Theme: Peanut Butter - but no jelly. Two word entries that start with a P & B.
60D. "America's largest classroom" network ... or, read as a plural, a hint to 20-, 28-, 46- and 53-Across : PBS. (Public Broadcasting Service)
20A. Ursine kiddie-lit character with a battered suitcase : PADDINGTON BEAR
28A. "Love Is a Battlefield" rocker : PAT BENATAR
46A. Superman's "dressing room" : PHONE BOOTH
53A. Venerated dancer : PRIMA BALLERINA
Argyle here. Feel free to come up with your own "PB's".
Across:
1. Sourpuss' expression : SCOWL. The look anon gets when he sees PLED.
6. Greek god of love : EROS
10. Shakespeare's nickname, with "the" : BARD
14. Finnish telecommunications giant : NOKIA. Wiki Site
15. Egg holder : NEST
16. Three-part cookie : OREO
17. Chorus in church : AMENS
18. Cuba, to Cubans : ISLA. (Island)
19. Campus head : DEAN
23. Low-fat, as milk : SKIM. Bzzzt! Skim is no-fat.
24. Fall behind : LAG
25. Missile storage facility : SILO
34. Tracks down, as a UPS package : TRACES
36. Bakery fixture : OVEN
37. LPGA golfer Michelle : WIE
38. Puts on the line : RISKS
39. Termination : END
40. Skip over in pronunciation : ELIDE
42. Biblical beast : ASS
43. Ambassador's skill : TACT
45. Valued (at) : PRICED
49. Truman's first lady : BESS. (Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Truman (née Wallace)) First Lady should be capitalized, IMHO, as a title preceding a name.
50. Higher than, in poetry : O'ER
51. Parisian lover's word : AIME
60. Answered a charge : PLED
61. __ horse: long shot : DARK. No dark horse this year to derail American Pharoah.
62. Prom gown material : SATIN
63. Fillet's lack : BONE
64. New York canal : ERIE
65. Court reporter : STENO
66. Sheltered Greek promenade : STOA. More of a mid-week word but we've had it on Monday before.
67. Like a battery needing a charge : DEAD
68. Saudi Arabia neighbor : YEMEN
Down:
1. Simple fastener : SNAP
2. Unconscious state : COMA
3. Approved : OK'ED
4. Airport breeze indicator : WINDSOCK
5. High-tech eye surgery : LASIK
6. Hard puzzle : ENIGMA. Not today.
7. Get some shuteye : REST
8. Norwegian capital : OSLO
9. The Hulk's co-creator : STAN LEE
10. Hispanic grocery : BODEGA
11. Region : AREA
12. Backside : REAR
13. Dodgers manager Mattingly : DON
21. Puppy bites : NIPS
22. Large cloth sign : BANNER
25. Camera attachment : STRAP
26. "When __ Eyes Are Smiling" : IRISH
27. Wrangler's rope : LASSO
29. Kemo Sabe sidekick : TONTO
30. Skivvies brand : BVD
31. A couple of times : TWICE
32. Senate staffers : AIDES
33. Marsh grasses : REEDS
35. Think highly of : ESTEEM
39. Author Umberto : ECO. See 66-Across.
41. Set free : LIBERATE
44. Rubbed roughly : ABRADED
45. Golfer Mickelson : PHIL
47. "Search me" : "NO IDEA"
48. Had a heart-to-heart : TALKED
52. Like Buffalo wings, eating-wise : MESSY
53. Scheme : PLOT
54. Nevada gambling mecca : RENO
55. Devoid of artwork, as walls : BARE
56. Opera solo : ARIA
57. List entry : ITEM
58. Common opening time : NINE
59. In a short time, poetically : ANON
Argyle
34 comments:
Boy, I sure LOVE Monday puzzles!! I can actually DO them: no Googling, no red-letter help! I especially liked today's fun puzzle, done in the newspaper while still in bed, and fun to complete, too. What a terrific write-up, too, Argyle, thanks for all the work that went into that!!
To show kitty you love her, a Pat on the Belly.
For the aesthete, a Painting by Botticelli.
But for kids you adore
They want PB and more,
So they'll love when you serve them Peanut Butter and Jelly!
Morning, all!
Easy-peasy lemon squeezy today. Figured out the theme moments before I hit the theme reveal, which was nice. Didn't really need to know it to solve the puzzle, of course.
Nice to see PADDINGTON BEAR in the grid. When my son was younger I picked up an old book of classic PADDINGTON BEAR stories at a yard sale and he really enjoyed it when I read them to him, despite the language differences (British English compared to American) and some of the very outdated cultural and technological references. I've ordered the new movie on Blu-ray and we are both looking forward to watching it in a few days when it comes in. Hopefully we won't be disappointed...
Good morning!
Nice 'n easy start to the week! No problems. Did I get the theme? Of course, not.
I could relate to a couple of today's answers: ERIE -- My great grandparents went down the Erie Canal in the 1850's as they migrated from New York to Wisconsin. NOKIA -- The Finnish reference reminds me that in the mid 90's I bought a high-tech, high-class, high-priced home theater pre-amp. It was a product of Finland. At the time I thought the Finns lived in tents and ffollowed the reindeer herds.
Superman would be hard-pressed to find a changing room today. He'd have to switch from PHONE BOOTHs to Starbucks -- there's one on every corner.
Grrrr. I just lost my comments when I signed in. Shorthand this time.
I'm glad to be back after missing my puzzles and the Corner commentary as I have spent the week with grandkids. If I don't get to the CW early, then I am not likely to return later in the day. Thanks Gareth. I agree with Argyle on SKIM. I read first lady as "number one gal" rather than titular. Nice Monday run.
I love D-O's solution for Superman. All the phone and computer jockeys at Starbuck's would never notice him coming or going. ;-)
Thanks, Argyle for the escort. Have a great day, all.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gareth Bain, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.
Zipped through this easily. As compared too yesterday's, which took many hours.
Did not know PADDINGTON BEAR or PAT BENATAR. Perped them.
ERIE canal was easy. Reminds me of my home town.
STOA is a crossword staple.
WIND SOCKS are still widely in use a more than airports. Pretty much all big hospitals have them.
AIME was unknown. Another french word. My bane.
Lots of BODEGAs around all big cities.
Looks like good weather here today in NE Illinois. Lots of work outside and a book to finish for my book club.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Good Morning:
A typical Monday stroll in the park, no muss, no fuss. Then, again, Gareth rarely disappoints. Barry, hope you and your son enjoy Paddington, the clips I saw looked appealing.
I watched some of the Tony Awards but most of the plays and musicals (except for revivals) were unknown to me, as were most of the performers. Tommy Tune wears his 76 years quite well. It was a striking visual to see him at 6'6 next to the barely 5' Kristin Chenowith!
Thanks to Gareth and Argyle for a good start to the week.
Have a great day.
I thought of Gareth as soon as 1A appeared and SCOWL worked as he is part of Amy Renaldo's Diary of a Crossword Fiend blog, and Amy is the scowl-o-meter champ.
Gareth always presents nice grids with so much Americana, like Don Mattingly, Pat Benatar, Stan Lee (complete name), rival Superman, Reno, Bess Truman and so much more.
Thanks GB and Argyle for a good start to the week
Good morning everyone.
Definitely not an ENIGMA today as Argyle said. Enjoyed the PB theme but appreciated the perp help at P BEAR and P BENATAR.
Liked how Gareth used the 'f' phonic in PHONE to keep with the theme.
Too quick out of the chute in the SW where I had to cross out plan and anoa and insert PLOT and STOA. Which then gave me PBS, the key to the theme.
28d - SO to IRISH Miss.
Have a great day.
Enjoyable start to the week. Thanks Gareth and Argyle.
I got the theme early which sped things up.
ERIE is becoming a staple. Hand up for Plan before PLOT. We had LIBERATEd women last week.
I had -RAC-S in place for 34A and knew it couldn't be Tracks as in the clue. Perps to the rescue.
I must get to the Anchor Bar for some of those Buffalo wings.
Memorable version of IRISH Eyes by American President Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Mulrooney. (Sorry I don't know how to link it from my iPad.)
46A: What does Superman do these days now that phone booths are a thing of the past? He can't hide behind a cell phone!
Lovely start to the week. Thanks Gareth and Argyle.
I was interested in your comment on First Lady for Bess Truman, Argyle. The lack of capitalization didn't bother me, but I thought it should have been "Harry's first lady" if the answer is her first name. Or is that too picky? (The autocorrect keeps capitalizing First Lady every time I type it! So I guess you are right!)
I had FROWN for SCOWL at 1A until SNAP and COMA corrected me.
And I didn't get the theme until the reveal, but didn't need it.
Good morning all,
I do like Mondays so I can get it done before the day begins.It's going to be 99 in our area...I'm sad for the hydrangeas because they just hate the heat.
Loved your comment ,D-otto, about Superman using Starbucks... nice visual.
Thanks for the write up, Argyle. I noticed that I did have 2 errors. I put Ron for Don and plea for pled which gave me a word I could not read: noiaea. I feel rusty.
Enjoy the week.
Hola Everyone, JD, I had that same word which I could not read. I didn't go back and look at the tense for plea. So a DNF for me today. Other than that it was an easy puzzle. I like Mondays!
The theme escaped me, but that isn't anything new. I had all the PB's in, but had to rely on Argyle for the answer. Good write up and puzzle.
I'm here early today, as we had to have an early breakfast--6:30 because my husband has to fast for 7 hours before his PET scan today. This gets a bit tricky, as he is diabetic and going without food for such a long time can be a bit tricky.
Have a great day, everyone. As JD mentioned it will be a hot one here.
"puzzling thoughts":
I haven't had a NOKIA cellphone in ages, but it was THE high-tech model back in the day. I've been using an iPhone since 2012 with no issues
WEES, today's puzzle was both challenging enough and yet very doable for a Monday; ABRADED and WINDSOCK are not "normal" Monday solves. I might have had an ink blot here and there before checking perps, but nothing to write home (or here) about
SO to IRISH miss - I know, I owe you a Word! ;^)
So, when you see the word REAR, what gets you more excited?
This?
This??
This???
Or this????
Have a good week, all . . .
Really smooth solve today. Thanks GB and Argyle!
Easy peasy, just right for a Monday. Thanks Gareth and Argyle.
It's hot inland but OK here near the beach. Watch out Lucina!
Sunday Morning was even better than usual yesterday with features on Ben Vereen, a kitten-lending library, John Kander (co-creator of Cabaret and Chicago), Teresita Fernandez (a wonderful artist who's created some beautiful outdoor art in New York), the successful separation of conjoined twins in Haiti and much more. I much prefer Sunday Morning to 60 Minutes.
Easy Monday. Love to start the week feeling so smart. Went so fast that that I skipped over most of the downs.
Got theme right away, but didn't really need it, as answers practically filled themselves in.
If I recall correctly, NOKIA was the brand of my first cell phone. It was black and kind of heavy. In those days, indiscriminate use of the phone was costly. No "unlimited" plans at that time. It's ironic that now the younger generation rarely uses the phone for actually calling i.e. text, text, text....
The STENO answer reminded me of another profession long gone and archaic, the office stenographer. I and millions of others took a course, usually Greg or Pitman symbolism in high school, to prepare for secretarial work. "Take a letter", alas, is heard no more.
Time to go...Have a productive day and don't forget to smile.
Thank you G.B. and Argyle for the fun, quick and easy start to my day and week!
Favorite c/a 28a: "Life is a Battlefield" by Pat Benetar. I heard it on the radio as I drove to coffee this morning.
Misty, you've inspired me to get out of the rut and try something new. Tonight I'm making (a simplified version of) Coq au Vin!
Happy Monday!
Pat
Musings
-I saw the PB right away and thought of lead
-Try to give a 10-yr-old an IDEA what a PHONE BOOTH is
-My first principal was a PB (Paul Baker) and he had a SCOWL on his face unless someone was buying him a drink
-I occasionally use ELIDIN’ in this blog
-Here’s an outdated Missile storage facility near my hometown PRICED at a mere $2M
-When I read this book, I learned BESS ran that household.
-Speaking of the recent Triple Crown winner, did you notice that Pharaoh was misspelled on his saddle blanket? Me either
-Wyoming WIND SOCK
-Appearance in this show has made STAN LEE famous to some of us comic book challenged peeps
-Large BANNERS hanging from SILOS in Omaha
-Aforementioned principal during the height of the AIDS epidemic announced, “After this meeting, will all teachers with AIDES please stay for short meeting”
-I hold C.C. and many more of you in high ESTEEM
-Two days ago was the 71st anniversary of the beginning of the LIBERATION of Europe
Husker, the name on the saddle blanket is spelled correctly. It's the horse who's got the misspelled name. That's why I asked yesterday if Isiah Thomas was betting on him. Reminds me of the street signs in my little town. Last year the city replaced a sign with "Michael Angelo" -- the actual street name as registered with the P.O. and Appraisal District is "Michaelangelo." This year the city replaced the misspelled sign with "Michelangelo" -- correct, but still incorrect.
HG @ 2:05
Here is an article on the "why" is American Pharoah's name misspelled. This appeared just before the KY Derby - and as the author's last sentence so correctly suggested, now that he's won the Triple Crown, who cares how it's spelled!
As one who follows Thoroughbred Racing, American Pharaoah is a "freak" - meaning, he is one of those horses that comes along every other decade or so and just outruns his pedigree. His breeding "numbers" would suggest a horse that does not relish the distances of the Triple Crown races, but darned if he didn't just say "neigh" to those who claimed he couldn't last 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 miles. This was the 14th time since Affirmed had won the Triple Crown (in 1978) that a horse came to the Belmont with a chance at winning it. The "odds" were in American Pharoah's favor - good for the sport!
Here is another "feel good" article on American Pharoah, and his jockey, Victor Espinoza
The puzzle was built around PADDINGTONBEAR. Went to see it at the cinema with a friend (only film that didn't seem schlocky and offensive!) and was most charmed.
Greetings!
Thanks, Gareth and Santa!
Nice puzzle!
Really is hot here today.
Cheers!
Thanks, Gareth, for telling us about the puzzle and Paddington Bear. I was an admirer of the cuddly fella years ago, and enjoyed today's offering so much because his name was one of my first correct theme fills. How nice of you to share with us!!
Hi All!
Quick fun and just crunchy enough to keep Monday interesting. Thanks Gareth (and thanks for stopping by). Kudos to our regular Prolific Blogger Argyle for the writeup.
Not WBS - I knew 20a & 28a off the bat. My hold up was reading 45a as Vaulted over and over and over, so I put Let_RATE in (tESS sounded good at 49a) and kept puzzling. Finally the V8 hit - Valued (at); that's my ink-blot.
Fav - RISKS over ASS - anyone who bet against A. Pharoah. (I don't care how it's spelt - I would know better anyway :-))
We should still have PHONE BOOTHs so we can point people sans TACT to them when we start hearing about their operation / breakup / hookup / etc.
I'll play more after DARK.
Cheers, -T
Doh, I blew my line with A. Pharoah - I woudn't know better...
I'm missing DW & Youngest. They went to DC for the week, Eldest and I are batchin' it (mmm, hot-dogs) - we'll all meet in Chicago Friday. Youngest is in People to People leadership some thing(?). She got a letter of congratulations from our congressman last week and was so excited. She's most pump'd to see the Supreme Court - she wants to be a judge on that bench (since she was 9). DW is just taking a holiday from life (and neither of us want our 13yro in DC w/o out us) - DW's going to the Shakespeare Reading room later this week and is pump'd too.
In the spirit of CED TONTO.
Cheers, -ANON T
//END Transmission...
Did anyone watch "Lie & Legends" last night. It surmised that the real Lone Ranger was Bass Reeves. He was a runaway slave and Marshall who rode with an Native American to arrest lawbreakers who hid in Indian Territory ( Oklahoma ). I had never heard this theory before now.
Also remember the last "Lone Ranger" movie when Johnny Depp stole the show and said Kemosabe meant "wrong brother."
As a kid, I always called him the "Long" Ranger. I don't remember being corrected.
I really enjoyed Sunday and Monday puzzles. HG and Argyle's explanations added to my enjoyment very much. Thanks
Blue Iris - Interesting... It was a SNAP to look up Bass Reeves on Wiki. Cite [11] (2013 BBC) had the same Lone Ranger hypothesis. It's hard to know black influence in that time as they (and the Native Americans) were so marginalized then (and oft now). Thanks for piquing my curiosity...
HG - 2 posts and 2 forgets - thanks for the LOL Wyoming WINDSOCK.
Hate to do this, but gotta - I'm going to bring up 'H' pronunciation again... I just got off-line w/ my buddy (from S. Mississippi) in AU - he said he can't wait to get home where we pronouce most h's in words. "The bloody atatchi is down" (translation - "the f***ing Hitachi [storage system] is off-line") :-) // he'll be home Sat.
Cheers, -T
60A: Pleaded (not pled) is the standard past tense and past participle of the verb plea.
27D: A "wrangler's rope" is a reata, or in cowboy slang, a "lariat." When looped back on itself with a slip knot, it can be used to lasso something. A wrangler is the cowboy who herds and takes care of the horses. He is usually the youngest, or the lowest in seniority, on a cattle-drive. It's a dirty, smelly job.
ALERT THE DICTIONARIES!
The dictionaries already know. It is the crossword creators that need to be alerted.
Um, which dictionaries don't have PLED?
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