Theme: New Speak - Our first utterances.
17A. Silly sort : GOOFBALL
25A. Zeros : GOOSE EGGS
37A. Anniversary celebration at the Met, say : GALA PERFORMANCE
50A. Disputed Mideast territory : GAZA STRIP
62A . Infantile vocalizations, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 25-, 37- and 50-Across : BABY TALK. Goo goo, ga ga.
Argyle here. Koochy, koochy, koo.
Across:
1. Baja vacation spot : CABO. We were on Cabo's peninsula just last Friday.
5. Tree's sticky output : SAP
8. Neck mark from necking : HICKEY
14. Razor name : ATRA
15. Suffix with pay : OLA. payola.
16. Taking the place (of) : IN LIEU
19. Polish port where Solidarity was founded : GDANSK. Not baby's first word.
20. Music producer Brian : ENO
21. Dueling sword : ÉPÉE
22. "Hannah and __ Sisters": Woody Allen film : HER
23. Formal pronouncements : DICTA. Legal mumbo-jumbo.
30. Pay with plastic : CHARGE
32. __ of: done with : RID
33. Not at home : OUT
34. The Judds, e.g. : DUO
35. Migration formation : VEE
36. Move in the wind : SWAY
42. Numbered musical piece : OPUS
43. Grunting female : SOW
44. Slowing, on a music score: Abbr. : RIT. (ritardando)
45. Little point to pick : NIT
46. Sick __ dog : AS A
47. Spitball need : SALIVA
53. R&B singer Baker : ANITA
55. "That's all __ wrote" : SHE
56. Fermented honey drink : MEAD
58. The USA's 50 : STs. (states)
59. Nissan model : SENTRA
64. Series of related emails : THREAD
65. Luau instrument : UKE
66. Curved molding : OGEE
67. Fort Bragg mil. branch : US ARMY
68. Boston hrs. : EST. (Eastern Standard Time)
69. Dandelion, e.g. : WEED
Down:
1. Confined, as a bird: CAGED
2. Not accented, as syllables: ATONIC. Seldom seen word.
3. Ornamental pin: BROOCH
4. Doofus: OAF
5. Ivory in the tub: SOAP
6. State without proof: ALLEGE
7. Prefix with -lithic: PALEO
8. Bogart film set in a California range: "HIGH SIERRA", A campy trailer.
9. Truly: INDEED
10. Irish county bordering Limerick: CLARE. Across the River Shannon.
11. Next of __: KIN
12. Wide shoe widths: EEs. I blindly put in EEE.
13. Guffaw: YUK
18. Face adversity well: BEAR UP
24. Cries of triumph: TADAs
26. Layered cookie: OREO
27. Bridal attire: GOWN
28. Avocado dip, for short: GUAC. (guacamole)
29. Eyelid sore: STYE
31. Dates one person exclusively: GOES STEADY
35. Ex-GIs' gp.: VFW. (Veterans of Foreign Wars)
36. Lustrous fabric: SATIN
37. Bell hit with a padded mallet: GONG
38. Samoan capital: APIA. Have we learned it yet?
39. Skating leap: LUTZ
40. Have a good laugh: ROAR
41. Address for a noblewoman: MILADY
46. Traditional Hindu retreat: ASHRAM
47. Delivers a lecture: SPEAKS
48. Facial expression: VISAGE
49. Postwar British prime minister: ATTLEE. Clement Attlee, Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951.
51. Autumn blossom: ASTER
52. Suffuse (with): IMBUE
54. Queried: ASKED
57. Help with a heist: ABET
59. Actor Erwin: STU. That is way back in the archives.
60. "Come again?" sounds: EHs?
61. FDR agency: NRA. (National Recovery Administration)
63. Illegal parker's risk: TOW
Argyle
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Alan and Santa!
Fun puzzle. No problems. Have finally got CABO down pat!
Have a great day!
FIW¡ MyLADY + ReT -- with neither was I right¡ GOO-GOO GA-GA was an appropriate comment for this puzzle.
ReplyDelete{B+, C+, A, A-, C.}
There once was a fencer from GDANSK
Who was ASKED by HER coach to a dance.
He gave her such a HICKEY
While SHE touchéd with his EPEE,
Her teammates next day viewed HER VISAGE askance!
When writing a poem IN LIEU
of a comment, it's hard to EMBUE
The THREAD in a way
That invokes a SWAY,
Without drowning the TA-DAS in GOO!
ReplyDeleteMILADY likes to wear HER SATIN GOWN
At home, with no one else around!
A large hollow BROOCH
SHE fills with hooch,
And adds when SHE wears it OUT on the town!
A talented SAMOAN from the town of APIA
Could play his UKE to keep an ape in awe!
His tunes were a tonic
To wave murmurs, ATONIC,
And sea-bird's monotonous caw of GA-GA!
Geese in flocks will often fly in a VEE
But their lines sometimes curve not unlike an OGEE.
And according to regs,
When they lay GOOSE EGGS,
They look like zip -- that's nothing, to see!
Had "melady" instead of MILADY. Otherwise pretty easy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteDidn't get the theme, but no NITs. Seemed easier than yesterday. Thanx, Alan and Argyle.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Much easier than yesterday's puzzle. I immediately filled in GOOF BALL. Getting the unifier made it easy to complete the rest of the theme answers.
ReplyDeleteI learned of the ASHRAM from having read Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert.
QOD: Just try new things. Don’t be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar. ~ Michelle Obama (b. Jan. 17, 1964)
Second Wednesday of the week. Eight unknowns or vaguely knowns. Want to order a glass of vodka without sounding like a lush? Just order a vodka tonic, ATONIC.
ReplyDeleteEven with this amount of crunch, had only one erasure - I had veil for GOWN. I'm proud to say that I actually noticed the plurality for the 12D clue and avoided the EEE erasure. There's a first time for everything.
I like these puzzles and consider them opportunities to expand my feeble vocabulary. I have never tried constructing a crossword puzzle, but it must take a lot of skill to author a (fairly) easily solvable grid with quite a few challenging fills. Hats off to Alan, and of course to Santa for another fine tour.
Good day to all!
ReplyDeleteA nice, easy puzzle, which I sailed through from top to bottom. Thought at first the theme was something about GOO until GA showed up. Thanks for the expo, Argyle.
Enjoy the day!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteIt feels like a Monday for a couple of reasons: first day back to work for DH after a three day weekend and this puzzle was easier than yesterday. I will be mixed up all week ;)
Hand up for filling in EEE for EES.
Put in Axel for LUTZ until I saw the crosses
DICTA and ATONIC were perps
Quick and easy with a straightforward theme and nice write up- thanks Alan and Argyle!
Enjoying our wacky January weather- another day in the upper 50's, the sun is actually making an appearance and the birds are singing. Feeling blessed; hope you all are as well :)
Have a great day everyone!
🐇
Nice write-up Argyle.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle Alan.
Fave today, of course, was 56-a, Fermented honey drink, MEAD.
(Hey, as you all know, I rate puzzles based on the number of "booze-clues").
Hand-up for EEE before GSANSK changed it to EES.
A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteBy the time I finished, I had no idea what the theme was. Then all of a sudden the light came on and I smiled right out loud.
Doing across and down together was a walk in the park with no new words. With GOO,GOO I thought this was going to be a "gooey" puzzle like MJ said, until I uncovered GA GA.
ReplyDeleteI thought of AXEL,but I already had the L. Just learned CABO the other day. Writeovers: EI to IE in SIERRA and E to I in MILADY.
I am currently driving my third Sentra. I trade them in at about 135 miles. I would like a larger model but don't have enough room in my garage because it is lined with storage shelves.
Hondo, I appreciated your classy criticism yesterday. You are a great example of criticizing or disagreeing without being nasty. My mother always said you can disagree without being disagreeable. ANONs take note.
Owen, I loved today's poem.
Yeah, I meant GDANSK not gSansk ...
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteBreezed through and even got the theme. I didn't even have to read most of the Down clues because they were mostly already filled in. With EES already filled in I didn't fall into the EEE trap. Nice puzzle by Alan. Argyle's tour got us from A to Z (except for the missing J, Q and X)
Freezing rain in Central PA earlier this morning, but it is warming up. So, I think I'll head out for a haircut. My barber only charges $1.00 for my haircut, but she charges $14.00 to find the hair first.
Have a great day everyone.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWell, this was an easy, breezy solve. Wasn't sure where it was going until the cute "Baby Talk" reveal. Nice CSO to our friend to the North with Ehs!
Thanks, Alan, for a fun romp and thanks, Argyle, for guiding us along.
Dudley, glad your trip was worthwhile. Is there any logical reason why Massachusetts doesn't issue temporary plates? I can't imagine the inconvenience this must cause in trying to register a car.
Rain/sleet/snow possible later in the day. But, as Bunny M said, the wacky weather continues as the rest of the week temps will be in the high 40's. As Jayce would say, Sheesh! 🙃
Have a great day.
A swift sashay to the end, thank you Alan der Kazarian.
ReplyDeleteYes, APIA filled with no hesitation! And of course, CABO San Lucas is quite familiar in the southwest. Some of my relatives were caught in the strong hurricane there two years ago.
I also learned ASHRAM from Elizabeth Gilbert's book.
Since I also solve across then down, I knew GDANSK would supply the S in EES.
Nice work today. Thank you, Argyle. Did I tell you your entire name was in puzzle I did a few days ago. Clue: type of socks.
Have a magnificent day, everyone!
I'm confused............was today Friday?
ReplyDeleteIs the use of dicta correct? Today's puzzle, like most, "23. Formal pronouncements : DICTA. Legal mumbo-jumbo." Which is the opposite of what I understood dicta to be. Here is the definition I am familiar with:
ReplyDeleteThe part of a judicial opinion which is merely a judge's editorializing and does not directly address the specifics of the case at bar; extraneous material which is merely informative or explanatory.
Dicta are judicial opinions expressed by the judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case.
Dicta are regarded as of little authority, on account of the manner in which they are delivered; it frequently happening that they are given without much reflection, at the bar, without previous examination.
A day late for an MLK quote, but here is one from 1963 which seems even more true today after more than 50 years have gone by.
ReplyDelete"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men."
TADA. No nits today. Thanks Alan and Argyle for the fun. I smiled right from the start when I saw CABO (reverse answer/clue from the other day that I remembered and filled in immediately). Also smiled at your work today OwenKL.
ReplyDeleteI too was wondering about the theme until I reached 62A. Hand up for debating between EEE or EES. It did not help that my first entry for the Polish port was Odessa (wrong country, duh!) but the perps straightened me out.
MILADY reminds me again of the new PBS show, Victoria. I'm surprised there are not any comments here yet. (I was late in posting yesterday so perhaps it was not noticed.)
I actually hesitated over 60D (Thanks IM for noticing my CSO) because the "Come again?" definition is not exactly Canadian.
TalkLikeACanadian
howtospotacanadian.ca jokingly says, " 98% of Canadians admit that "eh" was their first word. The other 2% state that "eh" was their second word, after "Mama."
"Mama, eh?" is a popular sentence among Canadian babies." Fits in perfectly with todays theme LOL!
Hahtoolah and YR, thanks for the quotes.
We have lots of rain here today but have avoided the dreaded Ice.
Interesting to have 1 across be CABO not long after the BAJA we had just a few days ago. I found this theme totally silly but totally fun--many thanks, Alan. Other puzzle silliness included the cross of GOOFBALL and OAF, and mention of ROAR and YUK. Lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteHave to go down to the Senior Center to try out the Slide show on my computer for the four lectures I'm doing this spring. Hope it all works. I love teaching folks over 60!
Watched "Sherlock" last night and found it ridiculous. Am not sure I'm going to watch any others, even though I've always loved the ones in the past. I wish they'd get rid of these writers.
Have a great day, everybody!
Hello everyone.
ReplyDeleteThink we had a puzzle from Alan some months ago. Liked it. Slightly crunchy for a Tuesday but otherwise, no NITS.
ANITA - My sister's name.
EHS - Nice SO to our Canadian correspondent.
On a personal note. A Google search of our constructor's name (rather unique) gives an Obit of someone that could be our constructor's father or close relative, who died about 15 months ago. He is interred in Mt Auburn cemetery, Cambridge, MA.
Four years ago today, our daughter Gretchen died at age 46 due to incurable cancer, endometrial stromal sarcoma. She is buried in Mt. Auburn cemetery. What are the odds that Alan's puzzle is published exactly on the anniversary date, Jan 17? More than a coincidence?
CanadianEh:
ReplyDeleteRe: Victoria on PBS. Like many historically based shows, I find it interesting especially to reacquaint myself with the times, people and events. It's not surprising that the "elders" wanted to oust her because of her age and sex. No, it's not Downton Abbey, but then, it's based on facts not fiction and few writers equal Julian Fellowes.
Musings-
ReplyDelete-GRRRR…. My Macbook Pro has a dark screen where I can only see the mouse pointer and a very nice man named Nathan in Atlanta on the Apple Help Line could not get it solved in a hour of trying and so I am off to the Omaha Apple store tomorrow!
- He is a very young man but said he thought my voice sounded like Jack Webb on Dragnet, which his dad got him hooked on YouTube. C.C. will have to confirm or deny that as she is only one here I have seen in person.
-I loved the gimmick when Argyle revealed it
-Too discombobulated to add anything! :-)
Husker, reminds me of Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting -- "How 'bout them Apples!" I remain fruit-free after my IMac self-destructed a little over a year ago.
ReplyDeleteIM 9:57 - you are so right, it's a huge inconvenience, the logic for which I have never learned. Nowadays, however, it's less of a problem because the State began authorizing remote stations - mostly dealerships - to print their own genuine registrations and hand out new license plates. Of course, that's not much good in Albany.
ReplyDeleteAbout Victoria: I forgot that had aired. I had the chance to view the first episode in early December. Our local PBS station invited the producer from WGBH in Boston to deliver a short lecture before the show; she was entertaining and informative. Victoria looks a whole lot like the Netflix production "The Crown", which is superb.
YR 8:38 - I know what you mean! I had to replace one small car with another one so that I can fit a wide snowblower along the wall. In summer, that space gets cluttered up with the paraphernalia of gardening.
Trying to remember back to this morning,
ReplyDelete(a lifetime ago...)
there was something that gave trouble around
visage/attlee/anita/saliva.
Maybe it was that I put a lot more into a spitball than most....
Goofball?
It ain't a goose egg down there but, If you think about it...
Gala Performance!
There is nothing funny about the Gaza Strip & babies,
This is as close as I got...
&,of course, we have all learned baby talk.
Not sure how to take MI'LADY. Some writers use that form, although everyone recognizes that this is a spoken version of "MY" LADY, and the vowel in question is actually a schwa. It could just as easily be rendered as ME LADY or MUH LADY. I chose MY LADY and then saw that the crossing perp should be RIT, short for "Ritardando." But I left it as RYT - just for ducks.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, this seemed a solid Tuesday job. It was challenging to the extent that I was off-schedule today, and my big dog kept barking at me to "Hurry up and toss my #*@! ball!"
Oh, yes. There was one more curiosity today - in the creator's surname, "DerKazarian." This is the first time I've seen an apparently Armenian name sporting a "Der" prefix. This may well be my ignorance of Mr. A.dK.'s family tradition. Is this perhaps a different nationality altogether? Or is it a fanciful nom de mots croisés?
As my wife likes to say, "No need to get all goo goo ga ga about it." I got all googoogaga about this puzzle anyway; maybe I just like silly kidding around. Solving it across and down, while keeping an eye on possible perps as I go, kept me out of some traps.
ReplyDeleteI like my vodka ATONIC (without tonic.)
We run warm and cold about Sherlock. Most of them didn't any sense to us until we watched them a second time, and even then we still couldn't figure out what the writers were trying to say. This most recent episode we found to be totally baffling, and the machinations the writers went through to set up Hobson's choice situations were strained and far-fetched. As Misty said, just ridiculous.
As for Victoria, we enjoyed it. After seeing historical shows such as that I usually start doing research into the characters and what really happened; it enhances my enjoyment and understanding of the show. I was reminded that London "bobbies" are thus called because of the work of Robert Peel. (At first they were called "peelers".)
Best wishes to you all.
Ol'Man Keith - Spitzboov @1:13 located an obit which would indicate that DerKazarian is an Armenian name.
ReplyDeleteSpitzboov - very interesting coincidence. My sympathy on this anniversary of your daughter's death. May your memories today be of the good times.
Thanks Dudley and Lucina for your comments on Victoria. I will continue to watch.
. . . and Jayce! You must have been posting at the same time. Yes, it will be interesting to learn more about the Victorian era.
ReplyDeleteA bit of a crunch for Tuesday, but got the solve.
ReplyDeleteSome tuneagement:
ReplyDeleteI really like the GOO GOO dolls and had a tough time choosing between 'Name', 'Slide', 'Iris' and 'Bitch'.
I have no opinion as to lady GAGA, but wow!, 770 million views?!?! i guess there are a few peeps who enjoy this song. I would bet the farm we will hear this performed at halftime in Houston in a few weeks.
As to the constructor's name, anyone think of DerKommissar?* I didn't think so...
*Just for you Deutschsprachig cornerites
FIW today. I had ATONal/ATONIC which gave me DaCTA/DICTA. Other than that, pretty easy. Thanks, Alan, and Argyle.
ReplyDeleteI have GUAC on my turkey wrap for lunch every day.
5a SAP. Regarding Maple sap: I learned recently that there are at least 2 kinds of Maple sap. One is what is collected to make syrup. Once the weather warms and the leaves begin to bud, the chemistry changes and makes Buddy sap which has a taste change and cannot be used for syrup. A local family business has said that, for the 3rd year in a row, the trees have started to bud, the sap has changed already due to the warm weather and they will be unable to make any syrup. Bummer.
Pat
Pat, interesting about maple sap. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for a discussion of dicta, seeing different points of view here. I have read about it but I am sure many of you are better informed.
To Ol' Man Keith. Armenians get to put a "Der" in front of their names if there's been a significant religious person in their family's history, like a bishop. In my case it was my grandfather's father, who was an important religious figure in Eastern Turkey in the late 1800s.
ReplyDeleteTo everyone who blogs on this site, thank you very much for commenting on my puzzle! It's always a thrill to read the comments (though this time I was unaware this puzzle was running today until I saw the review over on Diary of a Crossword Fiend). --Alan DerKazarian
Yellowrocks: I had to laugh at your comment that you get a new car every 135 miles. You don't drive much, do you? LOL!!
ReplyDeleteAlan DerK, thanks for stopping by, and for clarifying your prefix. Fun theme!
ReplyDeleteSince autumn was so busy around here, I never got to see the movie Sully while it was in cinemas. I just watched it on DVD, and came away with the notion that it had too much Hollywood in it. Still a good story, though. What a fabulous outcome in that cold water. I had the pleasure of hearing Sully and Skiles speak to a packed house full of pilots later that year, and let me tell you, they got one hell of a thunderous applause at beginning and end.
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteLate today - I'm malware hunting on DW's girl-friend's computer. I got free Vietnamese food out of it [her family owns 3 restaurants around town].
Thank you Alan for a fun puzzle and for stopping by. Was a new addition to your family the seed? Thanks Argyle for leading the way.
WOs: ATONal; uHS b/f EHs
ESP: GSANSK [and the A was 1-in-5 odds]
FIW: MyLADY
Fav: GOOF BALL. Just a fun word.
Runner-up: OPUS.
{B+B,A,B+,B-}
Spitz - Condolences on the anniversary - I couldn't image...
Wolfman - thanks for the GOO GOO Dolls. I have that CD - good stuff.
Q. Why did Jordan blush?
A. He saw GAZA STRIP.
I'll see myself out.
Cheers, -T
Spitzer, condolences at this sad time.
ReplyDeleteHatoolah, I drove 25,000 miles a year for the first Sentra,20,000 for the second, and now 16,000 a year for the third one. BTW autocorrect spells your screen name, Hezbollah.
Yelowrocks, am glad you understood joke about 'every 35 miles'. BTW autocorrect is not to be rusted.
ReplyDeleteAnonT:
ReplyDeleteYou're funny.
Time to buy another car tomorrow. I change them more frequently than I buy gas.
ReplyDeleteA sincere Thank You to Alan DerKazarian-- & to others who pointed in the right direction-- for clarifying the history of his name.
ReplyDeleteI thought it most unusual to see "Der" preceding what in other respects is a typical Armenian name. I had a good number of students of Armenian heritage, especially in my last five years before retirement, but I never came across such a variant.
I am grateful for the elucidation!