Theme: It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good - Not an ill wind in the bunch.
17A. "American Gothic" artist : GRANT WOOD. You might find an off-key (ill) WOODWIND, I suppose.
21A. Equitable transaction : EVEN TRADE. Winds that trade or tread in one uniform track. (Anglo Saxon, tredde-wind, a treading wind—i.e. wind of a specific “beat” or tread; tredan, to tread.) While a steady wind in one direction may be good for commercial maritime venture it was not the meaning of the TRADE WINDS.
38A. "Now!" : RIGHT THIS SECOND. A SECOND WIND is an exercise phenomenon that has also developed into a metaphor for finding the strength to go on after initial struggles.
55A. Award for seagoing heroes : NAVY CROSS. A CROSS WIND blows across one's direction of travel. Not so good for a sailing ship following the TRADES.
61A. Flying speed boosters ... or, literally, what the ends of 17-, 21-, 38- and 55-Across can have : TAILWINDS
Argyle here. C.C. has company today and I sure she'll tell us about him. Very nice puzzle to debut with. Full spanner and reveal at the bottom, the way it should be, right?
Across:
1. Ways to go: Abbr. : RDs. Roads, not routes.
4. Ltr. addenda : PSS. Is it P.P.S or P.S.S? Well, since addenda is the plural of addendum then this should be considered as the plural of POST SCRIPT, or PSs.
7. None too bright : DENSE. (or am I dense.)
12. Obama's birthplace : OAHU
14. Somewhat surprised greeting : "OH, HI!"
16. Nebraska city : OMAHA
19. Golf course halves : NINES. Front and back or out and in, on a link course.
20. Causing goose bumps : EERIE
23. Scolding sound : [TSK!]
24. Belted weapons : SIDE ARMS. Pistols or swords.
26. Camp beds : COTS
28. Poet __-tzu : LAO
29. Strong coffee : MUD
32. NCAA's __-12 conference : PAC. (The Pacific-12)
33. Italian sparkling wine : ASTI
36. One of two in a typical string octet : VIOLA
41. Beyond rotund : OBESE
42. Round in a pistol : AMMO. For your side arm.
43. Writer LeShan : EDA
44. Conan O'Brien's network : TBS. (Turner Broadcasting System)
45. Org. with Raiders and Vikings : NFL. (National Football League)
47. Folk singer Burl : IVES
49. Retired boxer with a perfect 24-0-0 record : LAILA ALI. Daughter of Muhammad Ali.
52. Serious hostilities : WAR
58. Say "cap'n," e.g. : ELIDE
60. Cheri of "SNL" : OTERI. Still around.
63. Shirk work : DOG IT
64. Easy thing to do : SNAP
65. Wrinkled tangelo : UGLI
66. In la-la land : SPACY
67. __ Arbor, Michigan : ANN
68. One of a D.C. 100 : SENator
Down:
1. Man of many words : ROGET. Roget's Thesaurus was created in 1805 but not released to the public until 1852.
2. Shows some backbone : DARES
3. Protective enclosures for divers : SHARK CAGES. 18 footer.
4. "Bang!" : "POW!"
5. Did a blacksmith's job : SHOED
6. Push rudely : SHOVE
7. "Keep still!" : "DON'T MOVE!"
8. Mideast dignitaries : EMIRs
9. Mom's mom's nickname : NANA
10. Place for a lawn mower : SHED
11. Alleviate : EASE
13. Prefix with lateral : UNI
15. High-mindedness : IDEALISM
18. Word after screen or scratch : TEST
22. Agency under FDR : NRA. (National Recovery Administration)
25. "The wolf __ the door" : IS AT
27. Folk legend Phil : OCHS
29. Sudden changes in disposition : MOOD SWINGS
30. Wrist-to-elbow bone : ULNA
31. Mom's guy : DAD
32. Mr. __: Dr Pepper rival : PIBB
34. Kitchen bulbs : SHALLOTS
35. Tiny Dickens boy : TIM. A Christmas Carol.
37. Java Freeze maker : ICEE
38. Poppycock : ROT
39. Stick-to-it-iveness : TENACITY. There were a lot of nice down words today.
40. Flowerpot filler : SOIL
46. Christmas tree choice : FIR
48. Seaside home selling point : VIEW
49. Like some poetry : LYRIC
50. Yoga pose : ASANA
51. Japanese, e.g. : ASIAN
53. Fluster : ADDLE
54. Lacquer ingredient : RESIN
55. Wordless okays : NODS
56. On the roof of : ATOP
57. 1970s Chevy subcompact : VEGA. Extreme!
59. Sch. with a Brooklyn campus : LIU. (Long Island University)
62. Hosp. worker : LPN. (licensed practical nurse)
Argyle
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
George Simpson is the Big Easy on our blog. This is his LA Times debut. George came up with this theme and was super fun to work with. He has one more puzzle in Rich's queue. Congratulations, George!
George Simpson is the Big Easy on our blog. This is his LA Times debut. George came up with this theme and was super fun to work with. He has one more puzzle in Rich's queue. Congratulations, George!
 |
| Big Easy and his wife Diane |
38 comments:
C.C. You have done it again, shepherding another blog reader into the woods r mdw of constructing. Congratulations Big.
The add on to me always needs a fun reveal and TAILWINDS is perfect. There also s words fun f I'll like SHALLOTS SHARK CAGES, TENACITY, MOOD SWINGS and the full name LAILA ALI.
Thanks for a Tuesday topper and thank houSehold for the review
Morning, all (and congrats to Big Easy on his debut)!
Mostly straightforward solve for me today. Got a bit hung up trying to fit SCALLIONS where SHALLOTS needed to go, and PSS is just plain awful no matter how you spin it, but everything else was smooth. Fun theme, although (as usual with this sort of theme), I did didn't notice it until after I finished.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Fun debut puzzle, George!
Shout to our Nebraska contingency with OMAHA.
Blue Apron has been teaching me to cook with SHALLOTS.
Cheri OTERI has a bigger career in the crossword puzzles than she ever had on SNL.
EDA LeShan (1922 ~ 2002) makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords.
I vaguely recall Phil OCHS (1940 ~ 1976), but his was not my kind of music.
My favorite clue was Man of Many Words = Peter Mark ROGET (1779 ~ 1869).
Another hot and steamy day!
QOD: A painting that doesn’t shock isn’t worth painting. ~ Marcel Duchamp (July 28, 1887 ~ Oct. 2, 1968)
Congrats, Big Easy and C.C.!
I was zipping right along until I ran up against DON'T TALK. Mom always said, "You kids keep still. We're trying to talk here."
Phil Ochs led a troubled life, ending in suicide at an early age. I think his best song was There, But For Fortune, but I like it best when someone else sings it.
As usual I missed the theme en route, but did notice the WINDS after I'd completed the grid. I also noticed TENA CITY and wondered where that was. D'oh!
Barry, the only Scallions I know have a first name of Rap. And didn't Tennyson write of the Lady of Shallot? Oops! I just looked her up, and her name had a double-T. I must be SPACY this morning.
Click here to hear the late Theodore Bikel singing Phil Ochs' When I'm Gone" (you'll need to crank up the volume) and click here to hear Phil singing it.
OH HI. I didn't see you there. Good morning all. Nice debut George.
I don't know that I ever heard of Phil Ochs. Maybe.
Fun romp today, Needed the reveal to get the theme but figured it was an add-on since they were so diverse.
Thanks Big Easy (and congrats) and CC
and to Argyle for the explanations (especially about trade winds) and morning concert.
An enjoyable puzzle. Congratulations George and thank you C.C. Did not get the theme without the reveal, but that tied it into a neat package. Also liked the longer downs, especially shallots.
Nice debut Big Easy with C.C.
My favorite clue/answer was 4-a, Ltr. addenda, PSS. Thanks for the clear explanation Argyle.
Knowing nothing about Yoga. I needed ESP to ASANA.
Cheers!
Good morning everyone.
Fine puzzle from George and C.C. Good write-up from Argyle as always.
Not familiar with Mr. PIBB, and OCHS was a WAG, but the solve was fun; accented by the several long downs.
BZ.
Over an inch of rain and some WIND canceled golf league today. This fun puzzle was a welcome diversion!
Musings
-Congrats George! Isn’t C.C. fun to work with?
-American Gothic scene, pool table packing and all, from The Music Man
-Golfers know all about CROSS WINDS on both NINES
-Took college-bound granddaughter to OMAHA yesterday for shopping and dining
-George Patton’s SIDEARM had ivory handles. He said, “Only a pimp in a whore house would carry a pearl-handled pistol.”
-Burl Ives was a mean Big Daddy in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1:43)
-LAILA’s dad should have gotten out earlier
-Athletes are said to be “DOGGIN’ IT” when they don’t play hard
-SHOVE – Can you say, “Black Friday”?
-If you DARE to give a NOD in the chute, this could happen!
Congratulations Big Easy, and thanks to you and CC for a fun puzzle. Very interesting expo, Argyle. The theme you contributed reminded me of the definition of a bagpipe: an ill wind that nobody blows good.
Off to give blood. Cya.
Great puzzle - congrats on your debut, Big Easy! In your honor, I am making red beans and rice today.
So, HG, do you think LAILA ALI was DOGGIN IT when she intentionally avoided getting into the ring with any of the other top women boxers? I guess that's one way to keep a perfect record...
Good Morning:
Truly enjoyed this clever offering which had a bit of a bite for a Tuesday. Had fair trade/even trade and Joe/mud but perps quickly corrected those missteps. No idea of the theme until the reveal.
Well done, CC, and congrats to Easy for an impressive debut.
We're in the midst of a heat wave so the a/c is going to get quite a workout.
Have a great day.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, George Simpson (Big Easy) and C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.
Congrats, Big Easy, on your debut. Nice job!
Could not easily get started in the NW so I went to the dead East with MUD, which kind of jumped off the page at me. From there I spread.
Tried SHOT for 18D. Fixed that to TEST.
Never heard of GRANT WOOD, but a few perps and POW fixed that.
Almost wrote in GULL WINGS for 61A. Held off until I had some more crosses. TAIL WINDS became obvious. Glad I held off, that would have been a big inkblot.
ASANA was unknown to me. Perps. It is all I can do to sit on a floor and get back up again, let alone twist myself into a pretzel.
Liked ROGET once I figured it out.
I remember LAILA ALI.
At least I got to the puzzle before my wife did.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Thanks everybody but give C.C. most of the credit. Barry, one of these days PSS will be some type of Post____Syndrome. H.G.-my nephew is in Boston taking his daughter to various colleges; she went to Tufts and MIT so far (she made a 36 on the ACT)
Marti-Red Beans and rice-I soak 2 pounds of dried red beans overnight, 10-12 cups of water, two chopped onions, one chopped bell pepper, 1 pound of pickled pork, finely chop a little andouille sausage ( not too much), season it with either garlic or garlic salt, throw in whatever ham seasoning and smoked sausage is in the freezer. Eat one meal and freeze the rest in portions. My wife adds Tabasco and yellow mustard to hers when she eats it. I just fry MORE smoked sausage when I eat it.
Congrats, Big Easy, on your debut. Thanks, C.C. for always helping the newbies! Very nice puzzle, and loved the long down entries.
Thanks, Argyle - as always, love your pics of the world - today, the Asti region!
Hello Puzzlers -
Congrats on your debut, Big Easy! Thanks C.C. for mentoring yet again.
Smooth sailing today - didn't spot the theme until the reveal, which seemed clever to me. I well remember the Chevy Vega, with its cost-cutting engine technology which turned out to be a complete fiasco. Innocent Americans got stuck with oil burning pieces of junk.
Remember Dennis telling us about his yoga session a few years back? He came up with funny names for the poses - Crippled Yak is the only one I remember.
Congrats, Big Easy.
Wiki on POSTSCRPTS says, "Sometimes, when additional points are made after the first postscript, abbreviations such as PSS (post-super-scriptum), PPS (postquam-post-scriptum) and PPPS (post-post-post-scriptum, and so on, ad infinitum) are used, though only PPS has somewhat common usage."
Again I say no nit if the answer is legitimate, but seldom used. Guess I'm easy.
My first answer was Roget. Great clue! Who wrote it?
HI Puzzle Pals,
Sorry for all the lightbulb jokes yesterday* - I hope it didn't mess you up like it did me at 34d - SHelf???
Congrats Big Easy! Was 11d a Self-SO? C.C. you did it again - nice job. Thanks to both of you and Argyle for the write-up.
SW corner was my real TEST until I realized I spelled NAnYCROSS. I had nova for VEGA again (57d) and, to me at least, Cheri's last name is just random letters (I know there's a T & R in there somewhere - I'm DENSE that way). NW didn't MOVE either until I took out RtS. I finally recalled GRANT and, WOODn't you know it, that corner came together.
Wos: fairTRADE b/f EVEN. SHARKtAnks b/f CAGES.
Fav - SIDE ARMS xing NRA. Did you know that's the only weapon charged w/ AMMO medical staff (e.g. LPNs) get in the Army?
W/ current political ado - P.O.W. sticks out too.
Big Easy - Your red beans & rice sounds good. I'm taking eldest to American U. in D.C. this week (at 2p today actually), but next weekend I'll be pass'n (did I just ENIND?) thru NOLA.
Knock Knock jokes today? I've got a great one... you start.
Cheers, -T
*I was home sick as a DOG and bored.
Congratulations, Big Easy and C.C.! This was actually a bit of a Tuesday toughie for me, since I never heard of Mr. PIBB or LAILA ALI, and wondered if DOG IT was right. But in the end my guesses worked out, so that was great.
Have a great Tuesday, everybody.
Knock knock
Who's there?
Misty, good to see you back. It's nice to see that you're getting back into the swing of things.
Nice first time effort Big Easy. And you're very humble to give C.C. most of the credit. I'm sure it was a collaborative effort. Good job!
Took a little longer for me than a Tuesday usually does. Got stuck on top, as GRANTWOOD was an unknown and had to wait for perps. I also had FAIRTRADE/EVENTRADE and it took time to sort this mess out, when the corresponding down answers made no sense.
Took me awhile to remember Ms. ALI'S first name, and my husband helped with NAVYCROSS. Had the NAVY, he gave me CROSS.
Did not know LAO, ASANA or ELIDE, but didn't need to, as the other answers filled it in.
Some people are still convinced that President Obama wasn't born in the USA. Honestly, I find the whole senario quite amusing. The lengths some go to to promote their agendas are hilarious, if not downright ignorant. No politics intended..Just an observation.
I know I'm harping on it, but the rain STILL hasn't subsided. Several days in a row. The mosquitoes are going to be out in full force soon because of the resulting standing water. I thought I lived in the "Sunshine State".
That's about it for today. Best regards to all.
Cool puzzle. Nice job, George and C.C. I liked the long downs. Kinda worried me when starting out that the first two acrosses were 3-letter abbreviations. Argyle, thanks for your explanations. You are far from dense.
Greetings!
Swell puzzle, CC and George! Great expo, Santa!
No nits of problems. Especially liked TENACITY!
Cheers!
Big Easy, our good friend down in NOLA gave me his recipe for RB&R. I soaked the beans last night, and it came out pretty good.
Actually, the reason I made it is because DH is down there babysitting our friend after rotator cuff surgery. He keeps informing me of every meal they are having. I just couldn't take it any more and just had to have some of that good old Creole food myself! Too bad crawfish aren't in season...I could use a good boil!
I found this interesting. We received a note that mentioned the original recording of Big Rock Candy Mountain. You might enjoy a listen.
Link(2:28)
Argyle, I believe that's the same recording that's on the soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
No nits about the puzzle, but whoever made that video of Burl Ives accidentally slipped in a pic of Edmund Gwenn around the 2 minute mark.
Congrats Big Easy & CC!
I managed to get the theme thru that minefield of names, & even though I only knew Ives & Oteri, I almost managed to wag them all!
(Almost)
FIW, I couldn't believe FDR created the NRA, so I put 28A LSo Tzu?
We had Mr. Pibb recently, but I could not remember for sure. So 32A NCAA -12 had to be "big" something, & inked in Bibb & never looked back.
Wait a sec, I lied!
(change my FIW to a DNF.)
I looked up the A in the Laila ali/asana crossing!
I also tried to look up big-12, (but my eyes glazed over...)
(Hmm, LaLaLand is spacey? In High School it was the sign over the choir room door...)
Well, I guess with enough catnip?
Good catch, D-O. It is the same song....but it's quite a bit less scratchy on the soundtrack.
In a bizarre reference to 64A, an easy thing to,
in which I stared at those 4 spaces for a inordinate amount of time thinking "the only thing that is easy to do is falling off a log?" I give you todays silly links:
Forgive me, but when I could not find anything funny for "woodwind," I think I SNAPPED.
(or at least became very juvenile...)
(proceed with caution, you have been warned...)
Woodwind?
Tradewind?
Second Wind?
Crosswind?
Tailwind?
There are many more, but I think I have stunk the place up enough already.
I'm outta here!
Big Easy and C.C. .. enjoyed the puzzle... congratulations Big Easy..
And thank you Argyle for the write up.. really enjoyed seeing Grumpy's Toy.. brings back many fun memories... :)
thelma :)
Did the puzzle early. Enjoyed it. Never got back til now. Life does that sometimes. Thanks Argyle and CC. Congratulations there Big Easy. Nicely done. Great mentor.
I have nothing important to add except my compliments and thanks to Big Easy, CC and Argyle.
Big Easy, I enjoyed your puzzle"s theme.
CC, How many constructors have you mentored now?
Concerning rice and beans...I made rice and bean frequently while we did short-term missionary work in Kenya. When we returned to USA, I decided to use the same recipe. My husband made it clear that we were back in Kansas and Kansans like beef.
Thanks Lem for playing along. That one always kills...
Youngest, when 2+, got into knock knock jokes... They went something like this:
Y: Knock knock...
-T: Who's there?
Y: Potato
-T: Potato who?
Y: Potato on your head!
She'd laugh and laugh. Her humour has matured; mine, not so much...
CED - you / your links never fail to amaze. That last guy may be dust if he WINDS :-)
No TAIL WINDS tonight. Eldest and I made it to D.C. 1.5 hrs late.
No rooms left?!? I had a reservation.. They stuck us in a damp basement room for the night, but comp'd the night and the bar tab. I can deal - I've had Army training Sir.
Cheers, -T
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