Theme: Musical Monday - A bit of lyric is the unifier of three diverse words.
17A. It's "down at the end of Lonely Street," in an Elvis hit: HEARTBREAK HOTEL. Hotel Chain
28A. Oil well output, in slang: BLACK GOLD. Gold Chain
47A. Miracle-Gro, e.g.: PLANT FOOD. Food Chain
62A. Part of an Aretha Franklin refrain about fools ... and a hint to the ends of 17-, 28- and 47-Across: CHAIN, CHAIN, CHAIN. chain of fools.
Argyle here with a couple of classy ladies. Enjoy!
Across:
1. Correct: RIGHT
6. Dr.'s visit: APPT.
10. "No __": "Piece of cake": PROB. (no problem)
14. Farewell that's bid: ADIEU. Not yet.
15. Societal woes: ILLs
16. Weapon in Clue: ROPE. Current weapons.
20. Horse hair: MANE
21. Online marketplace: eBAY
22. City in upstate New York: UTICA
23. Business baron: TITAN
25. Liver secretion: BILE
27. Practice boxing: SPAR
33. Hindu teacher: SWAMI
34. Fútbol fan's cry: ¡OLÉ!
35. Fencing weapon: EPEE
36. Malleable metal: TIN
37. Historic events at Gettysburg and Vicksburg: BATTLEs
41. Sister of Zsa Zsa: EVA
42. Ye __ Shoppe: OLDE
44. Spoil: ROT
45. Word with circle or tube: INNER
50. Flower usually sold by the dozen: ROSE
51. Ivory source: TUSK
52. Upper crust: ELITE
54. NFL Hall of Famer Bart: STARR
57. Dreaded high school spots?: ACNE
59. Baker's amts.: TSPs. (teaspoon)
65. Swiss river: AARE
66. Congressional confidante: AIDE
67. Florida city on the Gulf Coast: TAMPA. Meanwhile, down at the dog beach ....
68. Waitstaff rewards: TIPS
69. Post-combat affliction, briefly: PTSD. (PostTraumatic Stress Disorder)
70. Sharply inclined: STEEP
Down:
1. Chicago mayor Emanuel: RAHM
2. Thought: IDEA
3. Big bamboo muncher: GIANT PANDA
4. "Peekaboo!": "HERE I AM!"
5. Boy king: TUT
6. Online service for booking rooms with local hosts: AIRBNB. (AirBed & Breakfast) Does it mean you get to sleep on an air bed?
7. Guilty, for one: PLEA
8. Ump's cry before the first pitch: "PLAY BALL!"
9. "For shame!": "TSK!"
10. Mentored person: PROTÉGÉ
11. Roast, in Dijon: ROTI
12. Oil cartel acronym: OPEC
13. Actor Lugosi: BELA
18. Arthur of "Maude": BEA
19. "Incredible" superhero: HULK
24. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB
26. Frozen drink brand: ICEE
27. Sty supper: SWILL
29. Keno kin: LOTTO
30. Ali Baba's magic words: OPEN SESAME
31. "Drove my Chevy to the __": "American Pie" lyric: LEVEE
32. Luv: DEAR
33. "Knock it off!": STOP
38. Kennel cacophony: ARFS
39. Suffered financially: TOOK A HIT
40. iPhone's voice-activated app: SIRI
43. Postings in ledgers: ENTRIES
46. "Please, anything else!": NOT THAT
48. Right or left, while driving: TURN
49. Didn't admit: DENIED
53. Sportscaster Berman: LEN
54. Ella's expertise: SCAT
55. Spicy Asian cuisine: THAI
56. Boomers' lobbying group: AARP
58. Scoundrels: CADS
60. Water carrier: PIPE
61. "Just like that!" fingers sound: SNAP
63. Put a limit on: CAP
64. Dol.'s 100: CTs. Dollars and Cents
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Erik Agard, constructor for last Saturday's LAT, just released a set
of 12 puzzles of various shapes and themes. Erik is known for his
innovative themes with extra layers and brilliant clue writing ([Mitt
with ten figures] for ROMNEY, e.g.).
You can get the puzzles here. Pay what you wish. If you don't use Stripe, you can pay agarderik@gmail.com via PayPal. Or just email Erik if you prefer paying via other methods. You'll get puzzles in both PDF and Puz formats.
I hope you can support Erik, who's been publishing a free puzzle at Glutton for Fun since 2012. Week after week, he's there, quietly delivering a quality puzzle.
You can get the puzzles here. Pay what you wish. If you don't use Stripe, you can pay agarderik@gmail.com via PayPal. Or just email Erik if you prefer paying via other methods. You'll get puzzles in both PDF and Puz formats.
I hope you can support Erik, who's been publishing a free puzzle at Glutton for Fun since 2012. Week after week, he's there, quietly delivering a quality puzzle.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Irish Miss, CC and Santa!
Great Monday offering. Only hangup was AIRBNB. Otherwise a snap!
Raining cats and dogs here. (In Northridge?)
Have a great day!
{B+, A-, B+, B-.}
ReplyDeleteA wily hunting guide down in TAMPA
Offered safaris for rare GIANT PANDA.
Said, "The bears will survive
We're just ditching our wives
For iced drinks on a breezy veranda!"
A SWAMI on retreat from Bombay
Was bemused on a trip through L.A.
"So much can be bought
In each tiny shop,
It's like living in a poor-mans E-BAY!"
A phone addict had one forlorn PLEA,
"I think that I may have angered SIRI!
She won't talk any more,
So I guess she's still sore
About the brain freeze she got by sharing my ICEE!"
With lettuce we're eating PLANT FOOD
That was fertilized with PLANTFOOD.
And the source of our feed
Was formed from a seed
That a farmer once used to PLANT FOOD!
I was curious about the Clue weapons, and found it had been made over in 2013. Still used: ROPE, candlestick, knife; revolver has changed to pistol. Dropped: lead pipe, wrench. Newly added: dumbbell, trophy, baseball bat, axe, poison. There are also changes to the characters and locations. And there is also a different version now:
ReplyDeleteClue Game: Star Wars Edition
"It's the Clue game transported to the world of Star Wars. Play as Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, R2-D2, or C-3PO. In this game, it's a period of civil war, and players have managed to sneak onto the Death Star! Be the first player to find out which planet Darth Vader plans to destroy next, which room the Death Star plans are hidden in, and which vehicle is the correct escape vehicle."
Fun Monday romp, thanx, Agnes and C.C.!! Completed in my usual Monday time, I really enjoyed this CW. Terrific write-up, too, Argyle, thanx!! Owen, you are really humming right along lately: A, B+, B, B+. Thanx for the grins!
ReplyDeleteNice and easy Monday to start a holiday week. Unfortunately, I fly out tomorrow from not-so-warm SW Florida (48 this morning) to coltish Pennsylvania. Luckily, my kids and all but one of my grandkids will be there to celebrate Thanksgiving. I'll have to wear my fur-lined running shorts for the 5K Turkey Trot, but we'll have a great time anyway. Two nights in NYC and a night in Atlantic City will round out the northern swing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun Monday romp. Thanks Agnes and CC. I understood everything, but still enjoyed reading Santa's write-up.
ReplyDeleteOne erasure - dozs for TSPS. One unknown - ROTI, but it made sense once I got it from the perps.
Elvis was before my time. but Aretha was right in my wheelhouse.
Argyle: Nice write-up. Especially liked the Dog Beach photo. Dogs just love the beach.
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss & C.C. Thank You for a FUN Monday puzzle, and the two CSO with TIN and TAMPA.
Well it is below "Florida Freezing" ... yup, it is 46 degrees NOW. (That's 5 degrees below freezing).
Though it will warm up to 64 degrees and is a beautiful sunny day.
Cheers!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Agnes Davidson and C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review. If I remember right, Agnes shares my Birthday. 4-5
ReplyDeleteAfter i finished the Sunday puzzle last night, I went to cruciverb and downloaded the Monday puzzle. Did it last night.
1D was easy, RAHM, since I live near Chicago.
TSPS was easy. I like to cook. That was also the mnemonic for one of our products at Automatic Electric, Traffic Service Position System. (Electronic Toll Board)
Theme was good and easy. Once I had the first two CHAINs, I just entered the third one.
My grandson showed me that I had SIRI on my phone. I had no idea.
I am a regular LOTTO player.
I have been reading about the AIRBNB's in Chicago. There is some controversy, but I cannot remember what it is.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
ReplyDeleteWow, a dual shout out for a fellow blogger who lives in the TAMPA area and is known to us as TIN.
Nice start to the week and the eraser got a much needed break.
I believe this is number three for Agnes & CC. OK Irish Miss, any plans to go solo?
Wasn't sure about AIRBNB until checking it out here. Totally new expression for me. Otherwise, a smooth start to the week.
First snow arrived last night, a dusting. NW part of the state received 10 to 18 inches! Big winds today. Thanks to a dumb act on my part last month, I am in deep weeds regarding clearing the leaves.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteCan't believe I overslept this AM with a herd of hungry cats just outside the bedroom door. Managed to work those snarls and crashes right into my dreams.
Oh, the puzzle. Thanx, I.M. and C.C. Never heard of pig food as SWILL -- only slop. The dearth of sports references (PLAY BALL and STARR) made this a nice Monday romp. Thanks to you, too, Argyle.
Twenty years after "American Pie" I came across a definition of LEVEE as a reception given in one's home in the morning. That seems to make more sense than driving to the riverbank.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle was a super fast fill with ROTI being the only unknown. Couldn't figure the theme but since it's 'Monday Monday' (Mamas & Papas) the CHAIN CHAIN CHAIN was easy for all of our Chain of fools, I mean commenters.
ReplyDeleteWell I finally turned on the heater as it hit a 'frigid' 40 degrees this morning. I guess I need to quit wearing shorts.
Nice easy start. Thanks I.M., C.C.
ReplyDeleteGood morning all.
Nice and easy Monday puzzle. Liked the theme. Thank you CC, Irish Miss and Argyle.
Started in the SW again. TIPS, then SCAT, then a gimme for me with CHAIN CHAIN CHAIN. Threw in credits where ENTRIES belonged, but that was quickly corrected. Other than a couple of typos, that was the only miscue.
Saw TIN and TAMPA and thought TINBENI.
Don't know that I have ever heard of LEN Berman, but the answer was easily filled by the perps. The ESPN NFL Sunday Countdown host is Chris Berman, aka "Boomer." He does a SWAMI shtick, picking winners and scores.
TRIB was easy. As an aside, the guy that delivers the Chicago TRIBune here litters the neighborhood with his route sheets. Complaints to the Tribune have fallen on deaf ears.
Looked into renting a home via AIRBNB for a visit to (clue: ore source for lead), IL.
Abejo, in business parlance, AIRBNB is an industry disruptor. The controversy is that the hotels don't want the competition from AIRBNB. The alderman and city council here don't want to lose the revenue from the hotel and entertainment taxes. Some high rise condo owners don't want the transient traffic. Yet, AIRBNB has become very popular. Wrigleyville area homeowners made big bucks renting out rooms or their homes during the MLB playoffs. AIRBNB is to the hospitality industry as UBER and LYFT are to the taxicab companies. Market innovators that have disrupted the industry. In both cases, some cities have enacted ordinances banning one or both. For instance, you can't get an UBER or LYFT ride in Austin, Tx. It's against the law.
"Puzzling Thoughts":
ReplyDeleteThanks Irish Miss (and CC) for a lovely and lively start to the week with your CW. I started with 1a, but today's seemed to be easier on the RIGHT side, as this filled in quickly. I couldn't recall RAHM but perps finally solved it when MANE came into view.
I don't know if Agnes had all of the sports related clues/solves, but I particularly liked the fact that (whether they knew it or not) they got BOTH of the Sportscaster's "Berman" in this puzzle. LEN in 53d, and then Chris (aka the "SWAMI") in 33a. ESPN geeks will get my connection ...
WEES, the CSO's to Tin with both the eponymous answer in 36a, as well as a reference to his locale in 67a. Irish Miss have herself a "close" SO with UTICA, as it's just s couple hours west of her along the NYS Thruway
As other Floridians have opined this morning, it got a bit nippy here overnight. A little warmer on the east coast (60• at 8:00am), but definitely time to break out the jackets.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteNice Monday fare, I.M. Thank you.
Finished it without any hiccups. Liked the longer downs. Nice CHAIN cross-section. Good mix of fill.
UTICA - Nice shoutout to my neck of the woods. Can't see it because we're getting some lake effect snow.
AARP - And I parted ways a few years back when they lied to me and said they wouldn't support a candidate, but then did anyway. IMO they are not altruistic, but are a business with their own agenda.
Hmmmm. Totally missed LEN as a sports reference. It was already filled in.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the speed with which I was able to finish this. Fun clues. Thanks, Agnes. And Argyle, thanks for the tour. I'm soon off to do my part for TG dinner: Pick up my granddaughter, The Blonde Tornado, at preschool, so mom can prepare for Thursday.
Gobble, gobble.
Musings
ReplyDelete-A fun Monday by two lovely ladies from our blog world!
-Miracle-Gro is Joann’s magic elixir for her beautiful plants and garden
--Orange Is The New Black on Netflix is located in imaginary Litchfield Prison just SSE of oft-mentioned Utica, NY. This show is very, uh, intense!
-Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863 and didn’t celebrate The Fourth Of July again until 1945.
-Hall of Fame football announcer Ray Scott’s wonderful, terse call of a Green Bay play – “STARR…Dowler…Touchdown.” Sometimes less is more
-I always wonder if a TIP I add at the cash register gets to where it should
-The STEEPEST Street in the world
-Someone whose methods I thought were terrible mentored me as a student teacher
-Siri recently gave me the Cot (32˚) in two seconds. BTW, it’s 1.60033
-I just recently saw this LEFT turn signal for the first time
-I’m going to Hallmark today to find a sympathy card for Tin and his 64˚F day in TAMPA. They may be out! ☺
OwenKL said: "I was curious about the Clue weapons, and found it had been made over in 2013. Still used: ROPE, candlestick, knife; revolver has changed to pistol. Dropped: lead pipe,..."
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, the lead pipe was an actual chunk of metal, whereas the other weapons were made of plastic. The pipe section had a strong resemblance to heavy gauge, resin-less solder, which probably contained lead - I've wondered before if that was the case.
ReplyDeleteRe, my earlier comment about UBER and LYFT in Austin.
They left Austin after the city passed an ordinance requiring all of the drivers to be fingerprinted.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteJust the Monday ease I needed with this IMCC joint venture! Thanks, ladies.
Husker 9:52 - I've never seen Orange is the New Black, but I wonder how they portray Piper. I knew Piper herself back when she worked at a local brewpub, before she got into trouble. She was quiet and lovely, intelligent and sophisticated. She seemed more like a candidate for graduate school than for incarceration.
-That’s very cool, Dudley! Here is the real and TV Piper (right). Piper is shown as a clueless, rich, white woman in a place where the inmates are not. Slowly but surely the world in which she finds herself turns her hard. Her bisexual leanings are in VERY graphic display along with the sexual preferences of others. Every aspect of the show is gritty and not for the faint of heart.
ReplyDeleteThe format does a good job or relaying some of the very difficult socio-economic and racial circumstances that exist inside and outside the prison. It also shows the impossible job prison administrators have.
Congratulations, IrishMiss for another collaborative success with C.C.!
ReplyDeleteExcept for pausing at RHAM/RAHM and AIRBNB every cell filled like the proverbial river flow, smoothly and easily.
Double CSO to TIN! As for the sports clues, STARR and LEN emerged with perp help.
Miracle Gro is also what helps my plants survive.
Thank you all, Argyle, Agnes and C.C. No HEARTBREAK here.
Have a lovely day, everyone!
HI Everyone:
ReplyDeleteLate to the dance because of appointments and errands and waiting for my fingers to thaw so I could type this post. The temp is 32 but with the wind it feels like 0. Add in a trip to the supermarket 3 days before Thanksgiving (will I EVER learn?) and you have a grumpy lady! 😡
After reading all of your kind words, I'm not longer grumpy! 😇. Thanks for being supportive and I'm happy that you enjoyed the puzzle. I certainly enjoyed collaborating with CC in creating it. CC's craftsmanship and creativity are equaled by her mentoring skills and generosity. Hondo, I have to keep earning my wings before I even think about going solo! 🙃
Thanks, Argyle, for your nice review.
Have a great day.
Husker
ReplyDeleteHa! The weather man blew it!
It is already up to 65 degrees at 2:00 pm ... maybe topping out at 66 degrees by 3:00 pm.
And on Thanksgiving Day we may have to "suffer" with 78 or 79 degrees.
Plus the beautiful sunny sky ... As I wait for something to get over the Yardarm!
Cheers!
Greetings to all!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle today. Thanks, C.C. and Agnes. Couldn't remember Emanuel RAHM. Perps to the rescue. Thanks for being our faithful Monday tour guide today, Argyle.
We had all three grandchildren overnight. They arrived mid-afternoon yesterday and left just about an hour ago. We were house bound due to rain, so no trip to the park which is our usual routine to wear them out. I'm ready for a nap, but it was a grand time.
Enjoy the day!
Neat-o puzzle. Thanks to Agnes and C.C. for the pleasure you gave us today.
ReplyDeleteMan oh man, it seems to be cold everywhere. Hasn't gotten over 50 degrees here for the past 2 days, and it rained pretty heavily yesterday.
So, TIN, if we turned you around would that be considered a NIT?
The weapons in the Clue game we played when I was a kid were all made of metal. The lead pipe was, I think, actually made of lead, and, as Unknown said, looked like thick solder. I used to chew on it, which annoyed my sisters. Naw, I don' habb no bwain pwoblem fum all duh lead.
Beast whooshes to you all.
As usual nice job by I.M, C.C, and Santa
ReplyDeleteGlad I dropped by today 24D "Chicago daily" reminded me of the days of yore when this blog was centered around Trib Puzzle and Wayne Robert Williams. Such good memories!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
Thanks, Agnes and C.C., for a nice Monday kickoff!
ReplyDeleteMaybe just a tad too easy, but still a pleasant-enough exercise. It gladdened my heart to be reminded of Ms. Franklin's Chain of Fools,, a song I used to play while jogging.
It really pumped my stride.
You got me where you want me
I ain't nothin' but your fool
Ya treated me mean
Oh you treated me cruel.
CHAIN CHAIN CHAIN....
Oh, my, yes.
As I recall, the original rope was a.....wait for it....rope.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun Monday romp, IM and CC! So many things made me smile.....like TUSK and TSK. I loved all the links, Argyle.
ReplyDeleteOwen, I've missed you! My iPad got sick for a while, but I'm back and glad to be here.
Tin, I feel your pain! It's 55 here and climbing.
Great job, CC, Agnes, and Argyle.
ReplyDeleteYellowrocks to all of your.
Speaking of the olden days with Wayne Robert Williams, I vaguely remember a period of time, soon after Rich took over, that the puzzles became much easier for a short while, probably in response to complaints from some readers. Does anyone else remember that or is it my imagination? If my recollection is correct, does anyone else know the history of that episode/era?
ReplyDeleteImagine Eggs Benedict served on a shiny hubcap because...there's no place like chrome for the Hollandaise.
Crap. I forgot to add a sincere 'Thank You' to Agnes, CC, Argyle, Rich and the rest of the gang for the continuing string of enjoyable and highly professional-grade puzzles that we enjoy every week. I'm lucky to have stumbled on this blog and the great group of denizens who brighten up my weeks.
ReplyDeleteAh, back to the easy puzzles that make me feel that I know what I'm doing. Then I find a wrong letter and it's a FIW! Rats! Thank you, Agnes and C.C., for the fun! Argyle, great expo with fun links!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has been booking lodging through airbnb so I'm familiar with them. She's had good luck so far.
Love Aretha! Growing up outside of Detroit, Motown had a strong musical influence on me.
Today is a bit warmer than yesterday and the wind is calmer so it's much nicer outside. Highs in the 40's this week which is what it should be this time of year. I enjoy having 4 seasons.
We leave Wed. for Michigan and will visit both families; Thursday with DH's family this year and Saturday with mine. I don't want to have to be in the kitchen preparing anything on Saturday so last week I made fruitcake and today I made Gingersnaps. My contribution is ready to be served whenever.
Hope your day is going well and starts a great week!
Pat
I sailed through this enjoyable Monday level puzzle. Thanks Irish Miss, C.C. and Argyle for the fun.
ReplyDeleteThe theme appeared early and helped the fill. Smiled at some old regulars like EPEE, ACNE, OLDE and OLE. We had Chinese PANDAs yesterday.
Elvis, Aretha, and Ella for our musical enjoyment today.
I use MiracleGro as my PLANTFOOD also.
My one experience with AIRBNB was positive!
We in CARP (not AARP) land have had the temperature drop drastically over the weekend, plus the dreaded snow made a brief appearance. Brr!
Spitz, I agree with you about AARP. I haven't had a bad experience with them. Rather I was expecting a good experience with them when I got old enough to qualify, and instead, haven't found them to be very helpful. They provide services (for profit) that I can get on my own often better and cheaper. Maybe they lobby on my behalf but it's hard to tell, and I'm not much of a fan of most lobbies anyway.
ReplyDeleteA reason I QUIT AARP years ago:
ReplyDeleteThe CEO of AARP get a yearly salary and perks of over a one MILLION dollars a year. The top 18 executives AARP bring in a annul gross salary of 7-8 MILLION dollars. The company brings in over ONE BILLION dollars a year mostly from New York Health Ins Companies. I guess their doing pretty well when they say they represent us poor seniors. I feel like the only thing they worry about in truth is their profit margin. AARP is a joke.
Like both major political parties. They act as though they are doing something for YOU but are really doing it to enrich THEMSELVES at others' expense.
Re AARP: One ostensible reason to belong is to get lodging discounts. We always ask if the innkeeper has a senior discount. Sometimes it's the best deal, other times AAA or ret. mil. are as good or better.
ReplyDeleteTerrific, Irish Miss, and many thanks to your mentor, CC! Just remember, each time we see your published creation, the closer you are to that solo! Loved the theme and enjoyed references to Elvis and Aretha (my favs), and also to The Beverly Hillbillies' theme song..."black gold, Texas tea!"
ReplyDeleteBill G, I’m curious about your comment on Eggs Benedict served on a shiny hubcap… Today’s Houston Chronicle ran an article on Alton Brown (clue from last week) who admitted in it that “I am not normal” when during a photo shoot for his cookbook, he noted that “[N]ot everyone plates their chips and salsa in a 1974 Mercury hubcap.” Or did I miss some previous inside joke (news tidbit)?
TX Ms, it wasn't really a comment; rather a silly little punny joke I saw and enjoyed. I made a slight omission though. It should have ended, "There's no PLATES like chrome for the Hollandaise."
ReplyDeleteBillochoes @7:43, The New Year's Levée is common throughout Canada.
ReplyDeleteHG: There are yellow flashing lights in a couple places at least in Santa Fe. Corners where there are huge disparities between the number of cars going straight through, and the occasional car that wants to turn. They say turn at your own risk, you don't have right-of-way!
ReplyDeleteUnknown: I'm sure over 70+ years, they've done the Clue tokens in a variety of forms. The set I grew up with, IIRC, had plastic rope and the rest all pewter.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteTime traveling like Abejo sometimes does. I finished the puzzle, went to work, got sick in the wastebasket and came home. After remotely finishing work I went to bed and didn't get out until 8:00 this morning (with the exception of trips to the bathroom every 40 minutes). Thanks all for keeping me company (and the plethora of music was extra enjoyable Argyle!)
Great job IM & CC. I enjoyed the puzzle!
WO: LEVEy [sic] fixed by a ROSE (by any other name...)
ESP: LEN
Fav: No, NOT THAT again! How I felt all night.
{B+, A, B+, B}
TXMs - thought of you at BLACK GOLD :-). I couldn't sit up to read the paper - I'll look for ALTON's article today. Thanks.
WEES: CSOs to TIN
//Skip the poem if you have a weak stomach
Any moment I might start
To the can like a dart
I lie here in bed
In a feeling of dread
'Cuz I can't trust a burp nor a fart
Title: Stomach virus :-)
Cheers, -T