Theme: "Sounds Like a Snooze" - S sound is changed into Z sound.
23A. Liquor store?: BUZZ DEPOT. Bus depot.
25A. Feeding time for the herd?: GRAZE PERIOD. Grace period.
46A. Caribbean island chain?: CAYS BY CAYS. Case by case.
67A. Make change for a five?: GIVE THE ONES OVER. Give the once over.
93A. Funding for cops?: FUZZ BUDGET. Fussbudget.
115A. "No legumes for me, please"?: KEEP THE PEAS. Keep the peace.
117A. Slept through the alarm?: OVER-DOZED. Overdosed.
16D. Much-admired cooktop?: PRIZE RANGE. Price range.
73D. Withhold enthusiasm?: HARBOR ZEAL. Harbor seal.
No label in our blog for Gary Larson. Must be his LA Times debut. Congrats, Gary!
I learned last year that S after vowels are pronounced like z sound. S after consonants are S, thanks to D-Otto and dear Santa. I always pronounced PEAS the same as PIECE.
Total 9 Z's. This alone makes gridding a bit tougher.
I learned last year that S after vowels are pronounced like z sound. S after consonants are S, thanks to D-Otto and dear Santa. I always pronounced PEAS the same as PIECE.
Total 9 Z's. This alone makes gridding a bit tougher.
Across:
1. Door feature: KNOB.
5. Butcher shop section: SLAB. Here is a Chinese butcher shop.
9. Minor: LESSER.
15. Bridge: SPAN.
19. "American Gigolo" star: GERE (Richard). Did not fully under the movie when I watched it years ago.
20. Pocket often filled: PITA. Great clue.
21. Get there: ARRIVE.
22. First name at Woodstock: ARLO.
27. Post-Thanksgiving dinner feeling, for many: FOOD COMA. Boomer made tasty fried chicken with this breading the other day.
28. City near Düsseldorf: ESSEN.
29. Bring down: RAZE.
30. Dante's half-dozen: SEI. Triple due.
31. L.A. Clippers' org.: NBA.
33. Disqualify (oneself), as a judge: RECUSE.
35. One of many on most phones: APP.
38. Second Amendment concern: FIREARMS.
43. Kicks out, in a way: DEPORTS. Sensitive word.
49. Hydroelectric project: DAM.
51. Capital NNW of Albany: OTTAWA.
52. Home subcontractor: TILER.
Do you have Plumb Right in your area? Our bathroom tiles leak, but they
want us to replace the bathtub as well. We declined. Been using some
makeshift measure.
53. Literary tribute: ODE.
54. Gets promoted: RISES.
56. Like neat freaks: ANAL. Glad Rich allows it in grids these days.
57. Ravaged by time: AGE-WORN.
59. Updates, as a reference book: RE-ISSUES.
62. Actress Scala: GIA. Hi, nice to meet you!
63. __ oil: SESAME. We never stir-fry with sesame oil. Always a few drops in salad or soup.
64. Sound file extension: WAV.
65. 2007 Will Smith sci-fi flick: I AM LEGEND.
71. Itemized deductions form: SCHEDULE A.
74. Yellow Sea peninsula: Abbr.: KOR. Korea.
75. Phrase often abbreviated: ET ALIA.
79. Spat suffix: ULA.
80. Paul's letters: EPISTLES.
82. Trash collectors: ASHCANS.
83. Good sound at the garage: PURR.
85. Hodgepodges: OLIOS. I use Olio as part of my Subject Line at times.
86. Flower starter: BUD. I love Katie's True Lilies. So sorry about the fall, TTP! Did you beat last year's champ at the outing?
88. Property owner's income: RENTS.
89. Insurgency troops: REBELS.
92. Back at sea?: AFT.
95. Reclusive: ASOCIAL. I've become one.
97. Rats: STOOLIES.
99. Trains over roads: ELS.
100. Use as support: REST ON.
102. Cartoon collectible: CEL.
103. Some laptops: HPS.
106. "Master of None" star Ansari: AZIZ. He made me laugh. Hope he bounces back soon.
107. Many a Bob Marley fan: RASTA.
110. Toy mentioned in "The Chipmunk Song": HULA HOOP.
119. Phi Delt, e.g.: FRAT.
120. Discomfort: UNEASE.
121. Gather: REAP.
122. Ness' feds: T MEN.
123. News pg. units: COLS. Column.
124. Co-star of TV's "Dr. Kildare": MASSEY. Unfamiliar to me. I just realized I confused Dr. Kildare with Dr. Kimble.
125. Drops off: NAPS.
126. First name in desserts: SARA.
Down:
1. Cold War gp.: KGB.
2. Nice nine?: NEUF. Just French for "nine".
3. Ricelike pasta: ORZO.
4. Amazon founder: BEZOS (Jeff). And 34. 4-Down, e.g.: CEO. His name is not as crossword-friendly as ELON.
5. Spell out: SPECIFY.
6. Cosmetic surg. option: LIPO.
7. Bit of physics: ATOM.
8. React, barely: BAT AN EYE.
9. California-based shoe company: LA GEAR. Never worn their shoes. You?
10. Bungles it: ERRS.
11. Span. titles: SRAS.
12. Jeweler's fitting tool: SIZER. Learning moment for me.
13. Smoothed: EVENED.
14. Agent: REP.
15. City south of Tampa: SARASOTA.
17. Burn balm: ALOE. My plant died, but I was able to cut one leaf and tested the juice. Made me itch. Will stick with Trader Joe's aloe vera gel.
18. Silent signal: NOD.
24. '50s political monogram: DDE.
26. Blow: ERUPT.
32. __-relief: BAS.
35. Serve in the capacity of: ACT AS.
36. He pitched in the majors at age 59: PAIGE (Satchel). The power of hot shower!
37. Gomer and Goober of old TV: PYLES.
39. Computer symbol: ICON.
40. "Awesome!": RAD.
41. Year Columbus' fourth and last voyage began: MDII. 1502.
42. More impertinent: SASSIER.
44. Clemens, familiarly: TWAIN (Mark). Samuel, not Roger.
45. __ fork: SALAD
47. Waste: SEWAGE.
48. Trite comment: BROMIDE. New word to me also.
50. Small plateaus: MESAS.
54. Takes back: REVOKES.
55. Sport for heavyweights: SUMO. You can't succeed in that sport being a 200-pounder. Double up!
58. Gun, as an engine: REV UP.
59. "Norma __": RAE.
60. Fabled northern workers: ELVES.
61. Transparent, informally: SEE-THRU.
64. Alternative scenarios: WHAT IFS.
66. Favored: GRACED.
68. Former Belgian prime minister Di Rupo: ELIO.
Forgot. We had him before. Wiki says he was "Belgium's first Prime
Minister of non-Belgian descent, and the world's second openly gay head
of government in modern times".
69. Edison contemporary: TESLA. Also 77. Silicon Valley giant: INTEL.
70. Rejections: NOS.
71. Old Toyota: SUPRA.
72. Hints: CLUES.
76. "Tootsie" Oscar winner: LANGE.
78. Staff members: Abbr.: ASSTS.
81. 1990s-2000s Senate majority leader: LOTT (Trent). He resigned due to an insensitive remark.
82. Axlike tool: ADZE.
84. Box office: RECEIPTS.
86. Megaphone kin: BULLHORN.
87. Special forces weapon: UZI.
90. "Mephisto Waltz" composer: LISZT.
91. Idled: SAT.
93. Other side: FOE.
94. C equivalents: B SHARPS.
96. Ochoa who was the top-ranked female golfer when she retired: LORENA. She was at the 2008 US Open held here in MN, but Natalie Gulbis drew the biggest crowd. Natalie always does.
98. Dublin-born playwright: O'CASEY (Sean)
101. Scruffs: NAPES.
104. High deg.: PHD.
105. Blackens, in a way: SOOTS.
106. Flight prefix: AERO.
108. Overwhelming quantities: SEAS. Yeah, I still pronounce the last S as S, not Z. Just can't change the habit.
109. Electrify, in a way: TASE.
111. Eye layer: UVEA.
112. Logical omission: LEAP.
113. Baum princess: OZMA. Princess Ozma. Of Oz.
114. Jury member: PEER.
115. Prominent poultry purveyor: KFC.
116. Run smoothly: HUM.
118. It's in our genes: DNA.
C.C.
45 comments:
The reporter ran afoul with his COLUMNS in the news.
The tyrant ordered he be hung, the Justice did RECUSE.
But as the rope embraced his NAPE,
REBELS stormed the hanging place,
Thus he gave the AGE-WORN phrase, "No Noose Is Good Noose!"
There was an imam in OTTAWA
Who ISSUED a curious fatwa.
That a bowl of soup
Or a HULA HOOP
Could not be stuffed in a bra!
There was a REP from SARASOTA
Who was assigned the job to PROMOTE a
New type of ade
That a local girl made,
That was sold with the name "SARA's soda"!
An exception to the rule, "grease" is pronounced like "Greece", and it really grates my ear when someone pronounces the adjective "greezy."
Learning moment, never having been to OTTAWA, I always thought it was WNW of Albany, much closer to Toronto than Montreal.
{C+, C, B+.}
Thank you Gary Larson and thank you C.C.
That was fun ! Decided to make sure I read every clue this Sunday and not look at the timer. No silly mistakes and no typos. Did have to change IKE to DDE early on.
Kept looking at the clue "Box office' and wondering if there should have been a _____ along with it, or perhaps clued as "Box office gate." Never knew it was synonymous with RECEIPTS. Never had any interest in nor paid any attention to that stuff.
Never heard of ELIO, but I used to love to watch LORENA play. Girl had game ! Was shocked at her unexpected retirement.
Good thing the perps filled in MASSEY. Never heard of Dr. Kildare. Will have to read about it. Must not have been very popular.
Desper-otto wouldn't have thought twice about the answer to 71A "Itemized deductions form"
C.C. no, never heard of Plumb Right. Yes, I beat last year's golf league champ, 5 1/2 to 3 1/2. In our league, you get a point for each hole won, and a half point for each hole tied. Should have won 6 to 3, but I missed a short putt on the ninth hole and we tied.
Good Morning, C.C. and friends. Interesting puzzle with so many Zs.
Also interesting to see RAZE and RISES in the same puzzle.
I tried Sanded before EVENED for Soothed.
Dr. Kildare was before my time.
I don't equate Box Office with RECEIPTS.
My favorite clue was Back At Sea = AFT.
Here is The Chipmunk Song.
QOD: The scientist only imposes two things, namely truth and sincerity, and imposes them upon himself and other scientists. ~ Erwin Schrödinger (Aug. 12, 1887 ~ Jan. 4, 1961)
Good morning!
Had to work for this one, and got stuck for awhile in the SW. ASOCIAL was very slow in arriving, causing a logjam in that area. But everything worked out in the end, so life is good. I did notice all the zzzzzzzzzs. I don't suppose this is the Gary Larson who wrote The Far Side cartoon strip years ago. Nice debut, in any case!
OVER DOZED: Do you use an alarm? I used one in my working days, but always managed to turn it off before it alarmed. Haven't used one for years, but I'm still up at 6 every morning, plus-or-minus a couple of minutes.
SCHEDULE A: It's gonna look quite different next year. Several popular deductions will be eliminated or limited. The higher standard deduction will set the bar higher, and far fewer people will be able to use Schedule A. Charities are worried that if folks can't deduct their donations, they'll stop giving.
TTP, Dr. Kildare was very popular in the early 60's...right up there with Gunsmoke. It was based on the characters from the old BW movies with Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore. The medical practice motif provided ample opportunity for guest stars, and everybody who was anybody showed up at some point during the show's run.
Desper-otto, I read about the Dr Kildare program and the actor Richard Chamberlin. Even listened to part of the theme song to see if that fired any synapses, but no luck.
Also read about another one about the same time, Ben Casey. No recollection of that one either.
If these shows were in the same time slots as Gunsmoke and Bonanza, that would explain that.
BTW, I've been watching a channel called H&I (Heroes and Icons) in the early weekday mornings. Cheyenne, then Maverick, then Wanted Dead or Alive, then Rawhide. I tend to look up some of the actors and actresses. Was reading about Rawhide and the cast, and there was Sheb Wooley ! He of the Purple People Eaters song and that crossword clue and answer a week or so ago.
The only Purple People Eaters I had ever heard of were the linemen of the Minnesota Vikings, and I thought it was because of their purple uniforms.
Thanks Gary and C.C. (or maybe we should call you Z.Z., just for today.)
The puzzle was challenging, fun, and clever, and I enjoyed every minute.
Raymond MASSEY's film career was mainly 1935-1962, Oscar nominee for Abe Lincoln in Illinois in 1940, then played Lincoln again in How the West Was Won.
Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey were both past my bedtime. Richard Chamberlain later became king of the TV miniseries.
Unlike the song's title creature, the Vikings had two eyes, two horns, and didn't fly.
TTP, yeah, Ben Casey was another popular doctor show. Those shows paved the way for Marcus Welby, M.D. later on. Here's a page with lots of TV stars and shows from that era. Let me know when you get to the bottom...
Hi Y'all! Good Sunday fare, Gary Larson. I, too, wondered if you were the cartoonist. Found the theme amusing but some of the theme entries were hard to come up with.
Great expo, C.C. I'm astonished at becoming reclusive/ASOCIAL myself these days. OVER DOZED also describes me at least twice a week. And I've become an old FUss BUDGET who is a little FUZZy at times. ALOE gives me hives.
Last fill was the "z" in HARBOR ZEAL/AZIZ cross. Natick.
I knew LORENA OCHOA but couldn't remember her name.
Can't believe I had trouble remembering what the 2nd Amendment was about. FIREARMS. The most discussed amendment by far these days. Duh!
Also had trouble with CAYS BY CAYS. Thought it would be Seychelles.
Did not know: BEZOS, LA GEAR, WAV, SUPRA, BROMIDE, PAIGE, GIA, ELIO.
SCHEDULE A was familiar but I have only filled it out twice in my life when my husband had big medical expenses.
Musings
-What a fun initial LA voyage for Mr. Larson
-Pastures and meadows are lush this year making for long GRAZING PERIODS
-Best/most convenient door KNOB in our house
-We went through our AGE WORN manuals yesterday to try to fix this device. What is it?
-My Power Point lessons are full of WAV. files
-Our yellow flowers have turned into wonderful tomatoes
-If you “spell out” what you want instead of hinting…
-SMOOTHING/EVENING concrete is a nightmare for the human back
-Yankee Hill Brick Company in Lincoln produced this beautiful BAS relief work
-Knowing obscure baseball players compensates for my not knowing playwrights
-Big BOX OFFICE – Local county fair counted on 2,000 people at demolition derby but got 6,000 @ $12 a pop. SRO!
Gar Larson had a debut puzzle in the NYT after 41 straight rejections! I hope he stops by to tell us his story. I think it may be this stand-up COMEDIAN
OK, Desper-otto, I got to the bottom. There's a picture of a dried maple seed.
Also forgot to mention Have Gun - Will Travel, and High Chaparral. Have been watching a lot of westerns lately.
For the last two days, I've been reading a lot of twitter feeds coming out of DEF CON 2018 that Anonymous-T is at. Some of there are sooo funny (in a techie nerdy kind of way) !
Lot of hacking going on. Supposedly one of the hackers got control of the key card server that handles the electronic door locks for the hotel rooms at Caesars Palace. Caesar's better have their hotel billing system locked down !
One showed a video and stills of a video gaming machine that was hacked. But mostly, it looks like they are going to tech talks, hacking each other, and meeting friends.
One youngster showed how to get Admin privileges to an election voting booth that's commonly used in 18 states. She did it under two minutes. That was an official open challenge to attendees.
I'll wager that Dash T is having a great time there. Maybe he'll share some anecdotes.
Gotta run. See y'all later n 'at !
Hello Puzzlers -
Pretty much zoomed through, and the title made it easy to suss the gimmick early on.
I’m surprised that Gary Larson is new to LAT. I thought the name was familiar from crosswords already, and not in connection with The Far Side. Must be mistaken.
I remember the Dr. Kildare snow on TV, but in my memory it was quite old by the time I became a viewer. Marcus Welby is more within my time.
Husker, it appears you’re fixing the igniter on an appliance, perhaps a gas grill.
Came back because I forgot to answer Husker's "What is it ?" question.
You are correct Dudley. That's an igniter for a Weber Spirit Gas Grill. Either a model 210 or model 310. Have a similar one on my Weber Genesis.
Back later !
Careless again. I didn't recheck 19a/3D.
I see pop-cul and I assume I don't know it. Of course I knew both.
I have to reorder aloe vera capsules. They help my hands.
I shoulda" looked back"*, harder. I had SSR/SILL. I wonder if the$store sells Wite-out?
Oops, there's another one. RNA/DNA
TTP had the right idea. Check carefully.
What was the one Steve McQueen was in? Bounty Hunter?
WC
*Satchel's line was "Don't look back, something might be gaining on you"
PS. Owen. #1 was an A
Lemony, that title from the YouTube video spelt Gary's name as LarsEn. Doesnt match, eh?
I wonder how Krijo's doing? This wasn't unduly hard but perhaps that's because it's in our wheelhouse
WC
I was feeling kind of stupid as I tried to get the theme. As soon as I saw the title I figured it had to do with Z's. But I got confused as some theme answers had Zs and some had Ss. Thanks, CC, for the explanation. Learning moment about pronunciation and spelling.
Is that guy in the Chinese butcher shop really smoking?
Hand up I was mystified by BOX OFFICE/RECEIPTS. Last to fall was the nasty crossing of Natick names MASSEY/LORENA/OCASEY. Did WAG correctly to FIR. Other than that bit, I enjoyed the theme and the puzzle! Some clever ones like FUZZ BUDGET, especially!
Is there any way to find out if this is indeed the Far Side Gary Larson?
Here I visited the SPAN of London Bridge... At Lake Havasu, Arizona!
Has anyone else visited this amusing SPAN so utterly out of place in the Arizona desert?
desper-otto: Thanks for pointing out the change coming for SCHEDULE A. I am surprised there has not been more coverage of the likely impact on charities.
From yesterday
James Brydon: Yes, I also thought MRI was out of place in the ER. Come back and post again now that you know the way!
Gary LARSEN- The "Far Side" comic? Oh, wrong spelling. Gary LarsOn. I caught the ESSence of this puzzle at the "BUS" DEPOT and "GRACE" PERIOD. But completing the CAYS BY CAYS crossing SEWAGE & BROMIDE took the longest. I had to GIVE THE "ONCE" OVER & OVER & OVER & ...ETC. to finish it. No other problems other than the unknowns solved by perps.
FOOD COMA & "FUSS' BUDGET- never heard of either of those terms. GIC Scalia, A after SCHEDULE (I've never itemized), MASSEY, AZIZ. ELIO, LANGE. Never saw Tootsie, Dr. Kildare, or even heard of "Master of None" or "I AM LEGEND". Don't keep up with former prime ministers of small countries either.
LA GEAR- still in business? They tried to shaft their most important employee. Did he ever get even. He started SKETCHERS.
BAT AN EYE? I've only heard Bat and eyelash.
C.C. you mention Boomer frying chicken and KFC is in the grid. Their chicken? Not for me. What ever happened to "Shake N Bake"?
DEPORTS- sensitive? Not by me. An overpopulated world would inundate EU & USA if allowed.
I believe the different pronunciations of greasy are regional and that both are considered correct. My father, originally from southern Pennsylvania, always said "greezy", which sounded strange to my SoCal ears. But the regions may well have shifted over the years.
Musings
-Yes, that is an ignitor for a Weber Grill. The first two I got from Ace Hardware were not correct and so I called Weber Customer Service at 5 pm on a Saturday and got a lovely woman in Wisconsin who was ready to ship me the correct ignitor for $40. But then she asked if I had replaced the battery. I had not, I did and now it works! Problem solved. Who knew grill ignitors had a battery?
-Did I mention I got great help at 5 pm on a Saturday afternoon? Wow!
-The smoking butcher also caught my eye
-If there’s a quiz on today’s homily, I and everyone I talked to, would flunk!
-Those old TV westerns are two dimensional but the good guy always wins and it reminds me of pleasant times.
Gary, we went last night and there were a lot of dozers, too.
I posted my own baseball trivia but Hondo was around and knew it instantly
When I asked this I added, "Check with someone who knows nothing about baseball for a hint. One of the wives PIPED up: Oh something to do with----- ------.
So...
"When I played for Philly I took 37 days off but still won the Batting Championship"
After WWII. So, who am I?
WC
Anonymous, You Tube is not always correct and I based my comment on this from Mr. Larson after his NYT publication.
"They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. That's not true. You can teach an old dog, it just takes a heck of a lot longer. You have to be patient. Thanks to Will's patience with me, I was able to finally get the hang of this puzzle thing.
This was my 42nd submission to The Times. My previous 41 attempts were rejected for one reason or another. (That's right — 41 rejections in a row — I don't know if that's a record, but it's a personal best!)
Having been a professional comedian for more than a third of a century, I'm no stranger to rejection. The rough and tumble nightclub business is capable of delivering its share of rejections — often accompanied by a flying shot glass and/or an invitation to have one's face rearranged in the parking lot — but 41 "no's" in a row was, to say the least, disappointing.
Will, being Will, was kind and considerate (never once threatening bodily harm) and offered constructive criticism and encouragement with each successive defeat. When he was finally able to respond with a "yes," the relief was palpable … on both our parts. But that relief was short-lived because the "yes" was conditional. I would need to make some revisions."
Good afternoon, folks, Thank you, Gary Larson, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.
This one took me a while. Caught the theme after I was well into it. That helped and got me further into it.
#*A FIREARMS was easy. I am a life member.
BEZOS was easy. He was my boss until late June.
Tried ET ALII until ASSTS appeared, then ET ALIA won out.
Right now the Junior Little League World Series is going on. This morning The USA East Regional Champion played the USA West Regional Champion. The East players were from Johnsonburg, Wilcox, Ridgway, and Kane, Pennsylvania. Johnsonburg is the town I go to all the time. My wife grew up there. The West team is from Manhattan Beach, CA. The West beat the East 2-1 in extra Innings. However, any team at this level has to lose twice before they are eliminated. So, The East is still in the running. Hard to believe that those 13-14 year old kids from Elk County, PA, have really gotten this far against teams from very much larger communities. Let's cheer them on!
See you tomorrow
Abejo
( )
WC - That Phillie batting champion was Richie Ashburn from Tilden, Nebraska. You knew, I'd know that didn't you?
Rule for pronouncing plural s: If the last sound in the root word is voiced (accompanied by vocal fold vibration), {all vowels, b, d, g, v, l, m, n, r, ng}, pronounce as z. If the last sound in the root word is voiceless (not accompanied by vocal fold vibration), {p, t, k, f}, pronounce as s. If the last sound in the root word is ch, sh, j, s, z, zh, add another syllable, es {pronounced as iz}. Example of each: dogs, kites, itches. Anonymous G
Desper-otto,
I think I got to the end,
it rolled over to the beginning...
It got me thinking about old TV theme songs,
and they ones I really liked.
Perry Mason
The Saint
Peter Gunn
Which led to a discovery:
I never knew the intro music to the Any Griffith say had words!
HG, yeah I recognized that BBQ igniter,
similar to the one I replaced on my outdoor propane gas fireplace
that exploded shortly after I replaced it.
(through no fault of my own)
(Long story, I will have to await a CW segue to tell that one...)
But doorknob does remind me of the front door our contractor installed
that has this feature that if you turn the doorknob from inside the house,
it automatically (mechanically) unlocks!
Some sort of fire safety feature that enables you to get out of the house quickly in
the event of a fire.
But it "always" gets stuck at the "just before it unlocks" position
and you can't get in or out!
("The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley")
Took me a while to figure out the sound change deal, but I could solve the puzzle without it. My only serious trouble spot was entering CAYMAN after getting CAY and not wanting to let it go. Interesting to see RAZE in the puzzle, almost directly ESE of CRAZE. Also eye-catching to see ELIO crossing OLIOS.
I remember GIA Scala from the 1961 movie The Guns of Navarone. I remember Raymond MASSEY mostly from the 1955 James Dean version of the movie East of Eden. I thought Julie Harris deserved the Academy Award far more than Jo Van Fleet for her performance in that movie. Both of them are fine actresses, of course. And if may say so, it was painful to watch James Dean, all folded up upon himself, whining and whimpering throughout. My wife and I both found his performance, frankly, horribly unwatchable.
Have never worn LA Gear anything.
Liszt's first name, Franz, also has a Z in it. He was quite the razzle-dazzle showoff-showman pianiszt! A very old joke, probably invented by Victor Borge, says that Liszt's wife's name was Chrisztmas.
I am so happy to be retired, have no need for an alarm clock, and can sleep in as late as my body desires.
Best wishes to you all.
Greetings!
Thanks to Gary L. and C.C.!
Nice theme!
FIR, after several pauses.
Loved "Dr. Kildare"!
Hope to see you tomorrow!
I got the entire east side of this great puzzle before I had to start cheating--many thanks, Gary. Loved many of the theme entries, like KEEP THE PEAS. And thanks for the neat write-up and pictures, C.C. Fun to have all the memories of wonderful old TV shows evoked.
Hope you're all heaving a great week-end.
Abejo what did you mean
"#*A FIREARMS was easy. I am a life member."
A life member of the gun manufacturers lobby?
Gary, you fell right into it. Let's repost the clue . Can I be every bit as deceptive as Weschler ET ALIA? Or for that matter, CC(this answer is before her American Baseball time).
Here it is again: (Slightly rephrased)
When I played for PHILADELPHIA I took 37 days off but still won the Batting Championship .
Jayce, I just read your post. Or anyone.
Read my clue and give Gary a hunt .Zero knowledge of Baseball is an advantage.
Anyone that had 76D (The other Gary) right away can probably help.
WC
THANK YOU, Husker Gary. I've been using a butane lighter for 5 years because my starter on my Weber wouldn't work. Battery? Never knew it had one. Just put in a AAA and it lit up immediately.
Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I just learned one.
Wilbur - are you in the gloaming already? 76D is Jessica Lange, not Gary anybody...
Picard - during all those years in AZ I did spend a weekend or 2 in Lake Havasu City. and have a bunch of old pictures of the bridge. Pretty amazing.
Bill G - guitar was never one of my favorite instruments, but I've always appreciated good music well played on anything. My best friend in HS played piano & cello, and was learning guitar, mainly because he liked folk music, but of course he'd been exposed to and loved what people call "classical". Shortly after the Kennedy center opened ('69 or '70) we got to hear John Williams play a solo recital there. It was a small recital hall with perfect acoustics, his beautiful sound filled it so you felt you were just immersed in golden velvet. It was a wonderful, transforming experience!
Good evening.
I'm late to the party. Thanks Mr. Gary Larson for this challenging Sunday CW. I had to BAIL in the central section to complete it.
Thanks C.C. for your excellent review.
Ðave
Mike S. Fellow 44-62 guy . 76D was a movie question. I asked a baseball trivia which was to quote HG, "obscure" . But the key words were 37 "days off" .
Now if a movie buff, of which it appears there are many around here, gets it. Tell "Husker" Gary, Gary Larson was just the guy who clued a movie star.
Btw. Richie Ashburn was a great fav of mine, a 200 hit/ year guy and a tremendous CFer .
WC
Btw, that was a tremendous golf tournament today . A dozen all had a chance, Tiger in the middle of it, fans screaming, international cast of characters and a true champion ( although not the guy I was rooting for).
Now for the FedEx Cup followed by the Ryder Cup.
WC. Back to the gloamin*
PS . Who hit "The Homer in the gloamin"?
link
Finally all my company is gone, the kitchen is clean and I had a chance to finish this CW which I started very early this morning.
Loved the ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZs.
My daughter wore LAGEAR shoes growing up.
Hand up! I loved Dr. Kildare and had a lifelong crush on Richard Chamberlain.
Could not suss CAYSBYCAYS so had to LIU.
Otherwise, a very nice romp. Thank you, Gary Larson and thank you, C.C.!
I hope all had a fantastic Sunday!
Late to the party again. Spent most of the day driving from Mendocino CA to Lake Tahoe NV, dodging forest fires and fighting traffic.
Excellent puzzle, Mr L, and ditto on the exposition, C.C.!
Picard, the first thing I did when I saw the picture of the butcher was zoom in on it. "That can’t really be a cigarette in his mouth, can it?" Yes. Yes it can.
I grew up hearing old sayings referred to as BROMIDEs. "Oh, THAT old bromide?"
I had to come here to parse LAGEAR. I know the brand (haven’t ever had any) but could NOT figure out what I had.
TTP, congrats on your golfing. I just never could do well at it and finally gave up. Saved me a lot of $$$, though. :P
Going out now to see if any of the Perseids will be visible through the haze. Night, all.
21 abbreviations, 7 obscure foreign words/locations, 6 people no one's ever heard of, and more than a few WTFs? made this puzzle a typical LAT slopfest. So one consonant sound is switched for another and? And? That's it? Just a bunch of dull, mundane, boring themers like BUS DEPOT, GRACE PERIOD, PRICE RANGE, HARBOR SEAL, with nothing in common? How can anyone think this is clever? A few especially egregious pain points:
CAYS is pronounced KEYS, so the themer KEYS BY KEYS makes no sense at all. Look it up.
What does a SLAB have to do with a section in a butcher shop? There is no specific area where they sell "slabs" of meat. Racks, roasts, chops, steaks, yes, but no SLABS. They don't even cut the meat on a slab, marble or otherwise; they use wooden butcher blocks. Yeah, this may be picayune, but c'mon, that's where editing is supposed to come in. Recent puzzles are also rife with abbreviated answers not being fairly mirrored in the cluing, e.g. "Many a Bob Marley fan" is a RASTAFARIAN. RASTA would be acceptable only if the clue indicated the answer was an abbreviation. I'm seeing way too many of these lately. HP for Hewlett-Packard, etc. Just because it's in the language doesn't mean abbr. indicators should be left off. And when can we bring the puzzle into this century? ASHCANS haven't been used since coal was replaced by fuel oil in the mid 1930s. RAD, an abbr. for RADICAL, died a well-earned death in 1982. "Dr. Kildare" went off the air in 1966 (from which we only get the CO-STAR, not even the star!) And SEE-THRU??? Really??? If a word doesn't fit, just lop some letters off and throw "informally" into the clue, and that's acceptable? And SOOTS as a verb? No. Just, no. SOOTS has never been used to describe an action by anyone, anywhere, ever. Hey, I know it's just a puzzle, and supposed to be fun. But the consistently sloppy editing, unquestioned assumptions, dated references, deliberately obscure cluing just to appear "fresh", and a whole mindset that skews to 70-year-old-plus crowd is ruining it for the rest of us who love the language, follow its rules, and want to have fun. This ain't cuttin' it, LOL. Please, can we pick it up a notch or two?
When we hear the expression"Day(s) off". Who do we think of? FERRIS Bueller. That was the Saturday xword level clue .
So who's Ferris? In Philadelphia baseball he's Ferris Fain. Who in 117 games of the 1951 (37 days off for injured foot) won the AL Batting championship with the ATHLETICS.
I believe I heard that Bueller was named for Ferris (who also played for the White Sox).
Here's his bio
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