22A. *Criminal justice supervisor : PROBATION OFFICER. On/off.
33A. *"Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!" poet : PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY. He/She.
53A. *Get worse, with no way to stop : SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. In/Out.
80A *Nero Wolfe title that plays on the start of an old adage : WHERE THERE'S A WILL. Here/There.
96A. *1985 #1 hit for Paul Young : EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY. Me/You.
Reveal:
113. Maxim that applies to pairs hiding together in the answers to starred clues : OPPOSITES ATTRACT
What a great reveal. It describes the gimmick perfectly. Quite challenging to come up with a set where the antonyms are together.
I love the first two the most, as the key words ON/OFF, HE/SHE fully contained in other words.
Across:
1. 16th-century date : MDL. 1550.
4. Big name in shoes : MCAN. Not ECCO/NIKE.
8. Batted : WAS UP
13. See 2-Down : LINE. And 2. With 13-Across, write (to) : DROP A
17. Rail commonly found in water? : SORA
18. Perry of fashion : ELLIS
20. Kind of acid in proteins : AMINO
21. Any minute, old-style : ANON
25. Saturn vehicles? : UFOs. Nailed it.
26. Placing side by side : APPOSING
27. Cries of support : OLES. Had RAHS first.
28. Golf shot : STROKE
30. Wrinkly dog : SHAR PEI. Cantonese. Shar = Sand. Pei = Skin. So "Sand skin".
31. Common conjunction : NOR
32. Hanker : ACHE
41. __ Dictionary : URBAN. So many blush-worthy entries there.
44. Arles assents : OUIs
45. Bury : INTER
46. Amber __ : ALE
47. Delhi wrap : SARI
48. A little lower? : CALF. Low-er.
50. Paper size: Abbr. : LTR
51. Anime cousin : MANGA. Called Man Hua in Chinese. Same characters as Japanese. Man = "Whimsical". Ga/Hua just means "picture". Can also be a verb, meaning "draw".
60. Hwy. : RTE
61. "My man!" : BRO. Clue echo with 107. "My man!" : DUDE
62. Notched, as a maple leaf : EROSE.
63. Back in the bay : ASTERN
65. 1965 King arrest site : SELMA
67. Shortened, as a dict. : ABR. We use Abbr. as a hint in crossword clues.
68. Ballade's final stanza : ENVOI. You would think this is French for "envoy".
70. Complete : ENTIRE
73. Assume as fact : POSIT
75. Assist : AID
76. Eats or drinks : HAS. We're going to have Hormel Cure 81 Ham today. Boomer said it's the best. Do you have it in your area?
79. Israel's Golda : MEIR
85. Looked like a wolf? : OGLED
87. Oral health org. : ADA
88. Dovetail : MESH
89. In the Aegean : ASEA
90. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" newsman : TED
91. Word coined by writer Capek : ROBOT. In his "R.U. R" play.
93. Creek croaker : TOAD. Not FROG.
95. Tube, so to speak : TV SET
101. All the time : A LOT
102. Bit of work : ERG
103. Pretenses : FACADES
107. Poetic foot : DACTYL. Often the answer is IAMBUS
110. __-up: hybrid musical piece : MASH
111. Church contribution : OFFERING
112. Wrinkly fruit : UGLI. Our local grocery stores have them. Pretty juicy.
117. Like Beethoven, late in life : DEAF . We also have 92. Ear specialist's science : OTOLOGY
118. Agree to : GRANT
119. Composer of the short piano pieces "Le Yachting" and "Le Golf" : SATIE. I need "Erik" in the clue.
120. Hockey's Bobby et al. : ORRs. Only know one.
121. Go around in circles : EDDY
122. Goes up and down : YO-YOS
123. Once uncool sort who's now sort of cool : NERD
124. Inquisitive-sounding letter : WYE.
Down:
1. Transmute : MORPH
3. Sensation before a delivery : LABOR PAIN. Nice fill.
4. Specialty : METIER
5. Medical center : CLINIC
6. Sleep like __ : A LOG
7. "Delta of Venus" author : NIN. Imagine my surprise to find this book at our dusty flea market.
8. Symbols of thinness : WAFERS
9. Author Martin : AMIS
10. [Not a typo] : SIC
11. Arles article : UNE
12. Company whose German pronunciation has two syllables : PORSCHE. Its Chinese name has three characters.
13. Victory symbol : LAUREL
14. Dope : INFO
15. Cozy corner : NOOK
16. Massachusetts motto opener : ENSE. Our old buddy is back.
17. Healthful retreats : SPAS
19. André Previn's adopted daughter : SOON-YI. Such a complicated life.
23. Quaker in the woods : ASPEN
24. Dentist's directive : FLOSS
29. Heat unit : THERM
32. 2017 World Series champ : ASTRO. Don't cheat. How many teams have never won a World Series?
34. Texter's "seize the day" : YOLO. You Only Live Once.
35. Devotee : BUFF
36. Sword handles : HILTS. Sometimes it's HAFTS.
37. It's usually just before dessert : ENTREE
38. Tilter's tool : LANCE
39. Knighted English composer : ELGAR (Edward)
40. Thirst (for) : YEARN
41. Cold War initials : USSR
42. Deeply engrossed : RAPT
43. Cracker topper : BRIE
48. Long-billed wader : CURLEW. Thank God I don't have that bill. I would have broken mine easily.
49. Elementary particle : ATOM
52. Stop on the Turin-Genoa railway : ASTI. The wine town.
54. Upper, in Ulm : OBER
55. Break off : CEASE
56. Comet's path : ORBIT
57. Needle point? : NORTH. Great clue.
58. Deluxe : LAVISH
64. Pop : SODA
65. Many a retired racehorse : SIRE
66. Tarzan's realm : APEDOM. Spell check does not like it.
69. Dundee disagreements : NAEs
70. Ham it up : EMOTE
71. Israeli desert : NEGEV
72. Piña colada garnish? : TILDE. Garnish, OK.
74. Declaim : ORATE
76. Boo relative : HISS
77. Sheltered in the Aegean : ALEE
78. Bed board : SLAT
81. Hard thing to kick : HABIT
82. Slate or Salon : EMAG
83. Change the decor of : REDO
84. Winding-road sign image : WAVY ARROW. Debut entry.
86. How Steven Wright jokes are spoken : DRYLY
93. Trunks : TORSI
94. Moral obligations : OUGHTS. Ought can be a noun also?
95. "Be silent," in music : TACET
97. Formally approve : RATIFY
98. Baking supplies : YEASTS. I've been eating this to increase my B12 intake. Won't buy again once this bottle is empty. Not fond of its taste. I'm thinking of trying Steve's Marmite next.
99. Fling : AFFAIR
100. Drifted gently : WAFTED
104. Book with a lock : DIARY
105. Yves' ink : ENCRE. Also new to me.
106. PD ranks : SGTs
108. Kept in barrels, maybe : AGED
109. Decked out : CLAD
110. Like early Elvis albums : MONO
111. Bone head? : OSTE. Prefix for "bone".
114. Adept : PRO
115. Wages : PAY
116. Suffix with Caesar : EAN
C.C.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteA few tight squeezes here and there, but managed a legitimate no-peeky. Nicely crafted!
Morning, C.C., I haven’t noticed Hormel ham in the local store. We get our hams and turkeys from a butcher shop.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteFinished this one in good time. No, d-o didn't get the theme. He also forgot to read the puzzle title. Had to change ITCH to ACHE, but that was the only mess on my page this morning. In retrospect, very clever and well-executed, Paul. Thanx for the expo, C.C.
They probably make that ham in Huskerville.
Shouldn't it be garden croaker? Why creek?
OUGHTS: I care naught for the oughts. I'll do it my way.
WYE: Knew that was the answer, but drew a blank on how to spell it.
Question of the day: Why did the font change in the comments entry-box? It's easy to differentiate an l from a 1 -- I like it. Bet it changes once I post, though.
Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve. I managed to fill a few new words this morning that I had never seen or heard before, completely by perps. CURLEW, ENVOI, ENCRE, APEDOM, MANGA, DACTYL, SOON YI. PteroDACTYL I know but not plain DACTYL. "Crooked as a WAVY ARROW" might be a new description for some politicians. The spelling of "Y" as WYE, new to me. The spelling of PERCY SHELLEY's middle name, BYSSHE, I vaguely remembered from the dreary English lit courses I had to take in college. SORA, CaesarEAN, did I know those? Not really.
ReplyDeleteMy only write-over was at 64D, where I misread the clue for 65D and filled SIRE in the wrong squares. That didn't help the unknown ENVOI get in place until I looked at the clue again and filled SODA.
I'll GRANT that placing the opposites next to each other was nice but I never noticed until the reveal.
C.C., if you don't like the taste of that yucky stuff throw it away. YOLO. But if you've ever tasted Vegemite you won't like 'Steve's Marmite' either. Want more Vitamin B12? Increase your meat intake.
Slogged it til the end. Never did see the theme.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, C.C., and friends. Interesting theme. After I figured out that the unifier was OPPOSITES ATTRACT, I looked back at the starred clues to find the ON/OFF, HE/SHE, IN/OUT and HERE/THERE connection.
ReplyDeleteI confidently wrote in Adjacent for Placing Side By Side. No, we were looking for APPOSING.
Hand up for wanting the Frog in lieu of a TOAD.
I liked the crossing of In the Aegean with Sheltered by the Aegean.
Erik SATIE (1866 ~ 1925) makes so many guest appearances in the puzzles that I have finally recognized him!
I learned a few new birds (SORA and CURLEW), but they will have to appear again before I remember them.
My favorite clue was Hard Thing to Kick = HABIT.
Happy Christmas Eve.
QOD: The freethinking of one age is the common sense of the next. ~ Matthew Arnold (Dec. 24, 1822 ~ Apr. 15, 1888)
Happy Holidays from the (so far) sunny East Coast. This one came together with unusual ease. I found pairs of short opposites, then searched for phrases that placed them side by side. I intended these to be circled, so solvers could see what was going on throughout, but Rich decided to wait for the reveal. Personally, I can't wait to see what Otto's poem does with LABORPAIN. WAVYARROW is indeed a debut, not just for the LAT, but for all the majors. It was a fortunate find, in a spot where nothing else was working. I'll leave you with my least favorite carol, with rain predicted for tomorrow - I'm dreaming of a soggy Christmas...
ReplyDeletePaul, thanx for dropping by. Need to tell you, though, that Otto doesn't write poetry. I think you meant to say Owen.
ReplyDeleteYou're right - I did mean to say Owen. Oops, another senior moment. Apologies to both.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis kept me guessing right up until the reveal which is unusual for a Sunday puzzle. Lots of unknowns: Sora, Dactyl, Mash-up, Encre, Envoi, and Tacet. W/os were plentiful, as well: Frog/Toad, Melieu/Metier, Maim/Scar, and Mesh/Mash. I knew Soon-Yi was the answer but needed perps for the correct spelling. Only nit is Apedom. Overall, a pleasant and smooth solve.
Thanks, Paul, for the Sunday stroll and for stopping by and thanks, CC, for the fun write-up. I have never seen that particular ham in my market but Hormel ham was available in the Deli until a few months ago. Hatfield and Smithfield are the brands I see most often.
I watched the silliest movie last night for lack of anything better on TV. The only saving grace was the cast: Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, and Ann Margaret. It was "Going In Style" and was a complete waste of my time and their talent. C'est la vie!
Unless there has been a revised forecast, we're due for 5-8" of snow starting around midnight into Christmas Day. Traveling will be a nightmare for a lot of people.
Enjoy your Christmas Eve. Santa, enjoy lots of cookies and milk tonight!
Another gem from Paul C., with PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY - outstanding. I notice it also has SHE SHE opposite; maybe another puzzle.
ReplyDeleteSome things I did not know (SORA, ENVOI e.g.) some I did not remember and some were surprises- SOON-YI.
Thank you, Paul, and for adding the clarifications. C. C. one more Sunday in 2017.
Musings
ReplyDelete-A wonderful stocking stuffer today by Paul despite the lump of coal APEDOM. Any port in a storm.
-The cleverness of CALF and obscurity of CURFEW (This bird brain didn’t know SORA either but perps took care of that) cost me one bad cell
-METIER, WYE and DACTYL, ENCRE and ENSE temporarily expanded my vocab
-I first used CHOO for shoe because C.C. likes them
-I’m already beginning to ACHE for spring
-Many parents of kids I had were on the Cure 81 line here in our Hormel town
-TUBE as “to fail” came to my mind first “I’m going to TUBE that test!”
-Vanity is keeping from a much-needed hearing aid. What do good ones cost?
-“I” is in the middle of MEDICAL but that wasn’t relevant
-The one piece for which ELGAR is mostly remembered
-Check the ORBIT speed near and far from the SUN for a COMET
-We have a beautiful 2” of White Christmas on the ground from last night!
Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Paul. I really enjoyed this construction and the clues. The last two days I had to invoke Marti (HeartRx) and grab the lower fruit first. Eventually, everything fell into place. My favs today were TILDE as garnish--Nice! And LABOR PAIN--only had those once, but did have three CaesarEANs. Sometimes, I've felt like labor lasted a lifetime--especially when I had teenagers for nine years. ;-) Also, Paul, thanks for stopping by.
C.C., what a great run through. I wanted duck for RAIL and remembered CURLEW from Longfellow's poem. I agree; that beak looks awfully fragile! Thanks.
Hope all of you are spending time with friends and family this season.
Mournin' Cornies,
ReplyDeleteDid you catch the clever Christmas theme today? Happy Eve.
I went to the Corner just long enough to find that Paul Coulter created this masterpiece, Rich Norris edited it, and C.C. reviewed it. I am writing from the feel my gut got after getting all 359 squares filled with a letter. Whew! What a CW! I can not remember one so challenging. Thanks Paul. Would a mathemagician like to check my tally on 359?
I was attracted to the theme "Magnetism." In my first A run I filled 113A . It didn't help the starred clues, but I filled them easily. I studied just now for a long time, and found in 22A on/off, 33A he/she, 80A here/there, and 96A me/you.
I needed 7 BAVs to complete the CW. There were several words of which I had never heard, and the text giberish YOLO bit me again.
Whew!
Dave 2
Misty (and Argyle). I think it's spreading.. See panel six.
ReplyDeleteMisty! Come back with my sleigh!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great puzzle! Nice early Christmas present. And thanks to C.C. I now know what SHARPEI means. Favorite entry: the calf as a little lower.
ReplyDeleteHusker, we just had to buy two new hearing aids for my wife. The cost? $7,000. Each. Her last pair were only $6,000. Each. Fortunately we found a source of credit which was interest-free if repaid in full in 12 months. Not a fun prospect for this retired teacher but it beat the alternative. The new ones have Bluetooth and can pair with her iPhone so she hears the phone through her hearing aids. First time in years that she feels comfortable on the phone.
Snowing now in northeast IL; going to be a white Christmas. Season's greetings to all.
Happy Christmas Eve!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Paul Coulter, for the challenge and for stopping by. I like your style.
I found most of the fill familiar but a few strange ones spoiled my grid. CALF/CURLEW, WYE/ENCRE, SOONYI/NOR. Sometimes I feel really dense. And of course I didn't see the OPPOSITES. Thank you, C.C., for explaining that!
I also liked the crossing of A LEE/A SEA on the Aegean and pina colada garnish, TILDE.
My church OFFERING is automatically deducted monthly. Gary, I think you would really like our liturgy, especially the short, pithy homilies usually with a good message. Although we do have a Nigerian priest who is hard to understand but he tries.
I never cook ham because it's so large and usually salty.
For many years I resisted the FLOSS directive, but once I started, plaque disappeared. Now I never miss.
Thank you, C.C., for your dedication and cultural insights.
Have a beautiful day, everyone!
Husker, DW got a pair of hearing aids two years ago to the tune of $4k per ear. Up to now hearing aids have only been available only from a licensed audiologist. Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Grassley introduced the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act which was signed into law this summer. That should result in lower priced devices, but I don't know the exact timing of when they'll be available. Here's a Consumer Reports article about that.
ReplyDeleteHG, Costco has their Kirkland Signature aids for about $1800 per pair. I am on my second pair and have been quite satisfied. I don't think they are for seriously impaired.Costco has free testing and the two specialists I have seen were quite competent. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteKerry_in_Carefree
kandmls at me dot com
I hoped to have had a "Woohoo!" for this great Paul Coulter puzzle this morning, but discovered that I goofed up by putting TAN (Amy?) instead of NIN (Anaias--spelling?)for the "Delta of Venus" author. Aaaaargghh. And I'm a retired literature professor and should know my authors, shouldn't I? But hey, I got everything else perfectly, and even got the theme, and had a wonderful time working on it. So, many, many thanks, Paul, and especially for checking in with us on Christmas Eve! And, C.C. thank you for taking time on this day to give us your wonderful commentary.
ReplyDeleteSpitzboov, you managed to give me my "Woohoo!" after all, with your delightful Garfield cartoon. So, Argyle, I guess I'm related to Santa! What a treat!
Hahtoolah, I loved the Matthew Arnold quote.
Have a wonderful Christmas Eve everybody!
Nice puzzle. Some really good stuff, such as the clues for CALF and NORTH, and WAVY ARROW, the whole PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY, CURLEW, PORSCHE, and LABOR PAIN as awesome fill. Some not-so-good stuff, too, such as APEDOM and YEASTS (plural). If you speak Spanish, ñ has nothing to do with garnish; it is not an n with a tilde but rather a distinct letter of the alphabet called "enyay." On the other hand, we English speakers do look at it as an n garnished with a tilde. I know, I'm just nitpicking.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you all on this Christmas Eve.
Hello everyone.
ReplyDeleteErrors in the ENE, but got everything else. Had to come here to have the theme explained. Nothing much to add.
BRIE - My favorite spreading cheese.
ENCRE - French 101. Needed for "La plume de ma tante."
WYE - Also a set of rails and switches in the form of a 'Y' to turn trains around.
Sunday Lurk Say...
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Eve! This Santa's work is almost done HERE and nothing but cooking up the goodies is on tomorrow's docket.
Thanks Paul & C.C. for letting me vicariously solve. I like the theme.
C.C. I use that ham, cubed, to add some lagniappe to my potato soup (a thick cheesy-soup with dill Garnished like so.)
Lucina - you can get small ~1.5 lb Hormels. I agree on the saltiness and cut back what the recipe calls for because I know I'm adding the ham after I emulsion-blend the potatoes.
"Sister, you quit smoking and drinking of the Sacramental Wine but you're still in the church?"
"Yes, my Child, some Habits are harder to kick."
//I'll see myself out
Cheers, -T
Lots of fun challenges in this puzzle. Impressed when anyone can incorporate PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY into a crossword theme! I saw the SHE SHE first also - so wondered where the opposite was.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the puzzle Paul and for stopping by the corner.
Thanks CC for the write-up!
Church day and night today - twice blessed! And we got snow this morning - so a white Christmas - but none stuck on the streets - perfect!
Merry Merry, Y'all! Thank you, Paul. Thank you, C.C.!
ReplyDeleteGot the theme after all filled with some serious study. Thought the first one might be PRO/CON with CON spelled backwards. Nope. Finally saw all the right ones. Woo hoo! Very challenging puzzle.
Unknowns: SORA, DACTYL, SATIE, AMIS, ENSE, ENVOI.
Tube= TV SET gave me fits on about six passes by. Duh! Jungle fit, but APEDOM as it perped in gave me fits.
Nit: Only a man could describe a LABOR PAIN as a "sensation". Sensation? Get real, guy! Try "excruciating". I gave birth to four babies weighing 8# 8 oz., 9# 1/2 oz, 9# 6 oz, and 9# 12 oz so I know a thing or two about it. Sensation ain't apt.
Half inch of snow here, but it's melting fast. Probably won't have a white Christmas. Looked good at 3 a.m.
Speaking of LABOR PAINS: Every Christmas Eve I was expecting, I'd tell people, "I'm so glad I don't have to ride to Bethlehem on a donkey today."
ReplyDeleteI'll take my INC today for my lack of knowledge of Italian Geography, Capek in general, wading birds, Asian cartoons and Ballades(?). But I wasted too much time trying to resist "ALOT" for 101a. ALOT DOES NOT MEAN ALL OF THE TIME. Most of the time. much of the time...almost every single time...but specifically not ALL !
ReplyDeleteBah Humbug. Southern California is FREEZING today. It barely got over 60 ! ;). But at least the fires and winds took Christmas off!
A plodding, sludgy, disappointing slogfest and one of the worst Sunday puzzles I can remember in a long time. When the first clue is a random, made-up number pertaining to nothing- in Latin!- you know it's going to be brutal. Thom MCAN closed their stores in 1996, so, not really such a big name in shoes anymore. The rest of the puzzle felt just as dated. TVs haven't used (or been called) TUBEs in over a decade. A theme answer (EVERYTIME YOU GO AWAY) clued by a brief, forgettable song from an English teen idol in 1985? A detective novel from 1940 (WHERE THERE'S A WILL) and a Czechoslovakian science fiction play from 1920 (ROBOT) as fresh clue sources? Then we have the never-used-in-real-life nautical term ASEA crossing ALEE, the French and German OUIS/UNE/ENCRE/OBER, the obscure musical answers ENVOI/SATIE/ELGAR/TACET, the abstruse and arcane SORA/APPOSING/EROSE/POSIT/THERM/TORSI/NEGEV/TILDE/DACTYL (DACTYL!), plus some just plain sloppy bad cluing: WASUP for "batted", APEDOM (apedom? really?)for "Tarzan's realm", "stop on the Turin-Genoa railway" = ASTI (why not just _____ Spumante?), the pluralized ORRS, the made-up word EMAG that nobody uses, ever, the boring or weird crosswordese RTE/ABR/WYE/OSTE/EAN, "baking supplies" = YEASTS ("brewing supplies" would make more sense, as bakers rarely use more than one type of yeast). Look, I get it- this is just a crossword puzzle, and of course I've seen many of these answers in crosswords over the years. But the theme was boring, clues were moldy, answers too much of a struggle for a Sunday puzzle. I was so hoping for a fresh and sparkling Christmas puzzle in my stocking today. Instead, I got this lump of coal.
ReplyDelete@Anon 5:54 PM, Dec 24: Channeling Rex, eh??
DeleteSo you didn't like it ?
ReplyDeleteChuck, the clue was “All the time” not “All of the time”. Informally we’d say “Jeter muffs easy grounders all the time” or “umps gave Maddux the outside strike all the time” when obviously it wasn’t 100% of the time. You don’t have to be so literal
ReplyDeleteThe Grinch just stole Paul's merry Christmas feeling!
ReplyDeleteP.S. - It was hard but didn't deserve a major rant.
TTP
ReplyDeleteThe precise brevity of your comment [ in keeping with the theme of opposites] caused me to burst out laughing. Thanks! Ho Ho Ho.
Wow. I guess anonymous@5:54 really didn't like this puzzle!
ReplyDeleteI thought just having PERCYBYSSHYSHELLEY in there was impressive! I've never before seen the full name in a puzzle.
AnonT:
You're right and I should try buying a small ham sometimes. It's so tasty in beans, soup and other dishes my mother used to cook.
WE enjoyed a fine dinner then my youngest granddaughter opened all her presents because she will go spend the night at her Dad's home. Then the rest of the family just left and took all their gifts to unwrap tomorrow. We'll have pancakes and waffles for breakfast.
I second Mme DeFarge on TTP. I cracked up. I finished this with a TADA and Anon made me feel great. Especially after blowing Saturday.
ReplyDeleteThe old Wilbur would have let CC find the magnets but I'm on record as saying "Groking the theme is part of the solve".
And I found the rascals.
Paul, are you a Nero Wolfe fan? His early stuff was his best imo. However, "The Doorbell Rang" is the one most people credit as #1.
I too finished the South and then tried to fill the holes up north. Between Shelley and Wolfe that was 38 boxes to perp around.
Merry Christmas to all ye bloggers
Same for all ye danged defoggers
CC, IM, Wesch and Jeremy Lin
And (fill), and (fill) and John Lambkin
WC
Good Monday afternoon, folks. Thank you, Paul Coulter, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteI slogged slowly through this puzzle. Got it done late last night. Too tired to log in.
Liked the theme, once I got 113A. Then things fell together.
Seeing Golda MEIR reminds me she was born in Milwaukee, as I recall, and was a school teacher. I hope I remember that correctly.
Got ABR for Abridged, as a dictionary. That took me a while.
I forgot about MC AN shoes. After four perps it appeared.
Liked APEDOM. I actually thought of that after I had a couple of the letters.
Also wanted FROG instead of TOAD. As I usually do I hold off for a crossword that makes sense.
Anyhow, I am going to finish, since I am a day late. See you Tuesday.
Abejo
( )
Lovely puzzle... except when one’s “lower” means [by] HALF ... then one ends up with that mythical HURLEW bird and a one square DNF. Who knew? Oh well, wonderful otherwise.
ReplyDeleteMy last catch-up after the holidays!
ReplyDeleteFIW with BESSHE/SOONEI. Seems like an unfair Natick crossing to me.
Otherwise it was a challenging but fair puzzle. Got OPPOSITES ATTRACT as my second fill! The challenge was to find the tiny OPPOSITES buried in the long answers!
We have CURLEWs on the beach near our home. They are similar to some other shore birds called a Godwit or a Whimbrel. But the CURLEW has that unique curly beak. Pretty obscure if you don't live near the beach.
But the SORA I never heard of and figured I just got it wrong. But I was wrong. Learning moment.
Am I the only one who put UBER before OBER? Am I the only one who thought SATURN VEHICLES were CARS?
Hand up that it is unlikely you would find a TOAD in a creek. That is the second time recently that TOAD was clued inaccurately.
TACET unknown to this musician. ENCRE also unknown after four years of French classes. SATIE only seen in these puzzles and had no clue about that clue.
Enjoyed the CALF clue, though!
tacet you would only see in an orchestral score
ReplyDeletehow do you have time for this blog