TITLE: SQUAD
Our Sonny and Cher of Crosswordland strike again on Sunday after a four week hiatus and for awhile Don (theme originator) and C.C. could have sung, I Got You Babe because I was clueless about the gimmick. Halfway through it occurred to me, "Boy there's a lot of S's in these theme answers" and then I, disguised as Captain Obvious, saw S-QUAD as in quad/four S's per theme fill and had to forget about Mod Squad, Police Squad, et al. SSSSweet!
Here is an S-QUAD more amenable to my level!
The Double 16 verticals really stand out in the grid. How long must that have taken?
ACROSS THEME ANSWERS:
22. "Forever" purchase : FIRST CLASS STAMP - While not "Forever" you could have used this FIRST CLASS STAMP to send me a card in the year of my college graduation
46. Government meeting for delicate subjects : CLOSED SESSION - It turns out that the committee did not have to go into CLOSED SESSION to find Charlie innocent after Col. Slade's fabulous speech in Scent Of A Woman. Charlie had his 89. Judge's (Committee's) decree : CASE DISMISSED
55. Simple to use, in adspeak : NO FUSS NO MUSS - Exhibit A
80. Corporate uncertainty : BUSINESS RISK - Selling these units here seems to fit the description
115. It has a November kickoff : CHRISTMAS SEASON - A verboten phrase in most schools
DOWN THEME ANSWERS:
14. "Aha!" : JUST AS I SUSPECTED - Another great someecard
35. Great Sioux War of 1876 event : CUSTER'S LAST STAND - This turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory for the native people who then became relentlessly pursued by the U.S. Army
104. Twisty turns ... and the "quad" in each of this puzzle's eight longest answers : ESSES - I count at least QUAD ESSES in this Hana Highway on Maui
Across
1. Check some figures? : OGLE
5. Mulching material : PEAT
9. Hot spot : RANGE
14. It leaves trails : JET
17. Song often sung in Italian : ARIA - Roy's big voice with a 4-octave range has been described as operatic. I wonder how he'd do on Nessun Dorma or how Pavarotti would do on Pretty Woman?
18. Tiny tank plant : ALGA
19. Brain freeze-causing drinks : ICEES
20. Photo subject for NASA's New Horizons : PLUTO
25. Broad-leaved ornamental : HOSTA - What started as the Omaha HOSTA Society's modest plantings decades ago has turned into the fabulous 100 acre Lauritzen Gardens today.
26. Desert climate feature : DRY HEAT
27. Blog updates : POSTS
28. Like easier-to-swallow pills : COATED - Not quite "a spoonful of sugar"
29. "__ Miniver" : MRS - Greer Garson won an Academy Award for her title role and gave the longest acceptance speech in academy history. They began a time limit the next year.
30. Strain to lift : HEFT
32. Humana rival : AETNA
33. Chinese gambling mecca : MACAO - Put it on Black at the roulette table when you're there
36. Sloppy, as security : LAX
37. Sauce with a kick : TABASCO - Still made on Avery Island, LA where over half the 200 person workforce also lives
41. "The Simpsons" disco guy : STU
44. "Suits me fine!" : I SURE DO - "Do you enjoy blogging, Gary?"
49. Storage medium : DISK - My old 360 K floppy DS/DD disk pales in storage comparison to my 3 Terabyte iMac
50. Bulgarian capital : SOFIA
52. Enterprise counselor : TROI
53. Capital with a Viking Ship Museum : OSLO
54. Prohibition era gun : GAT - This mug tried to chisel me and went on the lam and so I offed him with my GAT and a shyster helped me beat the rap
58. Reminders on cards : CUES - Johnny Carson's opening monologue CUE card from his last show
59. "Feliz año nuevo" time : ENERO
61. "You __ right!" : ARE SO
62. Champion : TITLIST - My daughter gets me TITLIST Pro V1's that say this on the back
64. Like Gen. Powell : RETD
66. More painful : SORER
69. __ year : LEAP
70. WWII Navy vessel named for the 29th state : USS IOWA - It had an elevator and was fitted with a bathtub when it carried FDR to Mers El Kébir, Algeria in WWII
73. Ocular sign of mischief : GLEAM
76. On the ball : ALERT
79. Puerto Rico, por ejemplo : ISLA
84. Cedar Rapids campus : COE
85. Marsh duck : TEAL
86. Hindu deity : RAMA
87. Salentina Peninsula country : ITALY - The "heel" of Italy's boot
88. Bowl over : STUN
93. Three-syllable foot : ANAPEST - A metrical foot of three syllables in the pattern of "unstressed, unstressed, stressed" e.g. Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
93. Three-syllable foot : ANAPEST - A metrical foot of three syllables in the pattern of "unstressed, unstressed, stressed" e.g. Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
95. FDR successor : HST - "Uh, Harry, we have this super bomb in New Mexico that no one has told you about."
96. Erode : EAT INTO
97. "Kung Fu" actor Philip : AHN
99. Gets one's feet wet : WADES
100. Bombards with e-junk : SPAMS
102. Yucatán native : MAYA
104. Billion-year span : EON
105. Takes in, say : ALTERS - My alterations are going the other way
107. Weapon in a scabbard : SABER
110. Nutmeg State team : HUSKIES - The U Conn Lady HUSKIES just won their fourth national championship in a row
114. Kingdom : REALM
118. Kunta __ of "Roots" : KINTE - Roots attracted a then-record audience for a miniseries and is credited with changing attitudes toward slavery
119. Ritzy retreat : VILLA
120. "Oy vey!" : AH ME
121. Figure of interest? : RATE
122. Blue : SAD
123. Great __ Mountains : SMOKY
124. Orgs. that donate to runners : PACS - Political runners
125. Do some cleaning : DUST
Down
1. Clumsy type : OAF
2. Electrical system : GRID - A very nice off-the-GRID house in Washington
3. New York MTA-owned commuter line : LIRR - Long Island Railroad
4. Patsy : EASY MARK - He went to his grave saying he was a Patsy
5. Treasure map units : PACES
6. "__ Enchanted": 2004 film : ELLA
7. Aunt in P.G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories : AGATHA
8. Prof's aides : TA'S - Get used to them, the prof has to "publish or perish"
9. Ristorante rice dish : RISOTTO
10. Play times? : ACTS
11. Trim : NEAT
12. Peridot and garnet : GEMS
13. Claim subject to debate : ESP- Will this tell you if you have ESP?
15. Relative of -let : ETTE
16. Pond hopper : TOAD
20. Instagram fodder : PHOTOS
21. Wells Fargo product : LOAN
23. Pain usually pluralized : THROE - A Police Chief in the THROES of pain after taking a 50,000 volt Taser jolt as a publicity stunt to get Tasers for his officers
24. UV-blocker rating syst. : SPF
28. Gospel singer Winans : CECE - Also a phonetic representation of one of our constructors today
31. Takes out : EXCISES
32. St. Clare's town : ASSISI - The Poor Clares of Cincinnati extending a blessing on the 800th anniversary of the founding of their order in ASSISI
33. Tiny biting fly : MIDGE
34. Like most people : ASIAN
36. Sponge made from a vine fruit : LOOFA
38. Regarding : AS TO
39. Highway noise barrier : BERM - Many ball parks offer cheap BERM seating
40. Score after deuce : AD OUT - The server loses if the she loses the next point
42. Vacancy sign : TO LET - I'll be you know the song this picture and fill represents
43. Pizzeria chain, familiarly : UNOS
45. Brit. military award : DSO
47. Loop on the range : LASSO - From our LASSO, Riata, Noose, Bolas department
48. Get-together : SOCIAL
51. What a Sphynx cat lacks : FUR - An acquired taste?
55. "Don't look at me!" : NOT I - Said Judas to Jesus
56. 53-Across locale, to natives : NORGE - Jeg kommer fra NORGE (I am from Norway)
57. Cardinal cap letters : ST. L.
60. Flea market deal : RESALE
63. Reporter's source : LEAK - Mark Felt
65. Bio info : DOB - Get to ready to recite your Date Of Birth 20 times a day if you're in a hospital
67. Borden spokescow : ELSIE
68. Tour de France downtime : REST DAY - What was Lance taking on those days?
70. __ directed : USE AS
71. Lousy sausages? : WURSTS
72. "Ditto" : AS AM I
74. Altar up above : ARA
75. 87-Across fashion center : MILAN
77. Stir : ROUSE and 94. Got up : AWOKE
78. Places for cots : TENTS
79. Sign of a recent bite : ITCH
81. Hacker's cry : I'M IN
82. Harper's Weekly caricaturist : NAST - He created modern image of Santa and the GOP's elephant
83. Bawling, for crying out loud: Abbr. : SYN - Synonyms. Four crying out loud = QUADS, er, babies not S's
88. Don Quixote, for one : SPANIARD
90. "Gosh!" : DEAR ME
91. Brand with a paw print in its logo : IAMS
92. "The rumor is ... " : SOME SAY
98. "Very funny!" : HA HA HA
101. Hit with hail, say : PELT
103. Museum pieces : ART
105. Torah holders : ARKS
106. Luke's twin : LEIA - I wonder what they got Darth for Father's Day?
107. Thin strip of wood : SHIM - Used to plumb and level doors here
108. Woody's son : ARLO - Arlo said his famous Alice's Restaurant lasted 18 min and 38 sec just like the gap in Richard Nixon's Watergate tape
109. Take for a ride : BILK
111. "Semper Fi" org. : USMC - I hope Dennis will comment today
112. Biblical name meaning "hairy" : ESAU
113. They're often pickled : SOTS - So many euphemisms
115. Walgreens rival : CVS - So far they can't get the ground in our town to build next to the Walgreens here as is often their wont
116. Hiking guide : MAP
117. Ping-Pong need : NET
My SteadfaStneSS led to many SuceSSeS and I finished without requiring multiple SeSSionS.
Let'S See what otherS have to Say:
34 comments:
Greetings!
Thanks for pleasant diversion, CC, DG and Husker!
Reasonably easy. Theme cool. USS IOWA mostly perped. Otherwise no problems.
Have a great Sunday, all!
Morning, all!
Fun puzzle. I had no idea what the theme was until I got to the reveal, but then I had a wonderful AHA moment as I got the S-QUAD title.
Pretty easy overall. My main hangups were with the little things. Like having SO DO I and AS DO I before finally getting AS AM I. Or putting in OH HA HA before HA HA HA. I also went with ARIZONA before USS IOWA. The perps eventually took care of all of those, but it's always hard when you have an answer you just know is right and it turns out to be wrong.
I have to get up early tomorrow morning to get my son out the door for his 5 day "Environmental Camp" (or "E-Camp") 5th grade school trip. This will be the first day he's been away from home without us aside from an occasional sleep-over at a friend's. He doesn't seem nervous about it, but my wife and I are a bit of a wreck just thinking about it.
Good morning!
One pass across. One pass down. Student passed. Thank you, triumphant trio, Don (Hard-g), C.C. and Husker.
Anybody recently buy a roll of "Forever" stamps and now rues the day? Hand up. Price drop from a government entity? Unheard of. Absurd!
It had to be CHRISTMAS SEASON because Open Enrollment wasn't quite long enough.
Avery Island is not surrounded by water.
Never watched Kung Fu, but AHN bubbled up from somewhere in the depths.
Had LATH before SHIM. Shims are not only thin, the thickness has to taper if they're to do their job.
Looking at your interest rate chart, Husker, I can easily pick out the year we bought our house in Houston. Sold it in '07.
I think I see a beaming Hondo in the background of that Huskies photo.
Actually Tom, my two brothers and I all received degrees attending in Storrs and were there when the basketball fortunes changed when Toby Kimball brought them to the tournament. The success of GENO AURIEMMA is incredible. This year's senior class won the championship all four years.
The puzzle was fun, with the parsing of the title a challenge. Each of the theme answers were great. Enjoyed the CLUING of AGATHA and ASIAN.
Thanks hard g, C.C. and Gary
BTW the golf ball has the E, TITLEIST.
Gary, this is one of your best blogs. I knew it was you before I looked at the author.
Don and CC, I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.
This week's Friday, Saturday and Sunday puzzles were all faster than usual for me. I was on the Dynamic Duo's wave length from the start. There was nothing obscure here.
My only hang up was DESK before DISK. I left it and came back to change it when I saw ASIAN and SURE.
CHRISTMAS SEASON in many of our stores begins before Halloween. I couldn't care less and so ignore the hype until Nov.
Actually Jason, Google what smh means on text speak.
Hello Puzzlers -
Trouble free solve today. Hand up for thinking of Hondo when Huskies showed up - they're certainly big news around here.
The development of Tabasco Sauce has an interesting history. It's detailed in the book Salt by Mark Kurlansky. Apparently Avery Island was a salt mine before becoming a pepper farm, or something like that.
Thanks to the DGCC team and Husker!
Good Morning!
Husker, Don and C.C. - What a fantastic team!. I didn't get the theme until the reveal. I love those aha moments.
1 across was a great clue in a great puzzle.
Thank you!
Good Morning:
Another gem from the Dynamic Duo! Fun and clever theme and lots of doable fill. Huskies definitely brought Hondo to mind, as did CeCe, to our CC and Lucina with dry heat! Tabasco makes a super-tasting Bloody Mary mix, but it's hard to find, at least in my area.
Thanks to Don G, CC, and Gary for a delightful solve and wonderful guided tour; great write-up, HG!
We have nice, blue and sunny skies but there is a nip in the air and some slight winds. Doesn't feel like Spring, yet.
Have a great day.
I am from Connecticut (Nutmeg State) and it just hit me why the University of Connecticut's mascot are "Huskies".
UCONN (Yukon) huskies.
Don't even ask about the nutmeg thing?
And how old are you, Bob, and how long have you lived in CT?
This was fun. Started out smoothly in the NW with a great clue for Ogle. Got the theme after then second one fell, so that helped out. Had a few self imposed snags, like where I read the clue for Sots as "They're often picked" so I filled in Nits. Tried to squeeze Missouri into the battleship slot and named the Alter constellation of Ada. Got past all those and got it all in a reasonable Sunday time. Thanks for the offering Don and C.C., and for pinch hitting Gary.
Thanks Don and CC for a fun Sunday puzzle.
Gary, I loved the cute pet movies. I may try to get my cat to play ping pong.
I forgot that Sunday’s puzzle had a title so SQUAD didn’t bother me. I went piece meal with the answers I was sure of [some of which I had to change later] so I got to the reveal early in my solve.
I had to red letter the last 1/5 to get a finish.
32 D. ASSISI. A famous Poor Clare, Mother Angelica, passed away this Easter. She founded the EWTN Catholic broadcast network and had a very popular call-in show,. So I knew that answer. Franciscan nun therefore ASSISI. MOTHER_ANGELICA
119A Kunte KINTE. The boiler died in our apartment bldg and we never saw Roots. We stayed out all night then ran home and hopped into bed.
I heard African Americans on the train discussing it. Seemed like they hadn’t know slavery was that bad.
84A. COE. I looked up Coe College in Cedar Rapids because I had never heard of it. Even with the answer given I had no idea what C.O.E. stood for. It is a small liberal arts private college.Their athletic teams are the “Kohawks.”
Coe_College
Thanks Bob Niles, for explaining why U Conn Huskies.
We got 5-10 inches of snow Friday night and Sunday in Cleveland. What a crazy spring!
Live Well and Prosper,
The history and source of the name for Coe College.
Good morning all. Thank you Don, CC, and Husker Gary.
Struggled around the environs of DISMISSED and AS AM I. My hacker's cry was FORE for the longest time. When I finally ditched it, I promptly entered AWAY after EAT for erode. Couldn't build around that either. Eventually realized NAST and then INTO, so finally got AS AM I and DISMISSED, but that left me with RA-A. Should have thought about all of the letters, because I jumped on W and thus an incorrect I wIN.
My reporter's source was a LEAd, not a LEAK. Didn't have the R in ARA either, so RISK was not apparent. Also had mILK instead of BILK.
So a few misses. That's ok.
Loved the two GSD pups playing !
ANAPEST to the rescue after the recent DACTYL.
One can AWAKEN without "getting up." We had this recently, too.
I liked this puzzle very much. Excellent cluing and fill, and a tricky clever theme. I have put this one in my top ten list. And Gary, your excellent write-up, into which you obviously invested a lot of time and effort, added to the enjoyment. Quality stuff! [Humming "King of the Road" to myself.]
Fun Sunday Squad today. Thanks Don, C.C. and Husker Gary.
I didn't get the theme until the reveal clue as I was busy looking for words that would go with SQUAD. Clever.
Thanks Husker G for explaining the Bawling, for crying out loud=SYN clue. I was looking for text speak. Perhaps a / or : instead of , might have helped.
Smiled at 1A and 10D clues.
Noted a lot of "I" phrases - I sure do, Not I, Just as I suspected.
Not sure whether I like the 71D Lousy sausages? clue. Maybe Lousiest sausages?
I was trying to fit Erases before EXCISES. Hand up for Lath before SHIM.
Sometimes not being aware of some American things can slow the solve. This Canadian did not know "Forever" stamps, UNOS pizza (although I think we have had this before), LIRR and Nutmeg State (we did have a list of State nicknames previously but apparently nutmeg is unofficial).
But I did know NORGE (MIL was Norwegian). Wanted OBE before DSO. By now, I know to use SABER not sabre!
I knew St. Francis of Assisi but not St. Clare.
Have a great day. Still cool here. Now I will be humming Roger Miller all day.
Another lovely puzzle from our dynamic duo of CC & DG! It was a fairly quick solve (for a Sunday)and amusing as well. Once I saw ESSES and scanned the grid, the theme became apparent. Nicely done! DIW, though, at AD OUT which I had no idea about and HITLIST didn't seem bad. Drat!
Thanks, Gary, for subbing once again!
I hope all are enjoying a beautiful Sunday! It's raining today, off and on, so no DRYHEAT at present. It's coming, though.
I had "throb" instead of "throe," but eventually got it. I don't think of "throes" as being pain, however. One can be in the throes of ecstasy, throes of anguish, etc. Did that throw (throe?) anyone else?
Good afternoon all on this rainy Sunday...we LOVE it!
Perfect day to enjoy a most clever puzzle. Thanks CC and Don...and, of course, Gary who always does a great job explaining all the answers that I had to fill with multiple perps:hosts, anapest, coe,lirr, and so on. Didn't take as long as I expected. Sometimes I think I am living under a rock; had not remembered Salentina Peninsula, or did I ever hear it? Our trip to Italy did not take us that far south.
I will be heading to the land of "dry heat" on Wed to care for my oldest sister who is in the advanced stages of alzheimers.I am very sad thinking about how frightening things are for her,not being able to remember all the things she once did so easily. Lucina, if I have time, I will give you a call.
Hi Y'all! I agree the puzzle was FIRST CLASS Solve all the way, Don & C.C.! Gary, wow, lots of work! Loved the ping pong playing cat.
Forgot to read the title so didn't get the theme until the last. When I saw S Quad, I got the meaning right away. Clever, very meaty fill.
Didn't know ANAPEST or Salentina Peninsula in ITALY. Perped.
I had filled ___LIST. When TIT perped in, I thought it was a LIST Dennis had compiled to OGLE.
Our Marines can be happier today with USMC.
BERM: think of this more as a water barrier rather than noise barrier. My menfolk bulldozed many miles of berms in farm field terraces to direct water.
Hit with hail was PELT, not "dent". Car owners would argue this with an insurance co.
Hand up for recently buying "FOREVER STAMPS" and will rue that day forever -- or 100 stamp usages, whichever comes first.
I figured out UCONN Huskies years ago. Not because I'm smart, but because I only heard it on TV and translated it to Yukon Huskies. Then I vaguely wondered why a Canadian Territory team was playing in the U.S. Duh!
Hi folks,
Was out the door in the early AM & never looked at thecorner till I came home, but I wondered what the heck was going in with all the Huskie comments. After a look see, saw the clue & fill. All I can say is if you are a basketball fan & you never saw them play this year, you missed out on near perfection. Coach Geno & his quality assistants had them playing as a TEAM. They were a pleasure to watch. And they are nice, pleasant kids.
Next year will be back to reality, but it still will be fun.
Nighty night! I am pooped.
Sorry, but one more Huskie matter, Lemon, no question about Toby Kimball's influence on UConn BB, but the player that really began their rise to prominence was Art Quimby.
Busy day with a trip to Los Angeles, but I got it! I got it! I got a Don and C.C. Sunday puzzle! Thank you, thank you, thank you both--and you too, Husker Gary. What a great experience!
Fun puzzle. Thanks, Dynamic Duo. You never fail to amuse. And GREAT write up, HG! One of your best, and that's saying a lot!
Tabasco abounds down here in the swamp near Avery Island. I even put it in scrambled eggs. Sorry it is not available elsewhere. It adds an interesting pepper flavor as well as the famous heat. I'm not wild about the heat, but I like the flavor.
I believe that is a misunderstanding of what Irish Miss meant. Tabasco makes a Bloody Mary mix, (very good) and that can be hard to find. A bottle of the sauce can be found in most every grocery. TABASCO® brand Bloody Mary Mix LINK. MORE.
Good evening, folks. Thank you, C.C. and Don Hard G, for a fine puzzle. Thank you Husker Gary, for a fine review.
I started late on this puzzle today, because of reading a book, "The Nightingale." Got into it and finished in about two hours. Not bad for me.
I felt great because I got the NW corner easily. But, that is where it stopped. I wound up bouncing around the entire puzzle and filling in words that were obvious. I did get then theme early because of that fact, which helped me on the theme answers.
Slowly filled in the puzzle. My only inkblot was 58A, where I entered confidently RSVP. That soon proved to be an error. CUES won that battle.
Not sure of the comments on FOREVER Stamps. What is happening with that? I buy them all the time.
Got NAST easily. Crossword staple.
HA HA HA. Very funny.
Took me a long time to figure out EXCISES, since I did not know SOFIA. However, deep thinking won out.
Not sure of a MIDGE. Perps proved it.
My wife surprised me last night. I was at a Commandery Inspection all day at Cary, IL, and afterward we had planned a dinner with my wife, daughter, and her boyfriend, for my birthday at the Shrine Temple. Well, I showed up and there were 13 of my friends there, including my wife and daughter. What a nice surprise. We had a great time!
I will be speed reading my book tomorrow to finish it by our club meeting tomorrow night. The book is great so far.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
I was in Texas all last week visiting my sis and some of our kids. Good to get back into the crossword groove again, with a fun puzzle from CC and Don G. and an entertaining write-up from HG!
I really enjoyed reading "The Nightingale" too @abejo - I didn't know anything about the spys who led downed Allied troops in Vichy France to freedom through the Pyrenees. I also just read a book by Philip Deal called "Love in an Iron Bowl" a memoir about a young man who goes to teach in a Chinese university the year after Tiananmen Square. It was very interesting - I was thinking the whole time I read it -"I wonder what CC's take on his perspective would be?"
Very late today, having been out of town for a few days. The long S-QUAD fills were easily guessed but I would have never figured the theme out. The puzzle was fairly easy with only two unknowns- HOSTA & ANAPEST, that I can only thank the perps for. As far as UNOS, I only know it from a previous puzzle and out of curiosity looked up the pizza chain ratings. It's not in the top 20 in terms of locations. Tough for someone outside of the Northeast to know.
But I got lucky tonight and finished with no errors.
Are you kidding me?!?
Tonight, the bottle let me down.
RIP Merle
Well here it is, Thursday and I finally finished. NORGE??? It went so smoothly and ESSES clued me in. And then I went back north. GEM and ALGA saved me
Loved HG and the posts. Toby Kimball!! Belmont Hill nestcepas? NE has UNOS now.
I was afraid of Muss but had to have it.
PS. Champions use TITLeIST golf balls
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