23. Warning during a snowstorm: TRAVEL ADVISORY.
32. Octane booster: FUEL ADDITIVE.
46. High naval rank: FULL ADMIRAL.
67. One who can't put down the phone?: DIGITAL ADDICT.
86. Founding Father found in a bar?: SAMUEL ADAMS.
102. Common login component: EMAIL ADDRESS.
113. Shelter mission: ANIMAL ADOPTION.
Reveal:
116. Youth found in this puzzle's seven longest answers: LAD.
Very consistent *L AD* span. Simple but never-done theme. This is Gail's hallmark.
Gail is also careful with her fill also. You won't find a plethora of names in her grids. Or odd abbreviations. She never wants to stump solvers.
Across:
1. Informal demand for propriety: ACT NICE. Great 7-letter start.
8. Choice bit: MORSEL.
14. Group with similar interests: CIRCLE.
20. "I always lie," e.g.: PARADOX.
21. Illinois city west of Chicago: AURORA. Gail lives in Peru, Illinois.
22. Filled, folded fare: OMELET.
25. Wyndham-owned chain: RAMADA. Not familiar with Wyndham, you? Wiki says "It has locations in China". Ramada does have many hotels in China.
26. Seashore raptor: ERNE.
27. Watch readout abbr.: LCD.
28. Discontinuation phrase: NO LONGER.
30. Quote qualifier: SIC.
31. Last stroke, usually: PUTT. Also 36. Disc golf starting points: TEE PADS.
38. German title: HERR.
39. Geological stretch: EON.
40. Goose egg: NIL.
41. Wild way to go: APE.
42. NYC tourist attraction: MOMA. Oh, Starry, Starry Night, Paint your palette blue and green...
43. Slim predatory swimmer: CONGER EEL.
50. Doesn't need: HAS.
51. Jazz singer Jones: ETTA.
52. Physicist's study: ATOM.
53. "Chopped" utensil: PAN. We also have 54D. Celebrity chef Bobby: FLAY. I like Jamie Oliver. Who's your favorite?
54. On-call volunteer, perhaps: FIREMAN.
57. Reported story: NEWS ITEM.
60. See 17-Down: BELL. And 17D. Instrument with a flared 60-Across: CLARINET.
62. Source of a draft: ALE TAP.
66. A third of nove: TRE. Nove is 9.
71. Vichy vacation time: ETE.
72. Studio apartment accommodation: AIRBED.
74. Crafts website: ETSY.
75. Indian brew: ASSAM TEA. Black tea.
77. "The Blues Brothers" fashion accessories: RAYBANS.
80. Made a fast stop?: ATE. Great clue.
81. Like some folklore: ORAL.
82. "David Copperfield" girl: EM'LY. Little Em'ly.
85. Student leader?: ESS. Just the first letter in Student.
90. Debate focal point: MAIN ISSUE.
93. Senior's highlight: PROM.
94. Eligibility factor: AGE. I'm going to be eligible for senior discounts soon. Amazing.
95. Big bucks, briefly: MIL.
96. Aloha shirt go-with: LEI.
97. Truck maker with a bulldog logo: MACK.
98. Casual Friday adjective: TIELESS.
106. Eliot title hero: BEDE.
107. Disappoint, with "down": LET.
108. Arranged, as a deal: BROKERED.
109. Put the kibosh on: END.
110. Brad's role in "Inglourious Basterds": ALDO. No idea. But I like the new clue angle.
111. Hat of Ecuadorian origin, oddly: PANAMA.
118. She outwitted a witch: GRETEL.
119. Puget Sound city: TACOMA.
120. Like candy canes: TWO-TONE. And 123. Poor Yelp rating: ONE STAR.
121. Not easily ruffled: SERENE. D-Otto! Such a calm and reassuring presence in our life. We also have 68D. Far from relaxed: TENSE. 103D. Ready to explode: IRATE.
122. Angled: SLOPED.
Down:
1. Most fitting: APTEST.
2. King's first published novel: CARRIE.
3. Daze: TRANCE.
4. Cathedral section: NAVE.
5. Ending with fluor-: IDE.
6. Conspired: COLLUDED. No collusion.
7. Calls for: EXACTS.
8. Big D hoops pro: MAV.
9. Tokyo : hai :: Paris : __: OUI. I've mentioned a few times. "hai" is also Cantonese for "yes".
10. Commuting options: Abbr.: RRS.
11. With less delay: SOONER.
12. Weasley family owl: ERROL. "Harry Potter".
13. Clapton classic: LAYLA.
14. County fair fare: CORN DOG.
15. "Just think ... ": IMAGINE.
16. Held another session: RE-MET.
18. Headed up: LED.
19. Weather-sensitive hr.: ETA.
24. EPA-banned pesticide since 1972: DDT.
29. Danish seaport: ODENSE. Hans Christian Andersen's birthplace.
31. Bear with a too-hard bed: PAPA.
32. Storm relief org.: FEMA.
33. Region in the Eurasian Steppe: URAL.
34. Nam lead-in: VIET.
35. "Enchanted" film title girl: ELLA.
37. Coconut sources: PALMS. And 42. Coconut Grove setting: MIAMI.
38. Road warning: HORN.
43. Jack Reacher creator Lee __: CHILD.
44. Stroked tool: OAR.
45. Russo of "The Intern": RENE. She is Frigga in "Avengers: Endgame".
46. Fruity soda: FANTA.
47. Development areas: UTERI.
48. Farther down: LOWER.
49. Compressed video format: MPEG.
55. Apple.com array: MACS.
56. Resort near Snowbird: ALTA.
58. Planning session product: IDEA.
59. Fairly large, sumwise: TIDY.
60. Louisville Sluggers, e.g.: BATS. I think we still have a couple of mini bats in our garage.
61. Golf's "Big Easy" Ernie: ELS. Our Big Easy was close to him a few times. George volunteers for Zurich Classic every year.
63. Aquarium favorite: TETRA.
64. Subs aren't on it: A TEAM.
65. Sounds of thunder: PEALS.
69. Matter of fact: DATUM.
70. "So that's it!": I SEE.
73. __ Mawr College: BRYN. The only way to clue this entry.
76. Pose in fancy clothes, say: MODEL. This supermodel (fancy Dolce & Gabbana dress) is from my hometown. Her name is Xiao Wen Ju.
78. Abutting: BESIDE.
79. Sch. with a Phoenix campus: ASU.
80. Wild way to run: AMOK.
82. Former "Fashion Emergency" host: EMME.
83. Severely harm: MAIM.
84. 19-y'ar-old comics character: LIL ABNER.
86. Seaweed wrap purveyors: SPAS.
87. Hammer-throw trajectories: ARCS.
88. Gave up, as arms: LAID DOWN.
89. "A Death in the Family" author: AGEE. James.
91. It's a bad sign: ILL OMEN.
92. Broad-leafed maritime plant: SEA KALE.
97. Doc: MEDICO.
98. Look after: TEND TO.
99. 2009 Tony-winner "Billy __ the Musical": ELLIOT.
100. Site of Arizona's Red Rock State Park: SEDONA.
101. Type that can't stay off the grass?: STONER. Drug.
104. Mild oaths: DRATS.
105. Kidney-related: RENAL.
106. Co-star of Betty, Rue and Estelle: BEA.
110. Case workers: Abbr.: ATTS.
111. Some movie ratings: PGS.
112. "All bets __ off": ARE.
114. Swiffer product: MOP. Hope it's all dried up, D-Otto!
115. Soul, to Sartre: AME.
117. Author of macabre tales: POE.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms on our blog!
C.C
Hi Y'all! Another toughy from Gail, but I prevailed and filled 'er. Thanks! Very interesting expo, C.C.!
ReplyDeleteMy last fill was "N" in the HORN/PAN cross. I had trouble with several areas including the NW corner and the bloc just below.
WYNDHAM is fairly prominent out here. I think they must have bought a bunch of motels recently. My friends own a Best Western which I now see is a WYNDHAM. Don't think it was when they bought in.
Not "day"BED but AIR BED in that studio apartment. Murphy bed was too long.
No idea on ASSAM TEA, ALDO, Yelp rating (not even sure what is Yelp), ODENSE. URAL not GOBI altho it fit.
No problem whatsoever getting COLLUDED altho I don't ever remember seeing the word before the recent political kerfluffles. Wouldn't care if I never heard it again.
UTERI: CSO to all us'n who celebrate motherhood today. Hope your day is filled with nice memories.
Good morning! Where is everybody? I guess they're out celebrating Mother's Day.
ReplyDeleteNo problem with Gails puzzle. D-o even got the theme. Yes, there were stumbles, but they were minor. The Wite-Out got a rest today. Lotsa nice stuff in this one. Thanx, Gail and C.C.
"Senior Discount" -- At a certain age they stop asking and give it to you automatically. I'm there. Learned by accident that SuperCuts has a non-advertised senior discount on Thursdays -- $12 haircut. I still tip as though it was full-price. You?
MOP: No water in our house, though it came closer than it ever has in past years. Most of it is gone, but our woodlot is still underwater. That gumbo soil is about as absorbent as concrete.
FULL ADMIRAL: There really isn't a "full" rank. Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, Admiral, Fleet Admiral.
KALE: To misquote Will, "A kale by any other name would taste as bad."
Good morning g, folks. thank you, Gail Grabowski, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for fine review.
ReplyDeleteStarted the puzzle late last night as cruciverb is working, for now. Finished this morning.
Puzzle was not bad. Very doable. Caught the theme easily and it did help with some of the answers. LAD
AURORA, IL, is just a bit south of where I live. TTP is much closer.
RAYBANS for the Blues Brothers. One of the best movies I ever saw.
SAMUEL ADAMS was easy for 86A. One great beer. The owner started out as a home brewer.
RENAL reminds me of a good friend in South Elgin. He just got a new kidney. Was on the list for years.
Never been to TACOMA, but have been to Seattle and SEATAC airport.
LIL ABNER. My favorite old time comic strip. Al Capp was the best. Lots of politics in that comic strip.
Liked DIGITAL ADDICT for 67A. Anywhere you go, people are using their phones for games, news, emails, etc. Sometimes they even talk on them.
I have to get reading my book. Our book club meeting is tomorrow. We are reading "The Woman Who Smashed Codes" by Jason Fagone. Non-fiction about Elizebeth Friedman and her husband William Friedman. They decoded secret messages from all over the world for the government from WW-1 all the way through WW-II and after that as well. They were the forerunners of the NSA. Elizebeth was the first female cryptanalyst, and the best.
Happy Mothers' Day all you wonderful mothers. Mine has been gone for a few years. She was 92. Our daughter, her boyfriend, my wife, and I, are going to brunch in the early afternoon to celebrate. I will not be selling Vidalia Onions today.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
FIRight, no problems, spotted the gimmick fairly quickly, was expecting the reveal to be something more poetic, like a lad in the middle of everything or bridging something.
ReplyDeleteStill having 'puter probs. Finally stole my LW's laptop. Thought it was too late to bother with any l'icks, but sparse input today, so will try at least one.
There was a hog-caller from AURORA.
When it came to calling hogs, a roarer.
His ORAL emanations
Were aural intimidations,
Altho a seer affirmed his SERENE aura!
A politician has eluded
Charges that he had COLLUDED!
A fake NEWS ITEM
NO LONGER would bite 'im --
So he thought, but he was deluded!
Musings
ReplyDelete-_MME/_MLY is an E and I’m all good!
-As long as everything is covered, I NEVER have a fashion emergency
-TRAVEL ADVISORY for Nebraska this spring – The shortest distance between two points may not be a straight line
-Famous but fictional AURORA resident
-NO LONGER at GM – Olds and Pontiac
-Grandson chooses AIR BED over real bed every time he visits
-AGE - Our two SIL’s recently got AARP cards
-REMET again, is, uh, redundantly repetitive :-)
-Muscially “LAYING DOWN” weapons
-Happy Mom’s Day!
Good morning. Thank you Gail and thank you C.C.
ReplyDeleteOther than having to change APSE to NAVE, RAN to LED, and AGTS to ATTS, no problems. Noticed the LAD repeat in the second theme entry and knew to look for it again in the other themers.
Abejo, I was watching WGN TV's "Backstory with Larry Potash" a couple of months ago and he told the story of "The Woman Who Smashed Codes". The video isn't online, but you can listen to the 10 minute podcast here: How an Indiana schoolteacher became an American enemy code-smasher
Interested by that segment, I read a couple a number of articles about her. Here's a good one: NSA.gov: Elizebeth S. Friedman
So much of her early work was done at Riverbank, the Frank Lloyd Wright designed estate of George Fabyan in Geneva, IL., just two towns north of AURORA on the Fox River. The Fox River feeds into the Illinois River at Ottawa, IL. about 10 miles east of the home city of today's constructor, Gail Grabowski.
I enjoyed this delightful puzzle with nothing too arcane. ALDO and ERROL seemed new to me and needed perps. Getting the theme early helped me to a slightly quicker solve than a normal Sunday.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite clue was MADE A FAST STOP=ATE.
My older sister lives in an outer suburb of Chicago. I often see Aurora highway signs as we gad about.
We have Wyndham hotels here and plenty of their many brands, Wyndham Gardens, Days Inn, La Quinta, Ramada, etc.
I am a fan of the Reacher novels.
I wondered about full admiral. Wikipedia says, "The rank of admiral (or full admiral, or four-star admiral) is the highest rank normally achievable in the U.S. Navy. It ranks above vice admiral (three-star admiral) and below fleet admiral (five-star admiral)."
Yesterday was a wonderful day. Alan came for the weekend and David, Motoko and Kenny came for the day. I made baked ziti with homemade meat sauce, garlic bread and apple pie, all favorites of Kenny and Alan for their birthdays. For the rest of us I included Caesar coleslaw. The birthday boys are not vegetable eaters. It was a perfect Mother's day. The birth of Alan is my all time favorite Mother's day gift which keeps on giving.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI love Gail's puzzles but this one really gave me a workout in that it took 1:15 to finish, way above my normal Sunday time. Not looking at the title was part of the problem and something I hardly ever fail to do. (Maybe the continual lack of sunshine has addled my brain.) Anyway, I needed perps for Errol (what an odd name for an owl), Layla (musically illiterate), Odense and Aurora (geographically lacking). My Em'ly was Emmy, Assan before Assam, Striped before Two Tone, and Era before Eon. I wasn't keen on Ill Omen, Ale Tap, or Air Bed, but those are wee nits, and I did like the Macs ~ Mack duo, as well as much of the cluing. CSO to Lucina at ASU and Sedona and to the Illinois contingent at Aurora.
Thanks, Gail, for a challenging and ultimately rewarding solve and thanks, CC, for the spot on summary. That model is very pretty, as is the dress. My favorite celebrity chief is Jacques Pépin. He is down to earth, witty, and his focus is on the food and its preparation, not on show boating like so many of his colleagues do. He and Julia Child did several shows together and it was delightful to watch them work their culinary magic.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms. My own mother has been gone 38 years; in fact, her wake was on Mother's Day, 1981.
Have a great day. I hope it is drier and sunnier than it is here.
IM: You wouldn't think it such an odd name if you saw ERROL Flyin'.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody. Fun puzzle. I got LAD early on.
ReplyDeleteI hope all of the mothers are having an excellent day. All of you non-mothers too.
I just barely started watching Sunday Morning. Now we're headed over to visit daughter's family; Bonnie, Andres, Jordan and Bella for hot cakes and maple syrup. All great except I'm not a fan of turkey bacon and sausage. Oh well...
What a treat--to get a Gail Grabowski Sunday puzzle along with a C.C. commentary. Mother's Days don't get any better than this. I first got the bottom section which was great because it gave me the LAD solution early, and that helped a lot with the longer items. Had the most trouble at the top and had to cheat a little in the end, but this puzzle was a real delight and I totally enjoyed it--many thanks, Gail. Loved seeing ANIMAL ADOPTION, and liked being tipped off about the oddity of the PANAMA answer. My German helped with both GRETEL and HERR, although it took me forever to get HORN as the road warning. Couldn't believe that the development areas turned out to be UTERI--clever but tricky. And when am I ever going to get those letter clues--like the ESS as a STUDENT LEADER? They appear so often these days, they should just pop right up. But no, I needed the downs for this one. Anyway, fun puzzle, and loved your great pictures, C.C.
ReplyDeleteNice poems, Owen.
So glad you had a wonderful Mother's Day with Alan, Yellowrocks.
Like everyone, I too miss my sweet mother. But loved getting a sweet Mother's Day phone call from my son.
Have a wonderful day, everybody.
Why is PAN a "chopped" utensil?
ReplyDeleteAnon@12:00, Chopped is a cable cooking show.
ReplyDeleteHOla!
ReplyDeleteHappy Mothers' Day to all mothers!
Thank you, Gail and C.C.! For a Sunday, this was really delightful, not too easy, not too hard. Just right!
I guessed AURORA since it's my middle name and I know of its existence in Illinois.
News to me that the RAMADA is owned by Wyndham. My late brother, Fred, was once manager of the local one.
Perps helped with ERROL but I would have known Flynn
PK:
Thank you for the CSO.
No issues with this puzzle.
Have a special day, everyone!
To answer the query re 54d:
ReplyDeleteI too like Jamie Oliver. Liked his show years ago called "The Naked Chef".
Bobby Flay is good also. Like his recipes when there isn't an over abundance of spicy peppers.
Favorite is probably Alton Brown. Is he a chef? I really like "Good Eats" and how he explains the science and history of food.
There are many that seem to arrogant for my taste(pun intended). Several who are judges on "Chopped" are just too judgey. Complaining that contestant should have marinated something longer(in under a time constrained contest). Or that they couldn't. Ake better use of a required ingredient such as Vegemite in the dessert round? Vegemite gelato? Huh? Oh yeah? What would you have done Alex, Amanda or Aaron?
I despise Gordon Ramsay and the like.
*couldn't make
ReplyDeleteSorry this is so long..
ReplyDeleteI had ARMADA and couldn't see the problem
I get my Odets, Agees, Albees, Audens...etc mixed up. Misty, OMK??Any help?
Bingo. Reading PK I just grok'ed UTERI. Great clue. And, per the Wilburforce 24 hour rule you could have cap'ed WESTERN(Best_)
“. I still tip as though it was full-price. You?”. De rigueur as the Frawnche say. Betsy, a former waitress, not only tips big but insists on bussing the table
But there is a “FULL” Bird+
Or ..
“A kale by any other name…” is a lima bean- equally noxious to my Yankee palette
Yes, and here I am blogging on my cell at Granny's (restaurant)
Two W's Today Owen. Beware, I'm feel'n it
IM, that makes up for your 24 min. solve of yesterday's beast
That's enough of me
WC
To differ from Lt Colonel. BTW, Catch-22 is coming on Hulu. In the book Yossarian gets into a fistfight with a Lt Col. At that point I turned to my father and said “This is ridiculous!”. He(Who flew 50 missions in a B24) retorted “No, that's exactly the way it was”.
Later at an O-Club in 'Nam said fistfight broke out and a FULL Bird had to break it up
I use docs now and it just won't do footnotes. The "+" was there, I swear it. And * becomes .
DeleteI loved this puzzle, which is not surprising since it's a Gail Grabowski opus. I was looking for more than just the word LAD embedded in the theme answers, but it's a darn good puzzle anyway. Like Yellowrocks, my favorite clue is "Made a fast stop?" = ATE. Wonderful! Second favorite is "Fairly large, sumwise" = TIDY. Interesting about PANAMA hat. Like Irish Miss, my STRIPED candy cane became TWO TONE.
ReplyDeleteAlso like Irish Miss, my wife and I like Jacques Pépin and have liked him for a long time.
I don't think George Eliot wrote Billy ELLIOTT.
Both thunder and bells PEAL, I see.
Catch 22 is still right up there in the top 10 of my favorite books.
Happy Mother's Day.
With a population of over 190,000 Aurora is Illinois’ 2nd largest city.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gail, for a very fun 35-minute opus. Thanks to C.C. too, for her review/explanation.
Development area = UTERI: I chuckled right out loud at that one, I did.
This may have been the first time I ever saw DIGITAL ADDICT as a puzzle answer.
I liked seeing FULL ADMIRAL @ ONE STAR as answers in the same puzzle.
Number one son played CLARINET in middle school, high school, and college. Still gets it out from time to time. Ah, all those happy little squeeks and squawks! Who was it who described the clarinet as “an ill wind nobody blows good”?
I’ll leave now before someone gets hurt...
Enjoy the rest of the day!
Yes, clever of Gail to juxtapose Elliot's BEDE and Billy ELLIOT.
ReplyDeleteI just signed up for the Hulu Catch-22 Series knowing in advance that they'll ruin it like the movie did.
I found my Ivanhoe star courtesy of Parade magazine. Keanu Reeves. Perfect for Brian de Bois-Guilbert.
WC
Oh the pain of Love lost, found again beyond all hope but unrequited and ultimately lost again. Or is it...?
Sunday Lurk say...
ReplyDelete{B+, A}
TTP - FLN: With 6 Pythons knowing everyone from The Who to Lorne Michaels, even I am only few degrees away.
//Robert De Niro was at the Girl's baptism (his kid was getting Baptized too), he's currently on SNL as Mueller, SNL is Lorne, Boom! Eric Idle. :-)
Abejo - I love Crypto! "The Woman Who Smashed Codes" is now on my reading list. Thanks for mentioning it. TTP - I've cued the links.
Anyone else read multiple books at once? I'm currently in the middle of:
Idle's "Bright Side of Life"
Tribe of Hackers
The Subtle Art of not giving a F*ck
An Economist Walks Into A Brothel
//The titles are more provocative than the text - all are non-fiction.
I'll probably finish Idle's first.
A Toast to all The Corner's Mothers at Sunset [where's is Tin?]
Cheers, -T
There was a sequel to Ivanhoe by Thackeray
ReplyDeleteRebecca and Rowena
Now if Brian did convince Rebecca to fly with him to the Middle East...
WC
Hope a happy mother's day was had by all. And. Thank you to all the commentators. And constructors.
ReplyDeleteThis was a perfect Sunday level. CC'ian in its doability. fe. UTERI was perped and I had no IDEA.
I used the "AD" but only found the LAD at the very end. He was hiding under the AIRBED
WC
Super Sunnday. Thanks for the fun, Gail and C.C.
ReplyDeleteI am late to the party today after a wonderful Mother's Day celebration with my 96 year old Mom and my siblings. Gathered with all my kids and grandkids last night.
PK, I LOLed at your UTERI comment.
Persistence required to finish this CW, but I saw the theme. I also noted LED and LCD to go with those LADs.
I wanted some kind of Chai for that Indian brew.
I must sign off.
Hope you all had a Happy Mother's Day.
I had one more post but I must have fallen asleep. I just cut it out of docs and might as well post as throw it away
ReplyDeleteRe. “Chopped”. I couldn't get that until CC's most excellent write-up. Speaking of m.o…. can't wait to see the CC moniker on a LATimes Xword
But ..
Gail never fails- one of a great team of lax'ers. Now the Lakers “Team”...
WC