Well maybe this closes the circle after we've had A-LINE, A-FRAME, A-LIST, A-SIDE, A-BOMB, A-TEST, A-PLUS, A-GAME, A-TRAIN, yadda, yadda, yadda.
C.C. has given us a lovely puzzle for our Sunday consideration where her clever theme is the names of men whose name contains only the vowel A: hence A-MEN. The men all seem to be very well known except perhaps for MAX PLANCK who might be more familiar to us science peeps.
I remember AMEN being the last word in the final M*A*S*H episode (title slide below) seen by 61% of America and its star is included in our A-MEN roster.
101. "The Aviator" Oscar nominee : ALAN ALDA - Yes, he was great in The Aviator, but he'll always be Hawkeye.
Across theme answers
22. Novelist whose works were banned in his native land from 1968-'89 : FRANZ KAFKA - From which we get Kafkaesque - situations that are nightmarishly complex or bizarre
40. TV host who was an Army DJ in Vietnam : PAT SAJAK - In his pre-Vanna days in Nam
59. Voice of the title character in "Kung Fu Panda" : JACK BLACK - Jack and his 'toon alter-ego
79. Neil deGrasse Tyson mentor : CARL SAGAN - I love Neil but Carl's the man!
118. Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : GRAHAM NASH - He got inducted for being a member of Crosby, Stills and Nash (and later Young) and this 60's group
121. Three-time Oscar-winning director : FRANK CAPRA - Here directing Gable and Colbert in It Happened One Night, the first film to sweep all the major Oscar Awards
Down theme answers
39. The Packers retired his #15 in 1973 : BART STARR - Here he is presenting the the eponymous Bart Starr Award in 2014 for Leadership And Character to Aaron Rogers
54. Quantum theory pioneer : MAX PLANCK - Seen here in 1929 presenting the Max Planck medal to another guy I think was in science ;-)
Off we go starting with the A-CROSS clues:
Across
1. Applies gently : DABS - Brylcreem memory for those of us of a certain age
5. Lowers in intensity : DIMS
9. Record flaw : SKIP - Didja ever put a coin on the tone arm to stop this?
13. Intros may be brief ones : BIOS - The BIOS for our A-MEN would be impressive
17. Folklore monster : OGRE
18. Parlement français division : SENAT - Also contains the Assemblée nationale
19. Sunning sites : POOLS
21. Rice of Gothic fiction : ANNE - Of Vampire Chronicles fame
26. Bit of trivia : FACTOID - Always useful in this venue
27. "Yadda yadda yadda": Abbr. : ETC
29. Implied : TACIT - Possible downside
30. Covert __ : OPS - James Bond's bailiwick
31. Mark of a hothead : TEMPER - Did you know the former Baltimore Oriole was an author?
33. Dress with a flare : A-LINE - Ah, a possible off shoot of A- theme
35. WWII Enigma machine user : U BOAT - Breaking this code, as seen in The Imitation Game, helped win the Battle of the North Atlantic
37. Call lead-in : ROBO - Get ready for election season and ROBOcalls!
42. Pizza chain : SBARRO - Found in most malls
43. Old court org. : ABA - American Basketball Association that played with a red, white and blue ball until it merged with the NBA in 1976
44. Pres. Carter's alma mater : USNA -United States Naval Academy
45. "I see" : GOT IT - or if you don't...
47. Sighs of content : AHS - Gotta love a foot rub!
48. They may be French : HORNS - Featured in Beatles' All You Need Is Love
50. Pitchers' deliveries : SPIELS - A famous TV pitchman with a strong delivery
52. ''See if I care!'' : SO SUE ME - Talk about shallow pockets!
56. Field : METIER - Max Planck's METIER was physics. New word to me!
58. Maritime raptor : ERNE - A frequent flier here
61. Old Detroit brewer : STROH
63. "Most likely ... " : ODDS ARE - ODDS ARE you'll love any C.C. puzzle!
65. 91, at the Forum : XCI - We seem to only see Roman Numerals in Super Bowls anymore
66. Favorite : PET
68. "Burnt" shade : SIENNA
70. Marked down : ON SALE
73. Cast lead-in : POD - I have three PODCASTS to which I listen regularly
74. Model Mendes : EVA - Movie career started with Children Of The Corn V (Hey, another Roman numeral)
75. Letting fly : LOOSING - He has LOOSED the fateful lightning...
77. Rival of Djokovic : NADAL - Tennis star Rafael, whose surname follows the A-MEN theme
83. Hot streak : ROLL
85. Photo-sharing website : PICASA - I use Photobucket
88. Crustacean used in Cajun cuisine : CRAWDAD - "You get a line, I'll get a pole. We'll go down to the CRAWDAD hole" - A hit for George Jones.
89. Education, e.g. : CAREER - I had me one of those
91. Choir voice : TENOR - I was a soprano at 12
92. Gunpowder is a type of it : TEA - Tea is a C.C. specialty! This TEA is said to resemble black gun powder.
93. Former "60 Minutes" debater Alexander : SHANA - She carried the liberal banner against James J. Kilpatrick
95. Funhouse cries : EEKS
97. ''Evita'' narrator : CHE - Role of CHE Guevara
98. Improved : BETTER
103. Ref's calls : TKOS - Technical Knock Out - Out on your feet
103. Ref's calls : TKOS - Technical Knock Out - Out on your feet
104. General Assembly member : UN REP - Impervious to Manhattan parking tickets
105. Surprises in bottles : GENII - Or a Laotian group with big hit Yorm Jai Orn
107. Lincoln was one : LAWYER - Riding the Illinois circuit
109. Hilo keepsake : LEI
110. Tinker with text : EMEND
112. Turn bad : ROT - We can't eat our tomatoes fast enough
114. Sci-fi memoir : I ASIMOV - Didn't Don Gagliardo have this a few weeks ago?
123. Wafflers maker : EGGO
124. "Same here" : ME TOO - Sung around the fire at Camp Sycophant
125. Ticket prices? : FINES - An average speeding ticket will cost you $150
126. Placed : LAIN - Hear 'ya go -
127. Recently blond, say : DYED
128. Wedding venue : TENT
129. Comments : SAYS
130. Gives in to gravity : SAGS
Down
1. Remove politely : DOFF - Hats off when meeting a lady
2. Yamuna Expressway terminus : AGRA - Next stop, The Taj Mahal
3. Bric-a-__ : BRAC - Kept in our cwd friend the etagere?
4. Mailed : SENT TO - For those still using snail mail
5. Delivers à la Steven Wright : DEAD PANS - He's the master
6. Like Gershwin's piano concerto : IN F
7. Creators : MAKERS
8. Sports page item : STAT - Statistic
9. Place to kick back : SPA
10. Raft in an Oslo museum : KON-TIKI
11. Hawkeye fan : IOWAN -Not so popular on my side of the Missouri.
12. Not quite win : PLACE - A PLACE bet on winning Horse #9 would get you $48.60, on second place Horse #13 would get you $10.00 and on third place Horse #1 would get you bupkis.
13. Lamb's lament : BAA
14. Like some running tracks : INDOOR - Banked ones are the best
15. Even (with) : ON A PAR
16. Gets started on : SETS TO - A daily cwd event for me
18. Cuts corners : SKIMPS - C.C. never SKIMPS on creativity
20. __ Lankan : SRI - Former a Ceylonese
23. Kravitz of "Divergent" : ZOE - Yup, her dad is Lenny
25. Ticket exchange giant : STUBHUB - Best Yankee/Red Sox ticket - $1038.38
28. Sweet-talked : CAJOLED
32. Tour de France stage : ETAPE - L'E'tape du Tour is literally "stage of the tour"
34. Pull-up targets : LATS - Latissimus (broadest) dorsi (back) muscles
36. Roger Federer's birth city : BASEL - Third largest Swiss city
37. Chicago mayor Emanuel : RAHM - Windy city's first Jewish mayor
38. Slender black reed : OBOE
41. Plans for chairs : AGENDAS
42. Prince Albert's prov. : SASK - 3rd largest city in Saskatchewan
44. Geek Squad callers : USERS
46. Romanov royals : TSARS - They had a rough 1918
49. Minor gripe : NIT - None for me
51. Heat-sensitive patch : IRON ON - Saved the knees in the jeans of my yute
53. Very large amount : OCEAN - Remember, "It's gonna take an OCEAN of calamine lotion"
55. Maker of Golf Street shoes : ECCO
57. Dauphin's father : ROI - King (ROI) Louis XIV seated and his son Louis le Grand Dauphin behind him. Nice hair!
59. Sound of keys : JANGLE - I remember a Gene Autry song where his spurs did this
60. Taunt : KID
62. Hägar's wife : HELGA - I've read that comic everyday but needed perps for her name
64. Desert partly in Arizona : SONORAN
66. Upper bod muscle : PEC - On the other side of the torso from the 34. Down LATS
67. Brush fire op : EVAC - EVACUATION - very relevant in California this summer
69. Policy of many dot-gov websites : NO ADS - The 'net is a bottomless pit of ADS
71. Seat for toddlers : LAP
72. Tinkers with text : EDITS - Similar to EMENDS
76. Flier to Shiraz : IRAN AIR
78. King topper : ACE - My ACE takes your king
80. __ art: barista's creation : LATTE
81. Kid in the 1941 cartoon "Child Psykolojiky" : SWEE PEA - Adopted by Popeye
82. Month before Nisan : ADAR - 6th month of the Hebrew civil calendar
84. One-eyed "Futurama" character : LEELA - If C.C. says so
86. TriBeCa neighbor : SOHO - South of Houston (Hows' ton) Street
87. Greek war god : ARES
89. Colombian city : CALI - Santiago de Cali with a population over 2,000,000
90. Cabs, e.g. : RED WINES - Cabernets, etc.
94. Practical, as experience : HANDS ON
96. Inuit craft : KAYAKS - Oh yeah, its second letter is an A
98. Stuck out : BULGED - The less said about BULGED and SAGS the better
99. Zip or zing : ENERGY
100. Emergency sorting process : TRIAGE - Used in M*A*S*H units. French for sort or sift
102. Philip Morris parent company : ALTRIA - Never heard of 'em
103. Court events : TRIALS - Do you remember the movie where Lt. Caffey wanted to plea bargain and not go to TRIAL?
105. "Our Lady of the Flowers" author : GENET - Jean GENET
106. Maternally related : ENATE - ENATIC as an adjective
108. Top-left key : ESC
111. "Dee-lish!" : MMM - MMM good! Campbell's Soup slogan since radio days of the 1930's
113. Gets rid of, mob-style : OFFS - Like during the baptism scene in The Godfather
115. NC-17 issuing org. : MPAA - Motion Picture Association of America. PG-13 seems to allow you one "F bomb"
116. Copier insert: Abbr. : ORIG - ORIGinal
117. Enterprise vehicles : VANS - Rental car company, not Capt. Kirk's transportation
119. Coal carrier : HOD
120. All the rage : HOT - Remember Nehru Jackets?
122. "__ takers?" : ANY
Blogging C.C.'s Sunday puzzle frees up a lot of time for me and so I look forward to reading your take on our A-LIST constructor's wonderful puzzle.
63 comments:
FIW. No ta-da. Thought the problem might be a natick I had wagged, B_SEL+SB_RRO, but neither A nor E fixed it, and I didn't think anything else fit. Gave up and hit the reds, and two cells popped. I had CoLn > CALI (Colón is just over the border in Panama), SHoNA > SHANA (ESP - not a show I've ever watched), and carelessly misspelt GENnI > GENII.
Got the theme early, tho at first I thought it was men with two A's in their surnames. Not sure if it helped or not with any of the later ones. Most interesting missteps -- read 98d as "Struck out", and for 96d thought it was craft[work] instead of [water]craft, so had totemS>KAYAKS.
Is 12d PLACE & 126a Placed a clanecho? Ditto 83a Hot streak & 120d HOT?
A man name of Jahn from Azerbaijan
Went to work most days with his P.J.s on
But on casual Friday
His suit was so tidy
He explained, "Mattress testing this day is a yawn!"
If a self-driving car were crossed with a U-BOAT,
And the progeny produced was able to float,
Then here's a FACTOID,
It won't be an android,
By ASIMOV's ghost, it'll be known as I, ROBOat!
Fun theme. I noticed all the A's but somehow didn't connect it to the title. Challenging but fair. A few unknowns: ALTRIA, GENET, ZOE Kravitz, ECCO. A couple of mis-steps: LAId before LAIN, diTtO before METOO. Favorite answers: SO SUE ME and METIER. CC on SS -- is that a first? Anyway, I appreciated both puzzles.
Crosswords expand our FACTOID "knowledge" -- otherwise I wouldn't know ANNE Rice, I ASIMOV, EVA Mendes, or HELGA. Yorm Jai Orn too, for that matter, but I suspect that one won't stay with me.
Thanks HG! I was puzzled by "Old court org."=ABA because I was thinking of court in the legal sense, and ABA is a current org. Makes sense once you've explained it, though. Familiar with MAX PLANCK and that other guy in the photo. Is that Marie Curie in the background on the right?
Morning, all!
Pretty much a romp in the park today, and definitely nice to see C.C. twice in a row! I grokked the theme at ANWAR SADAT, which didn't really make things easier but certainly made things more interesting. A few unknowns here and there, such as SHANA, ECCO, GENET and GRAHAM NASH, but nothing the perps could take care of.
One little FACTOID to share: The word FACTOID was originally coined to mean a pseudo fact (i.e., one that wasn't actually true but sounded like it could be) instead of the current meaning of "Bit of trivia." I want to say that it was coined by Stephen Colbert, but that could be a FACTOID in the original sense.
OK, Stephen Colbert coined "truthiness". Norman Mailer apparently came up with (or at least popularized) FACTOID.
Factoids ... that is, facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper, creations which are not so much lies as a product to manipulate emotion in the Silent Majority. [Mailer, "Marilyn," 1973]
An awesome weekend with C.C. as she takes over.
I love the repurposing of words A MEN is one which was subtle but gettable. I also liked see TACIT bringing in mind the Roman scholar, Tacitus and a shout out to FUTURAMA and the wonderful character voiced by KATY SAGAL first know for her years as Peggy Bundy.
HG after all your years playing golf, how does it feel to be a caddie?
Great puzzle, C.C. Very clever theme. At the beginning I confidently put in "pats," but "bric a" soon set me straight. I was happy to see the tennis greats Federer and Nadal mentioned. Have you changed your allegiance from baseball to tennis? I was so hoping that Roger would win the U.S. Open, but Djokovic was magnificent.
Terrific write-up, H.G. Thank you for clarifying "lain" as opposed to "laid."
Have a lovely day everyone.
Kudos on your weekend double-header C.C.
You got A-List men that had only 'A' as a vowel. I noticed it at PAT SAJAK. This was pretty much NW to SE run this morning with my only change being YUM to MINNESOTA MINING & MANUFACTURING at 111D. ZOE Kravitz, ROI, LEELA and GENET were my only total unknowns. But solving strictly by perps is what makes crossword puzzles fun. I see you got the top three tennis players in the puzzle-Roger, Novak, & Rafael.
A-man BART STARR-ALABAMA-all As
ROBO calls have already started in LA. Governor's race is coming in a few weeks.
ALTRIA- tobacco company formerly known as PHILLIP MORRIS. When they sold off the Miller Brewing Co., they changed the name in the USA. There is still a Phillip Morris International.
HG- Sagan and Tyson are great professors and personalities but the old astronomers who made the tedious measurements with crude instruments are the ones who did the real work KEPLER,BRAHE, etc
Jambalaya, and a CRAWDAD pie and a file' gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma chère amie-o-
HANK WILLIAMS NEVER IT SANG THAT WAY.
I know it's not a fish but c'mon, it's only CRAWFISH down here.
Greetings!
Great work, CC and Gary!
Router only working intermittently.
Time for a new one, I guess.
Waited several hours to work puzzle. Then couldn't blog.
No cheats, but didn't fathom theme.
Only three hours of sleep. Will quit and hopes this goes through!
Cheersl
The Week in Review: M 4:42 T 6:51 W 6:20 T 8:38 F 12:12 S 14:32 S 21:19
Saturday: Felt like a "Silkie" even though it wasn't.
Sunday: Despite the title, I didn't notice that "A" was the only vowel in the names. Very clever.
See y'all next weekend.
Good morning! Well, sort of...
I had real problems getting to the blog this morning. Safari refused to go there. Chrome went there after a long pause, but almost all of Gary's photo links (and there were lots of 'em) were blank. Couldn't get to the comment page. An hour-and-a-half plus a 10-mile bike ride later, and following a reboot of the cable modem, the router and the fruity computer, all is well. Finally.
Congrats on your twofer, C.C. Seems odd that Rich would do that. I got the theme as soon as FRANZ KAFKA appeared, and I was off an running. IOWAN was a gimme. I was program director for several years at KHAK (kay-hawk), named for the Hawkeyes.
Husker, was your Roman numeral comment made tongue-in-cheek? I thought I'd heard that the Superbowl dropped the Roman numerals, or was in the process. And doesn't your grammar chart indicate that LAIN is mis-clued?
Shana Alexander and James Kilpatrick were the inspiration for the "Jane, you ignorant slut!" Weekend Updates on Saturday Night Live.
Interesting coincidence that three words from today's LAT also appear in today's NYT. [Spoiler Alert]: Che, Zoe, Offs
At the end of the day, I almost suffered a DNF at the Natick cross of PICASA/SOHO. It could just as easily have been PICANA, NOHO. I WAGged the S. Whew!
Good Morning:
A great double whammy from CC this weekend but, alas, my brain must have been on vacation because I FIW due to laid instead of lain which gave me vads instead of vans. Having never watched Star Trek, I reasoned that vads looked like something the crew of the Enterprise might use. To add insult to injury, I did get the theme right off the bat but it took Gary's expo for me to realize there were no other vowels in the names. DOH!
Thanks, CC, for a very enjoyable Sunday sojourn; your creativity and talent continue to amaze me. And thanks to you, HG, for your painstakingly detailed and informative summary, laced with your special sense of humor.
Have a great day.
Here's something totally unrelated to anything. I ran across this in my daily update from Time. I'm not a fan of hip-hop (I think that's what it is), but this video mashup is amazing. You've gotta watch it!.
On an unrelated topic, this week I learned that Emmy -- the TV award -- is named for the Image Orthicon tube which was invented way back when. It finally allowed TV to capture low-light scenes, such as night-time sporting events. At first it was the "Immy" but it soon evolved into the "Emmy." Who knew?
Hello Puzzlers -
Wow, a C.C. doubleheader! Impressive!
I haven't seen Futurama for years, so I was sure the name was Neela, not Leela. The most amusing Futurama character has to be Bender, the rebellious robot.
Morning, Husker, good of you to pinch hit today.
Two days in a row. I'm guessing that's happened before but I don't remember when. I cruised along though most of the puzzle but I've never heard of SBarrows. A pizza chain but maybe not local? I see there are some around here but not many within the immediate vicinity. Are they especially good?
I agree with D-O. I always have trouble with lie/lay and its past tenses. It looks as if Gary's chart indicates it was clued incorrectly.
Greetings, friends!
Yowza! Back to back C.C. puzzles! That's a powerful weekend of puzzling.
It was a fine sashay until I hit the Naticks at BASEL/NADAL, since I didn't know Djokovic and STUBHUB, new for me. Had to Goofle. We've seen either MAX or PLANCK but never both together.
C.C., you are a wonder!! Thank you for today's fun and thank you, Gary, for your keen insight in the review.
Have a super Sunday, everyone! The temps here have lowered to under 100.
Oh, yes, I know the SONORAN desert quite well!!
My puzzle looks nothing like your grid. The numbers to do not correspond to the correct boxes. I have a 5 across but 5 is the fifth and last box of my 1 across. Same with 9 across which corresponds to the forth of five letters of 6 across which in of itself has no clue listed- how can this be?
The clues for 104A, 8D and 34D need abbreviations (or "abbr." or "short") in them; and the clue for 90D needed to be spelled out, since the answer was.
As for 127A, "Recently blond" = DYED, I don't get it. If her hair is now blond but recently wasn't, it was BLEACHED, not DYED. Only if you mean she was a blonde recently, but now isn't, does DYED work.
And, yes, LAIN was misclued.
My puzzle has the wrong grid! very frustrating. I need to print out a blank version of the grid to do it!
Oh dear! I was so excited to see a C.C. puzzle in the LA Times this morning, but it turned out to have the wrong grid! I am so frustrated and upset about this. Looks like I'm not the only one who has this problem. Can anyone tell me where can I get a blank version of the correct grid? I'm dying to do this puzzle, but need a correct version.
Congratulations in any case, C.C. and I'm glad that at least some of your readers were able to do it.
For those with the wrong grid, this might be a good opportunity to try solving the puzzle online. Click here for the Mensa site (there are others). Note: I have an old desktop computer (Windows XP) with a full-size keyboard and I enjoy typing. I can't speak to what it would be like on a smartphone (probably not very good) or a tablet.
Misty, choose "LA Times Crossword Online" from the main blog page. When the ad finishes -- or you've been able to skip it o-- chose "Play Master." When the grid appears there'll be a "Print" icon at the bottom right, and you can print yourself a copy. I've checked, and it's got the correct grid.
MY SUNDAY PUZZLE (AMEN, 9/20/15) HAS THE WRONG ANSWER GRID PRINTED WITH IT. TALK ABOUT FRUSTRATING. I SO MISS MERL.
Does this mean the LA Times is publishing the syndicated Sunday puzzle now that Merl Reagle is gone? It wasn't clear to me this was a paper puzzle. Which papers?
@Bill G - I see Sbarro outlets in airports, I've never seen one anywhere else. I doubt they're particularly good.
Congrats on the weekend double-header, C.C.
I'm sorry, but am I the only one who didn't have the puzzle miss numbered. For example it says 9 across but the reality is its one across 6 across eleven across is that are the numbers are all off I don't know how to play this puzzle
This really bums me out, because Sunday morning this is my ritual and I can't do the puzzle. And on Android the plugin for Mensa doesn't work so this is to set off my Sunday in a bad way. I know my problem
How hard is it to print the puzzle hints and proper answer grid on the same day?
Can someone tell us what platform has all these troubles? More data would be helpful.
Nice puzzle, a bit tough but doable. My phone app gave the theme, but in faint gray, so I didn't see it. Would helped.
CHE is another A-man I'd you go by sound not spelling.
Crossing HORNS & OBOE was cute.
Finally finished when I realized it was FRANZ not FRANS.
I definitely agree that LAIN is misclued. On seeing "place" I immediately filled LAID then changed it when VANS emerged as 117D. LAIN would be something like "having reclined."
I'm so sorry for those who have the wrong grid. It's certainly frustrating as that has happened a few times in our newspaper.
Wrong grid on the paper version and the answers to the wrong puzzle from last week. This is the main reason I get the Sunday LA Times paper. Time to cancel and just get one daily paper.
Waa hoo! Another C.C. puzzle! I love 'em. This one was terrific fun. So many clever clues, my favorite being They may be French. Great stuff.
I love the Sonoran desert. I consider it to be a "pretty" desert, with its many types of green flora. The Mojave desert, on the other hand, is harsh and ugly in a mesmerizingly beautiful sort of way.
Bill G, from yesterday: I thought you live in Orange county, in Newport Beach. Sorry I misunderstood or mis-remembered.
I'm always amazed at how people like MAX PLANCK come up with such profound discoveries. His Planck's Constant is crucially fundamental to modern science.
Best wishes to you all.
Congtrats, CC, on having two fabulous, but difficult, weekend puzzles published back to back. I red-lettered a few cells each day.
HG, you are a pro at this! Yes, we used to place a coin on the tone arm to avoid SKIPping.
I had the same NIT as many of you about LAIN.
I found METIER easier than PLANK.
Speaking of AGRA, the TAJ MAHAL, like the Great Wall of China, is another fabulous site that is deteriorating. So sad!
With RAHM, I always puzzle over whether it is RHAM or RAHM.
No nit here. If her hair was recently blonde, it no longer is because it has been DYED. If it was bleached, it was before the blonde, not after.
Yesterday I went on a square dance mystery bus tour. Where would we go? The clues, delivered in dribs and drabs, were, "Christmas, bitterly cold weather, and boat." I guessed Washington's Crossing of the Delaware. Yes! We went to Washington's Crossing, NJ State Park. Very interesting. We danced overlooking the exact Delaware crossing site. The next clues were, "near here and 270." No clue. We arrived at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. The beautifully landscaped park has acres of all kinds of sculptures from the life-like to the abstract. Some realistic figures where much larger than life, but the life size ones had us puzzling over what was a sculpture and what was a live customer standing still for a bit. Fascinating. Then we had dinner and attended a square dance with a local club. A fabulous day. My knees held up to fully participate with no regrets today.
Jerome. I appreciate your concern about my contractor. He remodeled another bathroom for me last fall and was fabulous. I trust him. Having been property manager at church for more than ten years, I found that contractors here ask one third on signing, one third half way through and one third on competition and successful inspection. I would love to respond more fully, but I don't have your email address.
Add me to the list of those impressed by C.C. Going back to back on weekend duty. And also those thanking Gary for subbing on Sunday.
Started out smoothly, and grasped the theme early on, which helped. But things got more difficult along the way and it took roughly an hour to solve. Unfortunately, it ended in a FIW. I went with Franz Kafka's younger brother Frank, and never questioned Koe since I was clueless about that identity. Enjoyed it nonetheless. Even learned Métier...a completely new word for me, but all perps.
Bad answer for 126 across. Placed would have been laid. Having made oneself prone is lain. Go to the dictionary.
Anonymous @4:43, welcome to the club. Glad you agree with what many have said.
(Posting very late today. Thought I posted earlier. )
Nice DOUBLE PLAY CC ! Will you hit a TRIPLE tomorrow ? Husker, I love your write ups. Dare I say, "They are awesome !"
Believed that the theme would be A MEN before starting, but not sure what that meant. Would it be A Listers ? Then got ANWAR SADAT and the game was on. It really helped nail down PAT SAJAK and GRAHAM NASH.
METIER is also new to me.
I was reading the dictionary the other day and learned that my understanding of CAJOLE was the opposite of what it should have been.
The clue was not "Like some running backs." Nor was the clue "Struck out."
SOSUEME took a long time to get. Held off entering prefix pre for "cast"
Anon @ 12:34
I miss Merl too. I found out that his website is running a "best of" on Sundays.
Here is a link
http://www.sundaycrosswords.com/ccpuz/MPuz.php
Since M.R.'s demise, LA Times Sunday xwords have been reprints of puzzles that have already appeared in the Argonaut.
I live in OC and the grid was wrong in my delivered paper, as it was for several others above. What a bummer! I'm not sure that Rich Norris can prevent such an error, but what a good way to really discourage the paper subscribers.
It's 2015. Stop expecting newspapers to be delivered to your door.
I've reduced my subscription to Sunday, primarily to get the puzzles, due to the declining quality of the LAT product. This latest screw up is causing me to consider cancellation all together.
I also meant to comment about posting (linking) personal pics online. We had PICASA today. It would be advisable to check your camera / smartphone settings and turn off GPS, or make sure that the site you are posting to does not allow Exif data to be displayed.
I still haven't finished the puzzle, but thank you Desper-otto, and I hope everyone was finally able to get a working grid copy. Just a shame that it had to happen on the day of the Sunday LA Times's first C.C. puzzle! C.C. you're a terrific constructor!
Lucina says "I'm so sorry for those who have the wrong grid."
Misty says "Just a shame ..."
Oh, the humanity!
No matter how technophobic anyone might be, anybody that can find their way here has the wherewithal to solve the problem of an incorrect grid. Been there, done that. It's an inconvenience. Didn't like it, but dealt with it. Time to move on.
CC, just wanted to let you know,
I did about 10% early this AM in ink, but had to stop due to chores.
The first thing that struck me was the Grid...
Very unusual, it had me wondering about cheater squares, & it
seemed to me this puzzle had a lot of them.
Then I find out many people got the wrong Grid?
Aside from all that, I really enjoyed the puzzle , because after
I weeded that backyard, I set up a hammock, & did the rest of the puzzle
(which took hours...) just swinging back and forth on one of the ten best days of the year.
(at least here in the NE.)
Aaahh,,,
WEES about LAID being the correct answer as clued. Able to suss out the rest except for B-SEL and SB-RRO where I had O for the vowel. I have only seen them on turnpike rest stops. How do they get an SB combination?
About Roman Numerals. I heard that the NFL was going to stop before L. That's unfair. Finally a year that is short enough to read. It will finally teach everyone what 50 is. Now if we make it to Super Bowl D that would be even cooler. Will there still be football?
VS
Sbarro is to pizza and Italian food as is Taco Bell to tacos and Mexican food.
I understand what you mean when you said, "as is Taco Bell to tacos and Mexican food." I like good Mexican food. However, I need to put Taco Bell's crispy Taco Supreme in some other category 'cause while it may not be authentic and good-quality Mexican food, it still tastes great in some other category of its own.
Good evening, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for a fine review.
Worked on this before church. Then headed to Normal, IL, for a reception and worked on it while riding down there, and then finished it while traveling back from Normal this evening. Great puzzle!
Got the theme after a bit. Pretty good. Lots of A's.
76D IRAN AIR brought back memories. I have flown that airline. Official name is "Hava Peyma e Melli Iran" (Wind traveler of the national company of Iran)
So, I wonder which nation FRANZ KAFKA is from?
I have eaten CRAWDADs while visiting my daughter in Louisiana. That cajun stuff is pretty good.
KON TIKI was easy. Remember the history well.
Never heard of ALTRIA at 102D. Have heard of Phillip Morris, and Johnnie.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
I just recalled there is another fill with which I disagree: LOOSING. LOOSENING would be my preference.
Anonymous@6:37
Do you have a problem with humanity? Does it bother you if people are sensitive to others feelings?
As long as a newspaper is published, I shall subscribe to it and yes, have it delivered to my door.
Mine is the same way. I thought I was going crazy. The grid and numbers do not match up.
The crossword diagram in the Sunday paper is entirely different from the filled out one shown here. there are too many squares for the answers or not enough squares for the answers! Something is very wrong in my newspaper! christina52@juno.com
Jimmie et al,
I'm so sorry to hear the grid glitch. Would you please email me at crosswordc@gmail.com? I'll email you the PDF or puz file of the grid if you don't want to solve online via LA Times' website.
I've been blogging for a few years, this is the first time I saw a grid mismatch. Please be understanding. We all make mistakes.
Wimps!! Work the dumb puzzle as a diagramless! Back when I still bothered to buy crossword puzzle magazines, I used to scissor out the corner with the grid on purpose so that I could work it on a piece of graph paper! Admittedly a week-end puzzle may not be the best one to use for a first time, but you can be reasonably certain the 1 cell is in the top left corner, so you're way ahead of any true diagramless! I've even got a program that theoretically would let me work any Across Lite puzzle as diagramless that I'd love to use Mon thru Wed or Thur, but the interface sucks.
Just checked my original submission. The LAIN cluing error is mine. Won't make this mistake again, guys.
Last Sunday, I bought my LAT at SNA, expressly to work on the Sunday Crossword on my flight home. I was so disappointed to see the unmatched clues and grid. When I posted a photo of this errant crossword on my FB page, everyone commented the LAT is not what it used to be. Very sloppy to publish the wrong grid. Missing Merle!
I hope you realize we here at the corner have no control over that?
Then who DOES have control over checking for print flubs? Who is "we here at the corner"? Who is responsible for submitting the grid that goes with the clues, and WHY or HOW could the WRONG grid be inserted? VERY sloppy, VERY frustrating, and NO, I do not prefer doing my puzzles in ink on blank grid paper!
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C.C. started this blog on January 21, 2008. She was later joined by seven more contributors. We try our best to make this blog an informative, educating and entertaining place.
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