Theme: M C. The theme is two words; first begins with M and the second begins with C.
17A. C-E-G triad, e.g. : MAJOR CHORD
25A. 20th-century Greek-American soprano : MARIA CALLAS
35A. Asian language spoken by nearly a billion people : MANDARIN CHINESE
47A. Aladdin's transport : MAGIC CARPET
56A. Rochester medical center : MAYO CLINIC
62A. Toastmaster, and a homophonic hint to this puzzle's five longest answers : EMCEE
Argyle here. I wonder if MAC was the original theme but didn't work out.
Across:
1. Garbage : TRASH
6. Ziploc bag feature : SEAL
10. Catcher's glove : MITT
14. "Slumdog Millionaire" country : INDIA
15. Electrically flexible : AC/DC
16. Not-so-nice smell : ODOR
19. Bandleader Arnaz : DESI
20. Certain Himalayan : NEPALI
21. __ Corps : PEACE
22. High dudgeon : IRE. Haven't seen this old timer in awhile.
27. Singer Etheridge : MELISSA
29. Little fruit pie : TART
30. Prayer ender : AMEN
31. Commercial suffix with Sun and Star : KIST. OJ and tuna.
32. __ Angeles : LOS
40. Place for a mani-pedi : SPA
41. Trent of politics : LOTT. Mississippian.
42. Make a soufflé : BAKE
43. Accompanied by : WITH
44. "Get lost!" : "AMSCRAY!". (Pig Latin)
51. FDR agency : NRA. (National Recovery Administration)
52. Make up (for) : ATONE
53. Orange veggie : CARROT
55. Allow to borrow : LEND
60. Starbucks tea brand : TAZO. Any partakers?
61. Unknown author: Abbr. : ANON
63. Load in a hold : STOW
64. Nine-digit IDs : SSNs. (Social Security Number)
65. Uncool group : NERDS
Down:
1. Buzz Lightyear voice actor __ Allen : TIM
2. Genetic material : RNA
3. Wd. modifying a noun : ADJective
4. Priory of __: "The Da Vinci Code" conspirators : SION. French fraternal organization.
5. Women-only residences : HAREMs
6. Nearly one-third of Africa : SAHARA
7. Often harmful bacteria : E-COLI
8. Sea between Italy and Albania : ADRIATIC
9. Calculator image, for short : LCD. (liquid-crystal display)
10. Ford made only in black from 1914-1925 : MODEL T
11. Perfect : IDEAL
12. Puccini opera : TOSCA
13. Makes an effort : TRIES
18. IRS pros : CPAs. (Certified Public Accountant)
21. Trilogy's first section : PART I
22. Mosque leaders : IMAMs
23. Chart anew : REMAP
24. Kagan of the Supreme Court : ELENA
26. Bills and coins : CASH
28. Not Rep. or Dem. : INDependent
31. Only chess piece that can jump others: Abbr. : KNT. (Knight)
32. Hear (of) : LEARN
33. Schindler of "Schindler's List" : OSKAR
34. "Ta-ta" : "SEE YA"
36. "Through the Looking-Glass" girl : ALICE
37. Univ. military org. : ROTC
38. Cornell University townies : ITHACANS
39. "The Blacklist" network : NBC
43. Place for a pane : WINDOW
44. Cooks' splatter protectors : APRONS
45. Sable automaker, briefly : MERC. Gone the way of the Model T now.
46. Pilfered : STOLEN
47. Fountain treats : MALTS
48. Really got to : ATE AT
49. Purple-blue Muppet with a hooked nose : GONZO
50. Silky synthetic : RAYON
54. "Person of the Year" magazine : TIME
56. Bell and Barker : MAs
57. ATM maker : NCR
58. Mil. roadside hazard : IED. (improvised explosive device)
59. These, in France : CES
Argyle
Ah, I love Monday CWs!! I can get 'em done in a reasonable amount of time and go back to sleep again for an hour or so, unlike a Saturday Struggle. Fun CW today, thanx, David. And nice write-up, too, thanx, Argyle. And thanx too for including the MC aria, even though opera isn't my cup of tazo. Have a good week, all!
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks, David, Sant!
Fastest LAT for me!
TAZO was perped.
Have a great Monday!
PS Sure will miss "Downton!"
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteBlew through this one in record time, with TAZO being the only outlier that I didn't know. Didn't even notice the theme until I got to the theme reveal.
Or, in other words, what fematprime said...
Twas a man who once hailed from NEPAL
ReplyDeleteWho couldn't climb mountains at all.
Even climbing a hill
Was too much of a thrill,
But he's campaigning for Hillary this fall!
The best oranges be-leaf they'll be Sun-KIST,
For a tuna, it's a fluke to be Star-KIST
But a young man in love
Will thank stars above
The night that he first becomes French-KIST!
A fine Monday puzzle and an entertaining ing write up.Thank you David and Argyle.
ReplyDeleteThe reoccurring TAZO reminded me of the remarkable story that is STARBUCKS . By the time they arrived in Florida in thelate 90's TAZO had already been purchased and was on the menu. I started my love affair with coffee when I was 4 when father would mix some coffee into my morning milk. It is reassuring that their dedication to quality related in such a world wide success.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThis turned into an easy Monday Chore. Zip, zip. Didn't know TAZO, but I'm not much of a tea drinker -- occasional iced tea at lunch. Period. My only stumble was 48d AT EAT. Took forever to parse it any other way.
Argyle, thanx for the learning moment. I was not aware that there were so many different models of the Model T. D'oh!
ReplyDeleteThe crossing Z for TAZO/GONZO my only wag today. NW corner was slow in developing, but it was eventually successful. Only other delay was putting in Atlantic before I figured out I was a few nautical miles off. ADRIATIC made the solve easier.
Spring like weather, so yard chores will start today. Have vowed to put in a four hour a day at least four days a week. If I keep to that schedule, my to do list ought to be wrapped up by Sept/ Oct. My family wants me to hire a yard service, but I will never let my aging body win out.
A nod back to Sunday's puzzle. I had it nailed in its entirety with the exception of the extreme NE corner. Thought I would sleep on it and have an AHA moment this morning.
ReplyDeleteWell I got the sleep, but not the AHA. Glad this site is here. The wife had already recycled the paper. (She knew better than to touch the crossword puzzle though).
Average Joe - How did you like how the Lincoln Journal Star positioned the puzzle? I had to fold mine into a work of origami in order to create a useable surface :-)
Good morning, folks. Thank you, David Poole, for a fine puzzle. Thank yoiu, Argyle, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteJumped in early today and finished the puzzle quickly. It is a Monday, after all.
Yes, I have had TAZO tea. I did not know it was owned by Starbucks, however. Starbucks also purchased Teavana, which is a nationwide tea provider in Malls, etc, and mail order. Starbucks may control the world after a while. I used to buy all my tea at Teavana at $30 a pound for Earl Grey. After Starbucks bought them out, they raised the price to $40 a pound. So, I switched to another provider, Nuovo Tea, at the Stratford Square Mall near me. Turns out the owner is Iranian, so we exchange pleasantries when I go there, in Farsi, of course.
Theme appeared after I got EMCEE at 62A. Had most of the answers already.
I remembered SION from reading The DaVinci Code, one of the best books I ever read.
I even got AMSCRAY quite easily.
Off to my day. I have three events today. Plus I have to prepare a paper for a talk on Wednesday.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
This was pretty typical Monday fare. Nothing difficult, but enjoyable. Only unknowns were Tazo and Sion. Those were perped, and the others filled in order. Thank you Argyle. I chuckled at the tie in of Maria Callas to Tosca.
ReplyDeleteChuck, I really hadn't even noticed the placement yesterday, but looking back, I guess it was a bit awkward. I don't use a clipboard, so I just solved it with the page laid out flat. All other days I now have to print it out since we only get the daily paper by mail out here in the hinterlands. I just can't wait until noon to get my fix.
Iman, eman, emir...... I never know which way to go and this was my only flub today. High dungeon = ire.....never heard of. But all in all pretty happy with my time
ReplyDeleteEasy Peasy Monday easy...but fun! Thanks, David. At 31 A, I never thought af abbreviating KNIGHT ...but it works. Good write-up, Argyle. Loved Maria.
ReplyDeleteCute poems, Owen!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteTypical Monday breeze through. Had Sherpa before Napali and Gonzo/Tazo was a wag. Have never been in a Starbucks as I don't drink coffee or tea. Nice CSO to Bill G who spent his college years in Ithaca.
Thanks, David, for an easy start to the week and thanks, Argyle, for the expo.
Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteNice romp through the puzzle today. Definitely Monday. Didn't even look for the theme today because everything filled in nicely, even TAZO.
Nice weather here in Central PA this week. It's spring break time here in Lion land and the students are gone. It's time for the locals to enjoy our town without being overrun by students. I think they probably went to Florida to pester Lemon and Tin along with other Floridians.
Have to go Hunt and Gather. Company arriving today so need to get some edibles.
Have a great one everybody.
Hola y Buenos dias!
ReplyDeleteThank you, David Poole, whom we haven't seen in a while. I enjoyed this MC puzzle and sashayed right through it. CSO to BillG!
I'm familiar with TAZO tea though not a big fan. So do all CHINESE speak Mandarin? I thought dialects existed in some places. What about Cantonese, for example? C.C.?
Thank you, Argyle, for a very nice summation.
I, too, will miss Downton. Since I have all the DVDs I may have to binge watch.
Have a sensational day, everyone!
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteZoomed right through, no unknowns, but a few uncertainties.
Tazo was familiar from Starbucks, a chain we used to like but stopped visiting after they converted from traditional espresso machines to the crappy automatics that cannot make a decent shot. I learned just last week that Starbucks is opening the very first store in Italy, and according to the report, they are edgy about it - makes me wonder whether that one will have real machines.
Lucina from yesterday - it seemed a little sad that Dr. Clarkson got left out of all the last minute matchmaking. I guess Julian didn't have the screen time to tie up that end!
Morning, Argyle! Nice to see all the Model T variants. I've only driven the roadster version. The transmission had to be explained to me, of course, since it's not operated like a familiar standard transmission. My mom learned to drive on a Model T, sort of - around 1929 her dad decided she had seen the thing driven enough that she could be dispatched to the store without further instruction. She did complete the trip, but not having followed an entirely conventional route. :-)
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteEasy puzzle like others have said. No erasures, no searches needed. Two unknowns' TAZO and SION were easily gotten from the perps. Cute theme - M C. Magna Carta. medical corps and Merry Christmas also come to mind.
Starbucks French Roast is standard fare here. 10 cups brewed every morning. Not expensive if shopped for. Target usually has good price.
Have a great day.
Thank you Argyle, for a delightful blog. The puzzle itself was very easy and I had a lot of fun. Thank you, Mr. Poole. Argyle, I noticed your picture of/ for 'Nepali' was also a picture for 'Peace' - the next clue. So, a two-in-one. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteAs for Ms. Callas, I really feel sorry for her. She was obviously in a lot of pain, her lips curled in agony, and her little chest heaved in unbearable despair - I won't hazard a guess as to wherefrom this suffering, I think, emanated - but you cannot help but notice that she was sitting down. Even after she stood up, the excrutiating torment relentlessly reached a climax - ooh, that was heart breaking - maybe the nerves were too agitated. Somebody, anybody - please call a doctor or an ambulance. Seriously, she had to do this, what, two times a week ? She should have got a raise - I would have demanded it - this is sheer torture. No wonder she divorced ARI, there's got to be a better way to make a living. Aah, as an ancient chinese saying goes, 'A man (or woman) will cut off his feet - to nourish the gods in his stomach'.
Straight-forward Monday solve today with just a little slow-down in the SW due to Lade before STOW and Loan before LEND. Thanks David and Argyle.
ReplyDeleteNo Canadian content today from our Canadian constructor. ODOR had no U and SSNS replaced SINS.
I had a couple of small nits as I had Beat before BAKE for my soufflé. Really you could bake anything (cake, pie, chicken)! Also I might have expected the AMSCRAY clue to somehow indicate the Pig Latin. We do have SCRAM for Get Lost! fairly often.
Downton withdrawal today (with Red Rose tea not TAZO). Enjoyed the finale although I thought there could have been another episode to tie up all the loose ends. It seemed rather frenetic!
I am looking forward to seeing ALICE in Wonderland at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake this summer.
Good morning all,
ReplyDeleteI too love Mondays and had no problems except for Gonzo...all perps. I kept thinking it was the Count. My daughter still has nightmares about him. LOL I'm not a big tea drinker , but do prefer Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime and Camomile over Tazo.
Thanks for the nice comments last week on my Maui pictures.It's not hard to take a pretty photo if the beauty is right there, so I have been lucky in my travels capturing some gorgeous landscapes. Jimmy, thanks for the tip on the lotion; I will look for it when we travel back to Kauai with the family this summer.
I would like to offer an opposing viewpoint, however timidly, that I am so glad that Downton is finally finis. So, they all died and we lived happily ever after. Finally, I can start having a normal conversation with the little woman, like, about the weather. And I can go back to watching my favorite reruns of the World series of Poker. Also, I was really surprised that Franklin Roosevelt founded the NRA. That coot had some gall, after all.
ReplyDeleteNational Relief Association i believe.
DeleteNation Recovery Administion
DeleteHave to complain cause this was easy peasy. 12 abbr. Answers. More than a friday. Whoa is me. Alas its monday too. Its also pouring and miserable on the left coast. Just heard thunder. Bye
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! WEES. Thank you, David & Argyle.
ReplyDeleteI have a sweet little black and white picture of my grandfather in a Ford Model-T, 2 passenger open runabout. It was the first car he ever owned which he bought just before he married my grandmother in 1909. He is puffed with pride. Another pic shows the happy couple in the car. It was their only wedding picture.
The original dynamic duo, Don Hard G and C.C. crafted today's Wall Street Journal puzzle if you have lead left in your pencil
ReplyDeleteDudley @9:51
ReplyDeleteYour Mother was probably a rare breed to be a female driver in 1929. My Mother had to learn to drive when her father died suddenly in 1939 leaving a brand new car and nobody besides her old enough to get a driver's licence. (Widow did not drive) Her younger brothers, who all grew up driving tractors, taught her. LOL!
PK, I love your story about your grandparents!
Fun theme for a Monday puzzle with a big variety of topics, and nice pics, in the expo. Many thanks, David and Argyle.
ReplyDeleteAm glad I'm not the only one who never heard of TAZO.
Have a great week, everybody!
I managed to FIW on a Monday,
ReplyDeleteI had 13D makes an effort = tried
making the Greek American soprano Maria Callad.
If guess I should pay more attention to the clue tense...
A quote on public speaking from Winston Churchill.
Argyle: Wonderful write-up. Good Job !!!
ReplyDeleteDavid: Thank you very much for a FUN Monday puzzle.
Didn't "get-the-theme" until the EMCEE reveal clunked me WITH the V-8 Can smack.
Never heard of TAZO, the Starbucks tea brand ... then again, I never go to Starbucks for their coffee, and wouldn't know what brand that was either. Go figure ... LOL
Un-Retired this morning ... I'm now back in the semi-working world.
Yup, I got a part-time job.
Only problem is the hours are 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday (after 2 weeks of training).
Soooooo, I guess I'll be a later-in-the-day solver.
A "toast-to-ME" at Sunset.
Cheers!
OKKeith:
ReplyDeleteYour summary is well taken, by me, anyway, but if anyone has not yet watched the final episode of DOWNTON, it could be a spoiler. It was great fun and emotional watching all that happiness. I loved it!
Dudley:
You're so right. I forgot about Dr. Clarkson.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Nothing much to add at this late hour. I’m bushed!
- Record setting temps had me on the golf course by 8:30 am. and then yardwork and then here
-“Come with me little girl on a MAGIC CARPET Ride”
-Slumdog Millionaire is right up there with The Revenant in the list of movies I won’t ever see.
-The Da Vinci Code I have watched at least 5 times
-I got half way on Schindler’s List and couldn’t finish
-My take on perfect
-The most famous IND. Was Teddy Roosevelt and his Bull Moose Party. Hello President Wilson.
-Pilfered is one of those ADJ. sportwriters employ when they get tired of STOLEN bases.
Addendum
ReplyDelete-My weekends will be empty without the NFL and the fabulous Downton Abbey
-The story lines were fun (and predictable last night as per Owen) but the historic events and the societal changes were fascinating as well. It’s hard to imagine that a life of “service” was so common. “Put on your own pants!”
Congratulations Tin! What kind of a job is it?
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched the end of Downton Abbey yet. In fact, i'm two episodes behind now. I'm looking forward to the resolutions but I am not looking forward to the hole it will leave in my TV-viewing life.
No bike riding today. A second storm has passed over. The passing of the cold front brought the typical cold, windy weather that typically follows. No fun on a bike.
Ah, we're back to the easy-peezy Monday pzl! No challenge here, but at least Mr Poole offers a neat theme. I appreciate a good triple-kick quest, a built-in clue with three long responses.
ReplyDeleteAs for Downton, it was fun to watch Mr Fellowes scramble to finish so many story lines in a single long finale.
Spoiler Alert!
Once we were sure of the agenda, my wife and I were generally two steps ahead, predicting Lady Edith's mother-in-law's conversion, foreseeing Daisy's haircut and warming-up to Andy, guessing Barrows' retrieval to replace the ailing Carson, even conjuring Tom and Henry's used car biz, etc. etc.
One of the beauties of modern TV story-telling has been the discovery of open-ended action, in which characters are freed of the dictates of a single major conflict-climax-resolution. Previously, characters remained fixed--white hats vs. black hats-- and a rough sort of poetic justice won out. But with the rise of cable and more popular series with no definite end-dates, writers found they could use unpredictability, and characters could evolve. Heroes didn't have to stay good; they could change according to their choices and plot circumstances, just as in life!
Downton used this freedom beautifully, so we wouldn't always know whether to cheer for Mary's independence or throw rotten eggs at the stuck-up b-- er... snob.
That's why last night was especially fun. For the finale, the writers reverted to old-fashioned "happy-ending[s], nice-and-tidy, like the rule [they] learned in school...."
It was a delight to watch how our scribblers worked so hard to make the last minute changes as plausible as they could. The only choice I thought too-too much was when Lord Merton's "pernicious anemia" turned out to be not quite so nasty after all--on top of the writers' decision to make his Lordship's villainous heirs the only truly pernicious figures in the episode.
"How ConVEEN-ient!"-- as we'd all cry out in writing class.
A Monday speed run! Thanks, David, for the fun puzzle! Thanks, Argyle, for the expo!
ReplyDeleteWEES. I work across until I hit a problem, then work downs, alternating until the puzzle is done. I had a couple write-overs but no major hang-ups.
It's been a pleasant spring day. I get to end it with a visit with my daughter and grand-dog!
Have a good evening!
Pat
National Recovery Administration. (Blue Eagle)
ReplyDeleteA pleasant solve today. I missed seeing several of the down answers, even though I try to read the clues for all of them. I guess I went too fast. Hand up for not knowing TAZO, so the perps there saved the day. CanadianEh, I am a fan of Red Rose tea also. As for Starbucks, I won't give them my business; I recall reading how predatory their business practices are (or were) and how environmentally unfriendly too. Besides, their coffee tastes burned to me (yes, I did partake a few times).
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to all of you who have been married for so many years.
So Tinbeni, what's the new job? Congratulations on landing it. I trust you are a morning person.
Lucina, yes there are many dialects of Chinese, often mutually unintelligible. Not everyone speaks Mandarin, even though it is the official language. Cantonese is probably the second most common dialect, and perhaps (I'm guessing) that Fujianese (spoken in the province of Fujian and in parts of Taiwan) is maybe the third in number of speakers. I think the native speakers call it Hakka.
By the way, ever notice how so many languages end with "ese", such as Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc? Also may that end with "ish" such as English, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Spanish, Flemish, etc. And then there's "ian" as in Italian, Loatian, Armenian, Croatian, etc.
Best wishes to you all.
I blew this Monday puzzle. Didn't know Gonzo or Tazo, and couldn't get Ateat or Atone.
ReplyDeleteBut, I own a Model T.
Montana
Jayce, I also think Starbucks coffee tastes burned.
ReplyDeleteBill G. & Jayce, et al ...
ReplyDeleteI will be working, very part-time ... I was not going back to the "Full-Time Business World" ...
That took me to four "other" continents ... with a working schedule of 60+ hours per week ...
But after 1 and a half years ... OK, I've been lazy and almost "non-working" for 8 years ...
But, I just DO-NOT need 168 hours "off" each week.
Hey, I enjoyed reading 86 books and 2 newspapers (per day, the Tampa Bay Times & Wall Street Journal) last year ... but geez-louise, even that gets boring after a while ... (and, thank you last week's puzzle for that, lol) ...
Well it took almost a day ... OK, maybe 2 days ... to find an interesting job in the Media Information Gathering industry ...
Can't say exactly which Company ... but for a "Retired, International Tax Accountant and Financial Auditor" ... the fact it has to do with gathering information should be "kinda" interesting ...
And it is at a "Pay-Scale" of 27% of my last job in Zagreb ...
About on scale with Husker who still likes to "Substitute" for almost nothing what HE is worth ...
Probably the same reason Bill G. still likes to tutor the "kids" ...
Cheers!
Jayce @5:46
ReplyDeleteHmmm ... I never thought of myself as a "Morning Person" ...
Though I think there are some activities that are better after a good night's sleep ...
In THAT REGARD ... Gal-Pal says I am definitely "A Morning Person !" LOL.
But I did wake up this morning, without the alarm, at 5:25 am ...
Hey it was my "First-Day" ... there was NO WAY I WAS GOING TO BE LATE !
(Yeah, I was there only 35 minutes early ...)
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteI'm just coming out of my blahs - DW left yesterday and I couldn't sleep until I knew she landed safely (2a CST). Then thoughts of her not here... I couldn't sleep, even w/ CSPAN on.
Congrats TIN on the new gig. I'm sure you can't share a lot, but info-gathering is fun as a puzzle comes together.
Speaking of puzzles, David gave us a fine theme w/ (for me) some crunch in S. Carolina - I had AMSCRAm and SEEme b/f cleaning up that area. Also, for some reason, I keep putting a Z in DESI. All fixed; no harm no foul. Thanks Argyle for the writeup.
ESP - 25a - Who? 4d kinda knew but needed 3/4 perps.
Knew 60a - DW has TAZO in the K-cups (sniff - still missing her). Of course the Great GONZO brought a smile - I loved him trying to get famous by being shot from a canon.
Fav: Warning - this one's in my own head - MITT and LOTT; a TART-KIST... Sorry folks.
MODEL T / ANON in the same puzzle has to be a CSO, no?
Of course, NERDS as clued is fun - Yeah, I'm terminally un-hip, but I can fix your file-systems ladies. Need your formulae integrated... :-)
OK. three bad jokes in a row - I'll try to ATONE - Steppenwolf's MAGIC CARPET Ride HG alluded to.
Cheers, -T
BTW (still ATONING) - did y'all see that Bill Bryson dropped a new book? (<--LINK). I saw it yesterday on the NYT list - It's now on my list; I love his writing.
ReplyDeleteMaybe next Sunday sans Football or DA, we can read it. Cheers, -T