Theme: "Your Eyes Become You" - I is replaced by U in each theme entry.
23A. Traffic jam? : MUDDLE OF THE ROAD. Middle of the road.
33A. Serve leftover rolls? : RECYCLE BUNS. Recycle bins
42A. Dispute over young flowers? : BUDDING WAR. Bidding war.
59A. Last pat? : THE BUTTER END. The bitter end.
68A. Coin-making tool? : PENNY PUNCHER. Penny-pincher.
84A. Mediocre deli item? : DULL PICKLE. Dill pickle.
93A. Mallard's beard? : DUCK VAN DYKE. Dick Van Dyke.
107A. Pair of vehicles in a plot? : TWO CAR COLLUSION. Two-car collision.
15D. Viking descendant on a rampage? : NORMAN MAULER. Norman Mailer.
59D. "Don't forget the rubber disk"? : TAKE YOUR PUCK. Take your pick.
This puzzle has 10 theme entries, occupying total 120 squares. Very heavy in themeage. I don't think I've blogged a 120-themer before.
Rich's minimum requirement is 84. Tough to fill a grid cleanly when the theme entries have over 100 squares. 120 is much much tougher, hence the 88 black squares.
This is also Thomas's first Sunday puzzle. Congratulations!
Across:
1. Ball stars : DEBS
5. Baseball's Hammerin' Hank : AARON. And 30. 5-Across broke his record, with "The" : BABE. Home run record. 715. That ball must be in Cooperstown. We also have 67. Giant of a Giant : MAYS (Willie)
10. Latin foot : PES
13. Cline portrayer in "Sweet Dreams" : LANGE (Jessica)
18. It comes from the head : IDEA
19. Bunkum : TRIPE
20. Meter preceder : ALTI
22. Thrown for __ : A LOOP
26. __ Rossi: Gallo brand : CARLO
27. View from Anchorage : DENALI
28. What may be intended by inadvertent wordplay? : NO PUN. No pun intended.
29. Theater giant? : IMAX
30. Verdi's "Un __ in maschera" : BALLO. Meaning "A Masked Ball". Learning moment for me.
37. "__ news?" : ANY
38. "It's Only a Paper Moon" composer : ARLEN. I need Harold in the clue.
39. Watch : EYE
40. Bay Area county : MARIN
47. Below average : SUBNORMAL
51. Rescue squad initials : EMS
52. "What should __?": dieter's quandary : I EAT
53. Totally lost : AT SEA
54. Boating implements : OARS
55. Goose cooked in its own fat, say : CONFIT. I don't think I've ever had goose. Duck yes.
57. Takes another tack : VEERS
58. Night in Nantes : NUIT
62. Low areas : DALES
63. Hawaiian non-natives : HAOLES. Just remember it as A HOLES.
64. "__ any drop to drink": Coleridge : NOR
65. Grammarians' concerns : USAGES
67. Strong sharks : MAKOs
72. Words before "of rules" : A SET
73. Beaded counters : ABACI. Mine was pretty heavy.
75. Sealy alternatives : SERTAs
76. Ma playing music : YO YO. See the three white Chinese characters? Ma Yo-Yo. Chinese put surname first.
77. Bell sounds : DONGS
78. Traveler's option : RAIL
79. Filing tool : TAB
82. Some travelers put them on in winter : SNOW TIRES
87. "__ Gold": Fonda film : ULEE'S
88. Green Giant orb : PEA
90. Letter-shaped 95-Down opening : F-HOLE. And 95. Instrument with two 90-Acrosses : VIOLA
91. Birdie plus one : PAR
23A. Traffic jam? : MUDDLE OF THE ROAD. Middle of the road.
33A. Serve leftover rolls? : RECYCLE BUNS. Recycle bins
42A. Dispute over young flowers? : BUDDING WAR. Bidding war.
59A. Last pat? : THE BUTTER END. The bitter end.
68A. Coin-making tool? : PENNY PUNCHER. Penny-pincher.
84A. Mediocre deli item? : DULL PICKLE. Dill pickle.
93A. Mallard's beard? : DUCK VAN DYKE. Dick Van Dyke.
107A. Pair of vehicles in a plot? : TWO CAR COLLUSION. Two-car collision.
15D. Viking descendant on a rampage? : NORMAN MAULER. Norman Mailer.
59D. "Don't forget the rubber disk"? : TAKE YOUR PUCK. Take your pick.
This puzzle has 10 theme entries, occupying total 120 squares. Very heavy in themeage. I don't think I've blogged a 120-themer before.
Rich's minimum requirement is 84. Tough to fill a grid cleanly when the theme entries have over 100 squares. 120 is much much tougher, hence the 88 black squares.
This is also Thomas's first Sunday puzzle. Congratulations!
Across:
1. Ball stars : DEBS
5. Baseball's Hammerin' Hank : AARON. And 30. 5-Across broke his record, with "The" : BABE. Home run record. 715. That ball must be in Cooperstown. We also have 67. Giant of a Giant : MAYS (Willie)
10. Latin foot : PES
13. Cline portrayer in "Sweet Dreams" : LANGE (Jessica)
18. It comes from the head : IDEA
19. Bunkum : TRIPE
20. Meter preceder : ALTI
22. Thrown for __ : A LOOP
26. __ Rossi: Gallo brand : CARLO
27. View from Anchorage : DENALI
28. What may be intended by inadvertent wordplay? : NO PUN. No pun intended.
29. Theater giant? : IMAX
30. Verdi's "Un __ in maschera" : BALLO. Meaning "A Masked Ball". Learning moment for me.
37. "__ news?" : ANY
38. "It's Only a Paper Moon" composer : ARLEN. I need Harold in the clue.
39. Watch : EYE
40. Bay Area county : MARIN
47. Below average : SUBNORMAL
51. Rescue squad initials : EMS
52. "What should __?": dieter's quandary : I EAT
53. Totally lost : AT SEA
54. Boating implements : OARS
55. Goose cooked in its own fat, say : CONFIT. I don't think I've ever had goose. Duck yes.
58. Night in Nantes : NUIT
62. Low areas : DALES
63. Hawaiian non-natives : HAOLES. Just remember it as A HOLES.
64. "__ any drop to drink": Coleridge : NOR
65. Grammarians' concerns : USAGES
67. Strong sharks : MAKOs
72. Words before "of rules" : A SET
73. Beaded counters : ABACI. Mine was pretty heavy.
75. Sealy alternatives : SERTAs
76. Ma playing music : YO YO. See the three white Chinese characters? Ma Yo-Yo. Chinese put surname first.
77. Bell sounds : DONGS
78. Traveler's option : RAIL
79. Filing tool : TAB
82. Some travelers put them on in winter : SNOW TIRES
87. "__ Gold": Fonda film : ULEE'S
88. Green Giant orb : PEA
90. Letter-shaped 95-Down opening : F-HOLE. And 95. Instrument with two 90-Acrosses : VIOLA
91. Birdie plus one : PAR
99. Agreements : YESES
100. Some dadaist art : ARPs. Jean Arp.
102. Fear-inducing : HAIRY
103. Not acceptable : UNCOOL
105. Made level, with "up" : TRUED
112. Vanzetti's partner : SACCO. I forgot. We had this before.
113. Price-slashing event : SALE
114. Eight-related : OCTAL
115. Island near Corsica : ELBA
116. Westernmost Canadian territory : YUKON
117. Confident ending? : IAL. Confidential.
118. Italian's "That'll do!" : BASTA
119. Similar : AKIN
Down:
1. Darken : DIM
2. School URL ending : EDU
3. Garden area : BED
4. Like polo ponies : SADDLED
5. Davidson College's NCAA conference, for most sports : A-TEN. Googled afterwards. Atlantic 10 Conference.
6. Like a crowd in full voice : AROAR
7. Go through hastily, as drawers : RIFLE
8. Vision-related : OPTIC
9. Bk. after Ezra : NEH (Nehemiah)
10. Prisoner's reward : PAROLE
11. Take off to get hitched : ELOPE
12. Outfielder Rusty who played for four different expansion teams : STAUB. A la Wiki, the four expansion teams are: Astros, Expos, Mets and Rangers. You have to be a baseball fan to come up with this clue angle.
13. Place to swim, in Paris : LAC. Lake.
14. Jai __ : ALAI
16. __ Heights: disputed Mideast region : GOLAN. Somehow Golan Heights and Al-Qaeda were frequently covered in the daily 5-minute international news segment when I lived in China, the latter was just called "The Base". Boomer never heard of Al-Qaeda until 9/11.
17. Powerful adhesive : EPOXY
21. SSA-issued info : ID NUMBER
24. Actress Téa : LEONI
25. Suffix with consist : ENCY. ENCE works also.
31. Lily family member : ARUM
32. Honorary law degs. : LLDs
34. "You bet __ boots!" : YER
35. Grandmas : NANAs. 婆婆 (Po Po) or 奶奶 (Nai Nai) in Northern China. Different in Cantonese or other regions.
36. Welcome sign for concert promoters : SRO
41. Early metalworking period : IRON AGE
43. Sorrowful mother of legend : NIOBE
44. Group of related species : GENUS. And 96. Joshua tree's 44-Down : YUCCA
45. Float on the breeze : WAFT
46. Having a spat : AT IT
47. WWII firearm : STEN. I learned from doing crosswords.
48. Broken in : USED
49. Sign of spring : ARIES. Perfect clue for ROBIN.
50. WWII carriers : LSTs
53. Some printer labels : AVERYS
55. Cartoon components : CELs
56. Game with yellow balls : TENNIS
114. Eight-related : OCTAL
115. Island near Corsica : ELBA
116. Westernmost Canadian territory : YUKON
117. Confident ending? : IAL. Confidential.
118. Italian's "That'll do!" : BASTA
119. Similar : AKIN
Down:
1. Darken : DIM
2. School URL ending : EDU
3. Garden area : BED
4. Like polo ponies : SADDLED
5. Davidson College's NCAA conference, for most sports : A-TEN. Googled afterwards. Atlantic 10 Conference.
6. Like a crowd in full voice : AROAR
7. Go through hastily, as drawers : RIFLE
8. Vision-related : OPTIC
9. Bk. after Ezra : NEH (Nehemiah)
10. Prisoner's reward : PAROLE
11. Take off to get hitched : ELOPE
12. Outfielder Rusty who played for four different expansion teams : STAUB. A la Wiki, the four expansion teams are: Astros, Expos, Mets and Rangers. You have to be a baseball fan to come up with this clue angle.
13. Place to swim, in Paris : LAC. Lake.
14. Jai __ : ALAI
16. __ Heights: disputed Mideast region : GOLAN. Somehow Golan Heights and Al-Qaeda were frequently covered in the daily 5-minute international news segment when I lived in China, the latter was just called "The Base". Boomer never heard of Al-Qaeda until 9/11.
17. Powerful adhesive : EPOXY
21. SSA-issued info : ID NUMBER
24. Actress Téa : LEONI
25. Suffix with consist : ENCY. ENCE works also.
31. Lily family member : ARUM
32. Honorary law degs. : LLDs
34. "You bet __ boots!" : YER
35. Grandmas : NANAs. 婆婆 (Po Po) or 奶奶 (Nai Nai) in Northern China. Different in Cantonese or other regions.
36. Welcome sign for concert promoters : SRO
41. Early metalworking period : IRON AGE
43. Sorrowful mother of legend : NIOBE
44. Group of related species : GENUS. And 96. Joshua tree's 44-Down : YUCCA
45. Float on the breeze : WAFT
46. Having a spat : AT IT
47. WWII firearm : STEN. I learned from doing crosswords.
48. Broken in : USED
49. Sign of spring : ARIES. Perfect clue for ROBIN.
50. WWII carriers : LSTs
53. Some printer labels : AVERYS
55. Cartoon components : CELs
56. Game with yellow balls : TENNIS
60. Nocturnal hunter with a distinctive call : HOOT OWL
61. Mets sports commentator Darling : RON
62. Morse code tones : DAHS
63. Is attired in : HAS ON
65. Preposition often shortened to one syllable : UNTIL
66. Skull covering : SCALP
68. Window __ : PANE
69. Drs.' orders : ECGs
70. Biodiverse South American country : PERU
71. River to the Caspian : URAL
73. "Later, Louis!" : ADIEU
74. Sour red soups : BORSCHTS. Did not know this soup can be pluralized.
79. Ring outcomes, briefly : TKOs
80. Everyone, in Essen : ALLE
81. Fliers with stingers : BEES
83. "Ideas worth spreading" acronym : TED. Ted Talks. I just love Derek Sivers' first Ted Talk.
84. Father figure : DAD
85. "Nice Work __ Can Get It": 2012 Broadway musical : IF YOU
86. Handler with a self-named Netflix talk show : CHELSEA. Close friend of Jennifer.
88. Package : PARCEL
89. Irish New Ager : ENYA
91. Cline of country : PATSY
92. Pianist Claudio : ARRAU. Chilean pianist. We also have 94. Japanese piano maker : KAWAI
97. Half hitch and bowline : KNOTS
98. Showiness : ECLAT
101. Vino __: dry wine : SECO
104. Southwestern pot : OLLA
106. Author DeLillo : DON. "White Noise".
108. Hijack, e.g. : ROB
109. Sort : ILK
110. Wrap for Cio-Cio-San : OBI. "Madama Butterfly".
111. Indian flatbread : NAN
61. Mets sports commentator Darling : RON
62. Morse code tones : DAHS
63. Is attired in : HAS ON
65. Preposition often shortened to one syllable : UNTIL
66. Skull covering : SCALP
68. Window __ : PANE
69. Drs.' orders : ECGs
70. Biodiverse South American country : PERU
71. River to the Caspian : URAL
73. "Later, Louis!" : ADIEU
74. Sour red soups : BORSCHTS. Did not know this soup can be pluralized.
79. Ring outcomes, briefly : TKOs
80. Everyone, in Essen : ALLE
81. Fliers with stingers : BEES
83. "Ideas worth spreading" acronym : TED. Ted Talks. I just love Derek Sivers' first Ted Talk.
84. Father figure : DAD
85. "Nice Work __ Can Get It": 2012 Broadway musical : IF YOU
86. Handler with a self-named Netflix talk show : CHELSEA. Close friend of Jennifer.
88. Package : PARCEL
89. Irish New Ager : ENYA
91. Cline of country : PATSY
92. Pianist Claudio : ARRAU. Chilean pianist. We also have 94. Japanese piano maker : KAWAI
97. Half hitch and bowline : KNOTS
98. Showiness : ECLAT
101. Vino __: dry wine : SECO
104. Southwestern pot : OLLA
106. Author DeLillo : DON. "White Noise".
108. Hijack, e.g. : ROB
109. Sort : ILK
110. Wrap for Cio-Cio-San : OBI. "Madama Butterfly".
111. Indian flatbread : NAN
Happy
birthday to Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crossword. I suspect
today's STAUB clue is Rich's. He always tries to add interesting trivia,
fun and humor to all the clues. Often half or more clues of our daily
puzzles are Rich's hard work.
Last time when I had STATE FAIR, Rich changed my [Place to see giant produce] clue to [Minnesota's annual one is held in Falcon Heights]. It brought a big smile to my face. Lots of clever clues you guy like in my grids are from Rich. He's just an incredibly generous and encouraging editor. We're so lucky. I'm very lucky.
PS: I forgot to mention that our Melissa was married yesterday. She left her beloved job in California a few years ago and moved to Oregon. Since then, she's been totally committed to Adopt an Inmate project, working long hours and going through incredible difficulties alone. Best wishes on your new journey, dear Melissa!
 |
| Left to Right: Melissa's daughter, Melissa's mom Barbara B, Melissa |
37 comments:
Couldn't finish due to a persistent pop up ad for a free iPhone from google. Can't get it to go away. Anyone else with the same problem? Is there a work around? I have my pop up blocker in place
FIW¡ I was sure the problem was a WAG at the naticks ARRaU+SaCCo+DoN, but nope, those were right! The error was at PEd+d'TAUB. Not knowing a ballplayer is PAR for the course, but since iamb was too long, I "knew" a Latin foot would be either ped or pod¡
Miraculously, I did know ballplayers AARON, BABE, & MAYS! But TENNIS balls were gray in my PE days.
The theme came early, and helped me guess some theme answers (BUDDING, BUTTER, PUNCHER) with no perps at all!
The old salt was telling tall tales of the WARS,
His ship -- a floating brothel, nicknamed Pinafores!
He was cleaning paddles of gunk
When the good ship was sunk,
Which left him AT SEA, in a boat full of OARS!
{A-.}
Good morning!
Zip, Zip, Done! This may be my fastest Sunday ever. I even got the theme! My only misstep was DINGS/DONGS. Not familiar with KAWAI as a piano brand. Yamaha, yes, Kawai, no. DW uses "BASTA" often for "Enough!" Thanx, Thomas and C.C.
Interesting take on HAOLES, C.C.
The Barnacle often mentions that the robin is **not** a sign of spring in Houston.
HBD, Rich, and congrats, Melissa B.
Thank you CC and Thomas Takaro. HBD Rich. Love your consistency. Congrats Melissa B !
Solved most of this one yesterday afternoon. Filled in the blanks this morning.
BUDDING WARS was my favorite.
Enjoyed the college football games and results yesterday. Well, most of them.
Gary, (FY). Joann, not Joanne. Got it. My bad. One or two syllables ? Guessing (based on what you said) that it would be like Crawford, not Woodward. Then it would be consistent with Joyce.
Hi Y'all! Very amusing punny theme, Thomas. Happy Birthday, Rich, and thank you for the mind benders for our mornings. Thank you, C.C. for your hard work, great puzzles and enlightening us on Chinese culture.
Had trouble getting started on this puzzle & top tier was snowy. Finally got going well and thought I'd filled it, but no TA DA. Couldn't find the empty square. The puzzle had shifted down so the bottom row was off the desktop and I hadn't filled the "B" in ROB. Ta Da!
Never heard of CONFIT, ARRAU or KAWAI. Didn't know any of the baseball clues without some perps.
Always think YOYO MA has an "H" on the end. Knew some Chinese restaurant owners named Mah!
Bunkum = TRIPE? Knew what it meant but couldn't think of a synonym. Left it and it filled in with perps.
Congratulations, Melissa on your marriage, but I hope you have better things to do on your honeymoon than read the blog.
Good Morning:
I sailed through this fairly quickly once the theme showed itself. I liked Dull Pickle and Penny Puncher best. I had a few w/o's: Peals>Pings>Gongs>Dongs (Phew!) Apres/Adieu, Noir/Nuit, etc. Yesterday, I had Arum for Orem and wondered where Arum came from; I got the answer today. How's that for prescience, Owen? It was fun to see Aaron, Mays, and Staub all together. Overall, a pleasant Sunday stroll.
Thanks, Thomas, for an enjoyable offering and thanks, CC, for guiding us along.
Happy Birthday, Rich, hope it's a special day. 🎂🎉🍾🎈🎁
Congratulations, Melissa, and best wishes for a future filled with good health and happiness. 💝
Have a great day.
What a fast Sunday! Finding the theme early helped tremendously. Using across and down together I filled it in horizontal stripes without a stop until I hit PENNY PUNCHER. Not wanting to break stride, I dove to the bottom and filled it in stripes going up. Then PENNY PUNCHER was easy. 1-2-3 done.FIR. No unfamiliar fills.
I learned CONFIT and Un BALLO in Maschera from historical novels. They appear often.
Thanks to classical radio I knew ARRAU, YO Yo MA and KAWAI.
Aaron, Mays, Babe and Staub are iconic ballplayers.
BUDDING war reminds me of the tulip wars in Holland in the 1600's. The Black Tulip and Tulip Fever are wonderful historical novels about these wars. The fabulous Girl with the Pearl Earring is not about tulips, but is from the same time period in Holland.
IMO, aroar is more colorful and meaningful than roaring.
My mother used to roast a goose sometimes, but didn’t make CONFIT.
I am looking forward to a fun regional dance this afternoon. My friends usually go out for dinner afterwards. I supply a ride for a nearby friend who can’t afford to go out to dinner with us. He is embarrassed when I offer to pay for his dinner, so usually I don’t go. Dare I risk inviting him? If not, I hope I can find out where the gang is going and run him home first. It is about 45 minutes round trip.
Congratulations on your wedding, Melissa. I wish you many happy years together.
Providing a photo for 95 Down F Hole would have been better than your 63 Across comment A Hole.
Rusty STAUB was dubbed "Le Grand Orange" by the Expo fans for his red hair. His number was ultimately retired by the Montreal organization.
Good morning everyone.
I wish Melissa much happiness, and also success in her chosen work.
Happy Birthday to editor Rich. Thanks for providing many hours of enjoyable distraction.
Finished it on line - our Sunday paper carries the week-old NYT cw.
No issues - good theme discussion from C.C.
Liked ALLE which is AKIN and obviously related to 'all'.
ELBA - There's an ELBA in Western NY - known for its onions.
Favorite DILL PICKLE is Nathan's.
KNOTS - German Knoten.; L. German Knütt
DALE - German Tal, obsolete Thal. L. German Daal. Thalweg is an English borrow word used by river engineers to refer to the line connecting the lowest points of a series of river cross-sections.(ie. the course of the lowest points in a river bed.)
Musings
-A pleasant, quick trip with a few chuckles on the themers
-I first thought -Beverly d’Angelo in Coal Miner’s Daughter as PATSY
-At every NASA presentation I make, I have to put up with this TRIPE, “Did we really go to the Moon?” “No NASA fooled every brilliant person on Earth and has kept the secret for almost 50 years!” DUH!
-“Bon NUIT” and “bon soir” are AKIN but just slightly different in USAGE
-Heard yesterday – “Over hill, over DALE…”
-Granddaughter is taking EuroRAIL all over western Europe. Paris this week
-Changing to SNOW TIRES and antifreeze isn’t necessary any more
-F-HOLES on a guitar
-My burglarized friend was told by the police that pro burglars RIFLE through dresser drawers from the bottom up so they don’t have to close one before going to the next
-Red-headed Rusty’s nickname in Montreal
-EPOXY’s great but we use Gorilla Glue
-SRO tickets for UNL Volleyball are still $20 if you can find them
-CHELSEA proved she can be as snarky and profane at the men
-HBD to our fabulous editor (I have to redo puzzles that I helped construct) and congrats to Melissa
-Gotta run to put up lights on a spectacular late autumn day on the plains
Yeah, Owen, I remember gray TENNIS balls; but aren't they green now, not yellow?
AU REVOIR is "Later, Louis." ADIEU means good-bye (forever).
DAD is not a "father figure"; he's a father.
Did anyone else think of "male organs" as a better clue for DONGS?
HBD, Rich, and a heartfelt thanks for your efforts. Very clever and somewhat challenging puzzle Mr. Takaro, thank you. Stellar expo, CC, thanks for adding your slant to our experience. Melissa, much happiness in your new life. You deserve it.
This puzzle started off with a lot of white on the Canadian border, but as I persevered and gained a few toeholds, the sticking points started to come unglued. Then I sussed that clever theme, and I got the TADA in about Thursday time. Wonderful cluing and answers on the theme. About as enjoyable Sunday puzzle as I can remember.
CED, if you don't want that cute kitten, I'll take it. I'm as serious as a heart attack. I've already talked it over with the Queen of the House (Yes, we have the same welcome mat as HG) and she said it might be fun to have another tortoise shell undercat. Please don't place that kitten in an animal shelter. You can email me at bluehen2789@gmail.com.
Gotta run
Cya!
Fun theme! Laughed when I looked back at the title and got it. But some challenging bits with crossed unknowns:
BALLO/ARLEN/LLDS/EMS
I only know EMT. Only know LEONI from these puzzles
Other unknowns: ARRAU, CHELSEA, DON, LANGE, CARLO, STAUB, F HOLE
HAOLES I vaguely remember from my Hawaii visits. Amused by your comment, CC.
Glad to have FIR. Was not sure until I checked.
Not surprised that you were more informed in China about GOLAN Heights and more, CC.
I grew up knowing about SACCO and VANZETTI. In 1977 it was declared that they were wrongly tried and convicted. A lot of divisive politics and bigotry against people from certain countries. Sound familiar?
Last year I got to see DICK VAN DYKE do this memorable introduction up close and personal.
And here I got to see YOYO MA up close and personal
My favorite part with YOYO MA was his interaction with the young students in the Masters Class. They were so good that my relatively untrained ear could not tell their talent level from his.
Here we recently posed with a POLO PONY and rider
Quite a bargain. You can watch high-energy polo action and get free champagne during the "divot stomp" for as low as $10! We paid more to get shaded seats.
Thank you, CanadianEh for the kind words about my photos yesterday. And you are most welcome PK and AnonymousT regarding my camera information. Yes, cameras can get arbitrarily expensive! For me, I want the best quality camera that is not so big that I won't have it with me when needed! A challenging balance!
Hi everybody. Happy Sunday.
Rich, I hope you have a great birthday and year to follow. Melissa, congratulations! I wish you happiness!
I love Patsy Cline's songs.
There were a bunch of really good clues. Thanks Thomas and Rich. However, I didn't care much for 4 Down; "Like polo ponies: SADDLED" The clue seems to imply that there is a special connection between being saddled and being a polo pony. Almost any pony that's going to be ridden is addled. It seems a bit off to me.
I'm off to an early lunch and a play up on campus this afternoon, so not much time to do a Sunday puzzle and comment. But I got most of this one before I ran out of time, and loved the I become U theme, which I got early on. Many thanks, Thomas! Always fun commentary, C.C., many thanks. And happy birthday, Rich--the quiet hero behind our puzzles. And what lovely pictures, Melissa--congratulations on your wedding and the wonderful life waiting for you!
Have a great Sunday, everybody!
Congrats, Melissa B. Can you share your song list? HBD to Rich. You enhance our enjoyment of these puzzles.
Like OKL, the cross of SACCO x ARRAU and DON was a Natick, but I Googled for SACCO. My bad cell was AlLEN x AlUM. I thought Steve Allen was a likely composer for "Paper Moon".
Felt like I was listening in on a junior high discussion today, with "BABE, BUNS, F-HOLE, DONGS and DYKE. Snicker-snicker. Maybe we should have also had "utpuffer" to add a little class.
My piano is a 1926 Kranich & Bach. Rebuilt by a third-generation piano mechanic and refinished by a Delta Airlines painter. It's a work of art.
Thanks to Thomas for a fun Sunday puzzle. And thanks, as always, to CC for all you do.
Ate at Mission BBQ yesterday. If you haven't been to one, I highly recommend it. They support the military and first responder communities. They play the National Anthem every day at noon and ask everyone to stand. Yesterday it was sung live, and they introduced several WWII veterans by name. Many Vietnam-era vets were present. Free food (and cake) for all vets yesterday, so the place was packed. I was honored to be in their presence.
I echo Spitzboov, who said it so well: I wish Melissa much happiness, and also success in her chosen work. Happy Birthday to editor Rich. Thanks for providing many hours of enjoyable distraction.
I liked this puzzle. I enjoy letter substitution themes and chuckled at several of the theme entries, particularly DUCK VAN DYKE and TWO CAR COLLUSION. THE BUTTER END was pretty nifty, too. I ran into the same stumbling block as Owen did on PED; DTAUB (D. Taub) seemed okay to me. Had to turn on red letters to see the D was wrong, at which time I wagged the S. Now I have learned the name of another baseball player, a player whom most of you knew and whose name will very likely appear in a future puzzle.
When we had our son, my wife and I wanted to bring him up to be bilingual, so we tried our best to speak Chinese at home. The attempt was a failure; I could only speak Mandarin, not Cantonese, and my wife, being from Hong Kong, could speak Cantonese very well but was very limited in Mandarin. So we ended up resorting to English most of the time. Our son never did learn Chinese, but he did learn how to say "ice cream" in Cantonese (xuegao 雪糕) and "airplane" in Mandarin (feiji 飛機 or 飞机), and learned to call his grandfather and grandmother "Gong Gong" and "Po Po."
Best wishes to you all.
Enjoyed the theme answers on this puzzle -there were enough to anticpate where the u was going in and guess those answers earlier than I usually would. WEES about the NOIR/NUIT and DINGS/DONGS switch!
Cloudy, cold day today- going to go see "Murder on the Orient Express" remake later.
Thanks CC and Thomas!
HBD to Rich!
Congrats to Melissa!
Congratulations Melissa on pulling it together!
I try to personalize my Birthday cakes to the recipient,
but I don't recall Rich posting on this Blog, so I will have to go with a generic cake...
BlueHen! Really?
How on earth would I get her to you?
testing, testing, 1,2,3. My first comment. I like each of you. I have found a new home. Caught the theme early on 23A, very punny.
D4E4H, the letter are my initials, and 44 is 73 years ago.
Ta Ta from Derby City
My comment went thru, but I'm D4E4H, not anon.
One more comment to see who am I.
Fun puzzle. A few unknowns; but an enjoyable experience.
Welcome D4E4H. Are you from Louisville? Feel free to join in. We welcome new blood.
DO, There are 15 Louisvilles in the country, but only one, in KY, where the "S" is silent,
like the "P" in swimming.
Thanks for the welcome, Matt.
Great Sunday CW. Thanks Thomas (congrats on Sunday debut) and C.C.
HBD Rich. Thanks for all you do behind the scenes.
Congrats Melissa B!
I got the theme with RECYCLE BUNS (recycling again!) but THE BUTTER END was my favourite.
Hand up for Ped before PES and a Natick at the cross of SACCO and ARRAU.
My travellers were literally wearing SNOWshoes just as their companion at 78A was opting for RAIL. Major inkblot in that area before I conceded that it was their vehicles that were wearing SNOWTIRES.
I have a KAWAI piano and filled that in quickly.
This Canadian knew YUKON although it is at the other side of the country. The other two Canadian territories are Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Perhaps one of you CW constructors should use Nunavut (clued as newest Canadian territory)!
IM, yes I thought of you and prescience when I saw ARUM.
I noted a clecho with 13A Cline portrayer and 91D Cline of country.
Bluehen, bless you for offering to take that cute kitten. You and CED will have to meet up!
Enjoy the rest of the day. Welcome D4E4H
Nobody 'got' Owen's l'ick. The clue was the A-. Huh? So I reread. Or if still stumped read it out loud. 😏
TED. Darn. I spelled the movie ULIES.
I mentioned Rusty Staub when the Astros were playing. He was the first'45. Pretty good for a guy left in the expansion draft. Fregosi was exposed to the 61 draft by the Redsox. I know why too if anyone wants to know.
I didn't need a brain buster today. I get the NYT xword a week late and just finished 1029.
We also had NIOBE Recently and the link to download me about her sad tale. Ah, jealousy.
Chelsea Hammer also writes books. I'm thinking of getting her short story book.
I'll drop back later
WC
Congrats Melissa and HBD Rich
Greetings!
I really liked today's creative theme--cleverly executed. Thanks, Thomas Takaro. Catching the theme right away made for an easy solve. My favorite theme answer was DUCK VAN DYKE. Thank you, C.C., for the expo. I always appreciate your explaining the grid and fill construction difficulties and constraints, as well.
Congratulations and best wishes for your marriage, Melissa! I know we'd all love to see photos if you care to share them.
I'm a day late with my Vet respect so I'll make up for my tardiness with a meaningful limerick.
Please visit https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/veterans-day-limerick
Clever, fun romp today. Loved the corny "Duck Vandyke" answer since I had puns and coffee for breakfast (ouch!). Not very often do answers make me giggle but this had quite a few . Keep coming, Mr.Takaro!
D4E4H's link.
Greetings!
Forgot to work this last night!
Rich: hope you had a very Happy Birthday!
Congrats to mb!
Great puzzle! Thanks to Thomas and C. C.!
Fun theme.
Finished w/o cheats, however, had some trouble getting: CONFIT, A-TEN, STAUB, RON and CHELSEA.
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
Late Lurk say...
Welcome D4E4H. Congrats mb! And A Happy Birthday wish to Rich.
Misty - Like this?. Note the lack of feta (blame Youngest, she insisted, "none."). It was delicious. I was curious how the oil, syrup, and mustard would taste - Yum! Thank you.
Cheers, -T
However late it is, I had to post to say how much I enjoyed this puzzle. Thank you, Thomas Takaro! I love puns and liked them all.
WEES about all the comments. It was fun and easy for Sunday and since I had a very short break from making tamales, that gave me just enough time to finish it.
We made 57 1/2 dozen tamales, 30 dozen with red chile and 27 1/2 with green chile and corn. We sampled both and I can report that they are delicious! Worth the exhausting work. We also had plenty of help; the younger generation is so much fun and they are learning all the tricks and techniques.
Rich, I hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration! Melissa, I echo all the good wishes for your happiness.
C.C., thank you, for imparting so much knowledge about your culture and guiding us through the solving process. I especially appreciate your knowledge of sports.
I hope you each had a fabulous day!
Anon T, pear salad looks lovely and so glad it was delicious! Thank you for posting this!
Misty - Really, No. Thank you. I'da never thunk of putting those ingredients together. Yes, quite the simple salad (<10 min to prepare - I cheated using an apple-slicer and pre-halved nuts) but so satisfyingly yummy. I may try nutmeg in the dressing just to see if that Christmas-es it up a bit. Thanks so much for sharing.
OKL - I forgot, {A}.
Cheers, -T
-T, I once suggested that instead of yelling FORE on a wayward golf shot, one yell WHORE! My argument was that by not enunciating the F one saved a half second.
He must have tried it, he was new, because he gave me a look the next time we played and was back to FORE.
I agree. That salad would be better with feta.
WC
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