Theme: Simian set-up - The last word of the unifier can precede the last word of the indicated phrases.
60A. It more or less coincides with 2016 on Chinese calendars ... and a hint to this puzzle's circles : YEAR OF THE MONKEY
16A. Ready to admit customers : OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Monkey business. It was a Howard Hawks film in 1952 with real monkeys, no monkey business. (mischievous or deceitful behavior)
38A. Outfit for the slopes : SKI SUIT. Monkey suit, slang word for a tuxedo.
10D. Seller's come-on : FREE TRIAL. Monkey trial. Scopes
34D. Snickers and Milky Way : CANDY BARS. Monkey bars, aka, Jungle gym. Found on playgrounds everywhere.
Argyle here. An ambitious if somewhat ambiguous offering from C.C. to start the week. The use of circles instead of stars seems odd as does 29-Across clue/answer. Nice to see the two grid spanners and the two long columns, as well as the center of the pinwheel being used.
Across:
1. "That was close!" : "PHEW!"
5. Fictional whale hunter : AHAB
9. Dying-out sound : [PFFT!]
13. Affectionate email closing : LOVE
14. Farmer's place, in song : DELL. Hi-ho, the derry-o.
15. Cuisinart setting : PUREE
19. Al __: firm, as pasta : DENTE. (firm to the bite)
20. "Splish Splash" singer Bobby : DARIN. A far cry from Mack the Knife
21. Inexact no. : ESTimate
22. Baseball card figs. : STATS
24. Skillful : ADEPT
26. Blot up the moisture on : PAT DRY
29. Like a perfect game : NO-RUN. While a perfect game IS a no-run game, so are many others that are far from "perfect".
32. Cinderella's horses, after midnight : MICE
35. "I __ you one" : OWE
36. Like wolves : LUPINE
37. Springsteen's "Born in the __" : USA
40. TV program breaks : ADs
41. Cocktail party bite : CANAPÉ
43. Envoy's bldg. : EMB. (Embassy)
44. Thicken, as cream : CLOT
45. Many-headed monster : HYDRA
46. Potato or rice, e.g. : STARCH
48. Gulf of Aden republic : YEMEN
50. False name : ALIAS
53. Texter's "Hang on a minute" : [BRB]. (Be Right Back)
55. Super-fun party : BLAST
58. Planet attacked in some sci-fi films : EARTH
63. Fortune-teller's deck : TAROT
64. Coke, e.g. : COLA
65. Like a 2-2 game : TIED
66. "What __ is new?" : ELSE
67. Wait on the phone : HOLD
68. Memo starter : IN RE
Down:
1. Walk with difficulty : PLOD
2. Crosses one's fingers : HOPES
3. The World Series, e.g. : EVENT
4. Came unglued : WENT APE
5. Hue and cry : ADO
6. Buffalo group : HERD
7. "Dark Angel" actress Jessica : ALBA
8. Movie disk format : BLU RAY
9. "I used to be a banker but I lost interest," e.g. : PUN
11. Come clean, with "up" : FESS
12. Dry run : TEST
15. Pesto ingredient : PINE NUT
17. Brine-cured Greek cheese : FETA
18. Vicious of the Sex Pistols : SID
23. Tend, as a fire : STOKE
25. Dad : POP
27. SADD focus : DWI. Students Against Destructive Decisions, formerly Students Against Driving Drunk.
28. Put back to zero : RESET
30. Bring to ruin : UNDO
31. Hornet's home : NEST
32. "__ obliged!" : MUCH
33. Words to an old chap : "I SAY ... "
36. Sign of many an October baby : LIBRA
38. Program that sends unsolicited messages : SPAMBOT
39. Thurman of "The Producers" : UMA
42. "__ you nuts?" : ARE
44. Wine in a straw-wrapped bottle : CHIANTI
46. Grab : SNATCH
47. 1963 Liz Taylor role : CLEO
49. Helper for Santa : ELF. I'd rather have Liz.
51. "Argo" actor Alan : ARKIN. Got enough A's?
52. T-bone source : STEER. Talk about going to the source!
53. Computer memory unit : BYTE
54. Genuine : REAL
56. "Beat it!" : "SHOO!"
57. Be a snitch : TELL
59. Jekyll's alter ego : HYDE
61. Lobster eggs : ROE
62. Fuming : MAD
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) I finally figured out why Rich put circles in this puzzle (no circles in my original submission). My original reveal clue for YEAR OF THE MONKEY is [2016, on Chinese calendars, and a hint to the ends of answers to starred clues]. As you can see, I made a big mistake in putting part of the answer in the clue. Thanks for fixing my goof, Rich!
2) Constructor Todd Gross took these pictures while he visited the Bellagio in Feb. He said they had an elaborate display celebrating Chinese New Year there. Thanks for the pictures, Todd!
3) Wish Bluehen a successful hip surgery today! You're my our thoughts and prayers, pal.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteMostly smooth sailing today. I had NO-HIT before NOR-RUN, and couldn't see the theme during the solve, but that was about it.
I appreciated the fact that the clue for the theme reveal said "more or less coincides." My son was born in January of 2005, about a month before Chinese New Year, so technically it was still the YEAR OF THE MONKEY and not yet the Year of the Chicken. We've always told him he was really a monkey despite what the menus at the Chinese restaurant's say...
Thanks C.C. and Argyle to start the work week with a nice challenge. I did not see the theme until the end but on Modays they sometimes fill too quickly. I liked the theme and fill like CHIANTI PINE NUT and the ironic WENT APE. I also continue to be amazed at C.C.'s productivity.
ReplyDeleteI agree that NO RUN was not fairly clued but I had no alternative clue. To change would remove CHIANTI...oh it so hard to do a clean grid.
Happy working and playing
Alternative clue for NO RUN:
ReplyDeleteFeture of Krylon paints according to Johnny Bench.*
*Maintains the baseball connection. :)
In baseball lingo, as I'am sure CC well knows, a perfect game is 27 batters up (3 per inning for nine innings) and 27 batters down.
ReplyDeleteA game with no runs scored is a shut out.
To me NO RUN makes more sense if clued Like a Perfect silk stocking.
Oh well, just my thoughts as I wrestle with Flu symptoms. Heck of a way to begin the week.
Started with WHEW instead of PHEW but the rest flowed smoothly. I love Monday CWs: I can do them!! Thanx, C.C. for a fun CW! And thanx, Argyle, for a terrific write-up.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteMostly a smooth run this morning. No, I didn't get the theme. Once again I was successful in failing to read the entire "reveal" clue. Come to think of it, I didn't read any of that clue. D'oh!
Bobby Darin had quite the music career before heart failure ended it at the unripe age of 37. He had a very successful Vegas act, a movie career, and recorded some not-so-silly songs as Mack the Knife and Up a Lazy River.
Argyle, if you really want to get to the source of that T-Bone steak, how 'bout the Big Bang?
Probably the best film about the 1925 Scopes trial was Inherit The Wind. It's been made a few times, but the best version, by far, pits Fredric March against Spencer Tracy in the courtroom. Great flick!
It's been raining pitchforks and hammer handles overnight, 9 inches at the airport. Schools and universities are closed; buses and trains are shut down. I was supposed to drive into Houston this morning for my annual physical, but according to the TV, the I-610 intersection near my Dr's office is under water. I'll phone in, but suspect that I'll be staying home today.
A nice Monday level romp with just a little kick. Not to mention a bonus ape.
ReplyDeleteCoulda used some Fava beans though :-)
Thanks C.C. And Argyle. And good luck with the surgery Blue Hen.
"Puzzling Thoughts":
ReplyDeleteWUFS (what unclefred said, WHEW before PHEW)
Dittos about the clueing for 29a
When I saw business, suit and trial my first thought about the theme was having to do with lawyers!
So, in my attempt to limerick like Owen, here's what came into MY mind this morning after doing the puzzle:
In the jungle you may never see
Such a sight, as the one that did we;
When the chimp just WENT APE
After eating CANAPE
That was served by a rabid MONKEY!
I'll let Owen grade this if he swings by today...
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun start to the week having a CC puzzle and a mischievous one, to boot. Needed the reveal to catch the theme, even with the circles. Went ape added a bit of interest and I liked fess, test, and nest, also.
Well done, CC, and thanks, Argyle, for the overview.
Best wishes to Bluehen for the surgery and recovery.
We have a nice, mild, sunny day but rain and cooler temps on the way. The roller coaster weather continues.
Have a great day.
wHEW, er, PHEW! Nailed it!
ReplyDeleteThanks C.C. for MONKEY'n' around w/ me on a Monday. Hand-up for NO-hit before I NESTled-in the Carolinas.
Thanks Argyle for the write-up. Guess Who was a perfect selection for UNDO.
Y'all up north get snow days; can you imagine a rain day? Like D-O I'm flooded in today. The water was over the sidewalk when I went to get the paper. Surprisingly, the paper was still (mostly) dry. And, through the magic of technology, I'm still at work.
A guy in the neighborhood has a weather station that reports to Weather Underground. It reports 5.78" of rain since midnight*. The storm started at 10p Sunday.
Got a meeting. I'll play later.
Cheers, -T
*I had to change that 3 times - it kept going up from 5.55 when I started drafting this!
Thanks Argyle for a fine write up and thanks CC for a fun doable puzzle. Unlike yesterday's which was slow going, even with the red letters on.
ReplyDelete-- I don't get circles at The Puzzle Society so I couldn't see the theme. I never thought that circles would be used for the same word.
-- I can't see how your original clue was so wrong it could not have been reworked with asterisks.
-- I also was puzzled with NO RUN not NO hit. BUT you did say "Like" which can be more broadly interpreted. A better clue would be a characteristic of a perfect game. Probably be too wordy.
Hondo, I did some web research when 2 friends caught "spring colds" that knocked them out and lasted 2 weeks. Turns out that in Ohio the flu spiked mid-March with 500 hospitalizations in one week, vs. like 40 in January. [Ohio Dept. of Health weeklies]
What gets me angry is:
-- no mention on our local TV an radio [except in passing on one 7 am radio show on Saturday] Heck, they tell us to wear hats and gloves if it is cold but not the flu is still here?
-- at least one of the friends got the flu shot in early Sept. because it was being pushed then and it may have worn out by April.
Best wishes for a good surgery an swift rehab Blue Hen.
Live Well and Prosper,
VS
ReplyDeleteThanks C.C. for a nice start of the week puzzle and Argyle for filling in the circles. I used the MENSA site, so there were no circles.
Like a few others, I started with WHEW before perps changed it to PHEW. Also needed perps to fill in BLAST, and to change NOHIT to NORUN. Otherwise it was a nice run through the park.
Good Luck today Bluehen.
I hope everyone has a great day and that those in the Houston area get to stay dry.
Yes best wishes to bluehen, and to all who are facing the wrath of nature. Very breezy here which wreaked havoc with some local golf tournaments.
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteC.C. Thanks for commenting on the need for the circles. Enjoyed the puzzle and the theme. I guess WENT APE could have covered the theme, too. although apes are your larger simians. We have a Greek restaurant here called Symeons which serves lots of FETA. But I digress. Was sure of 'no hit' but had to change it to NO-RUN. Otherwise, no hiccups.
ARKIN - First saw him in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. He played the XO on a Russian sub; Theodore Bikel was the captain.
MICE - displays English's German roots with the vowel shift for the plural.
- - ----mouse mice
German Maus Mäuse
L. German Muus Müüs
Dutch muis muizen
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed today's easy breezy effort - thanks, C.C.!
Morning, Barry G, I always wondered whether those Chinese restaurant placemats were accurate.
Morning, Argyle, thanks for today's Uma. She's just lovely.
Kinda liked how I "WENT-APE" in the YEAR-OF-THE-MONKEY.
ReplyDeleteCHIANTI is nice when it is NEAT.
Off for a "walk on the dog beach" at Honeymoon Island.
Cheers!
Lovely start to the week. Thanks C.C. and Argyle. Special thanks for Burton Cummings and the Guess Who. (Cummings was the 2016 inductee to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Junos in early April.)
ReplyDeleteHand up for Whew and No Hit. I like Hondo's silk stocking clue alternative.
Newspaper came early today and I got up late so I had the circles. But I thought the theme had to do with lawyers (with Suits, Trials, Bars, Business)until I got to the reveal. Like others I loved the associated WENT APE clue.
Best wishes to Bluehen for a successful surgery and recovery.
Stay safe those of you under the floods.
We are finally getting spring and beautiful warm sun.
Hand up for NOHIT and thinking this would be a lawyer based theme and almost starting with WHEW but only the W went in as I could see it wouldn't work.
ReplyDeleteI love most cheeses but not FETA.
Thank you, C.C. and Argyle.
Blue Hen, best wishes for a successful surgery and recovery.
Have a marvelous day, everyone!
Good morning all,
ReplyDeleteHand up for no hit, and had trouble filling lupine, so it took awhile to change. Spelled Chianti with an e, which messed up my thought process for IN RE. I always enjoy Monday's and it is especially nice to get one by C.C.
Just returned home from visiting my sister in Phoenix who was just recently told she has Alzheimer's...and so my heart is very sad. Lucina, I will see you the next time I visit.such an easy area to get around.
Wishing you a good recovery Bue hen.
Pretty much WEES. WHEW before PHEW and NOHIT before NORUN. A nice Monday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteLike Lucina, I too like most cheeses but don't like FETA very much.
UMA is so damn pretty!
Best wishes to you all.
IMHO, MONKEY BUINESS IS a lawyer theme!
ReplyDeleteFYI, all perfect games are NO RUN, but not all NO RUN games are perfect games. So clue/answer is awkward but not wrong.
Perfect games are the thumbs of no run games. An eight hit, 2 walk shutout would be the pinky of no run games. A complete game 1 hitter could be the index finger. Three pitchers combined to shut out the opponent in a game seven is definitely a Ring finger game. Don't know what a middle finger game could be? Maybe 6 pitchers with 6 walks, 4 errors and an intentionally hit batsman or two?
Question re 46a:
ReplyDeleteDo you consider a potato a vegetable luke a carrot or a grain like rice? Hmmm?
Not only am I subbing today, compulsive me had to make a Power Point for the math answers so I’m late to the party for C.C.’s very clever puzzle. I avoided the reveal as long as I could but needed it.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Nebraskan William Jennings Bryan won on the anti-evolution side in the MONKEY TRIAL
-DARIN WENT APE when his mother told him his sister was really his mother and she was his grandmother
-Baseball shutout = NO RUN
-This program gives us Live STATS when we are not at our grandson’s game
-We tried to PAT DRY the red wine stains Joann’s mother made Easter on our carpet
-ADS – Ya gotta love FF on the DVR
-I had to wait many times for my nosebleed to CLOT while on the MONKEY BARS
-I loved this movie because the aliens were not attacking EARTH
-Kids walking Midwest cornfields in the mud definitely PLOD
-Buffalo HERD advice (2:06)
-Every office has someone who likes to STOKE the anger of a stupid debate
-More Juniors and slope-intercept form
-Good luck Bluehen!
Good morning. Thank you Argyle and CC.
ReplyDeleteReally late today. I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me. (See 9D)
Only one small issue for this Fire Monkey. PUlsE before PUREE.
Solved the diagonal from SE to NW first, followed by the SW corner and then the NE corner. Made for a pretty pattern.
Liked the clue deception in the "Like a perfect game" but since I already had the R from TRIAL... Argyle, I liked your explanation. You nipped that in the bud.*
"Undun" was just one of many hits for Winnipeg based The Guess Who. One of my favorite groups of the era. Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman co-wrote many of their early hits. I remember when Bachman left and subsequently created the hard driving sound of Bachman Turner Overdrive. Burton left The Guess Who shortly after Randy did, and had a successful solo career.
* Well, after reading the comments, maybe not. A perfect game means no opposing player reaches first base for any reason for a COMPLETE** game of 9 innings or more. Typically, that would be a minimum of 27 batters faced, and all 27 batters put out, or as is commonly said, "27 up and 27 down."
Therefor, in a different puzzle, another answer for "Like a perfect game" might have been NO HITTER, NO BASE RUNNERS, or NO MEN ON BASE. The NO RUN aspect is a consequence of the perfect game, so "like" is fair, but leadingly deceptive.
** Many baseball fans know that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix lost credit for his 1959 12 inning Perfect Game gem when MLB changed the definition (years later) to include the word COMPLETE. He gave up a hit in the 13th inning.
Bluehen, best wishes for a speedy recovery.
I love a C.C. puzzle on a Monday morning--especially if it has circles--and this will go down as one of my favorites. I too thought it would be a business theme of some sort and was delighted by the surprise the reveal brought. I also got so many things in this puzzle--DARIN, ARKIN, ALBA, UMA, and all the food answers, CANDY BARS, CANAPE, COLA, PUREE, STARCH. Anyway, what a fun puzzle, thanks, C.C., and you too Argyle, as always,
ReplyDeleteHope Bluehen has an effective surgery and a quick recovery.
Have a great week, everybody!
TTP - I did not know that IN RE the connection between The Guess Who and BTO. Cool to know; thanks for Takin' Care of (that) BUSINESS. [watch for changing of guitars @~:40 - they're professionals ;-)]
ReplyDeleteA perfect game is 27 up 27 down. A walk in between can be a NO hit game, and a hit to 3rd can be a NO RUN game assuming he doesn't come home on a squeeze-play [my fav in Baseball!], but I'm sure you all know that.
Has there ever been a Magic Game (Trademark(TM) - I made that up) - 27 pitches and done?
3 batters x 9 innings? I SAY it's a game based on magic numbers.
We're starting to dry out here. How's it up there D-O?
God Speed on your operation recovery Bluehen!
Cheers, -T
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks, CC and Santa!
WEES.
Get better fast, bluehen!
Cheers!
Annual church event in celebration of the choir finally being able to carry a tune-
ReplyDeleteYEAR OF THEM ON KEY
Hello everyone, No Monkey business for me today with this C.C. puzzle. I started out with the same errors as others, but they were quickly fixed with words that I knew fit. Changes were quick and fill was easy.
ReplyDeleteThank you C.C. and Argyle for a Perfect Monday puzzle.
Quick recovery, Blue Hen. I've had three friends this month with hip replacement surgery. All are doing well. You'll do fine!
Have a great day, everyone.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED this puzzle! Easy and interesting...what more can we ask? Thanks, C.C. And thanks for the interesting expo, too, Argyle.
I wanted NO HIT first , too, but it got filled in by perps before I could go back and worry about it.
I remember Don Larson. Was that 1956? Such a big deal...but that's a lifetime ago!
BLue Hen, get well soon!
Jerome, groan! Heheheheeee
Did the Monday puzzle ok, but the theme totally eluded me.
ReplyDelete(what year is this?)
Thanks CC for the circle explanation...
Daughter #2's blood test is positive for Mono,
(Hmm, what else did she learn at that College...)
She also called us in a full scale panic attack because
a) her grades were slipping, ( yo Prof, I had Mono, gimme a break!)
b) Her apprentice position gave her an assignment that required using the College equipment
because her boss is to cheap to pay $5K to do it right, & rejected her project because the sound quality has background computer hum.
Meanwhile her boss in the Bahamas, and my daughter thinks her career is over...
(Sigh, if she learns one thing in College, it should be that life is what happens while you are making other plans...)
BlueHen, Good luck!
DW week #5, walking with a cane on the beach is not easy...
also, swelling will be a persistent issue, you will have to keep the dang thing elevated.
Try to quit the Celebrex asap, (read the side effects.)
YOU HAVE TO DO STAIRS BEFORE YOU CAN LEAVE THE HOSPITAL!
(No prob,just go up leading with the good,& down with the bad,,,or is it the other way around?)
P.S. if you do not get breakfast in bed for at least 4 weeks, you are being ripped off!
(I found the ironing board to be very helpful as a beside breakfast tray stand.)
Star Ledger Thought For Today:
"There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out." - Russian proverb.
I don't usually do Mondays, but wanted to repeat part of my Friday comment, which was the last and therefore unread. I didn't want to comment w/o doing the puzzle, so I put it on my Mac and whipped through as fast as possible. It was great fun! Thanks, CC, and Argyll.
ReplyDeleteWas the clue for NO RUN deliberately misleading? Seems to me "shutout" would be much less ambiguous. Grrr! (My Chinese birth year was the Year of the Tiger.)
Friday, there was a discussion of TV detective series that I wanted to put my 2¢ into, so here it is:
"Speaking of high-latitude detective shows, Bill G, Lucina, Lemonade, and Misty, I commend the “new” series Shetland on ex-PBS LA channel KCET. The Shetland Isles are about 60°N, approx. the same latitude as Bergen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, and St Petersburg, and are closer to Bergen than to London. (Google "Shetland Bus.") I quite agree about Grantchester, Foyle’s War, Wallander, and would certainly add Morse and Endeavour."
I hope you all can find "Shetland" somewhere. IMHO, PBS should've picked it up as a Masterpiece Mystery.
Endeavour, the Inspector Morse prequel, returns to PBS June 19.
Typo, shld read "bedside" breakfast tray stand...
ReplyDelete& what Monkey Business means to me...
You only need to get a case of Flu once, then you'll get the vaccine. I got it in 1990 and have taken the shot every year since.
ReplyDeleteA nice Monday puzzle.
Hi Y'all! Fun puzzle today, C.C. Cornerites like to monkey around. WEES plus I tried "gag" before PUN. Great expo, Argyle.
ReplyDeleteI did the puzzle on Mensa then went to LA Times site to see the circles so I got the theme for once. Yay me!
Had a CHIANTI bottle like that one except my straw basket was hot pink. Someone gave it to me when I was 18 and I carried it around through 7 long-distance moves. After I turned 21 and could buy my own legally, I tossed it because the straw was getting ratty. Never did open it up.
Hip Hip Hooray! for Bluehen today! Ice is nice on such surgeries, no matter what Tin says.
Lots of rain here too. At least two inches in the pan I leave out for wildlife. Nice to open the door today and not smell smoke from wildfires and controlled grassland fires.
Get well soon, Hondo! I've had something that left me wanting to whimper all the time and sleep up to 14 hours a day for the past two weeks. Probably flu. I finally had to get my daughter to bring me groceries. Had been out of milk, bread, eggs for four days and had taken the last of my cold remedy.
Jerome, too funny, too true!
AnonymousPVX:
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! It took only once having the flu and I also now get a vaccine yearly.
RetFizz:
Thanks for the tip. I'll watch for that series, Shetland.
Jerome:
I agree, groan! But funny.
JD:
My heart is sad for you and your sister and perhaps I'll see you next time. We have some great places to eat all around the Valley.
Good Tuesday morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteI was gone all day Monday, but took the puzzle with me. Worked it, but never got a chance to log in and report. So, here I am.
I had the circles in my newspaper. Theme worked out just fine.
My only inkblot was of course, NO HIT and then NO RUN.
Liked WENT APE.
I think we recently had PINE NUT. Just rings a bell.
Well, I am going to run. Lots to do today.
See you tomorrow (Wednesday).
Abejo
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