Theme: "All in Favor" - PRO is added to each theme entry.
23A. Website search response with an attitude? : PAGE NOT PROFOUND. Page Not Found error. Normally the author has removed or moved that page.
37A. Competition at the geometry fair? : PROTRACTOR PULL. Tractor pull.
54A. "A penny saved is hardly worth the effort"? : IRREGULAR PROVERB. Irregular verb.
81A. "I'll give you five bucks for your Egyptian water lily"? : LOTUS PROPOSITION. Lotus position.
98A. Positively charged vehicle? : ONE- PROTON TRUCK. One- ton truck.
117A. Miscreant handling letters? : MAIL IN REPROBATE. Mail- in rebate. The only entry where PRO is inserted inside a word.
16D. Quality control job at a maraschino factory? : PROBING CHERRIES. Bing cherries.
42D. Feature of Charlie Brown's head? : CIRCULAR PROFILE. Circular file.
We have total 120 theme squares in a 138-word grid. The average themage for LAT is about 94-100. Average word count is between 142 and 144. Doesn't look like a lot to non-pros, but it's very hard to reduce word count on Sundays.
I mentioned before that this addition/deletion type works best when the new word is not related to the old word etymologically. John did just like that.
He also intersected two long themers. And of course, John's trademark cluing style: clue echoes, wordplay, fun & vivid clue images.
Across:
1. Worker on the floor : TILER
6. Second-rarest blood type, briefly : B NEG. Any B- or AB- on our blog?
10. Really big : VAST
14. Worked at home : UMPED. Great clue.
19. "Lordy me!" : I DO DECLARE. Never used "Lordy me!"
21. "Hamilton" accolade : OBIE. You wanted TONY?
22. "Ici on __ français" : PARLE. Speaks. Also 37D. Famille member : PERE
25. Spirits strength : PROOF. Drinks.
26. Seven Wonders lighthouse : PHAROS. Got via crosses. Could only think of Alexandria.
27. They often have runners : SLEDS. Another great clue.
28. Mite : WEE BIT
29. "Round __ virgin ... " : YON. "Silent Night".
30. "My turn" : I'M UP
33. "Guys and Dolls" composer : LOESSER (Frank)
36. Archipelago part: Abbr. : ISL (Island)
40. Marshal at Waterloo : NEY (Michel). Learned this guy from doing crosswords. Had Bob Ney not been involved in the Jack Abramoff scandal, he would be a power player today and we would have had a great clue for NEY.
41. Pre-A.D. : BCE
43. "So long" : SEE YA
44. Vexing : IRKING
46. Ballerina Shearer : MOIRA
48. Like some out-of-favor suffixes : FEMININE. Like ETTE. Got me.
52. Lats relatives : PECS
58. You, at one time : THEE
60. "In a __" : SEC
61. Burkini wearer, perhaps : ARAB
62. Saltimbocca herb : SAGE. Never had Saltimbocca,
63. Acquiesce : ASSENT
65. Moo __ pork : SHU. Never heard of this dish until I came to the US.
66. "'Scuse Me While __ This Guy: and Other Misheard Lyrics": Gavin Edwards book : I KISS
68. Fella : SPORT. New meaning of "sport" to me.
71. Booster's cry : RAH
72. 89-Across' Illinois headquarters : MOLINE. And 89. Farm equipment giant : DEERE
74. Primary part : LEAD
78. Germ's future? : IDEA. This clue so John.
79. 66, e.g.: Abbr. : RTE
80. Carrier known for tight security : EL AL
86. Spanish 101 word : ERES. You are.We also have 75. Spanish pronoun : ESA.
88. Gorilla, for example : GREAT APE
90. Actress __ Sue Martin : PAMELA
92. Do fair work : GET A C
95. Mule's father : ASS
96. Cabinet dept. : AGR
23A. Website search response with an attitude? : PAGE NOT PROFOUND. Page Not Found error. Normally the author has removed or moved that page.
37A. Competition at the geometry fair? : PROTRACTOR PULL. Tractor pull.
54A. "A penny saved is hardly worth the effort"? : IRREGULAR PROVERB. Irregular verb.
81A. "I'll give you five bucks for your Egyptian water lily"? : LOTUS PROPOSITION. Lotus position.
98A. Positively charged vehicle? : ONE- PROTON TRUCK. One- ton truck.
117A. Miscreant handling letters? : MAIL IN REPROBATE. Mail- in rebate. The only entry where PRO is inserted inside a word.
16D. Quality control job at a maraschino factory? : PROBING CHERRIES. Bing cherries.
42D. Feature of Charlie Brown's head? : CIRCULAR PROFILE. Circular file.
We have total 120 theme squares in a 138-word grid. The average themage for LAT is about 94-100. Average word count is between 142 and 144. Doesn't look like a lot to non-pros, but it's very hard to reduce word count on Sundays.
I mentioned before that this addition/deletion type works best when the new word is not related to the old word etymologically. John did just like that.
He also intersected two long themers. And of course, John's trademark cluing style: clue echoes, wordplay, fun & vivid clue images.
Across:
1. Worker on the floor : TILER
6. Second-rarest blood type, briefly : B NEG. Any B- or AB- on our blog?
14. Worked at home : UMPED. Great clue.
19. "Lordy me!" : I DO DECLARE. Never used "Lordy me!"
21. "Hamilton" accolade : OBIE. You wanted TONY?
22. "Ici on __ français" : PARLE. Speaks. Also 37D. Famille member : PERE
25. Spirits strength : PROOF. Drinks.
26. Seven Wonders lighthouse : PHAROS. Got via crosses. Could only think of Alexandria.
27. They often have runners : SLEDS. Another great clue.
28. Mite : WEE BIT
29. "Round __ virgin ... " : YON. "Silent Night".
30. "My turn" : I'M UP
33. "Guys and Dolls" composer : LOESSER (Frank)
36. Archipelago part: Abbr. : ISL (Island)
40. Marshal at Waterloo : NEY (Michel). Learned this guy from doing crosswords. Had Bob Ney not been involved in the Jack Abramoff scandal, he would be a power player today and we would have had a great clue for NEY.
41. Pre-A.D. : BCE
43. "So long" : SEE YA
44. Vexing : IRKING
46. Ballerina Shearer : MOIRA
48. Like some out-of-favor suffixes : FEMININE. Like ETTE. Got me.
52. Lats relatives : PECS
58. You, at one time : THEE
60. "In a __" : SEC
61. Burkini wearer, perhaps : ARAB
62. Saltimbocca herb : SAGE. Never had Saltimbocca,
63. Acquiesce : ASSENT
65. Moo __ pork : SHU. Never heard of this dish until I came to the US.
66. "'Scuse Me While __ This Guy: and Other Misheard Lyrics": Gavin Edwards book : I KISS
68. Fella : SPORT. New meaning of "sport" to me.
71. Booster's cry : RAH
72. 89-Across' Illinois headquarters : MOLINE. And 89. Farm equipment giant : DEERE
74. Primary part : LEAD
78. Germ's future? : IDEA. This clue so John.
79. 66, e.g.: Abbr. : RTE
80. Carrier known for tight security : EL AL
86. Spanish 101 word : ERES. You are.We also have 75. Spanish pronoun : ESA.
88. Gorilla, for example : GREAT APE
90. Actress __ Sue Martin : PAMELA
92. Do fair work : GET A C
95. Mule's father : ASS
96. Cabinet dept. : AGR
103. Also : TOO
104. "Probably ... " : ODDS ARE
105. River past Logroño : EBRO. Not familiar with Logroño. Northern Spain. We also have 4. River of Germany : EDER
106. Sun or moon : ORB
109. Obliterate : EFFACE. I've only used "self-effacing".
111. Outfit again : RE-RIG
114. Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto : ALOMAR. When I first came here (2001), he was with the Indians. So was CC Sabathia.
116. "If I Were __ Man" : A RICH
121. Fracas : MELEE
122. Chow : EATS
123. Overhear : LISTEN IN ON. Have you used a bug detector, Anon- TTP?
124. Ranked tournament players : SEEDS
125. "Let's Get It On" singer : GAYE
126. Many 99-cent purchases : APPS. Might stump those who are not into tablets/smartphones.
127. Stretch : STINT
Down:
1. Unstable : TIPPY
2. Snake state : IDAHO
3. New England touchdown site : LOGAN. Not Gillette Stadium.
5. "The Bathers" artist : RENOIR. Saw it at Musée d'Orsay.
6. Short lunch order? : BLT
7. Midday refresher : NAP. Not TEA.
8. Writes ths clue, say : ERRS. Self-referential.
9. Rock sci. : GEOL. Field of Misty's husband.
10. __ doll : VOODOO
11. One overstepping bounds : ABUSER. And 12. Seriously overstepped bounds : SIN
13. Brother of Jack and Bobby : TED. The Kennedys.
14. What may be stiff when trouble arises? : UPPER LIP. Fun clue.
15. Farm girl : MARE. This clue makes me smile also.
17. Plaza Hotel imp : ELOISE
18. With skill : DEFTLY
20. Sagan series : COSMOS
24. Touched : FELT
28. Bandleader Lawrence : WELK
31. Sport-__ : UTE
32. Modular homes : PREFABS
34. Holder of disks : SPINE
35. More steady : SURER
38. British philosopher A.J. : AYER. No idea. Wiki says he's known for "logical positivism".
39. Sides sharing views : CAMPS. Oh as in Sanders Camp/Clinton Camp.
41. Mining passage : BOREHOLE. Also a learning moment for me. I sure don't want to go in.
45. Migratory bird banding equipment : NETS. What is "banding", D-Otto?
46. Homecoming query : MISS ME?
47. "Encore!" : AGAIN
49. Lyricist Gershwin : IRA
50. Eggy quaff : NOG
51. Composer Charles : IVES
53. Hill hundred : SENATORS
55. Classic TV nerd : URKEL. "Family Matters".
56. Chou En-__ : LAI. Probably the best loved politician in China. He protected many good people from being prosecuted during Cultural Revolution.
57. Denudes : BARES
59. Fruit-ripening gas : ETHENE. I tried to put bananas & apples in a brown bag to hasten the ripening. Never seemed to help much. Unlike Bill G, I prefer bananas with plenty of brown spots
64. Prim and proper : STAID
67. Revolve on an axis : SLUE
69. Lab dispenser : PIPETTE.. Another learning moment for me.
73. Intestinal divisions : ILEA
76. Suitable : APT
77. "Rocky IV" boxer Ivan __ : DRAGO. This stumped me last time.
82. Watched at the beach, maybe : OGLED
83. Hems in : TRAPS
84. Transparent : OPEN
85. Deck wood : TEAK
87. Osculates : SMOOCHES. Do you osculate in real life? It's a new word to me. I actually read it as "oscillate".
91. German finale : ENDE
93. Wall St. hedger : ARB (Arbitrager)
94. Arrow poison : CURARE.Another learning moment.
96. You won't find subs on them : A TEAMs
97. Get out : GO FREE
99. Hole-in-one, for one : RARITY. And 110. Got a hole-in-one on : ACED
100. Otherwise : OR ELSE
101. Actress Hatcher : TERI
102. Time periods? : COLONS .Had to ask dear Santa, who gave me this: Today, 8 : 29 AM
106. Muscat native : OMANI
107. Give up to the cops : RAT ON
108. Retired sportscaster Musburger : BRENT
112. At a Dodger game, for short : IN LA
113. Handle : GRIP
115. Parting words? : OBIT
117. Bit of RAM : MEG. OK, short for megabyte.
118. Drivers' org. : AAA. Not PGA.
119. What Zener cards purportedly tested for : ESP
120. NBA nos. : PTs
FIRbTD. But too many foreign words! I think this is the first time I've complained about it, despite being monolingual! ERES, ENDE and their perps were the ones that held up my ta-da until I'd WAGed them correctly. Plenty of other problems before those. Gorilla-brand duct-TAPE confused the heck out of GREAT APE.
ReplyDeleteSPIN was knocked out by LOTUS, but SLEW didn't fit either. (I just looked SLUE up. 3 distinct entries. 2 just say "variant of slew", and the third says "variant of slough")
Then there was the bottom theme entry. Seven themers I'd already identified, and every one of them had PRO added to the front of a word. But that final one gave me conniptions until I figured out that that one plugged the PRO into the middle of a word!
COLONS? Really?
{M, C+, C, B, C+.}
I KISS the girls, their LIPS taste like berries!
A few SMOOCHES and fruit, they chirp like canaries!
I DO DECLARE rightly,
The FEMININE psyche
Makes easy my passion for PRO-BING CHERRIES!
[Hah! Tell me you entered that one with a clean mind!]
Unpopular spots are ACNE, while perfect is SPOT ON
On crossword conventions we can all RATTLE ON.
But some days you wonder
If it's all just a blunder.
Well, just climb in your sport-UTE, SPORT, and begone!
The President is known by the acronym Potus.
The Supreme Court correspondingly is Scotus.
In ancient tradition
A flower PROPOSITION
Makes Losers docile by EATing of the LOTUS!
[And it fits no matter which party you are, so it ain't partisan politics!]
BRENT was a brave deer who lived near MOLINE
He worked for John DEERE, to keep the place green.
Out in AGRO fields
To test TRACTOR yields,
Brent was a dear, spraying crops with ETHENE!
That celebrated songwriter named IRA
FOUND annoying, phrases "SEE YA!" and "Hi ya!"
He was joined in this IRKING
When a play he was working
Cast a dancer whose name was MOIRA!
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteAnother winner from John Lampkin! Thanks to John and C. C.
Not much to say. I'm tired and cough is back in full force. At lease when I swam Friday, I was able to get up the steps with some help from my caregiver.
Have a great day!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this one, even though it ended up kicking my butt. I'd WAGged an I at the crossing of ILEA and ERES. Dang! I also briefly tried LOERNER until LOESSER barged in. Actually, it was LERNER -- his partner LOEWE had the "OE" in his name. Enjoyed the DNF, John.
They used to say about Lawrence WELK...still dead, and still on public TV. If you want a good laugh, Google "Welk One Toke Over The Line"
C.C., bird "banding" is wrapping a metal id strip (band) around a bird's leg. If the bird is recaptured, the information on the band can help to identify migratory patterns. The net is used to capture the bird and hold it still just long enough to install the band. Then the bird is released.
All week long the TV weatherfolk have been hysterical about the major storms, wind, hail, and tornadoes, that would threaten us on Sunday. Well, Sunday is here. Some parts of Texas may experience severe weather. But here, if we are lucky, the driveway may get wet.
What a treat to start the month with a John Lampkin Sunday. As C.C. pointed put, John has his personal style and it is always fun to solve.
ReplyDeleteMAIL IN REPROBATE, while an outlier is damned funny. While in high school we used to speak of osculation thinking we were cool. Never heard of AYERS and did not care for TIPPY...
Thank you JL and C.C. as always
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a pleasant jaunt with a theme that was easy to see right from the beginning. As there were only a few hiccups, I expected my tada was a given but, like DO, the Eres/Ilea crossing did me in! Oh, well, I still enjoyed John's clever cluing and a satisfactory solve. (Lately, I've liked the Sunday puzzles much more than I used to.)
Thanks, JL, for a snazzy Sunday offering and thanks, CC, for the informative expo. Your banana comment reminded me of my mother's preference for truly overripe ones. Yuck!
Wilbur C, FLN, your kind words are appreciated and, IMO, apply to every regular on this blog, excluding, of course, the nasty, name-calling, nit-picking, fault-finding anonymice!
Have a great day.
Morning conversation:
ReplyDeleteDW: If you give me $20 I won't tell you who won that second NCAA basketball game last night.
D-O: And if I don't give you $20?
DW: North Carolina.
Struggle today? Did I ever before finishing. TEPSY to TIPPY, SPIN to SLUE, GIANT to GREAT APE, ELBE to EDER, ERKEL was really URKEL, and I confidently 'knew' that John DEERE was in PEORIA instead of MOLINE, IL. Many dead ends to back out from. I caught the PRO addition early but it didn't help much. LOESSER, MOIRA, PAMELA, SMOOCHES- unknowns. 'Osculate'- a new word for me. I had zero idea on that one.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was a WEE BIT harder than the usual Sunday romp.
CURARE- I remember Eli Lilly sold a product named TUBOCURARINE. We sold a small amount.
Good day to all!
ReplyDeleteA great puzzle from John Lampkin, but too many unknown people (MOIRA, PAMELA, ALOMAR, AYER, AND BRENT) for me to finish without google help. Liked the clue for UPPER LIP. Favorite clue/answer was "Worked at home" for UMPED. Thanks, John, for today's clever challenge. And thanks, C.C., for the thorough expo and links.
From Friday--Congratulations, Splynter, for your debut puzzle! I enjoyed the solve.
Enjoy the day!
Irish Miss, interesting how we all have very different funds of information. I found yesterday's puzzle much easier than today's, where I had to red letter a few incorrect cells. Also it took a while to find today's PRO theme. I loved it. Crunchy, but not enough to kill the joy of it. Funny puns.
ReplyDeleteLemon, yes, as teens we used "osculate" or "osculation" jocularly. Also we asked, "Would you interdigitate in public?" Tsk, tsk.
I say, "Don't sit on that chair. It's too tippy."
Idaho is the snake state? Who would vote for that appellation?
I use efface in a tangible sense, as in "Time weather and lichens, have effaced the writing on old tombstones. The references I can find are mostly intangible.
"The classically happy ending that follows does not efface the dark mystery that went before." New York Times Feb 22, 2016.
Yesterday two friends and I attended Paper Mill Playhouse, our regional theater,to see a very professional reproduction of the Broadway show,"Million Dollar Quartet," about the recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. This was at the inception of rock and roll. We were all teens in 1954. The play used many oldies and brought back fond memories of our salad days to share. The manic Jerry Lee Lewis character was exceptional. Some who had seen the Broadway show said that this one was better. The performance ran long, so I had to beg off on having supper with my friends.
ReplyDeleteI rushed home to make Alan's supper and then I picked up a different friend to go to a square dance where there were 84 dancers in attendance. It was a great dance, but I only danced half the tips (sets). Recently I re-injured my IT band. Therapy is making it feel better, but any little misstep makes my knee and thigh hurt again. I would have stayed home, but I promised my partner I would go.
It was a fun day to spend in good company.
Opening Day !!!!
ReplyDeleteALL 30 teams are in "First Place !!!
NEW YORK YANKEES -v- Tampa Bay Rays
I'm wearing my New York Yankees "Cooperstown Collection" jersey.
PLAY BALL !!!
Cheers !
Yes Tinman, hope springs eternal!
ReplyDeleteJust like a farmer, one is full of hope as the weather changes and the birds and the boys of summer emerge. Then the long hot summer progresses into the harsh realities of the fall harvest when we will look back on how the season went.
PLAY BALL!!!
Idaho is home to the Snake River and Snake River Canyon.
ReplyDeleteIdaho = Snake State?! Then I got to thinking (it only hurt a little bit) -- the Snake River winds through much of SW Idaho. Is **that** what the clue refers to?
ReplyDeleteNorthwest corner gave me fits for a while, until I had enough perps; then it finally fell. This was fun for me; probably my favorite Sunday puzzle in at least a year.
CC, I always enjoy your comments as they give so much insight into the cultural differences around the world.
Tinbeni?
ReplyDeleteAll those bold letters?
(You need to chill out...)
(oops!my bad!)
:)
I always look forward to a John Lampkin puzzle!
ReplyDelete(You know it's going to be like a 3 course meal with dessert...)
(Sigh! It just gives me butterflies!)
(but seriously...)
What if there wasn't a John Lampkin puzzle today?
All that Pro attitude would be down the tubes!
(A view from the Anti-side)
Page not found without Pro...
Tractor pull?
hmm, this one's not anti, it's just rotten...
Very enjoyable slog. It dredged a ton of old info out of me.
ReplyDelete"Puzzling thoughts":
ReplyDeleteJohn Lampkin, you challenged me today, and I was not up to it! FIW in so many ways, but after reading CC's recap, I see my ERRS. (Intentional misuse!) Good job to you both.
Not too much else to add other than despite the mistakes I made, I enjoyed the puzzle.
Owen, good ones today. Clean mind? Moi?!
One "recycled" limerick (from July 2015) and another with a word from the puzzle - hoping number 2 doesn't offend, but if it does, mea culpa ...
In San Anton' there exists a sports bar,
That recognizes a past baseball star.
It sits next to a shrine;
They serve Scotch, beer and wine;
And its name? "Remember the ALOMAR"
Queer cross-dresser let out a big sigh;
Census Form asked the question, but why?
After thinking a SEC,
These three boxes were checked:
"Lesbian", "Gay", "Transgender"; not "Bi"
Hmm, who's better off?
ReplyDeleteOk,Ok! This is just wrong!
but it was a 1/2 ton truck...
How I feel about rebates...
P.S. If you ever do get that rebate...
ReplyDelete& this whole cherry thing?
I tell ya, I have depressed myself so badly,
I want to throw the whole thing into the circular file!
'Ere's to ilia and the tipsy lighthouse. Otherwise, I did just fine. I thought the themers were clever.
ReplyDeleteThanks John and C.C.
I was so sure of TIPSY that I let SHAROS stand. And when I corrected LOERNER I ended up with LOESNER. I'm diphthongally challenged.
ReplyDeleteNot to speak of musically, although I certainly know Marvin Gaye. Right next to LISTEN IN ON eg Hear thru the Grapevine.
My problem was the Bit was of MEMory
IM, it's one thing for Lemonade to get insulted but YR? Although, my FLN response took the high road, eg ESCALATOR.
Owen, I didn't have a dirty mind until AFTER reading #1. You've been at the top of your game lately.
This was quite the Sunday challenge Mr L.
WC
Ps. And of course I instantly recognized CC and all her information, especially about Chou en lai
ReplyDeleteWC @ 1:27 ---> I too had SHAROS and TIPSY among the many errors today. I think TIPSY better fits the clue. Maybe we need to see if the word "sharos" exists! 😜
ReplyDeleteA really good puzzle. Good clues and some sparkling fill. I still don't quite see how "Seriously overstepped bounds" works as a clue for SIN. Overall a challenging and pleasant solving experience.
ReplyDeleteI think the lyric "Tie me kangaroo down, fella" doesn't work as well as what Rolf Harris actually wrote.
Do I osculate in real life? Heck yes! LW is a wonderful kisser.
I wanted BIT for a bit of RAM, but obviously that couldn't be it. I consider a MEG to be much more than a little bit of RAM.
As the TV ad for Ernest and Julio Gallo wine used to say, "All the best."
Musings
ReplyDelete-No need to gild the lily on C.C.’s wonderful assessment on John’s amazing puzzle. ONE PROTON TRUCK was my fav!
-Websites that tease with superlative adjectives rarely are PROFOUND
-I’m willing to trade verbal barbs with anyone but hate it when I don’t get a turn at bat
-A former transgender student is qualifying to be a fire fighter not fireman.
-Sage flavored Saltimbocca and not anise flavored sambucca
-A big-time event played near Moline the week before the British Open
-Site of John Quincy Adams’ desk (1:38) and famous eavesdropping location
-With all the magnificent monuments in D.C. TED’s grave site and Bobby’s similar one are very modest.
-Our PRE-FAB school built in 1980 was horrible from day one.
-MISS ME? Heck, I wanted KISS ME?
-Brent got in big trouble for OGLING on national TV (:40)
Hi Y'all! Great puzzle, John! Great expo, C.C.!
ReplyDeleteIn the heading on my puzzle, the word "favor" as in "All in favor" was EFFACED so as to be unrecognizable by the BY. This happens too often. Very unhelpful. Tried deFACED before EFFACED.
"Do fair work": I was thinking of the kids shoveling manure after their animals at the county 4-H fair.
Once seen the SNAKE River Gorge is hard to forget. Looks like the gates to hell.
One of the most fun newspaper stories I ever did was hanging out at the lake while watching the Wildlife personnel band geese they had captured on a Denver golf course. Got up close and personal "interviews" with those honkers. Very majestic birds who were used to people from their former habitat. They had proliferated to the point of being unwelcome. Something about balls not flying true with geese "glue" on one side and being hard to remove from cleats.
Alas, no OCULATES for me.
My granddaughter went to the prom last night. Pictures online of all attendees show her to be the prettiest girl there, accompanied by the happiest looking guy there. Naw, I'm not at all prejudiced. The guy is the drummer in the jazz band in which she plays sax. He got the teacher to allow him to do a drum solo in band one day. Then he ran up to the front and held up a sign "Will you go to the prom with me? Mark yes or no." Lucky for him she was glad to mark yes. The kids all cheered.
Wilbur, thanks for your kind words and your defense late yesterday. I have never been able to see how name calling and insults advance anyone's point of view. I'd welcome a thoughtful, well-reasoned rebuttal, instead.
ReplyDeleteSIN is overstepping the laws of God - doing something that is beyond God boundaries, perhaps morally more serious than overstepping one's authority. I liked the clue.
HG, the Whispering Gallery in DC was fascinating. But, even in other places, many times when we think we cannot be overheard others will LISTEN IN ON our remarks.
Jayce. My first thought was BIT, too, but obviously not.
Thank you all. I now see that SNAKE state is where you find the Snake River. I was thinking (unreasonably) of a state which adopted the snake as a symbol, just as NJ adopted the Eastern goldfinch as the state bird. My family calls this tendency "jumping to confusions."
CED, "I want to throw the whole thing into the circular file!" had me laughing out loud.
Ah, now I get the SIN clue. "Overstepped" is an adjective and SIN is a noun. They are not verbs so there is no tense mismatch. Cool.
ReplyDeleteThanks y'all for the kind words, and thanks CC for the insightful write-up, as always. Yes, 120 theme letters is a lot, but with a silly theme it's always the more the merrier.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who DNF, you have my wife for company. Amazingly, she is still speaking to me!
John Lampkin, I wish to add my gratitude and admiration for this impressive puzzle.
ReplyDeleteIt was a lark all the way through and I enjoyed the PROs but they weren't necessary for the solve. You take the LEAD in constructing an amusing grid. Often we see ERES as ERES Tu, the song written, I believe, by Paul Anka.
I wish I could say I ACED this but had FIW at TIPPY/PHAROS and should have known the latter but TIPSY sounded better to me.
Though I don't use the, I've seen APPS for 99 cents advertised. And I don't know PAMELA Sue Martin or Roberto ALOMAR, yet they were easily grokked. BRENT was often present in our TV screen when my late DH was alive. We also are a snake state; the official Arizona reptile is the diamondback rattlesnake.
I'm late today because it is such a beautiful, sunny day that I decided to do some shopping for my patio and off I went.
C.C., I completely agree, you are our culture queen, among so many other qualities, and provide us with a VAST knowledge of parts beyond our borders.
I hope everyone is having a blast on this lovely Sunday!
Pamela Sue Martin came to fame as Nancy Drew. Then as she 'matured' she was cast in Dynasty as Fallon Carrington. That did not work so well and she was replaced by the adorable Emma Samms.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how many have come to the Corner and then poof.
Tinman, Yankees in lat place but the Rays are on top of the world.
Colons - I imagine that Rich meant to clue something like this:
ReplyDelete"time periods separators"
Busy day, with lunch with a friend followed by a violin/piano concert with music from Bach, Brahms, and others--lots of fun. I surprisingly got most of the puzzle in the morning before I left, but had to cheat a bit because I was in a hurry. But I got the PRO theme, which helped a lot, and enjoyed the many clever clues even if I didn't know all the names that cropped up.
ReplyDeleteSo, many thanks, John Lampkin, and thanks for checking in with us. And C.C., I always look forward to Sunday puzzles, knowing we'll get your clever and delightful write-up.
Yellowrocks, so glad you were able to square dance, even if it didn't go perfectly.
And Fermatprime, so sorry your cough is acting up again. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you'll get some relief in this coming week.
Have a great week coming up, everybody!
Hi all ! Been busy the last two days with the first spring clean up and mowing of the lawn. Oh yeah, and I bought that MP3 player with Bluetooth, paired it, and copied a bunch of classic CDs.
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle John. I'm not a huge fan of the add a character (word, sound) type of puzzle, but today wasn't annoying. Loved the challenge, though I blew it and got stuck with deface and efface. Guess I could have turned on red letters half way through to make it a faster solve.
CC, I don't need to use bug detectors. I have bug zappers. They go bzzzt ! when one gets too close. A friend from long ago worked on the advance scout team for President Ford and Carter before joining the same employer that I had. Interesting fellow.
Have a good night all !
FYI
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss & CC are the constructors of the Monday (April 3) New York Times Crossword Puzzle.
D-O @ 7:16 AM, Yeah, when all the wind-bag weather forecasters emulate Chicken Little, I know there ain't goin' to be nothin'. Not a drop around 610 North Loop. I am curious as to their scientific accuracies/averages? Anonymous-T, care to weigh in? We, in urban Houston, don't receive zip-code (if even that) weather reports.
ReplyDeleteLiked the "pro" theme of the puzzle - took me two fills which helped a lot. "Deface" B4 "efface," rats. "Norma" B4 "Moira" Shearer. More rats.
Have a good week, all!
Will, thank for letting us know. I'll have to figure out how to access the Irish Miss and C.C. New York Times puzzle tomorrow--very exciting. Can't wait to see it!
ReplyDeleteSunday Lurk say...
ReplyDeleteWEES - cool concept John. I didn't play but I did read C.C. and thought some c/as pretty cute - PIPETTE springs to mind...
{:-), B, A+,A, B+} {Groan, Ha!}
Com'on Fermat - now we're starting to get worried... Take care; this blog (and the world) needs math minds.
CED - Tractor pull was LOL.
C.C. --- Anon-TTP [:-)] may not have used bug sweepers but I have for [REDACTED]'s offices. Funny, I thought, that they wanted us to sweep for listening devices when their TV, VoIP [Voice over IP] phones and computer are Internet connected. No one needs physical access to plant a listening device. That's so Passé.
TX Ms. We got all of .000001" of rain in Sugar Land. There was a tornado in Montgomery this AM but that's as far south as the storm seemed to reach. Yep, with all the flood & hail predictions, I kept Eldest from driving to the City for her Choir practice. Instead, we both suffered through the 3rd act of Youngest's ballet [they really should have stopped when Sleeping Beauty was Osculated in Act II].
Play tomorrow. Cheers, -T
OSCULATED! I love that word and I love doing it! In fact, my whole family loves to kiss, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, etc. We kiss anytime and every time we see each other, even if it's the same day, . Thank you, JL, for bringing it to our attention.
ReplyDelete