A whimsical marti Friday offering, where the single letter R is added to the beginning of a phrase and hilarity ensues. As soon as I solved 17A, I could hear Scooby in my head, and wondered if Scooby and Rover were the inspiration. Another Friday from a Corner denizen, another Friday the 13th puzzle blogged by Jason, and much fun for me. It is hard to concentrate as I am thinking with Scooby in my head. Unlike Steve's effort last week, we have many 3,4 and 5 letter fill and average word length only 4.79. We do have some sixes and sevens APHIDS, BESTOW, DIET R C, ENGAGE, MEANIE, UGANDA, CORRUPT, FOLIAGE, ITERATE, WENT APE, but the cluing is fair with little obscurity. We have the use of initialisms rather than an overrun of abbreviations, and no need for a reveal. let's take a peek.
17A. Allowance for food, vet visits, etc.? : ROVER BUDGET(11). This quickly revealed the theme, though I wonder if younger people relate to Rover as typical dog name? I have seen overbudget as one word, a hyphenated word and two words. For symmetry sake I am going with two words.
23A. Bedtime for bats? : RAFTER HOURS (11). Even with the theme, this took many perps before I got to the bats sleeping in the rafters. After hours also seems can be one word. I like the wordplay as the image of a rafter hours club for bats came to mind.
40A. Threw a tantrum at ballet school? : RAGED GRACEFULLY (15). Well I do think all of the senior crowd here are aging well, but I had this IMAGE (6:17) brought to mind.
50A. Decisive "Star Wars" victory? : ROUT IN SPACE (11). The outlier, with a three word phrase used. Perhaps Rout Rin Space? Somehow Pigs in Space came to mind.
63A. Answer to "What did people listen to during the Depression, señor?"? : RADIOS, AMIGO (11). This is such an interesting fill, as we not only change the pronunciation of the word, but the language. I would imagine radios were a luxury back in the 30s. I guess my friends it is time to say good bye to the theme and dissect the rest of miss m's masterpiece.
Across:
1. Principal introduction? : VICE. Vice-principal.
5. Ladybug lunches : APHIDS. I remember growing up with all the different flowers my father had in our yard, and the battle against the aphids, and the fun ladybugs who always had to be sent flying home.
11. Handle for a chef? : STU. This actually took me a bit as I started with sou (SUE?), even though I know it is SOUS Chef. So a lawyer's daughter would be named....
14. "Yikes!" : EGAD. marti works this word into many of her puzzles.
15. Bully : MEANIE.
16. '60s-'70s news focus, informally : NAM.
19. Old sports org. using colorful balls : ABA. American Basketball Association. When the NBA merged them out of existence they did not keep the red, white and blue ball, but they did keep the three point basket. I did not remember that former Knick great David Albert DeBusschere was one time commissioner of the ABA. He also pitched a shut out for the Chicago White Sox.
20. Place to play : ARENA. For ABA and NBA teams. The Heat play at American Airlines Arena, and what an odd year this post LeBron year has been.
21. PC key : ALT.
22. Some execs : CFOS. Chief Financial Officers.
31. Mutt : CUR.
32. "__ a traveler ...": "Ozymandias" : I MET. More POETRY, but NIT alert!! in the poem it is spelled traveller by Shelley. Right NC, Steve?
33. Dolts : OAFS.
43. You might wake up to one : SNORE. This was hard to follow.
44. Satirist once dubbed "Will Rogers with fangs" : SAHL. He was the voice of the 60's. I grew up listening to Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, as well as Bob Newhart on LPs.
45. Heavily sit (down) : PLOP. Fizz?
46. Draft choice : ALE. Not a selection in the upcoming NFL draft, but what is on tap, which looks like....
48. Lost it : WENT APE.
55. Eclectic online reader : UTNE. Do any of you all go to this oft referenced site?
56. Slime : GOO.
57. Treacherous type : VIPER. Some alliteration.
62. Beads on blades : DEW
66. Poetic preposition : ERE. Some alliteration.
67. Landlocked African country : UGANDA. In South America it is Bolivia.
68. When some ties are broken, briefly : IN O.T. (OverTime) I not understand at first.
69. Clear : RID. And its opposite....
70. Grant : BESTOW.
71. Part of CSNY : NASH. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Down:
1. "Up in the Air" Oscar nominee Farmiga : VERA. Her videos just do not pass the breakfast test.
2. Aircraft pioneer Sikorsky : IGOR. He pioneered many aircraft and is especially known for his work perfecting the rotary helicopter. He spent most of his adult life in Connecticut, where I had the pleasure of meeting him when I was a child.
3. Give in : CAVE. Such a tricky little clue/fill but I did not.
4. Ideal world : EDEN.
5. Diplomatic VIP : AMBassador?
6. Little, in Lille : PEU. Frawnche.
7. Went after : HAD AT.
8. Hastings hearth : INGLE. Friday fireplace words.
9. Tab alternative : DIET R C. R C Cola, the other cola.
10. Play area : SET. Not where children play, but where one puts on a play.
11. Muddled situation : SNAFU. Situation Normal, All F****** Up.
12. Fife-and-drum corps instrument : TABOR. We just had this in marti's January 29, 2015, Thursday puzzle which I blogged for her.
18. Avis adjective : RARA. This bird is not so rare in crossword puzzles. See Monday.
22. Crooked : CORRUPT. Perhaps this is a New England reference as well?
24. Awestruck : AGOG.
25. They might cause jitters : FEARS.
26. Snit : HUFF. For tV trivia nuts, LINK (1:58) for football fans LINK (2:08)
28. Arabian sultanate : OMAN.
29. Toy for an aspiring architect : LEGO.
30. Repeat : ITERATE. So reiterate is re-repeating.
34. DOT agcy. : FAA. Federal Aviation Administration is now faced with regulating drones.
35. The "e" sound in "tandem" : SCHWA. Have we discussed this enough?
37. Ceramic pot : OLLA.
38. Dinner on the farm, maybe : SLOP.
39. Enter, in a way : TYPE.
41. Where to nosh on a knish : DELIcatessen.
42. Wire service?: Abbr. : ELECtricity. My favorite fill.
47. Captivate : ENGAGE. Her smile ....
49. St. Petersburg's river : NEVA.
50. More boorish : RUDER.
51. Comic Cheri : OTERI. An SNL graduate who did not appear on the 40th reunion.
52. Single : UNWED. I often have lots of unweds in my wallet.
53. Some floats : SODAS. Root beer anyone?
54. Essence : POINT.
58. "Let's do it!" : I'M IN.
59. Cóctel fruit : PINA. Pineapple.
60. They may be inflated : EGOS. Not around here.
61. Author who created Zuckerman : ROTH. This alter-ego for the the author appears in many of Roth's novels really epitomizing what I learned in college that myth is reality and reality is myth.
63. Barbecue seasoning : RUB. The simplest, pepper for steak au poivre.
64. Prefix with meter : ODO. More from Monday.
65. Carpenter's tool : SAW. How is the work coming Splynter?
Well I am out of words, so it is time for me to shuffle off; thanks marti. Lemonade out.
45 comments:
Morning, all!
This was a wonderful, clever, fun and smooth puzzle. Until I got down to the very bottom, that is. I first hit a wall in the SE, where I had no idea who Zuckerman was (let alone ROTH), didn't know what CSNY stood for (although I wrongly assumed New York was in there somewhere), etc. Once I got RADIOS AMIGO, however, I was able to get things done there.
The south central section was more intractable, however. For the longest time, I couldn't make any headway at all at first. Again, though, once I got RADIOS AMIGO I was able to at least get SAW and ODO. Lots of thinking and guessing ensued before finally getting GOO and RUB, and that let me get the POINT.
How R U?
I enjoy this blog so much. Here's a little something I came up with, it really has nothing to do with today's puzzle. It's really corny. And after a long, hard winter, I hope everyone's ok.
We drudged thru a brutal February
Folks needed to get thru it with drugs for a virus
Our floors are a mess, our rugs need a cleaning
Looking forward to May, when flowers will have sprung
And hoping for not too many grubs
Good day to all. My son, a West Point grad, just returned from serving in Kuwait & Baghdad @ the American Embassy.
God bless all who have served. It truly was a brutal winter..with our boy over there with that maniacal group. Hope U R all well! Truly.
Nice theme, Marti, and fascinating fill. A lot of the clueing was familiar, and that helped me.
I hit a brief wall in the west central because I would not give up RESTATE for ITERATE... until IMET finally came to me as the missing part of the quote. This was after I had already gotten the theme, altho I had never heard of the name of Lemonade's Scooby Doo speech impediment. (Is Rhotic Replacement a real malady?) So with the west central nook finished, the rest seemed to correct itself. But I can certainly understand the far SE being a trouble spot... it took a while to recall CSNY was not a New York City department.
The clue for RADIOSAMIGO threw me since I was looking for Great Depression, but Great was not there, just Depression, with a capital D. Misdirection? Yeah, but I still don't get it. Probably an obvious reason and someone will POINT it out. Thanks. Good write-up, Lemonade714. TGIF, and Happy Friday, the 13th. Take care.
Barry G. -
I also stalled in the South and SE regions. Same blanking on CSNY -- thinking it was one of those crime shows which have proliferated but which I haven't watched.
All the New England references were a cinch (for a local). Lemonade - sadly, "corrupt" is not geographically confined. My folks wintered in Phoenix. The IL snowbirds there said they were privileged because "IL license plates are all made by ex-governors."
Good morning!
Good one, Marti, though NAM, NASH and SAHL (enjoyed that, Lemon) might be tough for anyone under 60. UTNE and OTERI for anyone under 50. For once, it was impossible to not get the theme. Whew, I got it. Now it's safe to slide into the weekend.
Great puzzle Marti. I got the theme at RAFTER HOURS and went back and filled ROVER BUDGET, because VERA and INGLE were unknowns, I had CEDE for CAVE and wasn't sure how to spell PEU. That let the rest fill in easily until the SE.
I had ENAMOR for ENGAGE, PINA and ROTH were perps and just couldn't think of RUB as a seasoning. With U in place, UGANDA filled and the rest of the puzzle fell.
CSNY- for some reason I kept wanting as retail brand such as DKNY. Just wouldn't click. But for Crosby, Stills, Nash, and the flake, I liked them BEFORE they added Neil Young.
But as I have signed off before (R)adios amigo(s).
One can NEVER work a DuGuay-Carpenter NEVER. They are no fun and always confusing and the least definition that one cannot think of and I wish this so called puzzle maker was eliminated from making puzzles or at least published in a paper,
Wow, such a 26-Down there, anon.
Anon @9:02, lighten up. Puzzle was terrific! Loved working it.
Anan @ 9:02 - Nonsense. Heart Rx's puzzles are always filled with clever cluing leading to a smooth solve. You just need to onto her wavelength. Great puzzle today, Marti. Thank you. Educational expo again, Lemonade714. Thank you. I've said it before, "Noli illegitimi carborundum".
Cya.
Thank you Lemon. Thank you Marti.
Wow! Just wow! What a great puzzle with misdirection and reveals that sparked the cranial juices. Plus, the fill was solid. One of the best Fridays I've ever (almost) completed.
And what makes it extra cool is that I know the constructor. At least through the text of our thriving community.
Now don't get me write, I'm not just blowing smoke because it was a Marti puzzle. I'm trumpeting the praises because it IS a Marti puzzle and is so darn good!
It made my day, and for that, I thank you.
My initial post:
*write should be "wrong"
(well I guess you would say it is wrong) Goofy auto-correct.
Fun, Fun, Fun! Got the theme on ROVERBUDGET, and didn't stop smiling from there on. Thank you Marti for a great puzzle and a great start to my day. I wonder if you had any other Theme Answers when working on this one.
My fav was RAFTERHOURS.
Nice write-up, Lemonade, as you always do.
I get here at well after 10 am and only 13 comments? That means I wasn't the only one to have trouble today, though eventually getting it all out, even if I did have to do the Sudoku and come back for a second look before I did.
I got the theme fairly quickly, and it helped. But I got snarled in the same places as most others here. I wanted NASD for NASH, thinking it was part of the NYSE.
I would have got here earlier except Windows shut me down for a while updating (I can't stand when it does that automatically) and when I came back I was distracted on FB for way too long.
Nice job all round from Marti and Lemon!
Good morning everyone.
Agree with Lemon's 'masterpiece' attribution. Much fill was beyond my pay grade but I hung on for Marti's wild ride. There were a few solid anchors to get me started like NEVA, IGOR, RARA, SCHWA, and OMAN. Began to see the schtick with RAGED GRACEFULLY; then RAFTER HOURS which made me chortle uncontrollably. I then put an 'R' at the start of the other long fills. Gradually the rest filled in, but I had to make a very lucky guess for the b in ABA. Only write-over was I had awl before SAW. I also considered sou before STU.
Liked 'beads on blades' - DEW.
morning all -
great job Marti! i enjoyed your puzzle even though i knew there would be some random east coast references and potentially poetry that would stump me. it took me forever to figure out CSNY, but only because i was stuck on CSI for no good reason! total v-8 moment!
entertaining and enjoyable with just enough difficulty to make me feel the friday-ness of it.
wishing you all a good weekend :)
tawnya
I always enjoy Marti's puzzles and this one was no exception, wonderful as usual. I especially like her misdirections and humor. I find her puzzles interesting and doable. It is a Friday, after all, not a Monday, so we need a little challenge. I had ROVER BUDGET almost immediately and thus the gimmick which helped tremendously.
I always enjoy Lemon's expos, too, and this one was no exception, wonderful as usual. I especially liked his connection to Scooby Doo.
I was sure NASH was correct, but didn't know why. I never call the group by their initials. Like others, I was looking for New York.
ROUTER SPACE held me up for a little while until I thought of ROUT IN SPACE and could finish quickly.
Kazi, I finished this very early this morning, but didn't have time to blog until now.
A quick dash in, can't stay long. Enjoyed this puzzle and still have a giggle over raged gracefully. I had to come here and find out about the SE corner. Couldn't quite get there, but thank you. explainers, constructors, and all for my Friday smiles. Sun shines and work to do, still---it's TGIF. What awaits on Saturday?
Good Morning:
If you think Marti is clever and accomplished at crossword constructing, you should see what she comes up with in our Words With Friends battles!
Great puzzle today with lots of misdirection, although I sussed the theme very early on. Rafter Hours, indeed! I went astray with sou before Stu, not even realizing it was missing the final s. Also had enrapt before engage, and Rwanda before Uganda. I did finish w/o help, but it was a mighty challenge.
Thanks, Marti, for a fearsome but fun Friday frolic and thanks, Lemony, for a witty and wise write-up.
Have a great day.
Hello, friends!
Felicidades, Marti! I loved this puzzle. The theme and cluing was smart and funny. Beads on blades, DEW, was especially fun.
And my first St. Petersburg river was the Moika which didn't fit so NEVA flowed in.
I also filled ROTH/NASH but didn't know why. Thank you, Lemonade, for always clearing up the obscurities.
Have a great Friday, everyone!
Hi Marti, CC and everybody. Unlike Anon (9:02), I thought this was tricky, fair and lots of fun. I almost laughed out loud at several answers but especially "RADIOS AMIGOS."
It is really warm locally; temperatures in the 80s and 90s.
I hope you all have a good day.
Hi gang -
I thought Marti was going to leave me bruised and bloody by the side of the road. Finally got through, though i had to google CSNY, to my chagrin.
Loved their studio albums, but they were unbelievably horrible live.
Had RAFTER NOONS for a long time and started 50A with ROUTINE - -. Those things held me back.
NE corner was last to fill, with SNAFU and the swag TABOR.
Rainman - regarding Depression, yes it was the Great one, and at the time radio was the primary home entertainment system. Pres Roosevelt routinely had "fireside chats" with the American people. That association is solid.
Fav for me was the ballet tantrum. Grandaughter Amanda is a terrific dancer, and now I have this image of her throwing her pointe shoes in a HUFF. Not her style, but amusing anyway.
Happy weekend everyone.
Cool regards!
JzB
C6D6 Peg @ 10:00, yes, I almost always have extra theme answers the don't make the cut for one reason or another. For this puzzle I had two that I was sad to throw out:
RATE LIKE A BIRD ("Chirp one's judgment?")
RACE IN THE HOLE ("Speed competition for gophers?")
Irish Miss, you seem to do pretty well at kicking my butt in WWF!
Bill G., as it happens, RADIOS AMIGOS was the seed entry for this one. Glad you liked it!
Lemony, I thought your Scooby Doo was a great explanation of the theme. When I answered C6D6 Peg, I went back and looked at my construction notes on this one At the end of the list was the entry RUH-ROH, that I wanted to use as a reveal. But then I felt it wasn't necessary for the theme and ignored it. But the definition that I had for the entry was: "Catchphrase of Astro, often ascribed incorrectly to Scooby Doo."
I had forgotten all about that!! Both of them were voiced by Don Messick.
A total Friday delight--many thanks, Marti. And great pics, Lemonade.
Have a wonderful weekend, everybdy!
Happy Friday the 13th everyone. Cute theme. Got ROVERBUDGET, and knew what's what. Friday level for sure, and I had to dig deep.
Also wanted CEDE before CAVE, and thought 71A was a New York reference. Did not know INGLE, and wanted ENRAPT before ENGAGE. 32A and 44A
were unknowns. UTNE?
Very eclectic assortment, a little of this and that. End of the week bite, without too much craziness.
The picture of what looked like a kasha knish had me drooling. Brooklyn N.Y. had its share of the best kosher delis when I was a child. Shatkins, in Brighton Beach, was a major player as a knish manufacturer and retailer. The BEST cherry cheese filled I ever tasted. Then again. I grew up in Coney Island, so I had the best of EVERYTHING a young person could imagine. Atlantic Ocean, Nathans(best french fries, like no other),boardwalk, fireworks, Cyclone roller coaster, I could go on forever, like living in paradise. Wouldn't have traded this experience with anyone.
Take care today, all you superstitious types. Until tomorrow.
Marti- Thanks for making it possible to start my day with a big grin and a bigger laugh. RADIOS AMIGO indeed!
Just an apology about my ravings about knishes. After entering my comments, I realized had a "SENIOR MOMENT". Not only did I spell SHATZKINS, incorrectly, I also gave the wrong location. It was on the boardwalk at West 31st Street. I only went there almost every day. For the record, STAHL'S Knishes were in Brighton. They were great too.My memories are getting less reliable. It's scary. Anyone have a cure?
I agree wholeheartedly with what Barry G said: "This was a wonderful, clever, fun and smooth puzzle."
Coneyro: A cure for what?
I was more a potato knish kid
Great write-up, Lemon, and good catch with the "travel(l)er" clue. It doesn't look odd to me any more.
A good, tough Friday. Great job, Marti. I never knew that INGLE was a hearth, even though I once had an inglenook fireplace in my old house in England. (It was very old, at least 300 years, but no-one knew for sure).
Loved RADIOS AMIGO
Hello Puzzlers -
A bit late to the party today. Definitely an eclectic mix! Caught on to the theme at Rover, but still had to work at it. Hand up for flat out forgetting what CSNY stands for, even though I have made the mistake before. Thanks for the brain teaser, Marti!
It's been interesting to read comments about deli items. Long time Cornerites will perhaps recall that I had my first major NY deli experience in 2013, at Katz's. Having grown up without such things, a deli is a tasty novelty. Of course I have no idea what some of the foodstuffs are.
Nice crossword and a cuter explanation. Does everyone know everyone else around here ?
I wanted to bring up a med code to you folks who know everything. I recently went for a check up and some complaint, and the male medic wrote in NYD on my super secret chart. Yah, just that. Now I am acrostic / acronym anagram literate as good as the next guy, but I could not understand this NYD.
Now, I know Stet, OPD, AIDS, MDF and MYB and MEDs as the docs do, but I couldn't get NYD.
Is it
Not Your Dumb business,
Nice Yummy D's ( I am a petite female and somewhat under developed, but I can only dream of D's),
Naughty Yellow d-----,
Never younger d...,
(Do) Not yank d---,
Not yet developed,
Note yucky duck?
I asked a male nurse, who pompously informed me that he couldn't tell me because of all the HIPAA rules. ( hah! - likely story). But I could make out he was really smiling inside of his fat head.
So all you people can take a guess before googling it. Bye.
NYD is New Years Day which is also a jewish holiday as it is the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ.
Hola Everyone, Friday puzzles are usually not my forte. (Accent over the e). However, I did know a lot of this one without help so I forged ahead.
I got the theme once Rover Budget was in so that helped with the other theme entries. This was a fun puzzle from Marti, and just after a great blog by her yesterday. Thanks Lemonade for your take on her puzzle.
Beads on blades/dew, Enter in a way/type and Wire in a way/Elec. were all favorites this morning.
I put in Dog before Cur so that was a problem until the perps fell into place. I wasn't sure about CEO or CFO, but perps helped there, too.
All in all a fun exercise for a Friday, and I was able to sit at home and do it because the judge gave the jurors the day off today.
Have a great rest of the day, everyone.
NYD, according to one site, means "not yet diagnosed."
I doubt that the circumcision of Christ is a Jewish holiday now. It was probably a Jewish celebration for the actual circumcision, but now, the feast would be a Christian holiday.
Great puzzle, Marti!
A couple of challenges but very do-able. I liked the theme a lot, espcialmente RADIOSAMIGOS.
SET, I thought of swingSET, not a play.
I thought ROUT needed an E. Looked it up afterwards, nope, it was correct.
Kept EMIR for OMAN until I realized it was a country not a person.
Wanted SOU for STU. I got NAM, and waited for perps to confirm it wasn't HAP as in "what's the haps?"
DOAGAIN instead of ITERATE prevented me from solving the west side for a while.
Well, that's the haps over here in LALA Land.
-BDole
NOT YET DEAD
Sorry Marti, I stared at the the only theme entry I had, radiosamigo, & never saw the theme.
I really really tried to finish it, but I guess Rover Budget is not in my vocabulary... I changed cede to cave but could not WAG Vera. I did WAG Rara & AMB & set, wasn't sure enough about dietRC to ink it in. Got hung up at the French Peu, but did not expect to get my nose rubbed in INGLE. (Touche Marti!)
However I am familiar with Inglenook, just never made the connection...
Never saw the Bat Roost...
However I did love RagedGracefully after the fact...
I think I got Lost in Space
Which brings me back to the only visual I had for RadiosAmigo.
I could go on, but it gets really silly. Like I thought Beads on Blades = Dew was too easy, must be some kind of gay hockey team...
Anyway, I gave up only because the suspense of not knowing the right answers was killing me!
To paraphrase Lemonade, I wonder if younger(and older) people relate to RADIOS AMIGO as a very often played staple of 80s Mtv? Link Video
Loved your puzzle Marti.
Tomorrow, March 14th, 2015, at 53 seconds after 9:26 AM will officially be PI day.
Anon, as above, its too late - they already gone done celebrated it on the 'NBC Today', this morning, (Yes!) with a multitude and a miscellany of pies, on faces, all around.
Why bother with scientific facts and dates when there is merriment in the air and an excuse for 16 minutes of unscripted air time.
So, while crosswords and blogs are (partly ) founded on logic and fact - the TV news shows are based on - whatever gets the biggest advertiser dollars.( I wonder if the newscasters can still spell Pi),
Greetings!
Great work, Marti and Lemon! Especially enjoyed the theme! Took quite a bit longer than usual, as am still sick. No cheats, though. Puzzled a long time over CSNY, as mentioned above.
Cheers!
Ashamed in NYC- Television "news" shows, and I use that word loosely, are strictly about personalities and personality cult. These guys and gals are wannabe actors and actresses, just like some of our finer folks in Washington, D.C. Stations promote the 'personality' and likability, not their intelligence.
Show Biz is where the big money is. The "newscasters'" fake sincerity is really sickening to watch, which is why I DON'T watch television news.
Anonymous @9:02am,
R is consistently added to the front of each theme answer. Why confusing?
Five theme entries with four 11's and a grid spanner, and you don't see one RAILLERY! No one prioritizes solvers' enjoyment more than Marti.
Your comment is unfair and hurtful.
Post a Comment