38A. School's underclass team ... or, initially, what the four longest answers in this puzzle comprise : JV SQUAD
17A. Decision of a courtroom dozen : JURY VERDICT
22A. Business partnership : JOINT VENTURE
48A. Words on Monopoly's Jail square : JUST VISITING
57A. Vital blood vessel : JUGULAR VEIN
Argyle here, in a bit of a quandary. This is Andy's first solo effort with us and it's a doozy. The theme is an easy reveal but an impressive construction. The problem lies in the level of the fill, ranging from crosswordese to Thursday level. Nearly a pangram(no H) and a trio of six letter stacks on the sides gives us a good start to the week...or a warning?
Across:
1. Cager Shaquille : O'NEAL
6. Port in southeastern Iraq : BASRA. Anagram of Arabs.
11. Butcher's trimmings : FAT
14. Actor Gabriel or singer David : BYRNE. David is lead for The Talking Heads while Gabriel may become more well know with an upcoming film.
15. "Family Matters" misfit : URKEL. The annoying "Did I do that?" kid.
16. Sci-fi aircraft : UFO
19. Half an evasive route : ZAG
20. Noisy pig : OINKER
21. Poet Pound : EZRA. Yes, that's his real name.
27. "Snowy" birds : EGRETS
28. Fuse with an alloy : SOLDER
32. Greek Cupid : EROS
33. Letter between rho and tau : SIGMA
36. Chicken __ king : À LA. The sauce is the thing in Chicken à la King but the creator of the sauce is in dispute.
37. Fled the scene : RAN
40. Tennis division : SET. Match, set, game.
41. Tokyo, once : EDO. crosswordese.
42. Itty-bitty : EENSY
43. Donated : GAVE
44. Hereditary ruler : DYNAST
46. Made amends : ATONED
52. Head over heels (over) : GAGA
55. Bronx baseballer : YANKEE. Hey, stop that booing!
56. Mimic : APE
62. Buddhist sect : ZEN
63. Supreme Court justice Kagan : ELENA
64. Pass on, as a message : RELAY
65. Lumberjack's tool : AXE
66. Like toads : WARTY
67. Japanese cartoon art : ANIME
Down:
1. Noun after a vb., generally : OBJect
2. Big Apple sch. : NYU. (New York University)
3. Make a mistake : ERR
4. "It's still __ game" : ANYONE'S. Common sports comentary.
5. "Inception" actor Joseph Gordon-__ : LEVITT
6. Actress Delta : BURKE
7. Shakespearean forest : ARDEN
8. Blouse go-with : SKIRT
9. Camcorder button : RECord
10. PC key : ALT. Who peeked? Wait! Don't ask, don't tell.
11. Peach __ : FUZZ
12. Miles off : AFAR
13. "Julius Caesar" costume : TOGA. Gaius Julius Caesar we now know.
18. Holders of ltrs. or bills : ENVS. (envelopes)
21. Long-bodied swimmer : EEL
22. Razzed : JEERED
23. Sweet Rosie of song : O'GRADY. The Uncle Miltie Show, take a look.
24. Applied with heat, as patches : IRON ON
25. West Point letters : USMA. (United States Military Academy)
26. Willie Nelson's "On the __ Again" : ROAD
29. Aquafina rival : DASANI. Pepsi vs Coke.
30. Late news hour : ELEVEN
31. Kid-friendly, TV-wise : RATED G
33. Govt.-issued ID : SSN
34. Mensa stats : IQs
35. Fella : GUY
38. Bach's "__, Joy of Man's Desiring" : JESU
39. November honorees : VETs. The 11 hour of the 11 day of the 11 month.
43. Settled a score : GOT EVEN
45. 1977 Steely Dan album : AJA. crosswordese.
46. "__ silly question ... " : ASK A
47. __ del Fuego : TIERRA. Southernmost tip of the South American mainland.
49. Blake's "burning bright" big cat : TYGER
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
50. Brag : VAUNT. Often used as VAUNTED.
51. Decorative woodwork : INLAY
52. Disputed Mideast strip : GAZA
53. Peak : APEX
54. Heredity unit : GENE
57. Yom Kippur observer : JEW
58. Suffix with form : ULA. (formula)
59. Quarterback Manning : ELI
60. "__ the Walrus" : I AM
61. "Science Guy" Bill : NYE
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Misty's husband Rowland passed away on Saturday afternoon. Misty said "He had still been able to answer questions
and even respond to crossword puzzle clues on Wednesday, but
became unresponsive that night. Thankfully he appeared to have
very little pain and I held his hand when he stopped breathing."
Our condolences to Misty, who's been contributing to our blog almost daily since 2011. Rowland introduced crosswords to Misty after his stroke in 2008 and they often solved LAT Daily together.
 |
| Misty & Rowland 2009 (15th Anniversary Party) |
Morning, all (and my deepest condolences to Misty)
ReplyDeleteI found today's puzzle to be exceptionally smooth and definitely fit for a Monday. I figured out the general theme (JV answers) after getting the second theme answer, and that let me throw down the last two theme answers based solely on the clues with no perp help required.
Maybe I've just been doing these puzzles for awhile, but I really didn't run into anything I considered particularly crosswordese or Thursday-level.
Again, condolences to Misty.
My thoughts and prayers for Misty.
ReplyDeleteKaren M. Tracey's JV SQUAD is BETTER.
ReplyDeleteI found this a tough Monday, probably because there are a lot of actor/actress clues, and a sitcom clue, and those are weak areas for me. Add to that not knowing the word "DYNAST" and the whole CW ended up taking three times as long as usual for a Monday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteI glided through this one with only a couple of missteps. I put TEASED before JEERED -- hadn't yet figured out the JV theme. And APEX began life as ACME. Otherwise, it was a speed run to the bottom.
Interesting observation about BASRA, Argyle. Never noticed that. I remember Gabriel Byrne best from The Usual Suspects. I don't remember Joseph Gordon-LEVITT at all. Is that the current style? It looks like his suit's too small.
Misty, I'm very sorry to hear about Rowland. You knew it was coming, but that doesn't make it any easier.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I found this puzzle to be pretty much to be a Monday level. I hope we see more of this constructor. Once I got the unifier, I knew to put a J in the first square of the long answer, which did give some assistance in completing the answer.
ReplyDeleteShaquille O'NEAL is an LSU grad. He left to play pro ball, but did return to complete his BA in general studies.
We saw David BYRNE in concert with the Talking Heads years ago.
Joseph Gordon-LEVITT was also in the TV sit-com, Third Rock from the Sun, and Delta BURKE was on Designing Women.
Another scorcher with temperatures nearing 100F.
Misty: I am so sorry to learn of Rowland's passing. May his memory be a blessing.
QOD: If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment. ~ Carlos Santana (b. July 20, 1947)
FIW the first run, but didn't even need red letters to look it over and decide there was no IAN KEE playing for the Bronx Bombers.
ReplyDeleteCrossword puzzles never go up, just down,
And across left to right, not turned around.
Compilers would feed on
Boustrophedon
Whee ! What fun through Cruciverb Town!
Good Morning,
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a very good Monday, but I agree with Argyle--so I, too, hope this is not an omen for a more difficult week. Thanks, Andy.
I sussed JURY VERDICT on my first pass, and checked the downs, which seemed to work. JV SQUAD solidified the theme entries for me, and that made the rest of the puzzle very doable. Nice start to a busy week. Thanks, Argyle for the expo.
Misty, condolences and prayers on the way to you. I'm happy for you that you were able to see your dear hubby off on his journey.
I'm so very sorry to hear of your loss Misty. My deepest condolences.
ReplyDeleteNobody's got a problem with "Applied with heat, as patches : IRON ON"?
ReplyDeleteMy condolences, Misty. I hope that your memories will be a consolation to you.
ReplyDeleteAs for the puzzle, it had several unknown names to me, which made it a little harder than usual. Plenty of easy fill made it fair game for a Monday. Hahtoolah, thanks for reminding me where I'd seen Joseph Gordon-LEVITT. Like D-otto, I went for ACME before APEX, but it was fixed quickly.
Anon (7:33 AM), in my youth we had name tags for clothing, helpful if one wanted to return from camp with much the same inventory as one started. Some labels were "sew-on" while others had heat-activated glue and were described as IRON-ON.
Argyle, thanks for the write-up, and the links to Bach and Uncle Miltie. An unusual pairing, to say the least, but both enjoyable for different reasons.
I have a question for the constructors here. Argyle notes that today's is a near-pangram, lacking only an H. Is pangrammaticity something which you view as an asset to a puzzle -- that is, something which you strive for -- or more of a happy accident?
Anon@7:33 It works if you read "IRON-ON" as an adjective (i.e. iron-on patches are applied with heat).
ReplyDeleteMisty, my deepest condolences for your loss. Thoughts and prayers are with you.
ReplyDeleteThoughts and prayer for Misty and her family today and in the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteMisty, I'm sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you in your time of sorrow.
ReplyDeletePlenty of gristle for a Monday. Surprised it wasn’t pangramic(?).
ReplyDeleteMusings
-More rain so golf is delayed today
-BYRNE/LEVITT to start a Monday? Who dat?
-JURY VERDICT on OJ was not guilty but not innocent
-Those UFO’s never contact anyone at MIT
-A more questionable use of ZIG ZAG
-EZRA was the name of the 11’ Python that bit me at school. He was gone the next week
-Doncha just hate this misuse of AXE
-“…lend me your ears” (me – Indirect OBJ., ears –Direct OBJ.)
-It’s always ANYONE’S GAME after the first two rounds on this show. I wonder what the theme was here? You can draw a beer and a sword but a flashlight…
-Remember this Peach FUZZ commercial? (1:00)
-I’ll bet Willie had some ZIG ZAG papers when he was On the ROAD again
-How do you east coasters stay up until ELEVEN for news?
-GET EVEN!
-GAZA is not on our vacation itinerary
-My boyhood jeans were held together by IRON ON patches
-My sincere condolences, Misty.
Misty, my heartfelt condolences.
ReplyDeleteI thought the puzzle today was wonderful. Yes, a little crunchy in spots, but so much fun. It took me several passes, but each one revealed something clever. Andy, do more!! And Argyle, the links and comments were great.
We've had temps of 104 a few times over the last few days. More of that is predicted. Whew!
We haven't hit 100, so far. But the weather folks are predicting 97-99 highs and 78-79 lows for the next week or so. But, heck, it's the gulf coast. What should we expect? I am enjoying my first $200+ electric bill of the summer.
ReplyDeleteI made it through in one pass, slightly impeded by Blake's spelling but quickly corrected by the Yankee crossing. Many of the clues that were a bit hard for a Monday were crossed by enough easy clues to justify running this on a Monday. And the difficulty level is really the editor's decision, right?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMisty, I am so sorry for your loss.
Misty, my deepest sympathies. But I know how comforting it must have been that you were with him at the end.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteMisty, sincere thoughts and prayers are with you on your great loss.
I found the puzzle easy, peasy, just right for a Monday. Theme was apparent early on the cluing very straightforward. Nice work, Andy, and nice expo, Argyle.
Heat and humidity rule the day. Had some heavy rains and wind yesterday, with some areas experiencing flash flooding and wind damage.
Have a great day.
Misty, My sincere condolence.
ReplyDeleteArgyle: Nice write-up & links. Good Job!
OK, my first entry for 8-d, Blouse go-with, was SCARF before the JURY VERDICT made it a SKIRT ... what do I know about Ladies Fashions.
Needed ESP to get JESU which I thought was a Thursday Level clue/answer.
Fave today was that NY YANKEE ... my favorite team in baseball.
But the only thing to drink was DASANI ... ugh, water ... I never touch-the-stuff.
Cheers!
Very sorry to hear of Rowland's passing, Misty. Positive thoughts coming your way.
ReplyDeleteBusy day today--son #2 arriving this afternoon for a few days, so much to do. I agree that today's CW was a bit above my Monday expectations, but doable nonetheless. I had no time to search, but thought it may be a pangram. H is an unusual omission. Pity. Good start to our week though.
Misty, words fail me. I am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteDear Misty, my best collection of good thoughts headed your way. I remember that nice photo from having seen it posted before. Condolences and best wishes for all of your family.
ReplyDeleteLove, Bill G.
Misty, my condolences.
ReplyDeleteDNF today. Too many unknowns for me.
Hello, friends!
ReplyDeleteMisty, my deepest condolences for your loss.
This puzzle was fun and really, not too over the top for Monday. I caught the JV theme at JURY VERDICT so it helped to know the scheme. Thank you, Andy Kravis. I hope we see more of your work.
Hahtoolah, that is also my recollection of both J. G. LEVITT and Delta BURKE.
IRON-ON did give me pause because the clue seemed to call for the past tense.
Thanks, Argyle. You are in top form today.
Have a beautiful day, everyone!
Misty, may Rowland live forever in your heart.
ReplyDeleteNot entirely a Monday level, but doable.
Do people still stay up to watch the eleven o'clock news? I guess the folks who don't have, or choose not to, scan their electronic devices during the day
Got the JV theme quickly after the second long fill, enabling me to throw in the other two before reading the theme reveal.
VAUNT, JESU, DANANI, DYNAST, BASRA, ARDEN....Would not have gotten without perp help.
Do people still rely on the eleven o'clock news for national/world info? I guess it's for those who don't or choose not check their electronic devices during the day, By that time, it's all "old news". Your local news station may have some items, though, that you might not be aware of.
I see all of the complaints about hot weather. Would you really rather go back to snowstorms and/or zero degrees? The bad weather will come soon enough. Quit yer yappin'....
Joseph Gordon-LEVITT has transitioned from the young star of "Third Rock " to an exceptional big screen actor. He seems to be a stable young man, unlike so many who have gone the way of alcohol and drugs.
May you all have a wonderful week ahead, in health.
Misty - I'm so sorry for your loss. Peace be with you.
ReplyDeleteHello Puzzlers -
Nice Monday walk in the park today, nary a speed bump.
Madame Defarge from yesterday - I read with interest your post about emigration from Italy having been mostly from the south. I wasn't aware of that. Is there some reason you know of?
Good morning all,
ReplyDeleteI did not see the JV theme so joint venture was the last to fall due to having placed teased instead of jeered.There were a few other set backs in the top half , but after changing net to set, all the acrosses worked smoothly for me. Didn't know Dasani, but now remember seeing it numerous times. Vaunt is not in my vocabulary, but it sounds good.
It seems that the younger generation does not iron anything, so all iron-ons for uniforms come over to Grandma's.
Misty, thoughts and prayers and a few tears for you today. You have been a very brave gal.
Thanks for a fun morning Andy and Argyle.
Misty, a hearty handshake and best wishes to you.
ReplyDeleteI could have sworn Erkel was spelled/spelt with an E...
ReplyDeleteDear Misty, My sincerest condolences.
A little crunchy for Monday but enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteOf course I tried Zig before ZAG and Ent before ALT. I toyed with the JU before I saw the theme.
Beautiful summer weather here to enjoy. Garden is starting to produce.
Sincere sympathy to Misty.
Misty, you are in my thoughts at this difficult time. I join the other Cornerites in sending you my deepest sympathy.
ReplyDeleteThis was an easy puzzle for the most part. I caught the JV theme early on, for a change. Thanks, Andy Kravis, and Argyle.
More heat/humidity here. Hoping for a break in the weather pattern tomorrow.
Have a good week.
Pat
EENSY, MEENSY, MINESY, MO,
ReplyDeleteLet's make up spellings (and words) as we go . . .
Misty, my heart goes out to you. My deepest sympathy. You were a wonderful friend, caregiver and spouse to Rowland.
ReplyDeleteEensy is immortalized in the "Eensy weensy yellow polka dot bikini" and the "Eensy Weensy Spider." Eensy may not be a formal English word, but it is in the vernacular, fair game for crosswords.
It's hard to believe that last week we were comfortable wearing jeans and sweatshirts every day in the Endless Mountains of PA. Tuesday and Wednesday nights we even had to sleep with the cabin windows closed. Wednesday noon it was so chilly we gave up eating lunch on the porch and had to carry it inside. That evening we ate in a restaurant. From Thursday on we continued to hang outdoors almost all the time. This is my type of summer weather, much preferable to this week's near 100 degrees and very high humidity in NJ.
I enjoyed this puzzle though parts of it seemed harder than I expect on a Monday.
ReplyDeleteMore warm, humid weather hovering over this area. Watch out Lucina!
I just got a call from a fellow with a lot of talking noise in the background (so I already figured out he was trying to sell me something). He had a thick Indian accent and wanted to guide me through trouble-shooting my Windows computer. I have a Mac. Oh well, my loss...
Has the highway washout in LA effected any of you? It looks horrendous. About the rain in CA, as the saying goes, either feast or famine.
ReplyDeleteMisty... I am so very sorry to hear of your loss... my thoughts and my prayers will be with you in your time of grief...
ReplyDeletethelma
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteFirst, Misty, I am so sorry to hear that Rowland passed. I hope you can find a little joy here at the corner during this time... Thoughts of love your way...
I found today a Grape-Nuts-crunchy Monday.. BASRA, JESU, O'GRADY, DYNAST, and having to remember ERKEL's spelling (much less the character). But I got 'er done and had fun. Thanks Andy. And of course thanks to Argyle - I iked the SNL reference for your title.
W/Os - O'NEiL giving "It's still IN YO??? game"? tENSY b/f thinking J'tSU is French looking and Bach is German... Germans like very long words (don't ask me what it means) V8.
Favs... hummm, AXE mirroring FAT (ok, layoffs aren't fun),
go GAGA over going APE(?),
SIGMA xing IQS (standard deviation on a bell-curve)...
and I AM the Walrus xing The Who's RELAY. Coincidence? :-)
When going to Cairo, we were told "don't drink the water and don't eat anything not cooked." Upon arriving to the corporate flat, 4 cases of DASANI were waiting for us.
Bill G (and a PSA) - that is a known social engineering attack. Microsoft will never call you re your computer. Hang up. Or if you're ornery like me, spin up a Linux VM and waste an hour of their time :-)
HG "1. Beer, 2. Sword, 6. Flashlight" Things you see at the Renascence Fair?
Cheers, -T
HG - It took a while - but Survey Says...If that Statue of Liberty were a man, what would it be holding instead of a torch?. With curiosity quelled, I'll turn to the paper now and see what happened yesterday.
ReplyDeleteCheers, -T
That is great Tony! Thanks for the research!
ReplyDeleteGary
BillG:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning. Soon, though, I'll be in an even more humid location.
Jeopardy has got themselves a more-colorful-than-usual champion.
ReplyDeleteYR, I'm not affected by the problems with the California freeways but... There was a huge jam along I-15, the corridor to Las Vegas with a big brush fire on both sides of the freeway. A few cars caught on fire and a couple of big semis too. People who abandoned their cars have been hit with a big towing and storage fee. I hope they manage to get reimbursed. Then, there was a flash flood that damaged a bridge on I-10, the main southern corridor into and out of California from Arizona. That is going to be a BIG problem for some folks because there is no good alternate. I hope it doesn't screw up Lucina's plans.
We had an earthquake a couple of hours back, centered out in the ocean close by. It was one big jolt. Nothing worse. It seems like a good time to sit in front of the computer and TV and relax.
Misty,
ReplyDeleteThank you for being Rowland's supportive loving hand. I pray you will be surrounded with love and support as you go through this difficult time.
Puzzle seemed somewhat crunchy for a Monday with alternative spellings.
Well, bugger...
ReplyDeleteMIL & I compared puzzles... It's spelled URKLE/BURKE :-(
While I can claim the typo in "that Statue" above (sorry, the Statue), I can't claim ERKLE as a typo. It's what I ink'd, it's what is wrong, it's a FIW. Drat - two bad Monday's in a row.
MIL's only issue was BYRNE - I started singing This ain't no party, this ain't no disco... She tried to shut me down, so I hit her w/ If I... Were David BYRNE, I'd goto parties and not be too concerned... (second stanza, Crash Test Dummies).
MIL hit me! :-) She got the win too...
MIL took the girls to see Inside Out this eve. 6 thumbs down. I'm going to call Terry Gross and ask WTFrog? NPR, paper, etc has been all rave reviews. But 13, 16, and [redacted for my health] year-olds sporting SKIRTs said thppppttt...
Cheers, -T
Thanks, Bill, but I'll be going in the opposite direction. Where they have tornadoes!
ReplyDeleteMy first pass, I spelt it URQUL. Never watched the show.
ReplyDeleteSpider, maybe, but it's the "ITSY, BITSY, TEENIE, WEENIE Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," not EENSY.
ReplyDelete