"Paper Cutter"
16. *Killjoy: PARTY POOPER. A wet blanket.
20. *Face consequences for poor decisions: PAY THE PIPER. More on that in the review.
34. *Furniture restorer's chemical: PAINT STRIPPER. I've stripped more furniture than Carter has pills.
50. *Airborne unit member: PARATROOPER. All U.S. military paratroopers go to "Jump School" at Ft. Benning, GA.
55. Stationery supply with a blade ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: PAPER CUTTER.
BTW, Frank created one of my favorite puzzles. It's one that every Chicago Cubs fan should solve and frame for their man cave or diva den.
Let's slice up today's puzzle and see what we got.
Across:
1. Tricky road curves: ESSES.
6. Too hasty: RASH. The upshot of making a rash decision might be paying the piper, possibly leading to the following self criticism:
10. "Boy, am I dumb!": DUH.
13. Bowl over: SHOCK. Technically, pins are inanimate objects, but Boomer shocks them and sends "ten in the pit" quite frequently.
14. Valpolicella wine brand: BOLLA. Where's Chairman Moe when you need him ? Selling wine of course. I'll leave descriptions to the oenophiles. Please chime in if you've tried this wine.
15. Suffix with project or percent: ILE.
18. Metro stop: Abbr.: STA. There are 242 stations served by Metra in the Chicagoland area.
19. State south of Wash.: ORE. I read the history of the Tucker Sno-Cat. It is made in Medford, Oregon.
22. Like Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial: SEATED.
24. Yom Kippur observers: ATONERS.
25. Italian wine hub: ASTI. Another Italian wine reference from Frank.
26. South African golfer Ernie: ELS. Nicknamed "The Big Easy" due to his physical size and fluid golf swing. CSO to our own Big Easy here at the Corner who also loves golf.
28. Make a wool cap, say: KNIT. Hello Madame ! Here's a link to William Safire's The Fumbelrules of Grammar. I had to look it up the other day after you mentioned it.
29. MLB exec Joe who was the Yankees' manager for 12 seasons: TORRE. Joe Torre bio at MLB.com
32. Wrangler's ropes: LASSOS.
37. Wild cards, maybe: DEUCES.
38. Arrive at: GET TO.
39. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.
40. Charged particle: ION.
41. Recipe amts.: TSPS. Teaspoons.
45. Polar expedition vehicles: SNO-CATS.
48. '70s-'80s FBI sting: ABSCAM. One U.S. Senator, five U.S. House Representatives, and five other state and local politicians paid the piper for accepting bribes in the undercover operation.
53. Tijuana gold: ORO.
54. "__ little teapot ... ": I'M A. short and stout.
57. Min. part: SEC. Minute (short i, stress on the first syllable) or minute (long i, stress on the second syllable) is an example of a heteronym. ie, same spelling, different pronunciation and meaning. I think Rich employs heteronyms for misdirection and to amp up the difficulty of clues when editing, especially later in the week. Do you recall the "Flower in la Seine" clue in C.C.s Sunday puzzle ? Here's a RECKord of heteronyms to diLIBerATE.
58. Companionless: ALONE. Again, naturally. Remember Biz Markie from the other day ? The judgement that changed the hip hop recording industry.
59. Quai d'Orsay's river: SEINE. Whoa ! Thank you perps. I learned that it's an area on the left bank of the Seine. There's a street there with the same name that houses many French government offices. Consequently, the French use Quai d'Orsay to refer to the French government, similar to the English referring to Downing Street for English government.
60. WNW opposite: ESE.
61. Swiss watch brand: RADO. Nice looking watches. I'm not a watch wearer and have no idea where they rank.
62. Trial rounds: HEATS.
Down:
1. Señor's wife: ESPOSA.
2. Stock market purchases: SHARES.
3. Furious with: SORE AT.
4. Outer: Pref.: ECT.
5. Video conferencing choice: SKYPE.
6. Carrot or turnip: ROOT.
7. Dominant dogs: ALPHAS.
8. Wintry pellets: SLEET.
9. Marx brother with a horn: HARPO.
10. Mete out, as PEZ candy: DISPENSE.
11. Hidden, as motives: ULTERIOR.
12. Publishing family: HEARSTS.
14. __ Wonder: Robin: BOY. The Dynamic Duo superheros Batman (Bruce Wayne) and the Boy Wonder Robin (Dick Grayson) thwart evil villains in Gotham.
17. Note-taking aid: PAD.
21. Classic '30s-'50s vocal quartet, with "the": INK SPOTS. I don't think I'm familiar with any of their songs. This one was apparently one of the famous ones:
While listening to it, I scanned the comments and came across this remark, "I remember the first time I heard this song: I was sippin' an egg cream with some doll at some greasy-spoon diner in the Bowery. Some mug came in and served me more lip than his face could handle. After a little chin music, I paid my nickel, grabbed the dame and took it on the lam." Sounds like lines out of a film noir.
23. Lake on the border of Bolivia and Peru: TITICACA. 10 Interesting Facts About Lake Titicaca
26. Critical-care ctrs.: ERs.
27. Release: LET GO.
30. Queen's "Another __ Bites the Dust": ONE.
31. Shares again on Twitter, briefly: RTS.
32. Set a match to: LIT.
33. Befitting: APT.
34. Love handles?: PET NAMES.
35. Grand Prix, e.g.: AUTO RACE.
36. Han and Leia's son Kylo __: REN. Star Wars stuff.
37. Loathe: DESPISE.
40. 14-legged crustacean: ISOPOD.
42. Nova __: SCOTIA. One of the Canadian provinces. Halifax is the capital and the timezone is AST. Crosswords reinforce some bits of knowledge.
43. Mother or father: PARENT.
44. Gooey campfire treats: SMORES. The Girl Scouts are selling cookies now. I don't understand why they sell them in January. I bought Thin Mints and whatever they call the peanut butter cookies. Not the S'mores though.
46. For face value: AT PAR. Typically used in accounting and finance. The face (stated) value of a stock, bond or financial instrument.
47. Song syllables: TRA LA.
48. NRC forerunner: AEC. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Atomic Energy Commission. The AEC was responsible for both promotion and regulation of nuclear energy. Both critics and supporters of nuclear energy agreed that the regulatory function should be separated. In 1974, the NRC was created with the passage of the Energy Reorganization Act. - Paraphrased from NRC.gov-about-history.
49. Hair salon staple: BRUSH.
51. Winery prefix: OENO. A wine sub theme today.
52. Opposite of post-: PRE.
56. Shirt with a V-neck, perhaps: TEE.
35 comments:
FIRight, but the theme tripped me up. I saw three P's in the first three themers, and figured that was it. When the fourth had only 2 P's, I downgraded my assessment to match. That they were part of a word passed entirely over my head until I looked at the reveal!
A fine fille from NOVA SCOTIA
Was told to attend some symposia.
Ideas they DISPENSED
Were rather intense --
Now she just sits and stares at mimosa.
The new tenderfoot has to go!
She influences the crew as a whole!
Yesterday in the barracks,
For needles, using carrots,
She was teaching how to KNIT a LASSO!
{A-, B+.}
A very well done puzzle with some challenges for a Tuesday. I did not know BOLLA RADO or ISOPODS without perps but the theme was very tight.
The write-up was also great and sent me down the rabbit hole of links. Solving another puzzle while getting up was fun.
Thanks, TTP and Frank.
G-g-g -good m-m-morning . It’s c-c-cold enough to f-f-freeze the balls off a brass monkey!!
Good puzzle workout thanks Frank and TTP.
Mcd’s coffee still warm so not to bad a solve time .
Messy though with write overs at ESPOSA from Senora, LASSOS from Riatas and TORRE from Torme.
Favorite Italian wine MASI
If you go outside today and don’t bundle up warmly be prepared to PAY THE PIPER.
This cold wind is a real PARTY POOPER.
I love SUMMER
Cheerio anyhow.
Fun run - I had the DUH on the theme - knew it all began with PA and ended in ER - but didn't quite get to PAPER until the reveal clue.
Thanks TTP and Frank!
Polar vortex begins - but we will be balmy compared to Iowa and Minnesota and Nebraska - so no whining!!
Good morning!
Thought the theme was P-P until Paint Stripper barged in. Never did suss the PAPER theme. Natch. D-o says D'oh rather than DUH. Enjoyed the puzzle, Frank. Very informative tour, TTP. I particularly liked the Fumblerules of Grammar. I breaks most of 'em.
TITICACA: Don't go there if you've got breathing problems. It's at 12,500 feet altitude.
WATCH: Yes, I wear one. It's a Casio "atomic" model. Yes, my cell phone can also tell time, but it has to be turned on for that to happen. I only turn it on when I need to make a call.
Gotta run...9 o'clock meeting.
Good morning everyone.
Got the gimmick after filling in the reveal @ 55a. No strikethroughs and no help needed. We've had F. Virzi before. Nice assorted fill today.
KNIT - German stricken but L. German does use 'knütten'.
LIT - Lighted is also acceptable as past tense. When lighting off a boiler, the log entry would typically be something like "Lighted fires under #3 boiler."
174 years ago today was first published "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary……" (from The Raven)
Good Morning:
I caught the Paper theme early but was still rewarded with a clever Aha reveal, so all is well. My only w/o was Doh/Duh but, like Lemony, Bolla, Rado and Isopod needed perps, as did Ren and One, as clued. My favorite C/A was Love handles=Pet Names. We have a local town named Scotia, sans Nova. Nice CSO to our knitting enthusiast, Madame Defarge.
Thanks, Frank, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, TTP, for the informative and entertaining expo.
We're in for some nasty weather tonight into tomorrow and some frigid temps but nowhere near as bad as Minneapolis, Chicago, et al. Stay warm and safe you Midwesterns!
Have a great day.
Musings
-DUH, SHOCK, RASH - DW LET GO of a heavy sherbet dish last night and when the dish broke it cut open that web between her thumb and index finger leaving a literal hole. We had to GET TO the ER.
-Nicholas Cage drove a SNO-CAT 2000XL at the start of National Treasure, a movie I loved and the critics did not
-This RADO watch has free shipping! :-)
-TTP, fun write-up and I really loved the INK SPOTS song and the dialogue under it
-I’m supposed to sub tomorrow but wind-chill indexes of around -40˚F might cost me the $140
Good Morning. Brrrr! Here we go. . . . Well, after all it is January! We'll spend the day making sure the pipes are protected--above and beyond. Forecast is for -27; however, in the winter it is warmer near the Lake, maybe -21!
Thanks, Frank. I enjoyed the theme (I got it!!!) and lots of the fill. Of course, my fave today is KNIT! And so I shall. I'm almost finished with a vest. I haven't done the 3/4" arm bands, but I'll be wearing it these next few days. I like the positions of ORE and ORO--not the same technically, but I chuckled nonetheless.
Great tour, TTP. Thank you on many levels: explication, links, the Cubs puzzle, and the Fumblerules. I hope you and our pals, Abejo and Wik Wak, stay cozy out there in the Western Hinterlands. Everyone else in the swath of the Polar Vortex, too.
D-O: Thanks for the A/C explanation from the other day. DUH!!! Or I should say Doh!
Spitz, I know "stricken" and its other forms well from many patterns translated from German.
Warm wishes from Evanston, IL on the shores of Lake Michigan.
TTP: Excellet, informative write-up & links.
Frank: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle. I liked the PAPER CUTTER theme.
OK, I admit I needed ESP (Every-Single-Perp) to get 1-d, Senor's wife, ESPOSA ... other than that, this was an easy solve.
Fave today was 46-d, For face value, AT PAR ... wish my "Golf Game" was at "Face Value."
Hope all you guys "Up-North" are staying warm.
Cheers!
My memory of the SNO-CAT is seeing Scatman Crothers driving one up to the Overlook in The Shining. Then Shelley Duvall escaping with Danny in one. Interesting research shows there were two different models used in the filming, one a Thiokol Spryte and the other possibly a Kristi. Apparently there was a deeper meaning to the use of the sno-cat but it escapes me. I must go now but I'll check back, ya know, all work and no play...
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Frank and TTP.
I finished this CW in a reasonable time, got the theme (after being sidetracked thinking about multiple P's like d'otto), but arrived here to discover I FIW. This Canadian did not know AEC or ABSCAM, and entered a N instead of an A. Not a D'UH, just outside my wheelhouse.
But this Canadian knew Nova SCOTIA. Beautiful province! If you are going to visit, don't just go to Halifax and Peggy's Cove, although they are interesting and scenic. You must go farther north and drive around the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island. Be sure to choose a clear, sunny day because there are lots of ESSES.
CabotTrail
I saw the CSO to MadameD, and I'll take one at 10D (although nothing to do with PEZ candies! Med must be DISPENSEd before it can be DOSED.) I thought of C.C. and WC with the baseball clue for TORRE.
Like MadameD, I smiled at ORE and ORO. I also noted the BOLLA, ASTI and OENO wine entries.
Thankfully, TITICACA and RADO filled with perps.
Hand up for wanting Senora before ESPOSA, debating between LASSOS and Riatas, and waiting for perp to decide STA or Stn.
You need more than a TEE here today. Cold and snowy, although we fared better than some other areas. But still windy and cold.
Wishing you all a good day.
I was concentrating on initial P's until I got to PAINTSTRIPPER. I needed the reveal to find the cut papers. Good theme. Fine puzzle. Interesting and informative write up, TTP.
HG, sorry to heart of Joann's wound. I hope it is not too painful.
I remember the Ink Spots on radio and early TV. I think they were on Your Hit Parade, as well. I like they way the same hit songs were staged differently every week. Most of the Ink Spots hits have been sung later by other stars.
I admired TORRE and his Yankees. A gimme for me. Torre was a stark contrast to Steinbrenner.
I enjoy bubbly Bolla Prosecco. It is fairly inexpensive. I don't know Valpolicella. but I wagged the brand name.
I spend an arduous summer stripping and refinishing my kitchen cabinets 25 years ago. At that time I also stripped the kitchen wallpaper and repapered it with David's help. I will have to hire out refinishing or refacing my cabinets in this house soon. My golden years surely have tamed my independence.
The isopods I have heard of are pill bugs and sow bugs.
I would never buy a RADO watch for over $1000. I am too hard on watches. I am content with my Bulova.
It has been snowing since early this morning. Alan is disappointed that his lunch date with a friend is cancelled. Tomorrow I am supposed to get my washer repaired from the results of the freeze 8 days ago Either it was damage by the parts freezing or the electronics were messed up. Just in time for another deep freeze tonight.
All of you in the reach of this terrible winter weather, I hope you and your property stay safe and warm.
Senora b/4 Esposa created quite an inkblot,
but I think it was 46d at face value=at par being out of my wheelhouse
combined with isopod & oeno that made Rado extremely difficult perpage.
(Thank goodness for the theme reveal...)
Oh! and also Doh!/Duh!
I would not normally resort to Bathroom humor to respond to a puzzle,
but this one is dangerously close to what my house is like with
one guy and 4 girls...
Besides, what could possibly go wrong with a little bathroom humor?
Neat puzzle, Frank--many thanks--though it seemed a little tough in places for a Tuesday. Like others I put in SENORA and soon realized that wasn't going to work. I also didn't catch the plural and put LARIAT before I changed it to LASSOS. But my biggest problem was writing PAY THE PRICE before I got the PAPER theme. But I did get the theme and thought it was cleverly executed throughout the puzzle. I don't do Twitter so am still not sure what RTS is--'re-texts' maybe? Anyway, a fun puzzle, and a helpful write-up, TTP, thanks for that too.
Husker Gary, I hope your wife's hand will be okay.
Liked your poems, Owen.
My heart goes out to all of you with freezing weather today. Cloudy day in California, but certainly no big deal compared to other parts of the country.
Have a nice Tuesday, everybody!
"The AEC was responsible for both promotion and regulation of nuclear energy. Both critics and supporters of nuclear energy agreed that the regulatory function should be separated. "
As the NFL needs to do with officiating. I said this 20 years ago. Everything else re. Saints debacle is smokescreen
This was slow and steady going. I forgot to look for the theme. Didn't know RADO and guessed the O from OENO.
Great write-up TTP
I think Joe Torre won an MVP* with St Louis. I was chagrined to see him become Yankees manager. Good for NY though.
WC
* I saw that answer in a NY T. XW . I'm a week behind. Strange theme about villas and condos that befuddle me
WC
Today felt more like Monday. Thank you, Frank Virzi. Are you a OENOphile? Seeing ASTI and BOLLA (which is unfamiliar to me) makes me think so.
Well, I blithely and unthinkingly started with SENORA until nothing worked in the NW then I realized with a SHOCK that ESPOSA which is the literal wife of a senor, was the fill. Yo fui una esposa pero ahora soy viuda. (I was a wife but now am a widow).
Also, I thought the theme would be PP in some way or other until the reveal. Okay.
The biggest surprise for me was that Leia and Han had a child! REN? I didn't know. My daughter and family likely know.
I loved the INSPOTS! Thank you, TTP, for linking that song. I'm sure I have one of their CDs. And I vaguely recall ABSCAM. It was such a shocking thing at the time.
I saw the CSO to CanadianEh? at (Nova) SCOTIA and MdmedeFarge at KNIT.
Is ECT the whole prefix? I thought it would be ECTo.
I'm so sorry some of you are in the terrible throes of winter. Please stay safe and warm.
Nevertheless, have a fabulous day, everyone!
TTP:
Thank you for the excellent commentary and links. Again, I love the INKSPOTS as well as all those other similar groups of the era.
Oh? Did Han and Leia get together?
Shows you how much of a fan I am of Star Wars.
I remember seeing the first with my older son--and trying to explain to him afterward why there'd be no sounds of fighter engines or explosions in space.
He just tuned me out.
Ta ~DA!
I had to change SMACK to SHOCK & STATUE to SEATED, but otherwise glided through. Thank you, Mr. Virzi, for a pleasing puzz.
My Dad was an INK SPOTS fan, so I heard most of their smooth & moody repertoire as a kid. Times gone by...
~ OMK
I liked this puzzle and enjoyed seeing fill such as ULTERIOR, DESPISE, ABSCAM, and INK SPOTS. Frank seems to know Italian wine and expensive watches.
TTP, I loved your write-up and had fun immersing myself in the sites you linked.
CrossEyedDave, what handle does that warning sign refer to? I've heard of forgetting to put the seat down.
Stay warm!
This article was opposite the XW today. To comment would be political the intent of the writer is not specifically political.
Re. Twitter
For the record, in public restrooms the seat should be left in the UP position
WC
Well, I’m here a bit late today, but nobody else has posted since 12:30? It’s near 4 PM now...
Anyway... had the same issue with 1D, SENORA didn’t work...so I went to the south and worked my way up. That went a lot smoother.
Markovers....SENORA/ESPOSA, STOCKS/SHARES, TORRY/TORRE (what was I thinking there?), LARIATS/LASSOS.
So a bit of misdirection/crunch in the NW but still a solid Tuesday puzzle.
Also, I never saw the theme until I got here, but I really didn’t look for it once I got the NW sussed.
Made it through the puzzle with no real problems. Just a few hiccups. I really enjoyed TTP's write-up today.
CanadianEH: In 2011 I spent two weeks in the Maritimes enjoying the lovely area. However by the time I got to Cape Breton, Hurricane Maria was nipping the coast and made for a very windy and wet trip. What I saw I liked, but we had to turn back rather than going completely around the Cape Breton (I guess they call it the Cabot) trail. So I missed some of the scenery. Someday I'll go back.
Snow all day. Just shoveled the driveway and sidewalks before the temperature plummets tonight. If I didn't get it cleared it would be a big frozen mess. Not looking forward to the next few days of below zero temperatures.
Stay warm everyone.
Wilbur Charles, that "Re: Twitter" article you linked is interesting and describes a phenomenon I have been observing and lamenting for several years. Thanks for linking it.
Hi All!
Fun puzzle Frank as I kept "getting" the theme until it wasn't: Thought, PP (eww) then I thought 3Ps at PaintstriPPer, but ParatrooPer, blew that. Ah, PAPER CUT.
Nothing CUT-out of your expo, TTP. Even DISPENSEd some Queen for us. Thanks.
WO: INKSPOTS in the SW! - Detest (D'Oh!) b/f DESPISE and DueCES [sic] crossing it.
ESPs: ESPOSA, BOLLA, RADO, REN as clued
Fav: c/a for PET NAMES [TMBG 4:04] was cute....
Lyrics for Pet Name //It's kinda funny.
{A, B+}
HG - Ouch. I hope it's not too bad... Just your description made me wence...
Misty - RT is Re-Tweet. It's when you Tweet something to your followers that was from someone you follow. There's also DM (which I suspect will be in future puzzles) which is Direct-Message, a message between just two users.
WC - the article was behind a pay-wall. From the title, I'll guess it has to do with short attention-spans around "news?" :-)
Y'all stay warm!
Cheers, -T
This was a crunchy puzzle for me. Didn't know 1a! Once that corner got corrected the rest of the puzzle went much better. Thank you,Frank Virzi, for the puzzle, and to TTP for your expo.
I got the theme with the reveal, went back and found all the cut paper.
For anyone who has put off something until Hell freezes over, your time has come. Hell, Michigan is expecting a low of -8* tonight a a high tomorrow of +0*.
Have a nice evening. For those of us in the deep freeze, stay warm.
Owen ~
Your first, when spoken aloud,
Is a major success with this crowd!
~ OMK
FYI
The Wednesday edition of the Wall Street Journal (1/30/19) features a crossword puzzle (All Pros) constructed by C.C. Burnikel. It is available now to solve online or to print from WSJ.com (this is a free site).
Thanks again for helping me with the initials AnonT--much appreciated.
Dow J. Thanks for the heads-up on C.C.'s pzl.
From Saturday's pzl...
Today's H.Chron Sports (pC3): "Contenders give Texans more lessons on O-line project." So, O-LINE is a thing, like HG said.
I cracked again - two cigar puffs after 45 hours no nicotine... Tomorrow's another day.
Cheers, -T
-T, I just had a brilliant idea. Cigar flavor ice cream. Heck, they make every other conceivable flavor. So...
When you get the craving, you grab a scoop and a cone...
And... Now that my fit of genius is running AMOK* , varying levels of caffeine can be included .
So, eventually you can be weaned off , switching to tree-bark chocolate, perhaps marijuana flavored with a hint of licorice.
Of course by that time you'll be 300 lbs .
Yours,
Me Helpful
* If that word wasn't in yesterday's XW it'll show up soon enough
I meant nicotine
WC
I had no time to do this yesterday. So i saved it for today. I did not like it. Chastise me if you want. Worst clue Love Handles? Save it for fridays. 10 abbr.or ? for a tuesday. Very disappointed.
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