiki says that Madison Square is named after President Madison. I presume it's the same for the Avenue.
39A. Presidential records? : LINCOLN LOGS. Named after President Lincoln.
54A. Presidential teams? : BUSH LEAGUE. Unrelated to President Bush. So works perfectly as a theme answer.
71A. Presidential horse? : FORD BRONCO. Ditto this one.
83A. Presidential quintet? : JACKSON FIVE. Ditto this one.
102A. Presidential resistance? : GRANT IMMUNITY. This one is the best with the original "Grant" as a verb.
3D. Presidential tweet? : WASHINGTON POST
50D. Presidential stand-ups? : GARFIELD COMICS
This
type of theme works the best when the key words in the original phrases
have nothing to do with the presidents. But it's impossible to come up
with a set for Sundays.
I like the clue angle, and the grid only has 140 words (same as Marti's last week). You can be assured that I'll rack it up to 144.
Across:
1. Chauffeur's ride : TOWN CAR. Lincoln!
8. Glass-tinting element : COBALT
14. Pin sites : ALLEYS. Bowling pins.
20. Otter's prey : ABALONE. I don't think I had abalones before. You?
21. Key of Beethoven's "Für Elise" : A MINOR. Had ?MINOR. Then waited.
22. Fly under the radar : LIE LOW
23. Splits evenly : BISECTS
26. __Kosh B'gosh : OSH
27. Bigger fish to fry? : KEEPERS. Nice clue.
29. Ask : POSE. As a question.
30. Chem class suffix : IDE
31. Mayberry kid : OPIE
33. Bard's "bleak" : DREAR
34. Dieting setback : GAIN
36. Surname preceder, perhaps: Abbr. : INIT. Oh, middle initial.
37. It may be a hit : SONG
38. Brewery container : VAT
42. Spurs to action : GOOSES
45. Rookie rockers' recordings : DEMOS
46. Major __: Sherwood Forest attraction : OAK. Hey, I know it.
47. Beach house features : STILTS. I did not know those supporting posts are called stilts also.
48. Subdued : MUTED
49. Dome of the Rock floor plan shape : OCTAGON.
Wiki said Dome of the Rock is "Jerusalem's most recognizable
landmark". Hahtoola & Yellowrocks must have visited the place.
53. Horatian works : EPODES
56. Botanist Gray : ASA
57. "Writing on the wall" word : MENE. Full message here:
58. What some buds detect : TASTE. Taste buds.
59. Fed. collection agency : IRS. Boomer had to get D-Otto's advice for some deduction issue.
60. Hugging duo : ARMS
61. Sandra Denton, in a hip-hop trio : PEPA. I always thought Salt-N-Pepa is a duo. No idea about their real names. So which one is Pepa?
62. Hunting wear : VESTS
63. Irish nationalist Robert : EMMET. Unknown to me.
65. Usually fuzzy tabloid pics : UFOs
66. Seacrest's show, to fans : IDOL. Ryan Seacrest.
67. Bend's state: Abbr. : ORE. Hope the ousted governor is not from Bend.
68. Mild oaths : DRATS
69. 1492 Bahamas lander : NINA
70. Children's author Asquith : ROS
74. College address ending : DOT EDU
76. Poncherello portrayer on "CHiPs" : ESTRADA (Erik)
78. Itty-bitty : EENSY
79. Trail-making mollusks : SNAILS
80. "... further __ ..." : ADO
81. Word with free or secret : AGENT
82. Addressed the nation, say : ORATED
87. SADD concern : DWI
88. Like raw silk : ECRU. I haven't had mulberries for years.
91. 1997 film apiarist : ULEE. Ulee's Gold.
92. Camembert's department : ORNE. Got via crosses. I know it starts with O though.
93. Obsessed (on) : DWELT
95. Springfield's only tavern : MOE'S
96. H.S. equivalency test : GED
97. Poet Teasdale : SARA
99. "Cloud Shepherd" sculptor : JEAN ARP. Full name for a change.
101. Spartan Stadium sch. : MSU
106. Less likely to be named homecoming king : NERDIER
108. "Because you're worth it" company : L'OREAL. Do you have The Body Shop in your area? It's owned by L’Oréal. Wish we had one in MN.
109. Late news time : ELEVEN
110. A pad may protect it : KNEECAP
111. English assignments : ESSAYS
112. Like subarctic winters : SEVERE. I wonder how those pioneers survived the Minnesota winters.
113. Certifies : ATTESTS
Down:
1. They're off-limits : TABOOS. And 25. It's off-limits : NO NO
2. San Luis __, Calif. : OBISPO
4. Marlins' div. : NLE. National League East.
5. Prepare to fire : COCK
6. Got in the game : ANTED
7. Books : RESERVES
8. Charged : CAME AT
9. Horoscope columnist Sydney : OMARR. Learned from doing xwords.
10. eBay offers : BIDS
11. "Star Wars" saga nickname : ANI. Darth Vader's boyhood nickname.
12. Spanish article : LOS
13. Hot spot, with "the" : TROPICS
14. Troubled word : ALAS
15. Like much radio : LIVE
16. Boo Radley creator Harper : LEE. Now we have a better way to clue the dreaded partial SET A.
17. Current phenomenon : EL NINO
18. Cat's "Get it?" : YOU DIG?
19. Gummy bears and such : SWEETS
28. Snow __ : PEAS
32. Perfect self, in psychoanalysis : EGO IDEAL. Too sophisticated for me.
34. Dreidel letter : GIMEL. Another unknown. One of the four Hebrew letters.
35. Battery terminal : ANODE
36. "Past Imperfect" memoirist Chase : ILKA
39. Underworld river : LETHE
40. Exodus insect : LOCUST
41. Hoops Hall of Famer Thurmond : NATE
43. Fútbol cheer : OLE
44. OH and OK : STS (States)
45. Cleans with Old English : DUSTS. Holy smokes! Never heard of Old English.
47. Olympic pool sights : SPEEDOS
48. Requirement : MUST
49. Fiends of fantasy : OGRES
51. Notable Mormon family : OSMONDS. The Donny & Marie show in Flamingo costs $90.
52. Junkanoo parade city : NASSAU. OK,
Wiki says Junkanoo is "a street parade with music, dance and costumes
in many towns across The Bahamas every Boxing Day & New Year's
Day". Learning moment for me also.
53. Ottoman, e.g. : EMPIRE
54. Predicated : BASED
55. "We __ please" : AIM TO. A special "Thank you" to Gary for blogging last Sunday's puzzle and Argyle for snipping several Answer Grids and taking care of the
blog while I was away.
58. __ cotta : TERRA. A must-see if you visit Xi'an.
60. Uncle Henry's wife : AUNTIE EM
62. Practice with dolls : VOODOO
63. Physicist Mach or artist Max : ERNST
64. Eponymous store founder : MACY. Macy's left our ghetto area a while ago.
68. "No man is an island" poet : DONNE
71. Rages : FADS
72. Word from a proctor : BEGIN
73. Kent portrayer on the big screen : REEVE
74. Modern evidence : DNA
75. Muffin grain : OAT
77. Toothed tool : RAKE
79. Major tea exporter : SRI LANKA. Look at this list. I'm surprised that Kenya is a major tea exporter as well.
81. Some chalets : A-FRAMES
82. John Irving's "A Prayer for __ Meany" : OWEN. Hi there Owen!
83. Manage, as multiple tasks : JUGGLE. I can only focus on one thing at a time.
84. Final Olds models : ALEROS
85. Sources of aromatic wood : CEDARS
86. "Cheers" shout : NORM
87. Wrestler Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock : DWAYNE. I often confuse him with Vin Diesel.
89. Move to a new table : RE-SEAT
90. Takes by force : USURPS
93. Hardly encourage : DETER
94. Nottingham's river : TRENT
97. Court postponement : STAY
98. Needs a doctor, maybe : AILS
99. Baloney : JIVE
100. __-à-porter: ready-to-wear : PRET. I also loved the movie. Our crossword buddy Stephen Rea is in it.
103. Teachers' org. : NEA
104. Suffix meaning "little" : ULE. As in globule.
105. Calif. neighbor : NEV
107. Fourth grade? : DEE. The fourth letter in grade. (Edited letter: ABCDF grading! Holy smokes!)
Happy
Birthday to Hondo (Skip)! Are you still attending the card shows in
winter time? Hope you can cruise away from the cold winter soon.
 |
| Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana |
C.C.
43 comments:
Wahoo! Finished without needing red letters or look-ups! After dismal showings Fri & Sat, today should give my self-doubts a Polk in the eye!
I'm glad I'm not the PRESIDENT,
And not the White House resident.
What could be worse
Than if my verse
Was hailed as a precedent?
Good morning, everyone.
Happy Birthday Hondo Hurricane! Your avatar name seems particularly appropriate this year, with the blizzard raging around us. So, I hope you don't have any plans to go out today!
¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫
I agree with you about the theme, C.C. My favorites were BUSH LEAGUE and GRANT IMMUNITY, but many of the others were too closely related to the presidents themselves. Oh, and we do have The Body Shop in malls around here, but I don't like their products because they usually are too strongly scented.
Lucina, if you are reading this, my thoughts are with you and your niece today. I'm sure your visit will be a comfort her.
Bill G., I always check the previous posts because you link some of the best videos later in the evening. The two last night were hilarious! Thanks.
Morning, all (and Happy Birthday, Hondo)!
Thanks again for the kind words yesterday.
Mostly straightforward solve today. Got the theme early on and was able to make quick guesses at most of the theme answers.
Got a bit stuck in the NE when I refused to let go of LAPELS for awhile until the perps finally forced me to go with ALLEYS.
Didn't know/remember ORNE, so that took all the perps.
EGO IDEAL is a thing? Sure, why not.
Final square was the intersection of OAK and ILKA. From the clue, OAK seemed the most logical guess, but it was just a guess and I really couldn't believe ILKA was a real name. I went with it, but wasn't really expecting to get the TADA*
Just took a look outside.
Crap.
DEE is the "fourth grade" in the series ABCDF (it's only coincidental that it's also the fourth letter in "grade").
Good morning!
Slept in this morning, so I'm late to the party. The theme is appropriate for Presidents' Day tomorrow. I really wanted FORD MUSTANG -- until I ran out of room.
C.C., I wondered why you mentioned mulberries in connection with the silk/ECRU answer. Thanks to Mr. G, now I know.
Had no idea who Uncle Henry could be until I got the answer. Does he even appear in the movie?
I was surprised to see England, Germany and Poland among the tea EXporting countries -- thought they'd be IMporters.
Happy Birthday, Hondo. Hope you don't have to spend it shoveling.
Good Morning:
I enjoyed this fun and timely offering even though it was a DNF due to the mene/pepa/ego ideal crosses. Thanks, Amy, and thanks, CC, for the summary. Thought of Boomer at alleys.
Happy Birthday, Hondo, hope it's a special day.
Thoughts and prayers to you and your niece, Lucina.
Bill G, you started my day off with laughter at those very funny canine caper clips! Speaking of canines, I believe the Westminster Kennel Club competition is tomorrow night and Tuesday.
Have a great day.
The Week in Review:
M 5:34 T 5:00 W 8:28 T 9:34 F 16:31 S 14:57 S 21:56
Not much to say. Sub-zero temps are gettin' old.
See y'all next weekend.
Fun puzzle, great expo. I, too, thought that those theme answers that had nothing to do with a president, like BUSH LEAGUE,were best.
Here we have many stores in The Body Shop chain. I like some of their fragrances.
Yes, I have been inside the Dome of the Rock. The first time we attempted to see it Israeli soldiers herded everyone off the Temple Mount due to a threat of violence. The Israelis' constant vigilance made me feel very safe. The next day we succeeded in visiting that especially lovely building. It is believed that long before the Dome of the Rock was built, this was the very spot where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac.
I knew GIMEL. The school where I taught has many Jewish children, Italians, East Indians and Chinese, with a smattering of many other nationalities. Truly cosmopolitan.
PEPA was the last to fall, all perps. I heard of Salt and Pepa, but never thought of separating out PEPA.
The snow plowing contractors are cleaning up in more ways than one this year. I am hearing the constant beeping of their equipment as I write this.
Good morning. I hope all of you in the NE states are not getting hit too hard.
And hope you have a great birthday Skip, in spite of the weather.
This one was tougher than a standard fare Sunday, and it beat me. Had to give in and Google for Pepa, which broke the rest open. But it was an enjoyable challenge.
Good Morning All. Good puzzle.
My heart goes out to all of you who are freezing up North.
I, too, wanted to put the pin on lapels. And it took me forever to figure out the college address ending. Solving crosswords can be very humbling... but fun.
Uncle Henry is in The Wizard of Oz movie. Remember this scene?: Miss Gulch: [stopping bicycle and getting off] Gale?
Uncle Henry Gale: Well, howdy, Miss Gulch.
Miss Gulch: [comes into the Gales' yard] I want to see you and your wife right away about Dorothy!
Uncle Henry Gale: Dorothy? Well, what has Dorothy done?
Miss Gulch: What she's done? I'm all but lame from the bite on my leg!
Uncle Henry Gale: Oh! You mean she bit you?
Miss Gulch: No, her dog!
Uncle Henry Gale: Oh, she bit her dog, eh?
[Uncle Henry tries to shut the gate, but it hits her on the backside]
Miss Gulch: [exasperated] No!"
A just right Sunday where even the proper nouns did not DETER.
Musings
-Great movie about the BUSH LEAGUES
-We all remember OJ in that FORD BRONCO
-JFK’s TOWN CAR was reinforced and kept in the presidential motorcade for 13 years after Nov. 22, 1963
-DEMO recording with artist’s version starting at 2:12 (4:44)
-MUTED – Ah yes, the commercial is on
-Salt and PEPA’s latest effort (:53)
-Those UFO’s never land at MIT
-In most movie gun scenes, they COCK the gun for effect but don’t fire
-ALAS poor Yorick, I knew him, Horatio (not “well”)
-Omaha has hosted those Olympic Trial SPEEDO’s in 2008, 2012 and will in 2016
-Macy’s founder Isidor Straus and wife Ida and the Titanic
-HBD, Skip! Good to see you in distinguished company!
-Name the movie about the mobster who was granted immunity and the actor who played him
-In what movie did ILKA play Peter Lawford’s mother while dating Cesar Romero
Macy's was named after HR MACY. "Eponymous" gives us that. After starting several failed stores Macy opened HR Macy & Co. in NYC in 1858. It was a big success. Isador and Nathan Strauss acquired Macy's in 1895 and became the owners, but were not the founders.
"Mene mene teekel upharson" we PKs chose to interpret as Meany, meany, tickle your parson.
Lucina, my heart and thoughts are with you and your niece at this difficult time.
Getting the Theme answers was easy. It was the was the unknowns that killed me. Blew it on the multiple cross of BEGIN, ORNE & EENSY and the cross of MENE & EGO IDEAL. ORNE and MENE- cheese dept & whatever MENE is?????
Other unknowns solved by perps were PEPA, ROS, EMMET, JEAN ARP, OMARR, AUNTIE EM & GIMEL.
I had to pull out sheet music to verify that Fur Elise was A-minor. I never noticed before.
'Fourth grade'-DEE. I had a college chemistry prof for 4 semesters who would not give Ds. A,B,C, or F.
Favorite clue-' Bigger fish to fry'- KEEPERS
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK C.C.
That's R.H. Macy (not HR). I grew up where Macy's first-ever branch store was our local department store.
I liked this one today. Very doable for a Sunday. The theme was easy and the answers came fast.
The setbacks for me are usually names in the arts, literature and government. I haven't travelled much, so obsure countries or cities are off my radar, as well. But any reference to animals, TV, show business, or cooking, and I'm good to go. I really envy some of you guys who have encyclopedic knowledge. How you pull answers out is amazing!
34D GIMEL was a no-brainer for me. Third letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and one of four sides of the dreidel. This spinning top game is one of my favorites, and I have played it on Chanukah since childhood. Oh, those sweet memories of latkes, candles, presents and family.
Hope all of you enjoyed time with your loved ones yesterday.We really shouldn't need special holidays to express how we feel. Saying I love and appreciate you are words that should be verbalized every day.
Enough from me. SHALOM!
coneyro, last night DH and I were supposed to go out to dinner, but decided to stay home, instead. I think this comic says it all, for us!
Yes, Rowland Hussey. Please, forgive my transposition of letters type of typo.
Happy Natal Anniversary, Hondo. Stay warm.
Not much to say about this one. What Barry G said about ILKA and OAK, same finishing spot. Enjoyable enough puzzle. I recently thought of the presidents as a possible theme but dismissed the idea because I was sure it had been done before, that I had actually seen something similar. Anybody else?
Now on to the WSJ Friday puzzle which I printed out on legal size paper last night. Usually a workout!
Nice photo of Marti, Dudley, Hondo and Montana. Was that taken at a crossword tourney or convention?
DOTEDU was good, I thought. As well as getting NINA and ELNINO in the same puzzle. Along with LOS and all the kids could have been there... might have had to fit in MUCHACOS somewhere. (See Lucina? I'm learning.)
Thanks, Amy. Good job developing the theme. Thanks, CC for the write-up.
Good morning everyone.
Happy Birthday, Hondo. Hope you have a great day.
Completed the solve without look-ups, but thought it was crunchier than other Sundays. Like the theme reflecting President's Day weekend.
92a - ORNE - Sometimes clued as North Sea feeder,
39d - LETHE is a new word for me.
104d - ULE - Also: pustule.
1a - I've had 3 TOWN CARS (all bought used). Great riding and driving vehicles.. (I favor rear wheel drives.) But, alas they're not made for general sale anymore. Sic transit gloria.
Good Morning everyone.
First: yesterday's comment from me. I got tied up with my two sons who are visiting.
Happy birthday Marti! I hope it’s a wonderful day for you.
Barry, sorry to hear about Hobbes.
It sounds like a good way to go.
And today: Happy birthday Hondo.
Still no time to do the puzzle.
Cheers
I knew I mis-spelled MUCHACHOS as soon as I did it. Sorry, Lucina.
Hello Puzzlers -
Really had to work at this one, but got there in the end.
Rainman - that photo was taken at a time when Montana had come out East to visit family; those of us living near or in Connecticut converged upon Hartford to meet with her, in a nice restaurant.
Dudley, thanks, but we'd all probably come visit you if we knew you were taking us to a fancy restaurant!!!
My daughter is a flight attendant for SW. She left PHX Friday with 80 F. temps. Got to her layover at Manchester and the temp was 5 F, with a chill of minus 10 or something. I'm wondering how you prepare for that kind of change... take layers? Yikes.
It was RH Macy. Not HR Macy.
In the writeup, the image after MENE didn't show up. Does anyone know what MENE means? I knew it was right from the crosses but could not figure that out from the clue.
Pretty good Sunday puzzle. I had to go through Mustang and Pinto before I finally got FORD BRONCO. I kept thinking, How many cars did Ford name after horses? It turns out, at least three.
We live in a beach house and both the real estate office and the insurance company say our house is on pilings. Maybe the term is only used in North Carolina. I never heard of this usage of stilts.
Don
MENE? That's what Google is for.
Columbia electronic encyclopedia gives this meaning:
“Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin , in the Bible, the mysterious riddle written by a hand on the wall at Belshazzar's feast. These Aramaic words may be translated literally as, "It has been counted and counted, weighed and divided." Daniel interpreted this to mean that the king's deeds had been weighed and found deficient and that his kingdom would therefore be divided.”
To read the context go to this link and skip to the section called “Book of Daniel.”
Link context
This is the origin of our saying “The handwriting is on the wall” meaning doom is coming.
To those counting my typos, I stuttered on the E and wrote TEEKEL instead of TEKEL @9:58. Mea culpa.
Yellowrocks: You preacher's kid story I hadn't heard before - delightful!
Big Easy & Alexscott: Daniel, chapter 5 tells the whole story.
5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
(Isn't that a colorful way of saying he shat and his knees knocked?)
...
25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Greetings!
Thanks, Amy and CC!
Loved the theme!
No problems. Had lapels at first. PEPA was all perps.
Happiest of birthdays, Hondo!
My thoughts go out to you, Lucina.
Cheers!
Happy Birthday, Hondo!
Maybe I'm just grumpy for some reason, but I was underwhelmed by the inconsistency of the theme. I think I'll channel my Thumper today.
Happy Birthday, Skip! That photo brings back good memories of meeting for lunch.
Lucina, my prayers are with you and your niece and family.
Bill G, loved the videos last night. Thanks for posting.
My CT son moved from Montana (never to move back!) so he wouldn't have to deal with winter weather. I chuckle now as it is so nice here and he is reliving a winter of snow and cold from his childhood.
Spring will come someday.
Montana
I forgot to comment on the puzzle!
I finished it but with way more red-letter help than normal, so I really don't have anything to say.
Montana
Fun puzzle for a frosty day! We are off to the TROPICS soon.
We have Family Day holiday tomorrow. Busy getting ready for influx of kids and grandkids!!!
CC, you asked about abalone. It like a big mussel. It has to be pounded to tenderize it. Then coated in flour or batter and fried. Delicious! It's been over-fished and I haven't seen it on menus much at all. (I saw an episode where it was being farm raised on Dirty Jobs.) In the past, I really enjoyed it when it was available.
I'm glad you guys liked the videos late last night. I thought they were especially good also.
MEMA ("Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency") came out of their bunker today, saw their shadow, and went back in for another six weeks of winter....
Happy Birthday, Hondo / Skip ~ hope you had a good day!
Lucina ~ My thoughts are with you and your family.
Hello everybody. Needed help to finish the puzzle today and yesterday. Can't seem to get on the right wavelength lately.
LW and I love abalone. Can't buy it any more. As Bill G said, it's been over-fished.
Good wishes to you on your birthday, Hondo, and to you on yours yesterday, Marti. In fact, good wishes to you all.
Hondo, I forgot to wish you Happy Birthday! Stay warm.
Just catching up said...
HBD Hondo! Thanks for your $0.02 on the corner. I hope you had a great birthday. Cheers, -T
Good Monday morning, folks. Thank you, Amy Johnson, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.
Well, this one took me a while. It is Monday morning and I just finished.
The NE corner was my bugaboo. Finally got MADISON AVENUE after a long wait. That pretty much gave me a jump start in that corner.
MENE came about long ago from crossword puzzles. That is when I learned that the phrase "The handwriting on the wall" came from the bible, book of Daniel. I have learned a lot from crossword puzzles through the years. I love it.
Enjoyed the theme. President's Day being here.
Anyhow, I have to add air to our tires.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
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