This wonderful C.C. Sunday puzzle, which she told me is her favorite of the year, is clever on many levels. As I sometimes do, I decided to put the grid at the front of the write-up to better display the intricacy of her work. Her gimmick is revealed in the lengthy clue of
52. Ownership claim ... and a hint to the relationship of each answer to a starred clue to a word it intersects : IT'S MINE.
As you can see below she intersected an entire word (clued with an *) with the front or back part of a multiple word phrase. The icing on this word cake was that the stand-alone word required adding an 'S so that the conjoined phrase made sense and truly showed the title of "IT'S MINE". Wow!
Stupid me barged through this exercise oblivious to the juxtaposition of two words that are connected (darn trees do block the forest). When I ran across the reveal, I laughed out loud and quoted that great American philosopher Homer Simpson by exclaiming, "Doh!"
Coupled with C.C.'s always fiendish/clever cluing this was truly a great time. She said it was a very difficult construction but we all benefit from her efforts.
Let's take a look at her possessive pairing genius:
5. *Second-longest reigning British monarch : VICTORIA and 22. Ill-kept confidence : OPEN SECRET yield VICTORIA'S SECRET by making the first word possessive and using the second word in OPEN SECRET. Wearing items from here might guarantee you will have a very OPEN SECRET...
9. *First of all? : ADAM and 24. Seasonal drink : APPLE CIDER yield ADAM'S APPLE by making ADAM possessive and using the first word in APPLE CIDER. This is the Laryngeal Prominence on the thyroid cartilage that is usually much more prominent in men.
42. *English surgeon Henry : GRAY and 44. Vet student's workplace : ANATOMY LAB yield GRAY'S ANATOMY. Here is Henry's original drawing of the larynx with the Thyroid Notch/Adam's Apple
y
93. *First human woman, in Greek myth : PANDORA and 117. Specialized slicing tools : BOX CUTTERS yield PANDORA'S BOX that of course contains all the evils of the world. It appears that Pan might be shopping at VICTORIA'S SECRET
Now for I. Indiana home for Jackson 5 - GARY and II. Court ruling without a trial - SUMMARY JUDGEMENT which yield GARY'S SUMMARY:
Across
1. Twinkler : STAR
5. Block from the White House : VETO - C.C.'s original clue was Block from Obama and Rich modified it. I like 'em both
9. Sunburn salve : ALOE
13. Others, in Oaxaca : OTROS - OTROS también les encantará este rompecabezas (Others will also love this puzzle)
18. Almond __: candy : ROCA - I have learned that this is a thing
19. Like jeggings : TIGHT - Standard clothing in schools today
20. Fist bumps : DAPS - A more complicated DAP
21. Talked a blue streak? : SWORE
26. Tossed a bone to : PLACATED
27. Playground retort : AM SO - Are not, AM SO, Are not, AM SO, ad nauseum
28. Up-to-the-minute : LATEST
29. "I never __ purple cow ... ": Burgess : SAW A - "I'd rather see one than be one"
30. New Mexico county bordering El Paso : OTERO and 27. Chicago's __ Center : AON. Natick for me -I chose unwisely at their crossing for my standard one bad Sunday cell
32. Dance partner : ESCORT
34. Mr. or Mrs. : ABBR and 83. Country on St. George's Channel : IRE.
36. Hard-to-imagine period : EON
37. It's charged : ION - Here are two atoms becoming charged IONS and voila - Sodium Fluoride
38. Winds up or winds down : ENDS
45. Talks like Daffy : LISPS
47. Mo. town : ST.L. - Sorry ST.L., the Rams belong in L.A.
48. Like a paddling surfer : PRONE
49. With 113-Across, "Funeral in Berlin" author : LEN and 113. See 49-Across : DEIGHTON
50. Waikiki wingding : LUAU
51. Sounded nostalgic about : SIGHED AT - One man's lament
55. Tiger, e.g. : CAT
56. Churchill, notably : ORATOR - "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" May 1940
58. Curaçao cocktail : MAI TAI
60. American Red Cross founder Barton : CLARA
62. Prankster's missile : WATER BOMB
64. "Popeye" pirate : SEA HAG
66. Racing Unsers : ALS
68. Zen garden piece : STONE and 74. Potted dwarf : BONSAI - I feel peaceful just looking at it
71. Kept from squeaking : OILED
73. Lifesaver, initially : EMT
77. Sticks figure : YOKEL
79. Drive-thru burger chain whose name has two hyphens : IN-N-OUT
81. Make a home : RESIDE
82. Squat : NIL - Nuttin'
84. Summary : OVERVIEW
86. It has Air, Mini and Pro versions : I-PAD
88. Part of a circ. : SEG(ment)
89. Fervently wishes : PRAYS
91. Stooge with a bowl haircut : MOE - MOE's younger brother Curly replaced their brother Shemp in the trio
92. Center of Florida? : EPCOT
94. Govt. guidelines : STDS
95. Name on the 1984 album "My Kind of Country" : REBA
96. Cologne cooler : EIS - Ich möchte keine EIS in meinen Scotch (I don't want any ice in my scotch) Tin?
97. NYC commuter letters : MTA
98. Thunder sound : PEAL
100. Pains : THROES
103. Courier and Roman : FONTS - or a seasonal one
105. King with a pipe : COLE
108. Very destructive : LETHAL
111. Nursery cry : MAMA
119. Chugged, say : DRANK
120. Links seen at pga.com : URLS - Electronic links not grass ones
121. Doctoral candidate's hurdles : ORALS - Not intimidating at all
122. Furry sci-fi creature : EWOK
123. Huffy states : SULKS
124. Duma vote : NYET - Nyet, Nyet Nannette!
125. Lose intensity : WANE
126. Prevent : DENY
Down
1. Letters connected to theater capacity : SRO - Sure, you can get some SRO tix to see the Cubs in their first World Series in 71 years!
2. Collectible baseball card brand : TOPPS - C.C. gave me a George Brett TOPPS card that is prominently displayed in my sunroom
3. Boston-to-D.C. rail service : ACELA
4. Took off : RAN AWAY
6. Blue heron kin : EGRET
7. Peter Benchley thriller : THE DEEP
8. Giants great Mel : OTT - A 1933 Doudney Mel OTT rookie card will set you back $532
10. Slip : LAPSE
11. Facing : OPPOSITE - Our crossword friends, recto and verso, are opposite/facing pages
12. Bilingual subj. : ESL
13. Award declined by George C. Scott : OSCAR - Goldie Hawn shrieked, "Oh my God, the winner is George C. Scott!" She knew he had said he would not show up.
14. Company with a blue bird logo : TWITTER
15. Used Lyft, say : RODE
16. Mining haul : ORES
17. Barcelona-born muralist : SERT - File under Learned/Forgot
19. Leaves for a Chinese dinner : TEA
23. Line crosser : SCAB - A 2000 movie with a more gentle name for football SCABS who crossed a union line
25. SpaceX CEO Musk : ELON
31. Carlo __: wine brand : ROSSI
33. Money immediately available : COLD CASH
35. Book jacket entry : BLURB
40. It's in our genes : DNA
41. Disappeared from view : SET
42. Looks really happy : GLOWS
43. Upgrade, as on Yelp : RERATE
46. Send for : SUMMON
47. Type of massage : SHIATSU
48. Student advocacy gp. : PTA
50. Folk tales : LORE
53. Earth goddess : GAEA
54. Subj. with unknowns : ALG
57. Approaching the hour : TEN TO
59. Coarsely insulting, as language : ABUSIVE
61. Vice squad incursions : RAIDS
63. Classic for which Pavarotti won a Grammy : O SOLE MIO
65. Frenzied : HECTIC
67. Did some farm work : SEEDED - The Sower on top of the capital in Lincoln, Nebraska
70. Legal scholar Guinier : LANI
71. Lacking width and depth : ONE-D
72. Worst of the worst : DREGS
74. Drink, in Dover : BEV
76. Hot : IRATE
78. Foreman stat : KO'S
80. Have a loan from : OWE TO
82. "Fresh Air" airer : NPR
87. Treat on a stick : POPSICLE
90. "Really, Captain Obvious?" : YA THINK?
94. Scheduled : SLOTTED
96. Perry's creator : ERLE - Stanley Gardner
97. CalArts degree : MFA - Maybe not the best degree to find a job
99. Eight, to Mozart : ACHT - He wrote his first symphony when he was ACHT
101. Street fare seekers : HACKS - aka Taxis. Named for Hackney Cabs in Britain. Hackney is the name for a horse suitable for driving or riding
102. Luxurious fur : SABLE - Wearing this fur can be risky
104. Bonnie or Clyde : TEXAN
106. Lerner collaborator : LOEWE
107. Company with an ironically crooked logo : ENRON - Many pensions at Nebraska Natural Gas disappeared with them
108. Shadow targets : LIDS
109. Beige shade : ECRU
110. Marsh duck : TEAL
112. Computer game title island : MYST
114. Gloomy fellow : GUS
116. Ballerina's hairdo : BUN
117. Tool for Cupid : BOW
118. Hawk's domain : SKY
Now it's time for I. McGuffey book - READER and II. Viewer's opinion - AUDIENCE FEEDBACK which yield READER'S FEEDBACK:
29 comments:
I was impressed that the theme had 2 given names, 2 surnames, and 2 single names. Also that the clues for the name part of the phrase were nearly all for the actual person the phrase referred to. For example LORE says the ADAM'S APPLE is the remains of the Eden apple lodged in ADAM'S throat, and passed on to all his descendants. The exception seemed to be VICTORIA, so in curiosity I looked it up, and found that, second hand, even that one fit the pattern.
Victoria's Secret: a store in which men could feel comfortable buying lingerie. [The founder] picked the name Victoria to associate with the refinement of the Victorian era. The Secret was what was hidden underneath the clothes.
Incidentally, looks like C.C. really had it in for Tin on this one!
Greetings!
Brilliant puzzle CC! Great expo, Husker!
Really enjoyed this one!
Can't complain about anything!
Have a great day!
PS. Any Adams fan out there watch "Dirk Gently?" I hope it repeats.
Morning, all!
I guessed wrong at the crossing of AON/OTERO, so that was a fail. And I got annoyed at WATER BOMB and NO CALL LIST, since I have only ever heard of WATER BALLOONS and the DO NOT CALL LIST (which says more about me than the puzzle, of course). But, other than that, it was a delightful experience with a lot of fun cluing and a clever theme.
@fermat: I caught about 20 minutes of the episode last night, right in the middle of it since I happened upon it while channel surfing. I have to say I wasn't very impressed, but I'll watch the whole thing on demand later before giving up on the series. There was an earlier attempt at making a series a few years back that I have on DVD. It only lasted 4 episodes, but I really enjoyed it.
Good morning!
I've got to learn to look at the title of the Sunday puzzles. No, I didn't get the theme, even after completing the puzzle. Impressive construction, C.C. (now that Gary's 'splained it).
Never heard of IN-N-OUT burgers. I see they do operate in Texas, but only in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
Anybody else try ARC before SEG showed up? Also tried the GAIA spelling first.
Morning temps are in the upper 40's this weekend. That's cold for this neck of the woods. I think the morning bike pedal is going to have to be a march, instead.
Wanted "Tyrion" for potted dwarf. It seemed hard, but played easy. I saw the theme, but didn't use it. Fun solve for a Sunday.
Good morning all.
Long solve for me today after last night's emotional roller coaster of elation (Cubs victory) and dejection (Ohio State loss).
I decided to solve from top to bottom this time. Great clue for ADAM. Saw the asterisk and after changing LOOSE to LAPSE and ENG to ESL, APPLE became apparent. ADAM(s) APPLE fits with the theme title Possession... hmm..
Britain's second longest monarch was Virgina until the fog lifted. D'OH !
Thought of SGT YORK after filling in YOKEL for sticks figure clue, especially after reading his recount of single handedly capturing all those soldiers. He didn't come across as being book smart. I sensed he was a very honest person. Never knew the movie was based on a real person. A real hero.
Lotta trouble in the mid center. As with Virginia, Blutto overstayed his welcome. Finally realized COLD CASH and ALG.
Frenzied synonym ending in IC ? The progression went from frantic (too long) to manic (too short) to HECTIC (this porridge is just right.)
With that H, SEA HAG readily came to mind. That was good, because I needed that E for the Earth Goddess. And right next to her was the theme hint that showed the relationship I saw earlier with ADAM and APPLE.
Then forgot all about the theme until Gary's expose. Pretty neat CC !
Good Morning to all!
Brilliant puzzle today. Brava, C.C.! I can only imagine how challenging it was to construct. Favorite clue/answer was "First of all?" for ADAM. And yes, DO, I, too thought of ARC before SEG for 88A, but the abbr. in the clue called for abbr. in the answer. All in all a delightful solving experience, though a DNF for me due to the crossing of SEAHAG and GAEA.
Enjoy the day!
Good Morning:
Another Sunday sparkler 💎 from CC. Had no idea about the theme until the reveal which brought forth a big AHA! Had Arlo before Reba and struggled with Gaea but finished w/o help in normal time. Loved the theme and the cluing, as usual with CC's offerings. (Can't imagine how difficult the construction must have been!)
Many thanks, CC, and many thanks to HG for a scintillating summary with scads of visual and verbal entertainment and enlightenment.
I'm not really into the World Series ⚾️ (No Yankees 😥) but I hope the Cubbies 🐻🐻 end their century-plus drought! Regrets to all you Dodger fans.
Have a great day.
Kudos for creativity on this puzzle CC!
And the write-up was fun HG!
World series of 2 long suffering teams - somebodies drought is going to be over soon!
Not surprisingly, I didn't get the theme so thank you, Gary, for that detailed explanation. I did, however, enjoy the solve and while I don't GLOW, I'm happy about that.
Oops, two bad cells where I forgot to return to I_EI_EBABY since rap is absolutely not on my list of music favorites. Considering the density of this grid I feel good about completing as much as I did without help. Mr. LEN DEIGHTON makes frequent appearances in puzzles though usually only one of his names. Good to see the complete name.
Congratulations and thanks, C.C. for proving once again your genius at puzzle constructing.
Have a lovely day, everyone!
Great write-up, Gary. Thanks for your explanation of the theme. I had no idea.
C.C., what a clever puzzle. Your cluing was exceptional, and I can see why it's your favorite.
My only misstep was the c of roca and Acela - I've never heard of either of them.
The rest were gettable with perps or crosses.
I, too, especially liked the cluing for Adam.
Go Cubs!
Thanks, C.C., for a really great puzzle. You're a truly gifted constructor which we all enjoy!
Thanks, H.G., for a magnificent write-up. Especially enjoyed the intro and your "Gary's Summary"!
Enjoy the beautiful fall weather!
At first I thought CC had given us an easy Sunday, which was fine by me. And there was the West beckoning a End.
But I got it done except for HAWKS as in Hawking wares on the street. Don't know much Rap but CC expects broad knowledge.
I thought OTT(Mel) got started much earlier. The Cubs in those days were known for going to the WS every three years(and losing).
Tyrion, good one HM. I thought maybe one of the seven.
MTA I associate with Boston and Charlie, but they changed it to MBTA(Bay) many years ago.
And I had DEG and tried to fit in IDS with CALLING. When I saw Gary's write-up I quickly checked a few. I'd completely overlooked GRAY'S ANATOMY.
WC early for a Change.
I love C.C.'s brilliant puzzles and this one was fantastic--challenging, clever, doable! And I got the whole thing--giving me a fabulous Sunday when our California weather is surprisingly rainy and gloomy for a change. Thank you, thank you, C.C., and you too Husker Gary for an exceptionally great write-up!
Have a wonderful Sunday, everybody!
Oops! forgot to say thank you, Husker Gary, for an exceptional write-up and links. Liked GARY's SUMMARY and READER's FEEDBACK. A clever bonus for the day!
This definitely is an amazing puzzle. While working on it I kept thinking, "How the heck did CC come up with that?" Genius indeed!
I didn't get the theme at all until Gary's explanation, and even then it took me ten more minutes of thinking about it to fully appreciate it. Subtle!
I smiled at seeing ION, AON, and EON. Spelled LOEWE and GAEA right on the second try.
Gary, excellent exposition. Thank you.
Now that I have more time to mull it over and scrutinize the theme more closely, I see how truly remarkable it is. Earlier I had time to only scan it cursorily so didn't appreciate the full extent. Again, I repeat, genius, pure genius! Thank you, C.C., we are so lucky to benefit from your talent.
Captain Obvious
Captian Obvious
Just plain Obvious
Had a hard time getting this one to print on the LAT web site. Worked fine when I gave up on Chrome and tried Firefox. Only error was the same as Husker Gary's - AON / OTERO. We had AON a month or so ago, which made the cross a little more palatable. Other unknowns were jeggings, DAPS, that rap crap, SERT, GAEA, CalArts, and MTA. I thought the MTA was just a Boston system (Will he ever return, no he'll never return and his fate is still unlearned).
I enjoyed In-N-Out burgers when I lived in LA County. Best fast food anywhere. Don't know how they are since they have gone nationwide. Folks used to cut a B and and R from their promotional bumper stickers so they just read "In-n-Out urge". I thought it was cute the first 5,000 times I saw it.
The National no call list is a joke. Spoofing allows junk callers to hide their true number and identity, making enforcement nearly impossible. Another case of the politicians creating law with great fanfare, but actually doing nearly nothing to help the situation.
My favorite clue was "really, Captain Obvious" and least favorite was "New Mexico county bordering El Paso".
Thanks CC for a fantastic puzzle, and to Husker Gary for worthy guide through this fine offering.
"New Mexico county bordering El Paso : OTERO and 27. Chicago's __ Center : AON. Natick for me -I chose unwisely at their crossing for my standard one bad Sunday cell " I was very lucky because I guessed O for the cross of the two unknowns.
I started this puzzle at 6:30 this morning and had to quit at 7:00 because of a 45 mile bicycle ride. (2 hour, 55 minutes) I had filled it all except the SW. I had HOBOS, SNITS, & EYES and didn't know ICE ICE BABY. Ran out of time and had to leave. I got back tonight and changed HOBOS to HACKS, SNITS to SULKS, and EYES to LIDS. LETHAL, DRANK, and the rap song fell in place and it was over.
As for the theme, I was too tired to try to guess after I finished the puzzle (and ride).
NO CALL LIST- they are now calling our cell phones. If one of my contacts' names doesn't show I don't answer.
DEIGHTON, LEN, DAPS- these were just unknowns. Almond ROCA, MYST, SERT I had never heard of (or remembered that I had heard of).
Never heard of In-N-Out Burger? If you ever come California, try one and it will be one of your memories. (You'll have more than one before you leave.)
Easy puzzle and fun, too!
Hello Puzzlers -
Quite late to the party, obviously, but it's not too late to express delight at C.C.'s splendid puzzle. This was a tour de force. It took a few minutes for the whole theme depth to sink in - worth the wait! Well done.
Howdy Husker, you were right to put the grid up top today. Thanks for 'splaining.
Dear Jinx in Norfolk:
"The National no call list is a joke. Spoofing allows junk callers to hide their true number and identity, making enforcement nearly impossible. Another case of the politicians creating law with great fanfare, but actually doing nearly nothing to help the situation. "
Spot on! A lot of this sort of thing gives the illusion of Doing Something ... but, alas, without the reality. What we used to call "eyewash" in the Army....
I just reread Spy Line by Deighton(LEN). I'm trying to decide how many clues make a theory plausible. We have Dodo who appears again. We have "The sins of the father's". Two sisters, one the jet set type. The retired secrets guy. The money guy.
Not really enough. Later we have the high powered bullet and the head shot.
Anybody guess where I'm going with this?
Also. The assassin gets killed after accomplishing the mission.
Or. We could talk about Sibbi Sisti and the 1948 Braves - Indians Series.
I just like the name. Much like the name Ferris Fain.
WC
Good Monday morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for a fine review.
Dove into this puzzle Sunday afternoon. Worked on it off and on throughout the evening. Could not quite finish. Hit is again this morning and got it done. Last fill was TEXAN and ORALS. I had ONE LS and that threw me off.
Lots of inkblots in this puzzle. Tried AHEM for 9D. Later on ADAM became the right answer. Tried ARC for 88A. Then DEG, then SEG. Phew! Tried AVA for 47A. ST L won out later on. Tried ALE for 74D. BEV showed up with YOKEL. Tried TKO for 78D. KOS became the correct word. Had HURTES for 100A. Even though I spelled it wrong. THROES appeared. Tried IPOD for 86A. Should have written in IPAD. I even use one of those when I travel.
The theme for this puzzle was unbelievable. Great job!
Never heard of ICE ICE BABY. Got it easily with ten perps.
Since I am a day late, I am sure no one will even read my blog entry. But, that is OK.
See you later.
Abejo
( )
I read it! 😜
So did I.
Abejo I am usually days late and have no idea if anyone looks at them. But I read yours!
A very clever puzzle indeed! I am not very experienced in puzzles, but this was a totally new twist for me! I especially appreciated that all of the crossed possessive answers were terms I knew.
DAP was a learning moment for me. Apparently no one knows the origin of the term.
Not sure how I got AON which is obscure. I remember when buildings were permanently named for important contributors to progress, not just to the current highest bidder.
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