23A. Result of failing to catch a wascally wabbit? : ELMER'S GLOOM. Elmer's Glue.
25A. Viral video about Dre's headphones? : BEATS MEME. Beats me. Beats by Dr.
56A. "I'm the best on the runway," e.g.? : MODELING CLAIM. Modeling clay.
78A. Herb served only on trains? : RAILROAD THYME. Railroad tie.
113A. Floral stench? : BLOOM FUNK. Blue funk.
115A. Poor prompt to a friend who's been asked what the capital of Alaska is? : JUST SAY NOME. Just Say No.
38D. British cop's heartthrob? : BOBBY FLAME. Bobby Flay.
43D. Some "Ghostbusters" jokes? : SLIME HUMOR. Sly humor.
What a nice title. It captures the sound change gimmick perfectly.
Two changes in first words, six changes in last word. Very consistent. Jeffrey did a similar M-ending puzzle last year. His gimmick involved the second word only. Fun to compare both puzzles.
Across:
1. "Take __!" : THAT. Not CARE.
5. Follower of Zeno : STOIC
10. Revelatory moments : AHAs
14. Concert site : HALL
18. Gives a shine to : WAXES
20. Conveyor connected to a pump : AORTA. Heart pump.
21. Norse trickster : LOKI. Pronounced like "low-key".
22. Mayberry redhead : OPIE
27. Ultimate : EVENTUAL
28. Barak of Israel : EHUD. Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001.
30. Victim of Casca : CAESAR. Casca attacked Caesar first.
31. Litany from a lying perp : DENIALS
32. Pasta wheat : DURUM. Latin for "hard".
34. Ad hoc gp. : COMM. Committee.
35. ISP alternative : DSL
36. "C'mon, bro!" : AW MAN!
37. Landlocked African land : ZIMBABWE. Sadza (white cornmeal) is a staple there.
41. "Are not!" evoker : AM SO
44. Holiday seasons : YULES
46. Underwater stabilizer : KEEL
48. Embellish : ADORN. Are those sprinkles on the plate dried herbs?
49. Tops off : FILLS
51. Zip : NIL
52. Seriously hurt : MAIM
54. StubHub parent company : EBAY
55. Young Darth's nickname : ANI
62. Hang-thread link : BY A
63. Inviting words : COME ON IN
65. Risk it : DARE. And 118. A risk might be taken on one : LARK. Not DARE.
66. Like some R-rated films : RACY
68. Took an arduous trip : TREKKED
69. "Sexy" Beatles woman : SADIE
70. Pathetic : PITIFUL
73. Walk obediently : HEEL
74. Biceps exercise : CHIN
75. "You're not done talking, are you?" : WHAT ELSE
76. Soccer phenom Freddy : ADU. Once touted as The Next Pelé.
82. Wore (away) : ATE
83. NASA vehicles : LEMs
85. Court entry : PLEA
86. Barrel contents : OIL
87. Any of three Ottoman sultans : AHMED. New to me. It means "highly praised" in Arabic.
89. Beef recall cause : E. COLI
91. Poetic foot : IAMB
93. Mideast capital at 7,380 feet : SANA'A
95. Hefty refs. : OEDs. Oxford English Dictionary.
96. Toyota compacts : COROLLAs
98. Somewhat high : TIPSY
100. Not cloudy: Abbr. : CLR. OK. Clear. We just had a beautiful week here in MN. Amazing to walk on fallen leaves in summer-like weather.
102. Tidy the garden, in a way : WEED
103. Charge : RUN AT
104. It precedes some hockey games : O CANADA
108. Creativity result : OUTPUT
111. Hall of Fame catcher Carlton : FISK. So who is your favorite all-time catcher?
112. Sweater type : CARDIGAN
119. Rickey flavoring : LIME
120. __ nous : ENTRE
121. Half a '60s-'70s pop duo : SONNY
122. Poker game starter : ANTE. And 124. Poker game betrayals : TELLS
123. 2000, for one : YEAR
125. Where Nike has no "i," briefly : NYSE. Nike stock ticker is NKE.
Down:
1. Suit material : TWEED
2. Cut in two : HALVE
3. Corporate heavies : AX MEN. Is this a common saying?
4. Young star : TEEN IDOL
5. They go on for generations : SAGAS
6. Turnpike fee : TOLL
7. Medalla de victor : ORO
8. Skater Midori : ITO
9. Smartphone feature : CAMERA
10. "Dark Sky Island," e.g. : ALBUM. Clue echo at 40. "Dark Sky Island" musician : ENYA.
11. Did some gardening : HOED
12. Alias preceder : AKA
13. Without ads, it's usually about 21 or 22 minutes : SITCOM
14. Like much jam : HOMEMADE. Pickling was quite popular when I grew up. Probably because sugar was rationed, no one made jam. I have fond memories of a mulberry tree.
15. Copies : APES
16. __ bean : LIMA
17. Inappropriate look : LEER
19. Sp. lasses : SRTAs
24. 2016 film subtitled "Miracle on the Hudson" : SULLY
26. Latin dance : SAMBA
29. Eye-opener at the gym : HUNK. Such an unexpected answer.
32. Live : DWELL
33. Uncertain sounds : UMs
34. Eyelashes : CILIA. Learned form doing crosswords.
36. Not from around here : ALIEN
37. Enthusiasm : ZEAL
39. "King Kong" (1933) actress : WRAY (Fay)
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41. "It's __!": "True!" : A FACT
42. Bouncer's concern : MINOR
45. Reversed : UNDID
47. Host : EMCEE
50. Barbecue equipment using wood : SMOKER
53. Sister of Moses : MIRIAM. This stumped me before.
57. Swimmer's unit : ONE LAP
58. Panhandle state : IDAHO
59. Gymnast Comaneci : NADIA
60. Tedious work : GRIND
61. Kathy of country : MATTEA
64. Barely get, with "out" : EKE
67. Co. in Cannes : CIE
69. "Get lost!" : SCRAM
70. Kingdom subdivisions : PHYLA. Plural of phylum.
71. "¿Cómo está __?" : USTED
72. __ United: English soccer team : LEEDS. Anyone remember Steve's team?
75. Sniveling : WHINY
76. Smart guy? : ALEC
77. Art __ : DECO
79. Homeric epic : ILIAD
80. Beethoven strolled in them for inspiration : LEAS. I thought the answer would be German for "parks".
81. Done for : TOAST. Yay, Astros! Good to see you back, TTP!
84. Highway hazard : SLOWPOKE
88. Interfere with : HORN IN ON
90. Intestinal section : ILEUM. Plural ILEA.
92. A/C measure : BTUs
93. Day or nail follower : SPA
94. West African capital : ACCRA
97. Uncork, so to speak : LET FLY
99. Laser alternative : INKJET
101. __ man : LADY'S. Not an easy fill-in-the-blank. So many choices.
103. "Star Trek: TNG" first officer : RIKER (Will). Another learning moment.
104. Refreshment spots : OASES
105. Extreme pain : AGONY
106. Condemns : DAMNS
107. In the blink of __ : AN EYE
108. Beatles nonsense syllables : OB-LA
109. __ Bator : ULAN. Beautiful name in Chinese.
110. Battery, e.g. : TORT
111. Low-cost home loan org. : FNMA
112. Bottom row PC key : CTRL
114. Turn often prohibited, slangily : UIE
116. French article : UNE
117. Home of the NHL's Blues : STL
31 comments:
DNF & FIW¡ Down to just the block surrounding USTED when I gave in and hit the check button¡ Had one erroneous WAG at eDU+eLEC, and lost PITIoUs, which I had been pretty sure of. WAGed 8 empty cells, hit check, and 7 of them turned red¡ Another round of WAGs finally filled the East correctly, but I still had to cheat on 76 to find the A.
CSO to me with LOKI, my nom de crucis when I was composing cryptic crosswords, and also my gmail.com handle, okl.loki@.
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was measured in IAMB.
Are there DENIALS
Of poesy styles?
Some folks JUST don't give a DAMN!
AHMED was a bigwig in the Empire Ottoman,
In fact, he was their CAESAR, as sultan!
His chief-of-staff he'd dismay
By PITIFUL things he'd say --
The man would facepalm, moaning "Ahmed, AW, MAN!"
A BOBBY named Robert from ZIMBABWE
Would play video games on his job day.
He CLAIMED simulation
Protected his nation,
As he learned law enforcement the Sim Bob way!
(A, C-, A.)
Good morning!
Started right off with SERGE where TWEED needed to go. Still, this one turned into a quickie. Thanx, Garry (are you related to Garry Moore?) and C.C.
Mom used to make HOMEMADE strawberry jam every year. Great stuff!
Popeye's famous line: IAMB what IAMB.
Thank you, Garry. This was an entertaining romp with a variety of cultural references, both classical and modern, that made my head feel like some volumes of the OED had taken up residence.
For me the classical references, such as STOIC, CAESAR, IAMB, etc., come easily but I'm lost with "Dark Sky Island" ALBUM, Kathy MATTEA, Dr. Dre's MEME, Freddy ADU and a few others. Thankfully, perps and guesses take over and I've seen ENYA enough times that her name slips right out. Surprisingly, Carlton FISK was in my wheel house, too but I don't know why since I usually struggle with athlete's names.
The SW corner gave me fits because I really wanted to take a risk on a DARE and LARK took way too long to appear. The K in SLOWPOKE was the last fill.
CSO to Canadian Eh at O CANADA!
I wonder if Tinbeni will be satisfied with LIME rickey and LET FLY a cork?
Yesterday I forgot to mention that we also had Margaritas at our book club meeting. It was a lively discussion!
C.C., AXMEN is commonly applied to executives whose job it is to purge the workforce of idlers, nonproductive workers, etc. Thank you for your commentary and that lovely photo of brilliant colors in your state.
Everyone, have a fabulous Sunday!
Hi Y'all! Thanks for a thought-provoking & amusing puzzle, Garry. A thunderclap awoke me at midnight, so this was a good pastime until all the rumbling was past. Great expo, C.C.!
I got the theme with ELMER'S GLOOM which helped on the others. Had the most trouble figuring out BOBBY FLAME & BLOOM FUNK. Too strange. Liked RR THYME best.
I don't know why I had trouble coming up with Laser = INKJET. I've had both. I wasn't thinking of a printer at all until I had INK.
No hesitation at all at O CANADA (Hiya!) & CARDIGAN to get a start in SE.
HOMEMADE jam: I never bought any all the 31 years on the farm. Depending on what fruit I had in any year, I MADE raspberry (the all-time best), apricot, apple, peach, mulberry-rhubarb, cherry. Never had enough strawberries for jam because the dog ate them.
Last fill was the X in AXMAN/WAXES cross. Duh! Not a common saying with me, C.C., but I've heard of it. My SIL once got canned while he was home sick with pneumonia by a female AXMAN brought in to get rid of the highest paid employees after some DARing financial moves didn't work. SIL had a few names for her, but AXMAN wasn't one of them.
Some days your first thought on the non-gimmes is the correct answer. Then some days your first take on the clue has you (at least) in the right context. Some days it's neither. That was the case with the solve today. Got the gimmes. Many first answers wouldn't work. Had to rethink many of the clues. Finished with one bad cell in just under an hour. Stupid mistake. My sweater was a CARrIGAN, and it seemed to sound right. Should have taken the few seconds longer, but was intent on not exceeding an hour. I'll attribute it to being overly tired and sleeping late. Go Stros !
So many teams that end in United. I'll go with Ayr. No, MANU. No, Leeds. No, Newcastle. No Sheffield. No, West Ham. OK, I give up. What is the correct answer ?
Tx Ms FLN, I was just across the NW Feeway at what is now called Vintage Apartments. I think it was called Bridgegate, or Bridgeport back then. Maybe Bridgestone. Something with Bridge in it if I recall correctly. I had a townhouse apartment with two stories of glass. Rode out Hurricane Alicia watching day turn to night around noon or so as she blew in. The big pine out my windows bent sideways but never snapped. Scary. Will never forget that storm and the damage she did. Of course, Harvey was worse.
A childhood friend lived on West Donovan at N. Shepherd, so my regular route was east on 43rd to Rosslyn, go north and cut through the neighborhood to Ella, north to Pinemont, east to N Shepherd. May have driven by your house or we may have passed each other in traffic !
Good Morning:
This was a pleasant Sunday with enough crunch to satisfy and lots of punny themers. My pullover became a cardigan and my Noels became Yules and that was that. Any unknowns (Adu, Ahmed, Mattea, Leeds) were perp friendly. I missed Bloom Funk as being part of the theme and was wondering what on God's green earth is a bloom funk? I even Googled it before I came here. Nice CSO to CanadianEh.
Thanks, Garry, for a fun solve and thanks, CC, for the grand tour. Favorite catcher is the one and only Yogi.
To the many dog lovers out there, I highly recommend a movie that I watched last night: "A Dog's Purpose." It's funny, sad, heartwarming, uplifting, and inspirational. Bill G, you, without doubt, would love it.
TTP, so nice to have you back.
Lucina, your book club repast had me salivating! I would trade the Margarita for a Bloody Mary, though.speaking of Bloody Marys, I have to whip up a batch tomorrow for my three luncheon guests. (And me, of course!) 🍹🍹🍹🍹
Have a great day.
It was a speed run until the SW. I caught the extra M at ELMERS GLOO-M. But I had double trouble in the SW, filling DARE ( which showed up at 65A) and filling BLOOM FUME for 'Blue Flu' instead of FUNK. My brain was thinking of something other than what I had written because there was no L after the F. I've never watched any generation of Star Trek so RIKER as an ALIEN fill. I realized that Fannie Mae's abbr. wasn't FMMA but FNMA. So I was a SLOWPOKE for a few minutes in that area. The MATTEA AHMED cross was WAG, both unknowns along with ENYA, ADU, and LIME.
Two writeovers- CURL became CHIN, and SEXY became RACY.
Question- have any of you actually heard anyone respond to 'Are not' as AM SO? I know it's correct English but maybe it's a Southern saying but I've only heard 'AM TOO' or 'I DO TOO' as a response when accused of not doing something.
'Embellish'- ADORN- don't you hate it when you go to a restaurant and they sprinkle some mystery herb or green onion that you don't like on top your entree.
SANA'A- who's is charge over there? It will probably look like some of the towns ISIS got ousted from in a couple of years.
ENYA & EMO- other than crosswords I've never heard or seen either of them. Looks like LUCINA doesn't know her music either.
Musings
-FNMA (Fannie May) and RIKER were never going to come and so I’ll take two bad cells
-Loved JUST SAY NOME!
-HEEL – Is it still bad manners for a man to walk before a woman on the way to their table in a nice restaurant? We saw it twice last night.
-CURL was wrong but all of these get worked in a chin
-Yogi for me C.C.!
-Six LEMS are still on the Moon. Future tourist attractions?
-Same great weather here, C.C.
-The year 2K crisis did not materialize
-A George Clooney movie about his being an AXMAN
-Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but not their own FACTS
-If you’re gonna be a SLOW POKE, at least stay in the right lane
Lucina, your diet is so strict, I'm surprised you could have a Margarita. My friend was given pills for Type II Diabetis, but was told if he had to have alcohol he'd need insulin injections. He opted for pills. By the way, how did your club like that book? I've seen the ads for it but haven't decided whether or not to get it.
We just got word that my sis in Santa Rosa was finally let back into her neighborhood to check on her house and found it standing undamaged. Don't know if she got to move back in or not yet. I would think living in the midst of a burnt out wasteland would be depressing with the lingering ash odor not good for her bronchitis. Anyway we are relieved that she is not homeless.
Greetings to all!
An enjoyable puzzle from Garry, but very slow to fill for me due to so many complete unknowns. Last cell to fill was a WAG for the "I" at the cross of Carlton FISK and RIKER. JUST SAY NOME was my favorite theme answer. Thanks for the thorough expo and links, C.C.. The photo of the fall-colored trees is absolutely stunning.
Enjoy the day!
PK:
Usually not everyone likes whichever book we discuss, but EVERYONE liked this one! That made the discussion much more interesting with all participating. I'm rereading it myself because it is quite detailed and I want to recall some of it. Mark Sullivan, the author, is a veteran writer with an easy style.
I've never been told not to have alcohol and though I'm not a huge imbiber, I like wine occasionally and some spirits such as Margaritas.
This was much more difficult for me than yesterday's puzzle, but FIR. It took a loooong time, maybe because I did it in between other tasks, without full concentration. SW took the longest. FISK crossing RIKER was a lucky wag.
I had many write-overs, but I do not try to avoid them. I lightly write in wild guesses, intending to change them when I have more crosses. If I don't do so, I sometimes forget what I had been thinking.
"You are not." "I am so!" sounds natural to me,.
My mom made many kinds of delicious homemade jam most years. My favorite was strawberry. There was sugar rationing from 1943-1946 so, maybe not during those years. I remember ration stamps. Also, we children collected milkweed pods and tin cans for the war effort.
I have always believed the well mannered man should precede the woman into a restaurant and while walking to the table. He runs interference for her, clearing the way. Unless there is a reservation, he selects or ratifies the table selection. He also precedes her when walking single file through a crowd.
My diabetic diet is not very strict, but it keeps my daily glucose stick reading and my A1C down. I need a stricter diet to keep my weight down. Unfortunately I eat much more when I am under stress.
PK, good new about your sister. What a relief!
Is this a post fact era? I read that the use of social media is encouraging many people to shun objective facts. Objective facts are becoming less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. Each person seems to have his own "truth."
I loved this Sunday puzzle, Garry--many thanks! No, I didn't get all of it but I had to cheat only on about two items, and everything else fell into place even when I didn't know all the answers positively. I consider that a great construction! After getting ELMER'S GLOOM early on I had a fix on the M theme and that helped with the other theme answers. I too liked the variety of people--from LOKI and CAESAR to OPIE and Faye WRAY and ENYA. And C.C., you're write-ups are always great because they also assure us that we can get the puzzle even if we don't know everything.
Desper-otto, you Popeye IAMB IAMB cracked me up.
Wishing you a lovely luncheon, Irish Miss. Wish I could be there since you're a great cook!
PK, so glad to hear your sister and her home in Santa Rosa are both safe.
And I too loved seeing our wonderful CANADIANeh honored in this puzzle.
Have a great day, everybody!
Had to turn on red letters to find where my error(s) were. Turns out it was not GNMA and GISK, and it was not ADMEN and WADES. But I feel good that I correctly solved the whole rest of the puzzle without needing to look anything up or use red letters. Really like that JUST SAY NOME one; made me laugh.
PK, I am glad that your sister's house was spared and she could go home.
Irish Miss, LW and I rented and watched "A Dog's Purpose" a few months ago and enjoyed it. A typical Lasse Hallström dog story. He must like dogs; he also made "My Life As a Dog" and "Hachi: A Dog's Tale." By the way, he is married to Lena Olin, with whose name we crossword cornerites are familiar.
Best wishes to you all.
Hi everybody.
Yesterday, TX Ms and Lucina expressed an interest in the area where I go for bike rides most of the time. Here are a couple of photos of the iconic Manhattan Beach pier that I ride past regularly. I try not to take it all for granted.
THE PIER AT SUNSET
THE PIER FROM DOWNTOWN
FIW, missing my WAG at SANsA x PHYLs. Like PK, I especially liked RAILROAD THYME, but probably for a different reason. If I remember correctly, RAILROAD TiME was instrumental in standardizing time zones in the USA. I'm glad PKs sister came out OK. I also liked AORTA for "conveyor connected to a pump". Noticed HOED and WEED making appearances, even though I don't garden here due to the rats, squirrels, possums and coons.
Erased ADdto for ADdoN, then ADORN. StubHub's parent was ESPN before EBAY, at least on my grid. I hung ON A thread before I hung BY it. Like CC and D-O I had a redundant DARE that had to be fixed. My pop duo was _a_as (Mamas or Papas) before dONNY (and Marie) before SONNY and Cher. Finally, I had FEMA before FNMA. I had a dozen unknowns that were salvaged by perps, and the WAG that wasn't.
-T (last night): I had a similar experience with a Verizon store in Brandon, FL. I stalked out of the store and into a Costco a mile down the road, and was in and out before my "appointment" time at the VZW store.
CC, my ATF catcher was Johnny Bench. He would have been a great catcher even without his considerable offensive capability, just for his defense and ability to manage pitchers. I HATE that the bench calls pitches on some teams now. Also, where I worked we called AXMEN "hatchet men". Tough, no-nonsense guys who watched for any sign of bloat. One guy sat across the pond from our building and, using binoculars, kept track of how many "smoke breaks" individuals took.
Thanks to Gary for a true challenge. And thanks to CC for her usual terrific explanation.
AXMAN is also slang for a rock and roll guitarist, especially for a hard rock band.
Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen come to mind, Ed Sheeran not so much.
Jayce:
Very interesting information about Lasse Hallstrom and Lena Olin. Our book club read A Dog's Purpose but I didn't see the movie. I guess I should as the book was so enjoyable. And I see he also directed The Cider House Rules, another wonderful movie with a very different theme.
Bill G:
Those are gorgeous photos. Thank you. I could almost smell the salty air and feel the ocean breeze looking at them.
Sunday Lurk Say...
Thanks for the writeup CC. I put a few of those c/as in my back-pocket.
PK - re: Sis - thanks for sharing the good news.
YR - See: Colbert's Truthiness [MA - Political] or anything from Orwell - confusing / interesting times indeed.
{A, B-, A-}
HG linked "Up in the Air" for AX MAN; here's The Bob's.
Jinx - right? When will these companies figure out their customers' time is worth something. Don't get me started on waiting for the cable-guy.
@4:20 - 1st, LOL on posting time; nicely done. Don't forget the greatest AX MAN: Randy Rhoads [11m]
Go 'Stros!, -T
My bad - wrong link for Randy Rhoads. That other guy was good too :-) -T
Hi Y'all
SANAA crossing ACCRA? REALLY??? This is the L.A.TIMES SUNDAY CROSSWORD!!! Not The Newsweek Saturday Stumper!!! Its supposed to be fun and light hearted, not feel like some obscure Geography Quiz!
Sanaa and Accra have appeared in the LAT puzzles frequently, so they seem fair and common place.I enjoyed the challenge.Tomorrow the puzzle will be lighter.
Isn't this summer weather amazing?
Um-m-m-m, where do I start? Anyone who has gone to traffic school knows that "being high" is, in the eyes of psychologists, NOT a synonym if "being drunk". Also: I've played poker every month of my adult life and NEVER heard the term " TELlS. Finally, the puzzle's theme was mixed change of sound/change of spelling. Too inconsistent for me. Remember: I'm one who appreciates consistency in theme answers, for fairness sake. Well, better luck next week?? Wish I had more time to do daily puzzles, but busy schedules lately,sadly, have prevented this pleasure to me for several months.
{ NEVER heard the term " TELlS. } What about the term "TELLS"?
I always had a problem saying NoMe, which isn’t the Capital of Alaska, Juneau what I mean?
So that is why the clue was "Poor prompt to a friend who's been asked what the capital of Alaska is?"
Dear Argyle:
A "tell" in poker is any sign a person gives out when a player has 'interesting' cards. This can be a good sign (say, scratching an ear, when you get that third king you needed for a full boat), or a bad one (pursing the lips when you get a two when you needed that king). The opposing players look for these signs for insights into another players' hand, because they "tell" you something that might be useful. (This is also why a 'poker face' is a valued asset.)
I'm sure Argyle knows what a TELL is. It's Bobbi who misread the clue and was confused. Sometimes the fonts can be confusing.
Bobbi, great to hear from you. Try to check in anytime you can!
Liked your pictures Bill Graham. Not that far from Laguna Beach?
Misty, we're about an hour north of Laguna Beach or about five miles south of LAX.
Started to get the theme with BEATS MEME and ELMER'S GLOOM, but took a couple more to get it for sure. Definitely helped with some of the solve!
SW tricky. Never heard of FNMA. Last to fall was SE. LADY'S man hard to parse. Cross could be DONNY or SONNY.
Saw JU... and figured it could not be JUNEAU as that would be more than a hint. And, besides, it had to be the wrong answer!
I had a most memorable experience near JUNEAU being taken by helicopter onto Mendenhall Glacier
Never heard of BOBBY FLAY. Has anyone heard of him? That made BOBBY FLAME seem wrong. But I was wrong. So I FIR.
Hand up with Big Easy for CURL before CHIN and SEXY before RACY.
Thanks for the pretty photos of Manhattan Beach, Bill Graham. The Beach Boys sang of surfing at Manhattan and I was confused about why they would surf in New York City until I learned California had one, too.
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