Theme: "For Mom" - Each theme entry is in the pattern of M* O* M*.
22A. Tycoon, e.g. : MAN OF MEANS
27A. Euterpe : MUSE OF MUSIC. Often as a clue for EUTERPE.
44A. Antacid name since 1872 : MILK OF MAGNESIA
63A. Takes action : MAKES ONE'S MOVE. Surprised to see MADE OF MONEY (111A. Rich, and then some). Same verb: Makes/Made.
72A. Encounter stiff competition : MEET ONE'S MATCH. ONE, THE and OF dupes are generally OK.
95A. Willpower : MIND OVER MATTER
Reveal:
122A. Apt time to recognize this puzzle's honoree : MONTH OF MAY. Very nice. Double duty.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms on our blog!
MOON OVER MIAMI is missing. Otherwise, Bruce gives us a near complete set of M* O* M* entries. Perfect partner puzzle to Ed Sessa's POP we had a while ago.
We often see two-word initial grids. Three words are much tougher to pull off even for a weekday.
Across:
1. Sharp group : MENSA. Nailed it.
6. Stage award : OBIE
10. "Kisses, dahling" : MWAH. Air kiss sound.
14. NASA nods : A-OKs
18. Beatles' "White Album" song whose title follows "If you want me to" : I WILL. Got via crosses.
19. Cost of living? : RENT. Nice clue.
20. "Yikes!" : OH NO
21. Beatnik's "Gotcha" : I'M HIP
24. Biblical verb : DOTH
25. Bete __ : NOIRE
26. On one's game : IN A GROOVE. Bruce is on top of his game.
29. Unyielding : SET
30. Map feature : SCALE. And 39. Map abbr. : AVE. Map clue echo.
32. Crux : HEART
33. Resort of a sort : SPA
36. One brought to a potluck : DISH. So what's your signature dish?
40. Drubbing : ROUT
41. Boater or bowler : HAT
48. Remove : DETACH
50. Con : ANTI
51. K.T. of country music : OSLIN. Not many ways to clue her.
52. Offer to pay : BID
54. Venezia casino winner : SETTE. Seven. Venice. Anyone been to The Venetian in Vegas?
55. Fill with merchandise : STOCK
57. Transcript info : GPA
58. One digging hard rock? : MINER. Gimme for regulars.
60. Just like that : AS IS
61. Greet with a beep : HONK AT
22A. Tycoon, e.g. : MAN OF MEANS
27A. Euterpe : MUSE OF MUSIC. Often as a clue for EUTERPE.
44A. Antacid name since 1872 : MILK OF MAGNESIA
63A. Takes action : MAKES ONE'S MOVE. Surprised to see MADE OF MONEY (111A. Rich, and then some). Same verb: Makes/Made.
72A. Encounter stiff competition : MEET ONE'S MATCH. ONE, THE and OF dupes are generally OK.
95A. Willpower : MIND OVER MATTER
Reveal:
122A. Apt time to recognize this puzzle's honoree : MONTH OF MAY. Very nice. Double duty.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms on our blog!
MOON OVER MIAMI is missing. Otherwise, Bruce gives us a near complete set of M* O* M* entries. Perfect partner puzzle to Ed Sessa's POP we had a while ago.
We often see two-word initial grids. Three words are much tougher to pull off even for a weekday.
Across:
1. Sharp group : MENSA. Nailed it.
6. Stage award : OBIE
10. "Kisses, dahling" : MWAH. Air kiss sound.
14. NASA nods : A-OKs
18. Beatles' "White Album" song whose title follows "If you want me to" : I WILL. Got via crosses.
19. Cost of living? : RENT. Nice clue.
20. "Yikes!" : OH NO
21. Beatnik's "Gotcha" : I'M HIP
24. Biblical verb : DOTH
25. Bete __ : NOIRE
26. On one's game : IN A GROOVE. Bruce is on top of his game.
29. Unyielding : SET
30. Map feature : SCALE. And 39. Map abbr. : AVE. Map clue echo.
32. Crux : HEART
33. Resort of a sort : SPA
36. One brought to a potluck : DISH. So what's your signature dish?
40. Drubbing : ROUT
41. Boater or bowler : HAT
48. Remove : DETACH
50. Con : ANTI
51. K.T. of country music : OSLIN. Not many ways to clue her.
52. Offer to pay : BID
54. Venezia casino winner : SETTE. Seven. Venice. Anyone been to The Venetian in Vegas?
55. Fill with merchandise : STOCK
57. Transcript info : GPA
58. One digging hard rock? : MINER. Gimme for regulars.
60. Just like that : AS IS
61. Greet with a beep : HONK AT
67. Metro barrier : STILE
70. Title of honor : SIR
71. Russian refusals : NYETs. Also 53. Reject : DENY
77. Toy, perhaps : LAP DOG
81. Novelist Seton : ANYA. Learned from doing crosswords.
82. Invite to one's loft, say : ASK UP
83. Jones many keep up with? : DOW. Great clue. Not the "Joneses."
86. Blush relative : ROUGE Also 74. Compact supplies : EYE SHADOWS
87. Dummy Mortimer : SNERD. I used to confuse him with SNERT.
89. Do wrong : SIN
90. One way to split : IN TWO
92. Move, at Coldwell Banker : RELO
93. Heave-ho : OUSTER
99. Medical research org. : NIH
100. Comics resident of the Okefenokee Swamp : POGO
102. NATO founding member : USA. And 104. Part of NATO: Abbr. : ORG
103. Jimmy on sausage labels : DEAN
105. Brass, e.g. : ALLOY
107. Prayer leaders : IMAMs
109. 76-Down brand : RCA.76. Best Buy buy : HDTV. Triple alliteration. Agnes' forte.
114. Land : TOUCH DOWN
120. Major pain : AGONY
121. Becloud : BLUR
123. Pond denizens : NEWTS
124. Indian tourist city : AGRA. Taj Mahal. Xi'an is popular with tourists also.
125. Bind, in a way : GLUE
126. Swerves : VEERS
127. Gas across the border : ESSO. Northern border.
128. Highlander : GAEL
129. Clutter : MESS
130. "Fiddler" meddler : YENTE. My high-school best friend was introduced to her husband by a matchmaker. They're still together.
Down:
1. "La Bohème" role : MIMI
2. McGregor of "Trainspotting" : EWAN
3. Familia girl : NINA
4. Trudges : SLOGS
5. Creamy sauce : ALFREDO. Are those basil?
6. __ Biscuit, product debut of 1912 : OREO. New trivia to me. Biscuit sounds salty.
7. '50s-'60s sitcom nickname : BEAV
8. "The Wreck of the Mary Deare" author Hammond __ : INNES. Stranger to me.
9. "MIB" characters : ETs. Men in Black.
10. Construction units : MODULES
11. Word of possession : WHOSE
12. Mandatory bet : ANTE
13. Words after "jolly" in an iconic ad : HO HO HO. The Jolly Green Giant.
14. Affaire de coeur : AMOUR
15. "Really?!" : OH IS THAT SO. Sparkly fill.
16. Diva Te Kanawa : KIRI
17. Something to build on : SPEC. On spec.
21. Cons : INMATES. The facial place I used to visit in Guangzhou was next to the police station. I could hear cops yelling and beating. In those days, I just thought bad guys deserved it.
23. Theme : MOTIF
27. Whiz : MAVEN
28. Big beef : FEUD. Not KOBE.
31. Kid's plea : CAN I
33. Ping-Pong shot : SMASH
34. __ bean : PINTO. I think these are the beans Boomer uses in his Chili.
35. "Good Eats" host Brown : ALTON
37. Sun blocker : SMOG
38. Briefcase fastener : HASP
40. Ruin, weatherwise : RAIN ON
42. "Double, double toil and trouble" time : ACT IV
43. This and this : THESE
45. Energize : KICK-START. Another great fill.
46. Rock genre : GLAM
47. Heron cousin : IBIS
49. Baseball or football : TEAM SPORT
56. Simpson trial figure Kaelin : KATO. Forgot. We had him before.
58. Chicago exchange, briefly, with "the" : MERC. Oh, Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
59. Stagger : REEL
62. Fey in American Express ads : TINA
64. "Pronto!" : ASAP
65. Do-it-yourselfer's buy : KIT. TTP almost DIYs everything. From computers to water leaks. What a guy.
66. Hollywood Walk of Fame symbol : STAR
68. Not as much : LESS
69. __ Pie : ESKIMO. Never had it.
72. Wall builder : MASON
73. Boredom : ENNUI
75. Certain bond, briefly : MUNI. Boring but safe.
78. Caused by : DUE TO
79. Rubberneck : OGLER
80. Maestro Solti : GEORG. One more name 91. Author Chomsky : NOAM
84. Outstanding : OWED
85. Modeled, say : WORE
88. Arranges strategically : DEPLOYS
90. "In my opinion ... " : I'D SAY
94. It's on the house : ROOF. Literal. Not FREE,
96. X, at times : NUMERAL. Got via crosses.
97. Progressive movement : MARCH. I like this new clue angle.
98. Antipasto fish : ANCHOVY
101. Exerciser's accessory : GYM BAG. Nice.
106. Slowly, in music : LENTO
107. Toughen : INURE. Or ENURE.
108. Ripped off : STOLE
110. Website charge : AD FEE
111. Locks in a barn? : MANE. Another great clue.
112. What seems like forever : AGES
113. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : OLGA
115. Duty : ONUS
116. Pac-12 team : UTES. Utah Utes.
117. Harbinger : OMEN
118. Imperfection : WART. Do you know Wabi-sabi? There's beauty in imperfection.
119. Where Anheuser-Busch is BUD : NYSE
122. "Ben-Hur" studio : MGM
120. Major pain : AGONY
121. Becloud : BLUR
123. Pond denizens : NEWTS
124. Indian tourist city : AGRA. Taj Mahal. Xi'an is popular with tourists also.
125. Bind, in a way : GLUE
126. Swerves : VEERS
127. Gas across the border : ESSO. Northern border.
128. Highlander : GAEL
129. Clutter : MESS
130. "Fiddler" meddler : YENTE. My high-school best friend was introduced to her husband by a matchmaker. They're still together.
Down:
1. "La Bohème" role : MIMI
2. McGregor of "Trainspotting" : EWAN
3. Familia girl : NINA
4. Trudges : SLOGS
5. Creamy sauce : ALFREDO. Are those basil?
6. __ Biscuit, product debut of 1912 : OREO. New trivia to me. Biscuit sounds salty.
7. '50s-'60s sitcom nickname : BEAV
8. "The Wreck of the Mary Deare" author Hammond __ : INNES. Stranger to me.
9. "MIB" characters : ETs. Men in Black.
10. Construction units : MODULES
11. Word of possession : WHOSE
12. Mandatory bet : ANTE
13. Words after "jolly" in an iconic ad : HO HO HO. The Jolly Green Giant.
14. Affaire de coeur : AMOUR
15. "Really?!" : OH IS THAT SO. Sparkly fill.
16. Diva Te Kanawa : KIRI
17. Something to build on : SPEC. On spec.
21. Cons : INMATES. The facial place I used to visit in Guangzhou was next to the police station. I could hear cops yelling and beating. In those days, I just thought bad guys deserved it.
23. Theme : MOTIF
27. Whiz : MAVEN
28. Big beef : FEUD. Not KOBE.
31. Kid's plea : CAN I
33. Ping-Pong shot : SMASH
34. __ bean : PINTO. I think these are the beans Boomer uses in his Chili.
35. "Good Eats" host Brown : ALTON
37. Sun blocker : SMOG
38. Briefcase fastener : HASP
40. Ruin, weatherwise : RAIN ON
42. "Double, double toil and trouble" time : ACT IV
43. This and this : THESE
45. Energize : KICK-START. Another great fill.
46. Rock genre : GLAM
47. Heron cousin : IBIS
49. Baseball or football : TEAM SPORT
56. Simpson trial figure Kaelin : KATO. Forgot. We had him before.
58. Chicago exchange, briefly, with "the" : MERC. Oh, Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
59. Stagger : REEL
62. Fey in American Express ads : TINA
64. "Pronto!" : ASAP
65. Do-it-yourselfer's buy : KIT. TTP almost DIYs everything. From computers to water leaks. What a guy.
66. Hollywood Walk of Fame symbol : STAR
68. Not as much : LESS
69. __ Pie : ESKIMO. Never had it.
72. Wall builder : MASON
73. Boredom : ENNUI
75. Certain bond, briefly : MUNI. Boring but safe.
78. Caused by : DUE TO
79. Rubberneck : OGLER
80. Maestro Solti : GEORG. One more name 91. Author Chomsky : NOAM
84. Outstanding : OWED
85. Modeled, say : WORE
88. Arranges strategically : DEPLOYS
90. "In my opinion ... " : I'D SAY
94. It's on the house : ROOF. Literal. Not FREE,
96. X, at times : NUMERAL. Got via crosses.
97. Progressive movement : MARCH. I like this new clue angle.
98. Antipasto fish : ANCHOVY
101. Exerciser's accessory : GYM BAG. Nice.
106. Slowly, in music : LENTO
107. Toughen : INURE. Or ENURE.
108. Ripped off : STOLE
110. Website charge : AD FEE
111. Locks in a barn? : MANE. Another great clue.
112. What seems like forever : AGES
113. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : OLGA
115. Duty : ONUS
116. Pac-12 team : UTES. Utah Utes.
117. Harbinger : OMEN
118. Imperfection : WART. Do you know Wabi-sabi? There's beauty in imperfection.
119. Where Anheuser-Busch is BUD : NYSE
122. "Ben-Hur" studio : MGM
FIRbNTD! Done, but no ta-da, so searched and found my error at the very last letter, YENTa > YENTE, which revealed NYSE, not some German town name as I'd been thinking!
ReplyDeleteThe prescience of the Blog: PK yesterday using AGONY.
{A-.}
If a MAN OF MEANS is MADE OF MONEY,
How can meager means attract a honey?
Despite that WART
You can win her HEART,
If you write poems she thinks are funny!
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteHand up for Yenta first.
Began this at bedtime, too tired to make sense of it, but with the light of a new day I zoomed right through. After all these years I'm still amazed at what a difference fatigue makes in puzzle solving.
Nicely crafted puzzle, I'd say!
Morning, C.C., I agree about the Oreo/biscuit connection or lack thereof. Maybe it reflects British usage, dunno.
I figured that the "biscuit" usage with Oreo was British. Took me a while to get traction on this one but I ended up finishing in about normal time. I enjoyed the many fills that seemed new and sparkly to me. This was a great way to start a rainy, cloudy day: a fire in the fireplace, a good cup of coffee, and a view out the window of mountains hiding their heads in the mist while I do my Sunday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day to all those to whom it applies.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteMy alarm clock (cat on the window ledge) went off early this morning. It must be because the sun comes up earlier now. I finished my chores and this puzzle in short order. Enjoyed it, Bruce, even though I'm not a mother...not with that spelling, anyway. Thought of UNKNOWN for "X, at times," but the U was already in place...the wrong place. I also tried HATH before DOTH showed up.
C.C., most people who erroneously put beans in chili (a real no-no in Texas) use lima beans. That wabi-sabi link is broken on my machine.
I feel a little achy this morning. I thought offering $40 for two hours work cleaning my gutters would be a good deal. The teenagers stayed away in droves. It really needed to be done now. This may the last gasp of pleasant weather before the hot'n'humids set in and take up residence till fall.
Kidney or pinto beans.
DeleteQuick check-in before I am off to celebrate the day. I finished this CW last night and got the theme. Thanks Bruce and C.C.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I had Mother's Day in 122 A before Month of May.
Happy Mother's Day . For those whose Mothers are no longer here, those who have lost children or never had them at all, may your memories be sweet and the day not too painful.
Hi Y'all! Enjoyed this fun puzzle, Bruce! Not an easy fill, but satisfying. Being a MOM, I appreciate the theme.
ReplyDeleteGood expo, C.C.! Had never heard of wabi sabi, but you always expand our imperfect minds introducing new concepts. I think that is chopped spinach in the Alfredo.
First fill was MWAH and thought it would surely be wrong. Last fill: OH IS THAT SO.
Owen: I laughed when I encountered AGONY in the puzzle and thought the same thing.
C.C.: my signature dish used to be spaghetti with meat sauce made with the beef my husband raised and my garden-raised tomatoes. Don't go to potlucks now or even cook very often.
Jimmy DEAN microwaveable sausage patties are a staple of my diet.
KATO: always thought he might be an accomplice rather than an alibi.
My Mother's Day lunch with my son and grandson yesterday was Mexican food. Yummy! My DIL and other grandson were at a college graduation for a friend out of town. Son stayed home because of grandson's baseball game, so my insertion into the day was just luck. I did enjoy having a nice visit with both of them. G-son was annoyed that I didn't go to his ballgame. He informed me that his other grandparents were going. I'm not in competition with anything but pain. Pain wins usually.
After filling MAN OF MEANS it was sure to be a MOM's X-word. But calling Phillip's MILK OF MAGNESIA an antacid, while chemically it is, is misnaming it. It's a LAXATIVE. Easy fills with only INNES, ANYA, ACT IV, GEORG being completed using perps. MWAH I learned from puzzles, never having seen it written anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteI kinda knew SETTE but didn't know if 'this and that' would be THESE or THOSE. I was thinking DENT instead of WART before the NYSE made my mind up.
Jimmy DEAN- 'Big Bad John, Big John'
Have a great day.
Happy Mother's Day to all those who come to the Corner.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, thanks Bruce.
For Big Easy and others I offer this LINK to sing-a-long with.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to have a puzzle that celebrates an occasion or person, especially when it's presented in an expanded Sunday grid. The reveal being Month of May rather than Mother's Day brought a smile. There was some crunch but nothing serious and the cluing and fill was top notch.
Thank you, Bruce, for a most enjoyable solve and thanks, CC, for a most pleasant expo and that complimentary SO.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers everywhere.
Have a great day.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Happy Mom’s Day to all here with that most lovely of appellations!
-My solve was like snowbirds coming home – South to North
-You think you know who MADE ONE’S MOVE until the dramatic finish (1:10)
-What Captain and Tennille song had the lyric “I WILL, I WILL, I WILL”?
-Vieni su SETTE undici! (Come on, seven, eleven!)
-H.S. GPA vs SAT score
-Hmmm… What should we call those STILES that turn?
-Waterbury, CT was BRASS City USA making buttons and such up to WWII and then converted to make BRASS armament parts
-OREO as a biscuit? Who’d a thunk it?
-Subbing for a teacher WHOSE desk is a cluttered MESS is a challenge
-Ah, MODULE sweet MODULE. No MASONS needed.
-Teachers sometime correct, “CAN I go to the bathroom?” with…
-I’m not sure KATO got his full 15 minutes of fame
-We’re meeting the girls in Lincoln at XI:30
ReplyDeleteGood morning all. Thank you Bruce and thank you CC.
Happy Mothers Day. Beautiful day for all the moms in Chicago. Hope it's just as nice for all the moms in other places.
MUSE OF MUSIC was the toughest theme entry for me, and along with it, the NE area was the slowest to get solved. Wanted IS THAT SO but it wasn't long enough until I realized the OH. Also wanted Site rather than SPEC for something to build on.
Wanted stUD for big beef as I latched on to stud bull. And couldn't think of 7 letter verb for CONS. Then I realized I was looking for a noun.
Couldn't think of the '50s '60s sitcom character. Gee Wally, here is the Mothers Day appropriate episode.
CC, thanks for the shout out. I do enjoy fixing stuff, and am a dedicated DIY'er. Sometimes to the chagrin of my wife. Yes honey, I know the dryer is over 20 years old. But I've bypassed the thermal fuse, and the part will be coming day after tomorrow. Just don't dry on high heat until I replace it.
Thanks CC
ReplyDeleteGreat write up! I don't know how you find time to do all the things you do on this site and still maintain your status as the #1 most published crossword constructor in the country - amazing! You put the CC in Crossword Construction!
It's very difficult to find a big set of three letter phrases using ANY letters of the alphabet, so I considered myself quite lucky to find this many for MOM. Yes, I had to put a laxative in there (clued as an antacid) and yes there are a lot of duped words, but Rich was kind enough to overlook those wee flaws For Mom's sake. Happy Mother's Day to all you fabulous MOMS out there! Bruce Haight
I enjoyed the puzzle and the write up. Thanks Bruce and CC.
ReplyDeleteI filled in the expected answer OK but I think 44A was poorly clued. Milk of Magnesia is advertised for relief of constipation, not as an antacid. If one were to take it for relief of an acid stomach, a very bad side effect is likely to ensue.
There was a nice little graphic of an Eskimo Pie for 69D. The picture of the bar with a bite taken out of it looked too much like a brown urinal with a white interior. It's probably just me...
CC, I think the green bits in the Alfredo sauce for 5D look like small pieces of asparagus to me.
Those little green bits are chopped fresh parsley. Here is the recipe for that picture.
ReplyDeleteSo Bruce, I see we posted at the same time. Did you clue Milk of Magnesia as an antacid because you and/or Rich thought a laxative was not suitable for Sunday brunch?
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day to everyone!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet puzzle today <3 Thank you, Bruce, it was very enjoyable! I told my mom to be sure to do it since you made it just for her! Thank you C.C. for the expose - well done, of course. And congrats on being the most published!
Graduation festivities are officially over and I look forward to a few weeks of R&R before the new job starts. I don't remember what it's like to not be stressed so hopefully the relaxation part will kick in soon.
The parsley usually used in Alfredo is Italian Parsley. It looks similar to cilantro and is generally next to it in the stores. I always have to tell the checker what it is so they key in the right code (DH uses it a lot).
Wishing you all a beautiful Mother's Day!
t.
"Puzzling Thoughts":
ReplyDeleteMy daily "Owen":
Here's a thing about me you should know,
That I'm feeling lethargic and slow.
If I were puckish guy
Then my rallying cry
Would be: C'mon. Get up! ENNUI go!
My daily Moe-Ku:
Kermit the Frog asked
Miss Piggy, "You want a kiss?"
And she replied, "MWAH"?
@Bill Graham,
ReplyDeleteThat's true Bill- we have something called the Breakfast Test where we try not to mention anything we wouldn't brought up at the breakfast table, and we decided laxatives was one. On this blog though we can be a skosh more liberal so, moving along....hope everything came out well for you with this puzzle!
Of course, one of 123A follows the clue for 42D in Macbeth
ReplyDeleteAll:
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Second Witch:
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of NEWT, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
I dove to the bottom and soon found the MOM theme which helped a lot. Great puzzle.
ReplyDeleteOSLIN was all perps. One bad cell: HEP/KERI, instead of HIP/KIRI.
Nabisco used to be the National Biscuit Company which debuted Oreo Biscuits. As some have said, the British call cookies biscuits. I have just read another book by an Englishman containing many "Britishisms." Nice fresh clue for Oreo.
We northerners cook chili con carne con frijoles, but shorten the name to just chili. As Larry said, most people I know use pinto or kidney beans. I have never seen chili with lima beans.
For the last potluck I made scalloped potatoes with five pounds of peeled, thinly sliced potatoes. My friends ate every bit. This dish always gets rave reviews.
Thinking of wabi sabi, there is a gate at a famous temple in Nikko, Japan, where the artist purposely carved an imperfection to show his humility, a great virtue. It also is thought of as enforcing the concept of imperfection as beauty. This gives me a sense of Eastern/Western cultural dissonance. It seems to me to be showing off how humble one is. "I have no faults, I am even humble." We enjoyed out visit to this temple complex.
Link NIKKO
A total Mother's Day gift, Bruce--and thank you so much for stopping by. And a great expo, C.C.--many thanks to you too!
ReplyDeleteI had such huge blanks when I started out, except for the NW corner and the bottom, that I was sure I was going to have to cheat to get anywhere. But slowly a little filled in here and there, and when I got to the reveal, I had my epiphany. Like CanadianEh, I too tried Mother's Day at first, but when that clearly wasn't working I got the MONTH OF MAY, and suddenly all those OFs in the middle of the theme answers began to make sense and I started putting in the two MMs and then it took off. In the end I got the whole thing without a single cheat--thank you, thank you, thank you, for a great experience, Bruce.
Fun poems this morning, Owen.
Have a wonderful Mother's Day, everybody!
Did the crossword while sitting in the car double parked in front of NYU,
ReplyDeletewhile Daughter #2 helped Daughter#3 pack up and move out of her dorm room
for the summer.
Then we headed uptown to feed Daughter#1's cats while she is away for the weekend.
Mom stayed home...
I liked this puzzle very much. Great job, Bruce; terrific cluing and fill. Hand up for entering MOTHERSDAY before changing it to MONTHOFMAY. It took me too long to see the M-O-M pattern.
ReplyDeleteHG, that song would be "Love Will Keep Us Together" (even though it didn't in real life).
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Bruce and CC!
Great theme. Got w/o too much trouble.
Hand up for "Mothers Day" first. Scratched head at OREO.
Didn't know INNES.
Expect son-in-law and a granddaughter to bring dinner. What a surprise!
Have a Happy Mom's Day to all the mothers out there!
Fermatprime, glad to hear from you. Some of us worried when you didn't post. Happy Mother's day to you too.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter came over and brought me peonies from a plant that originated in my grandfather's garden of 40 yrs. ago. We sat and visited for a long while. Got more graphic details about her recent surgery. I have a strong constitution for hearing medical details usually, but thinking of the 8# of "material" they removed from my "baby" pretty well grossed me out. Glad she's better and NO malignancy. I came down with a virus and couldn't go see her right after her surgery.
Happy Mothers Day to all MOMS!
ReplyDeleteThis was a lovely puzzle! Thank you, Bruce, and thank you for your comments.
I echo Dudley's notion about fuzziness when tired. I awoke early, started the puzzle and after about 30 minutes was too sleepy to continue. After two more hours of sleep, I whizzed through it until time to go to church then finished it afterword. As all have commented, it had amusing and fresh clues.
Not being a country music fan, OSLIN is unknown to me and I don't recall seeing Euterpe before but surely I must have at some time.
So again, thank you so much, Bruce, for the salute to mothers and C.C. for your insight. Congratulations on being such a prolific constructor!
For me, PINTO beans are an essential ingredient in chile con carne and one of my favorite foods.
I hope all are enjoying this beautiful day, especially your mothers!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what my signature dish would be. So many favorite entrees.
The showboat go-to would be roast prime rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding.
I want to eat at Blue Hen's house. Have you read the menu planning that he does ? I'm thinking he is either a charlatan or has mad skills in the kitchen. I'm going with the latter. Must have been or is a professional. Fess up Blue Hen. What's the story ?
Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. I hope you are having a great day.
ReplyDeleteWe spent yesterday at David, Motoko and Kenny's home celebrating Mother's day and Kenny's and Alan's birthdays. We had a great time with a delicious lasagna dinner made by Motoko and an apple pie made by me. David assembled a hand picked goody basket with many of my favorites he knew I would enjoy. They sent me a bouquet of pink tulips and blue irises, my favorites. Alan treated me to lunch today and gave me a lovely bouquet of mums. Motoko also made extra of several meals and sent me a care package so I won't have to cook for a while. We had a lovely time.
TTP, David and Motoko cook roast prime rib with Yorkshire pudding for me on my Christmas birthday. Yummy.
Have any of you tried Nabisco Breakfast Belvita ? To me they look like, chew like, and taste like cookies. But, Nabisco calls them breakfast biscuits. I imagine that cookies were usually called biscuits in the USA back in the early 1900s.
ReplyDeleteThere was a music club in my area called Euterpe Society/Club/something. I never knew where they got that weird name until today. Aha, now it makes some sense.
ReplyDeleteThe best Mother's Day gift so far today: not one single Robo-call! This must be the first time in years that the only call I've had in a single day was from my son and grand-son with lovely wishes for the day. If this keeps up for the rest of the afternoon and evening, it will be one of my most relaxed days in years!
ReplyDeleteC-Moe, I think I get it. Ms Piggy often said Moi? That
ReplyDeleteMy fingers are hitting the wrong buttons. YENTA did me in too. I just lost my post so HM'sD. Owen I liked your simple yet elegant 'lick.
ReplyDeleteBruce and CC thx to both.
WC
Since Bruce wrote that he thought it didn't pass the 'breakfast test' but might be OK on this blog, here goes. Laxative, stool softener, poop. :>)
ReplyDeleteI just back from a new coffee emporium. I was watching two girl staring into their laps with their thumbs performing a dance on their phones. I meanwhile, felt quite superior, staring into my lap, my index finger flipping pages on my Nook while I was chortling at Dave Barry.
Good Tuesday morning, folks. Thank you, Bruce Haight, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteGot through most of this just fine. I confidently wrote in MOTHERS DAY for 122A. Later, after I fixed that, I now have a large inkblot. MONTH OF MAY won that battle.
I had MAKES ONES MARK for 63A. MAKES ONES MOVE came slowly.
I have obtained the puzzle from the MENSA site when cruciverb was out to lunch.
We had a great brunch on Mothers' Day at the Shrine Temple. Unlimited food.
I had a problem up North. RENT, INNES, ETS, and BEAV.
Have to run. Have to blog in on Saturday's puzzle.
Abejo
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We had YENTE recently, otherwise I would have fallen for YENTA. Hand up for HATH before DOTH.
ReplyDeleteAnd hand up with Yellowrocks for KERI/HEP. Very unfair as we have had HEP a number of times recently and never heard of KIRI. A true Natick.
Tried MODE OF MUSIC before getting MUSE. For some reason I found WHOSE surprisingly hard to get! Last to fall.
Anyone else try MART before MERC? There is a Merchandise MART in Chicago, too and it is quite famous.
I had NOAM Chomsky as a professor, so that was a gimme. Very smart and caring person.
I loved all the later Beatles albums including the White Album, so I WILL was fairly easy.
In Southeast Asia I went to Club MWAH with my then girlfriend. Her idea. It is a club where tall, gorgeous women perform on stage. Except they are not women.
This time it was GAEL. Last time it was GAOL and I put GAEL.