google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday August 19, 2018 Mike Torch

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Aug 19, 2018

Sunday August 19, 2018 Mike Torch

Theme: "Loaf Affair"- Bread puns.

27A. Bread worshipers?: NAAN BELIEVERS. Non-believers. Unusual to see a themer starting in Row 4 rather than the traditional Row 3.

41A. Musical composition about a bread-loving pack animal?: PITA AND THE WOLF. Peter and the Wolf.

51A. Bread joke-teller's trait?: RYE SENSE OF HUMOR. Wry sense of humor.

73A. Celebratory wish over Jewish bread?: HAPPY CHALLAH DAY. Happy holiday.

81A. Ibsen title character's bread?: PEER GYNT'S WHEAT. Peer Gynt Suite.

96A. "Sorry, I meant to give you a plain burger"?: NO BUN INTENDED. No pun intended.

16D. Bread that only appears for a short time?: CAMEO ROLLS. Cameo roles.

66D. Bread with a winelike aroma?: NOSE SCONES. Nose cones.

Great to see Mike Torch back. He's a veteran constructor who has made many puzzles for the New York Times and LA Times.


We've seen food puns, but I don't recall one theme specifically focused on bread. Such a tight set of entries.
 
Across:

1. Breaks off: STOPS. Then 10. Kicks off: OPENS.

6. Window framework: SASH.

15. Cake-finishing artist: ICER. 70. 15-Across co-worker: BAKER. Is there really an ICER in a bakery?

19. Dugout, for one: CANOE. Nice clue.

20. Either of matching words, in a way: Abbr.: ANAG. OK, anagram.

21. Home to the Palazzo della Ragione: PADUA. Gary probably visited this place.


22. Pew area: NAVE.

23. Flopped financially: ATE IT. Tiny clue/answer dupe with  45. Disaster movie?: FLOP.

24. '60s protest slogan: BAN THE BOMB.

26. In: AMID.

29. In a dishonorable manner: BASELY.

31. Makes serious demands on: TAXES.

32. __ Geo: cable channel: NAT.

33. Source of intolerance: LACTOSE. Many Asians are lactose-intolerant, though the percentage shocks me.

34. Frequent savers: GOALIES. Oh, hi, Splynter!


37. Time div.: MIN.

39. "One of Ours" Pulitzer-winning author: CATHER.


40. Kick out: EXPEL.

46. Cooped-up critters: HENS.

47. Arms carriers?: TORSI. Another great clue.

49. Concerns: CARES.

50. Adjective for rapper Kim: LIL.

54. Diet including wild fruit: PALEO. I could not imagine a diet without carbs.

56. Vote in favor: YEA.

57. Music and art genre: FOLK.

58. "Lemme __!": AT 'EM.

59. Confines: PENS UP.

60. Two-time A.L. Manager of the Year Francona, familiarly: TITO.


61. Ballet movements: PLIES.

63. Cougar, e.g., briefly: MERC.

64. Declining due to age: SENILE.

67. Harbor view spot: PIER. Boomer and I were here in 2001.


68. Ore source: SEAM.

69. Easy sequence?: ABC.

72. Norwegian capital: KRONE. And 48. Norwegian capital: OSLO

77. "__ yours": "My gift": IT'S. And 78. Gift recipient: DONEE.

79. Big hits: BELTS.

80. NASA approvals: AOKS.

85. Stop in Québec?: ARRET.


86. Immerses in liquid: SOUSES.

87. Get it wrong: ERR.

88. Insurance company founded for rural workers: FARMERS. Learning moment for me.

90. Takes back: RECANTS.

92. Like some discount mdse.: IRR. Do you have Marshalls in your area? I love browsing there.

94. Left-hand page: VERSO.

95. King in "The Tempest": ALONSO.

102. El __: NINO.

103. Orchestra section: PERCUSSION.

106. Jenna, to Jeb: NIECE.

107. Nerd: GEEK.

108. Folding declaration: I'M OUT.

109. Cosmo rival: ELLE.

110. Europop's __ Base: ACE OF.

111. Besides: ELSE.

112. Bottomless gulf: ABYSS.

113. Passing out at the table?: DEAL. I was picturing something scary.

114. Golf Channel analyst Wadkins: LANNY. Left. He was at 3M last year.



Down:

1. Doctor's order: SCAN. Boomer wants to just deal with this left shoulder pain (rotator cuff problem) rather than having surgery.

2. Part of TTFN: TATA.

3. Most eligible for service: ONE A.

4. Ineffective: POINTLESS.

5. Put a price on freedom?: SET BAIL. Lovely clue.

6. Fine furs: SABLES.

7. Writer Nin: ANAIS.

8. Reasonable: SANE.

9. "Fixer Upper" network: HGTV.

10. Verdi creation: OPERA.

11. L.A.-based brewery: PABST.

12. Tokyo, formerly: EDO. Watched quite a few dramas set in Edo period.

13. O.T. book: NUM.

14. Religious observances: SABBATHS.

15. Fretful: IN A STEW.

17. Harmful aspects: EVILS.

18. Try a new shade on: REDYE. And 25. Salon coloring: HENNA.

28. Program file suffix: EXE. I must have drove D-Otto/TTP out of their mind last week by failing to access the Safe Mode. But I failed forward. I learned something.

30. Masseuse's target: ACHE.

33. "See ya!": LATER.

34. Architect Frank: GEHRY. Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao)

35. Yellow-and-white daisy: OXEYE.



36. Sleep study subject: APNEA.

37. Soybean paste: MISO. Yeah, to natives and those in the know (as Yellowrocks), Miso is just paste, not soup. The soup is always called "Miso soup".


38. "Do __ you must": IT IF.

39. PC insert: CD ROM.

41. Nursery sch.: PRE-K.

42. Sharp: ACUTE.

43. Mentions specifically: NAMES.

44. Place: LIEU.

47. U.S. security: T NOTE.

52. Option for a return: E-FILE.

53. Precarious: HAIRY.

54. Prefix with frost: PERMA.

55. Mandela's org.: ANC. African National Congress.

59. Bell sounds: PEALS.

60. Like the Oz woodsman: TIN.

61. Singing voice, informally: PIPES.

62. Looney Tunes stinker: LE PEW.

63. Soften in feeling: MELT.

64. Hop-jump link: SKIP.

65. Art Deco artist: ERTE. Jazzbumpa is another ERTE (R/T). His real name is Ron Toth.

67. Breathes hard: PANTS.

68. Ocean feature: SALT.

69. Worship: ADORE.

71. Dermatologists' concerns: CYSTS.

73. Refines: HONES.

74. "Good buddy": CBER.

75. Pick up: HEAR.

76. Blues musician's "harp": HARMONICA.

78. Literally, Greek for "bad place": DYSTOPIA. Good to know.

82. Lost Colony's island: ROANOKE. Another learning moment for me.

83. Big biceps, at the gym: GUNS.

84. Chef's supply: HERBS. One more clue/answer dupe.  88. Aromatic herb: FENNEL. Cilantro is the only fresh herb most Chinese use.

85. London football club: ARSENAL.

89. Part of MoMA: ART.

90. Span: RANGE.

91. The senior Saarinen: ELIEL. Father of crossword stalwart EERO.

92. Ear bone: INCUS.

93. Opposites of squeakers, in sports: ROUTS.

94. Davis with an Oscar, Emmy and two Tonys: VIOLA. Classy lady.


97. Employed: USED.

98. Luxor's river: NILE. Luxor is also the avatar name of a bygone poster on our blog. Luxor enjoyed attacking others.

99. Cook Paula: DEEN.

100. B-school course: ECON.

101. Rebel against: DEFY.

104. Diplomatic bldg.: EMB. Here is US Embassy in Beijing.


105. Pop artist Lichtenstein: ROY.

C.C.



49 comments:

OwenKL said...

FIWrong. dOUSES>SOUSES and perp, DEnY>DEFY and perp.

The BREAD BAKER and cake ICER had a tryst.
What they played was more lively than whist!
They emulated a pretzel
By how they embraced so,
It was HAIRY how their TORSI did twist!

SANE people E-FILE their TAXES.
Convenience value it maxes.
IT'S quite rapid, too.
It's what GOALIES do
to save time to save at their matches!

Blue-ribbon beer is from PABST.
One can buy it by can or by cask.
Cans were once made of TIN,
With a SEAM rim to rim,
Now they open by just pulling the tabst!

BAN THE BOMB in New York holds sway.
It's repeated down the Great White Way.
It's meant to DEFY
The angels who try
To re-stage a FLOP on Broadway!

{A-, B+, A, B+.}

fermatprime@gmail.com said...

Greetings!

Thanks to Mike and C.C.!

Great theme!

FIR. (Yesterday was utter disaster.)

Didn't know the following right off hand: PADUA, TITO, LANNY, SCAN, HAIRY, ARSENAL and ALONSO.

My left shoulder has torn rotator cuff. Years ago operation no good.

Have a great day!

TTP said...

Good morning. Thank you Mike Torch and thank you C.C.

I normally struggle with these types of puzzles, and today was no different. Never got on a bun. I mean roll.

Seemed like there were a lot of p's in the puzzle.

C.C., now that it's working again, it might be a good time to try different methods for getting in and out of Safe mode.

Hahtoolah said...

Good Morning, C.C., and friends. This was a fun Sunday puzzle. I loved the bread theme and NO BUN INTENDED was especially amusing.

I wasn't fooled by Arms Carrier and immediately wrote in TORSI. Great clue.

When we lived in southern France, we often travelled into Italy on weekends. PADUA was a favorite place ~ it's a hidden gem.

There is a Marshalls in our vicinity and I recently bought 3 bathing suits for $16 a piece. I needed some new ones as the chlorine in the gym pool is so harsh on them.

QOD: Middle age is when you’ve met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else. ~ Ogden Nash (Aug. 19, 1902 ~ May 19, 1971)

Lemonade714 said...

Good morning. Time does fly as it has been more than 6 years since I wrote-up Mike's Friday effort, his most recent LAT and a FRIDAY the 13th . Average Joe has a lurid but very witty comment thrown in. Speaking of DYS which added at the beginning of a word (UTOPIA-DYSTOPIA) DYSFUNCTIONAL [DF] comments were rampant in 2012.

I am not sure this counts as no politics, as it includes both Obama and Trump, but I think the only ICER at a baakery these day is HERE .

I remembered the work of ROY LICHTENSTEIN but not his name. I also did not recall ELIEL tomorrow is the anniversary of his birth or the other architect FRANK GEHRY .

I too thought TORSI was well clued.

Thanks C.C. and MT.

Lemonade714 said...

Of course to reclaim the past, another typo BAAKERY. Drat!

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Hahtoolah, you're definitely smarter than I this morning. Had to do an alphabet run to get that R in TORSI and PRE-K. I also had a lAPSE trying to get NAVE. GeHry became obvious when AENS wasn't working. So who's having the birthday Lemon, Eliel or Frank? :) Thanks, Mike and C.C.

C.C., Boomer's wise to avoid surgery if he can. I think surgery should always be the last resort, when all else fails.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Very amusing theme, Mike, thanks. Great expo, C.C.

For once, I went back and read the title of the puzzle off the Mensa puzzle opener since LOAF AFFAIR was half covered by the "by". I was glad I did since it helped get the bread entries. The easiest theme entries for me were NAAN BELIEVERS & HAPPY CHALLAH DAY. I didn't get the PEER GYNTS WHEAT (Suite) until C.C. explained. I knew but I'd forgotten those pieces. A roommate had a recording of them 60 years ago. GREIG yesterday & his work today.

This got a little long for me. Shouldn't have started it when tired. NE corner was the last to fill: LACTOSE/CAMEO ROLLS cross. I wanted a synonym for "intolerance". The crosses between CATHER/THE WOLF & AMID/IN A STEW also defied me for too long.

My last baby son was LACTOSE intolerant and allergic to corn syrup & chicken. He almost starved to death when my breast milk dried up prematurely before we found a soy milk without the corn syrup he could tolerate. Projectile vomiting is not fun. My oldest daughter now has LACTOSE intolerance and uses almond milk to which I am allergic. I drink a lot of good old cow's milk.

Did not know: ARRET, LANNY, Frank GEHRY (Frank Lloyd Wright didn't fit). Knew ELIEL last time we had him, but not today.

Don't understand what is "O.T. book" = NUMS? Oh, old testament book = NUMBERS. Duh! Had it with perps. SENILE, I guess.

C.C.: I see ads for Marshalls on TV but don't know where the store is. I rarely shop.

PK said...

C.C.: Doesn't his torn rotator cuff give Boomer problems when he bowls? My husband had good results with surgery, but he did a lot of therapy for months afterward and couldn't do much else.

desper-otto said...

PK, it's his other shoulder.

Krijo said...

On holiday on Corfu this week. No sleep because of my baby boy.

I did not like the puzzle at all, I cannot do this kind of theme, because the clue does not sound the same for me (as a foreigner). I got Pita and the wolf first and understood what is required but naan believers and happy challah day??? defied me.
Too many unknowns like the cook meeting a golf expert, pre-k, alonso, tito? The only Tito is Josip Broz!

What is a cber?

TTP said...

Krijo, a CB'er is an operator of a Citizen's Band radio.

Here's a link to CB'er slang:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_CB_slang

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Narrowly avoided a TDNF today - I was sure about doused, before scones turned it into soused, which I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. All in all, this was a challenge by Sunday standards. Good themage!

Morning C.C., interesting about the extent of lactose intolerance. I had no idea it worked like that.

Krijo - I can well imagine that these puzzles that rely on similar-sounding words would be difficult. I admire your persistence. To add to TTP’s information about CB: in the United States, it’s generally required to have a license to operate a radio transmitter. However, the authorities did set aside a bit of space on the spectrum for the so-called Citizens’ Band, which could be used by amateurs with no special training, and only a simple license. Citizens’ Band became very popular with drivers of large trucks, who could really benefit from the exchange of conversations and news over fairly long distances.

BobB said...

Had douses instead of souses and came up with nosed cones, DOH.

Picard said...

Krijo: This was tough for me, too. I am impressed with how you stick with these challenges!

I did enjoy the creativity of the theme and most of the fill. But there were some Natick crosses that spoiled it a bit. ALONSO/ELIEL. I did WAG that correctly. But I had ANAL (Analogy)/HLTV which seemed as good or better. I do not understand why ANAG makes sense. FIW.

CC: Thanks for explaining PEER GYNTS WHEAT. And for the beautiful image of the US EMB in China. Glad you made it to PIER 39 in SF. We go there at least once a year. We had MISO soup Friday.

Here are a few of my photos at SF MOMA.

My favorite is the second row: Robert Arneson. The first two are self-"portraits". The third was his commissioned statue of murdered SF Mayor George Moscone. It was very controversial. Mostly due to the graffiti on the base.

I think I have photos there of ROY Lichtenstein, too. Would have to dig for them.

Once again here is a photo of me in QUEBEC.

I have more. Perhaps another time.

As a child our summer camp in the New England woods was a chicken COOP. So, we were the COOPED-UP CRITTERS. Somewhere I have photos of that, too.

DYSTOPIA I know far too well. Most science fiction in my lifetime has been DYSTOPIc. It is so easy to write such negative stuff and it sells, unfortunately. So much harder to create a positive vision of the future. VERNE of course was a master. HG Wells wrote some. And of course there was Gene Roddenberry with Star Trek.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-RYE SENSE OF HUMOR was my key to the kingdom of gimmick
-Options in the SW corner abraded (hey, I used that word) my eraser
-PITA is how Peter is pronounced in the old 30’s films
-Our bus left Venice and only drove within a few miles of PADUA where Galileo taught
-Hopefully OPENING talks with N. Korea after STOPPING them will be fruitful
-My friend is an ICER (cake decorator) and uses a compressor to do it
-If your soul needs refreshing listen to this wonderful 3 minutes of prose where the third word is AMID
-Willa CATHER was a Univ. of Nebraska grad four years before they were called Cornhuskers
-RECANT – Make your words very sweet for you may have to eat them
-I’M OUT- This is said to be the worst starting hand in Texas Hold ‘Em Poker
-It is POINTLESS to try to change someone’s mind of Facebook, but do IT IF you must
-HGTV pretty much ignores the second letter in its initials
-My APNEA Health Index number is down to around 5
-Gotta run!

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

I struggled in many places but finally finished in just shy of an hour, a little on the long side, time-wise. I caught the theme early but, while that helped a tad, some of the themers were slow in filling in. The two easiest were: Rye sense of humor and No bun intended. My unknowns were Padua, Incus and Ace of. The w/os, though, were the real bumps in the road: I had Douses firmly fixed in my mind until perps forced Souses. (To me, Souses are those who imbibe too much) Compounding this troublesome corner was spelling Roanoke as Roanoak. My In a snit gave way to In a stew and Mr. Lehry became Mr. Gehry. (I was conflating Frank Leary, a Notre Dame coach, with Frank Gerhy, the architect.) Finally, my text-challenged lingo knowledge was changed from That to Ta Ta. I always thought TTFN meant That's That For Now. Silly me, LOL. Nice CSO to our own Oz woodsman, Tin!

Thanks, Mike, for a challenging Sunday stumper and thanks, CC, for the informative analysis. I think we have a Marshalls in the area but, like PK, I'm not much of a shopper. I don't really need anything and I don't really enjoy just browsing. When I lived in Florida, though, I could spend hours in the local Steinmart; they had some really unusual housewares and decorative items. Alas, no Steinmart here.

Owen, I thought #4 deserved an A+.

Have a great day.

Irish Miss said...

Correction: I meant to type Leahy not Leary. Guess I'm not fully awake! 🙃

Lucina said...

Funday Sunday! Thank you, Mike Torch and C.C.!

I love any kind of bread and these days this is the only way I can enjoy it. These are very clever puns on bread.

I got TORSI quickly and smiled. I also liked the two Norwegian capitals, OSLO & KRONE. I've spent KRONE but not in Norway; that was in Sweden and Denmark and before the Euro.

I really botched ARSENAL since I didn't know LANNY, had DANNY and forgot VERSO with VERtO.

Another area was with GEHRY, tried GETTY and of course Wright didn't fit. Finally had to LIU.

PK: I think you mean Frank Leahy from Notre Dame.

Yes, we have several Marshall's stores and good to know they have swim suits. I need a new one.

Have a super Sunday, everyone! I'm all packed for my next trip.


Lucina said...

Oops. Apologies to PK. I was typing at the same time as you, IrishMiss.

Misty said...

I loved this Mike Torch puzzle--many thanks. No, I didn't get it all and had to do a bit of cheating, but I think this is the best Sunday puzzle I've done in a very long time. I only cheated once until I came to the bottom, when I got tired and needed a little help. And I loved the bread theme--but then, I've always liked bread, although now in my senior years it's pretty much off my diet. I kept wondering what that 'intolerance' could be, and had to laugh when it turned out to be LACTOSE. Funny to see 'Norwegian capital' twice in the same puzzle. I of course got OSLO and then knew the across had to be a currency, but tried FRANC (which didn't sound right) before KRONE filled in. CAMEO ROLLS was another favorite when I got it. Anyway, thanks again, Mike, and C.C., it's always wonderful reading your Sunday write-ups. Hope Boomer can manage his shoulder okay.

Have a great Sunday, everybody!

Wendybird said...

Still learning your terms ... what is a Wag???
I enjoy all your comments.

Steve said...

Romain de Tirtoff is Erté. Did he go by Ron Toff, as well?

TTP said...

Wendybird,

Here are some of the common abbreviations in the Comments section:

Clecho: Clue echos. Same clues for different entries in the grid.

CSO: A Shout Out is a reference to someone you know but here it is usually a Coincident

DF: stands for dysfunctional, often suggestive of sexual innuendo

DH: Dear Husband

DNF: Did Not Finish

DW: Dear Wife

FIR: Finished it Right

FIW: Finished It Wrong

FLN: From Last Night

LIU: Look It Up

Natick (D-Otto): Natick is small town in Massachusetts that no one (except locals) have ever heard of. Used here, it means the crossing of two names that a normal person wouldn't know -- might know one, but not both. Rex Parker created the Natick Principle years ago.

Perps, short for Perpendiculars, refer to the crossing answers that help you fill in letters of the word you don't know or you are not sure of.

Red letter: When you solve the puzzle on line in Regular Skill Level, your incorrect entry will be marked in red color.

WAG: Wild Ass Guess

WBS: What Barry Said. Coined by Dudley.

WEES: What Everybody Else Said. Coined by Jayce.

WMOS: What Most Others Said

W _ _ S: What a person Said If it were Husker Gary the abbr. would read WHGS

Wilbur Charles said...

ANAG/HGTV got me. I (like Picard) don't get ANAGRAM And didn't know the channel
FIW. But...since the jury is still out I'm taking FIR on yesterday's oversight
Oops, TORS I not O. Plural. Easy cross, another muff.
Wait'll I tell you about the glasses fiasco

KRONE was in 7/29 NYT. I muffed that one too
If ya NAE Know FARMERS ya nae watch Golf (c below)

Oh no, another one and we just had ERTE. AAARRGGHHHH!!;
All W's Owen. Why not.
That QOD just happened, where, McDonald's of course. She called me Tom, thinking of Cruise of course. We're about the same height

PK, I was trying to fit RASCISM for Intolerance.
Re. CBer... and gave a whole new meaning to SMOKEy

PITA is how we Bostonians pronunce Peter

LEAHY was at BC too. Was it before or after ND?
And I had DERN but ACE OF finally made sense. To make a long story short, I found the glasses. Yep, SENILity right around the corner. TG for xwords.

And of course I wanted ADELE <VIOLA.
BTW, I like LANNY. Nobilo? IT'S not him IT IS I*

WC
* Talk about xword staples

Spitzboov said...

Hello everyone.

Did it on-line with a modicum of red letter help. Liked the theme, but I had to think about some of them.
NAVE - Comes from the same root as navy or naval.

Krijo - Challah. I've heard it pronounced different ways. Around Utica, NY, it can be bought because there are many descendents of Lebanese and Syrian immigrants from 100 years ago who favor it. It is not just Jewish. One pronunciation is where the 'ch' is very close to the 'h' sound with a hint of the very light guttural 'g' as heard in the Dutch 'geit' (goat) or the 'ch' in L’chaim (Hebrew 'cheers'). So CHALLAH DAY becomes holiday by opening slightly the tongue base against the uvula.

Lemonade714 said...

Sorry, ELIEL BIRTHDAY .

I suffered for six months in exquisite pain putting off surgery...then had the surgery, almost died a few times...then I slowly improved and not I am 85% better. The operation itself was a success. Life is not simple.

Anonymous T said...

Sunday Lurk Say...

{A-, C+, B, A}

FredO - The Houston Chronicle runs last week's NYT on Sundays (Ed. Will Shortz is the tip-off). That's why I don't play Sundays - I have enough Sunday chores already to jump through the extra hoops for an extra-long 25x25 on Sunday.

Have a wonderful afternoon all!

Cheers, -T

Anonymous T said...

FredO - I just noticed you put your email address in your post... BAD Idea(TM). There are web-scrapers that will pick that up and start SPAMing you. Do yourself a favor and hit the delete button under your post.

Actually, I don't think that's an option if you posted as Anon; ask TTP to delete it for you.

Cheers, -T

Sandyanon said...

Anonymous at 2:35 -- I guess you really hated the puzzle. But when you get vituperative and use unnecessary obscenities, you make it so easy for people to classify all Anonymous posters as trolls. My first few posts were as Anonymous, but it hurt to be thought of as a troll just because of that. So I felt constrained to add my name. Yes, many people seem to comment negatively as Anonymous, but not all.

Wilbur Charles said...

Well I just tried that "roof of the tongue" Uvula trick. The bad news? Let's not go there.
The good news? I'm ready for another SPAM and Anchovy sandwich .

Does anyone else like Spam(and eggs)? There's a breakfast place in SandKey S. Of Clearwater) that offers it. *

WC

* There was a place called the Tin Can IN Clearwater that had Steak and Eggs for $4.95. Alas.

Jayce said...

Whew, this was a hard puzzle. Took me more than an hour to finish it. I just couldn't get on the right wavelength. While a struggle and sometimes a slog to solve, in hindsight I appreciate the creativity and skill that went into it.

The Natick for me was the crossing of H_TV and ANA_. I put in L for ANALogy and didn't know the TV channel anyway. Looking back, G makes sense at least for the ANAGram entry; I still don't know what the G stands for in HGTV, and I no longer care enough to look it up.

The crossing of ELIEL and NINO was almost a Natick for me too, because for too long I stuck with El PASO. The crossing of LANNY and ARSENAL was problematic for me too; DANNY and ARSENAD seemed fine to me, as I know nothing of London football clubs. In hindsight (again) the L makes sense, but after such a long slog I simply thought, "Okay, fine, whatever."

As for the bread theme, I liked it, but after seeing NAAN---, PITA---, and RYE---, I was thrown when the other theme entries did not have the bread type as the first word. Nor, as it turns out upon looking back (again) at it, was it necessarily the last word.

Hmm, ERR and IRR so close to each other?

At least I definitely knew, was sure of, and relied upon as toeholds, INCUS, LIL, OSLO, ARRET, NIECE, TATA, ANAIS, and VERSO.

Whew (again)!

billocohoes said...

The vet says that dogs, like most mammals, are LACTOSE intolerant. That never stopped mine from begging for ice cream or cheese, which never seemed to bother them (in small amounts.)

The original natick was "Town at the eighth mile of the Boston Marathon" crossing "Treasure Island illustrator (1911)". Illustrator was _ C. Wyeth, crossing _atick. I'd know Natick because it's the last service area on the Mass Turnpike eastbound heading into Boston, but that's still pretty regional, and NC was probably one of the lesser-known painting Wyeths.

Mrs. Parker said...

Sorry, I agree with anonymous. The first rule of themers is to follow the same pattern throughout the puzzle, but this one's all over the map. NAAN, RYE, WHEAT, ROLLS and SCONE simply change the spelling, while PITA, CHALLAH and BUN change the sound. And those themers are weak. The "Peer Gynt Suite" is far too obscure, and "nose" and "winelike" are too far apart for this use. Throw in 4 people no one's ever heard of, 2 medical terms, 4 foreign words, and it stops being fun. Then use ANAG, ANC, AOKS, ATEM, EDO, EMB, EXE, IRR, ITIF, LIL, MERC, MIN, NAT, NUM, ONEA, PREK and TATA as valid, legitimate answers (none of which anyone would recognize on its own) and you have the perfect example of why the LAT puzzle has the worst reputation and the most slop of any Sunday puzzle, every single week, and why I, for one, am done with it.

CrossEyedDave said...

I know you won’t quit,
You”re having too much fun complaining about it...

PK said...

Anonymous at 2:35 & 3:32 apparently had a different kind of fun than I had with the puzzle, but don't know why he was consorting with a disabled person.

Wilbur Charles said...

I thought of ANAGram but didn't see how it fit the clue: "Either of matching words, in a way: Abbr"
Ok from Wikidiff: SILENT- Listen. How do these words"match"?

Now, regardless of my FIW, I considered this a great Sunday Effort . eg. No walk in the park especially after Saturday .

The proper nouns we're all over the sports and culture map. LANNY Wadkins too easy for me, Paula DEEN/DERN a WAG. So, going across the xword world we have a, Italian city, some hockey, a novelist, a rapper, genre, baseball, ballet, cars, two types of Capital, some French*, Ibsen,some Latin, Europop and the aforementioned Golfer. Note:FARMERS Insurance sponsors Golf.

And that's just the acrosses.

One good thing about NYT is that I get it a week late so there's no hurry. I labored over 7/29 for two weeks and I still got impatient and muffed it.

Someone said an hour for Mike's tester and that's about right. I should have put it away and rechecked but then everyone would have disappeared.

WC who'll be around

* And monsieur de Francais had ARETE

Bobbi said...

Question: I am unable to post here after many years of doing so. Am I black listed because I call constructors to task on accuracy? Like today: Ibsen did NOT write the Peer Gynt SUITE, Edvard Grieg did. Also I pointed out TORSI is a plural even doctors never use. Many such over-reaches such as these made my pleasant Sunday afternoon into a tension producing drag. I hope this is posted!

Irish Miss said...

WC @ 6:02 ~ I have no idea what Wikidiff is but the clue, Either of two matching words, in a way, Abbr. and the answer Anag. refers to an anagram which, as I'm sure you know, is words with the same letters but spelled differently. For example, Emit, time, mite, item.

Bobbi @ 6:30 ~ I have no idea why your post didn't appear but I doubt any censorship is involved. As to your first complaint, the clue referred only to an Ibsen title character which Peer Gynt certainly was in Ibsen's play, upon which the musical composition was based. Re torsi, there are many plurals and spellings not in common use that are wholly acceptable in crossword puzzles. Based on some of your previous posts, I'm not sure doing crosswords is an enjoyable pastime for you, or Mrs. Parker @ 4:06.

Big Easy said...

I rushed through the puzzle this morning, got the bread puns immediately at NAAN BELIEVERS. I even got the CHALLAH (never heard of)DAY for 'holiday. But I didn't have time to work out the extreme SW. I filled El PASO for NINO, DORK for GEEK, and ALSO for ELSE. If time allowed, I still wouldn't have finished it correctly because I couldn't remember ELIEL and ALONSO was a total unheard of unknown. DOUSE I know; SOUSE- that's a drunk and I've never heard of it used any other way. Learn something new every day.

So NOSE SCONES never made it onto the grid. NOSED CONES did, just like Mr. Niles.

CATHER, TITO Francona, and ACE OF Base- unknowns filled by perps.

Rotator cuff surgery- the rehab takes a long time and the older you are the less likely you are to be able to go through with it. But every situation is different. One friend had it when he was about 70 and come through it easily. Another friend had it six months ago and is still going through rehab. But she's been playing competitive tennis for over 60 years. Real competitive. She made it to the 3rd round of the US Open back in the early 60s.

I take it that 'Mrs. Parker' @ 4:06 couldn't complete the puzzle.

Bobbi@ 6:30- lighten up. You must have taught freshmen English.

Abejo said...

Good evening, folks. Thank you, Mike Torch, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.

Well, this puzzle was indeed tricky. I got it, but it took me at least 2 1/2 hours. Nonetheless, I really commend Mr Torch for his excellent work.

The theme became obvious a little late, for me. My first solution was NO BUN INTENDED. OK. Now I knew. Liked NAAN BELIEVERS. When I lived in the middle east we ate a lot of bread each day, with feta cheese. We called it Pani Noonie. Panir was cheese, and Noon was bread. I am sure NAAN is a similar name for NOON. Just a country a time zone or two away.

Lots of unknowns, but perps and wags made it work. Still 2 1/2 hours! For example: PADUA, CATHER, ARRET, ACE OF, HGTV, MISO, GEHRY, ROANOKE, DYSTOPIA, ROY, VIOLA, etc.

Liked SET BAIL for 5D.

ERTE again. Interesting.

Knew ELIEL after a perp or two. I know EERO well.

My father played the ocarina. Different than the HARMONICA, but a little similar.

Got back from Indianapolis last night. Worked on the Saturday puzzle on the way back, but no cigar. Too tough. Our Drill Team marched, but we did not win. Had fun competing, however, Next time is in 2021 in Minneapolis, in August. I hope to be there. Maybe I can meet up with C.C. and Boomer.

Fermatprime: While in Indianapolis, I ran into a Templar from Los Angeles Commandery #9. I asked him if Harvey was along for the trip. He said no. Too bad, I was hoping to meet up with him again. Hope he is well.

Cooked out tonight. Our daughter and her boyfriend came over. Grilled pork chops with BBQ sauce, mesquite chips in the fire, potatoes and onions (Vidalia) cooked in foil, chives from the garden for the potatoes, carrots and salad. I ate more than should have. Oh well, you only live once.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )



Wilbur Charles said...

IM, thanks for responding. Apparently there's a "Wiki" for differences between words. I always get ANAGRAM and Acronym mixed up.

Unfortunately, your"Answer" restated my question. How, to use your example are TIME and EMIT "Matching words".

A good clue, especially for some in the corner would be "Jumbled words".

Regarding grouchy solvers, it seems Mike's xword was too tough for those looking for a Wednesday level solve.

I'm not a constructor like you and CC do-(take this with a) grain of salt... But with intricate theming I imagine classic xword fill may result. And, it may take a couple of hours to get it solved.

But... If anybody else can try to explain the ANAGram thangy be my guest.

WC

Spitzboov said...

WC - re: the anagram clue. I had some trouble, too, on what was meant. But the clue included the phrase "in a way". So I think it was covered using IM's example, that all the letters matched; just not in the same order.

TX Ms said...

Thanks, CC, for the expo - though I got Peer Gynt's Wheat, didn't understand it til I read your comment. This was definitely a breeze compared with yesterday's - FIR quickly. Need to read others' opinions from yesterday.

Picard said...

Wilbur Charles:Thanks for persisting in asking for an explanation of ANAGram. ANALogy does make sense as clued. ANAGram, no.

This is one of those many times I miss our old friend Argyle/Santa. He would always step in and offer an explanation!

From yesterday:
AnonT: Yes, conflicts exist throughout society. But dementia can add a sad and scary dimension in assisted living. It can seem like a safe place, but it is hard to protect everyone at the same time as allowing people to be free. I suppose that is also a microcosm of the larger world. So maybe you are correct, AnonT!

MikeSherline: Thank you for taking the time as always to follow my links. Yes, if you found AIR AMERICA depressing, it means you were paying attention. It was based on a book AIR AMERICA that was not at all comical. The film makers made it a comedy for wider appeal. But the underlying truth is awful: Brutal and pointless CIA covert operations funded by running addictive drugs. That is not supposed to be who or what we are.

CanadianEh: Glad you agree the ACCENT that gave us STAWM should have given us NOREASTA, not NOREASTER. I lived with that accent during two periods of my life. I sometimes was sure people were putting it on, but apparently it was real!

D4E4H said...

Good evening Cornies.

It took me all day to complete this Sunday masterpiece. Thank you Mr. Mike Torch for the puns, and C.C. for the funs. I caught the theme early at 27 A. I became a believer.
- - My abilities may be 64 Aing because I had to BAIL 7 times to move forward. I had fun with the punny theme.

- - Thank you Wilbur Charles for your wise wisdom.

- - Lynn's new husband Curtis is 92 years old. He is recovering from a total shoulder replacement on the right. He is now able to eat again with his right hand.

Ðave

CanadianEh! said...

Sunday Stumper.. Thanks for the fun Mike and C.C.
I was solving online (for about an hour), but I had red letter help to complete.
WEES about degree of difficulty. I did find most of the bread, but did not parse the WHEAT/Suite until I read C.C.'s explanation.
Thanks Spitzboov for explaining the CHALLAH pronunciation; I wondered about that C!

I smiled at GOALIES after yesterday's WHAT A SAVE. Hello Splynter.

Hand up for Douses before SOUSES. I knew ALONZO from seeing The Tempest at Stratford in June.
I learned that FARMERS was an insurance company in a previous CW (earlier this week I think).

I LOLed when I saw ERTE after my cluing request the other day. Thank you Steve @12:16 for giving us the name I knew I would forget, Romain de Tirtoff. I learned from our comments the other day that his initials RT were what inspired the name ERTE. Similarly, C.C. was referring to JazzB, one of our bloggers here, whose name is Ron Toth. Thus he could also be called ERTE. (I don't think anybody had answered your question yet.)

Yes Picard, those accents are real; and today we have PITA!

Waiting for an easy Monday.

Dow Jones said...

FYI

Monday's (8/20/18) edition of the Wall Street Journal features a crossword puzzle (Mixed Economy) by C.C. Burnikel. It can be solved online or printed from WSJ.com

Michael said...

Lemonade @ 2:21 .... "Life is not simple."

Someday I'm going to write a book about "The 50 Things They Didn't Teach Us In High School", and if I might include your words as 'Lemonade's Principle' at #7?

===================

Can we keep the horrid stuff for Fridays and Saturdays? I'm sympathizing with Mrs. Parker @ 4:06, because a Sunday crossword should be interesting, but not overwhelming.