Theme: Whodunnit? That would be Dave Bardolph for this debut puzzle!
The reveal tells us:
46A. Their last names are the first names of three puzzle answers: MYSTERY NOVELISTS
19A. Longtime face of CoverGirl: CHRISTIE BRINKLEY. Agatha Christie. I always want to spell the model's name "Chrissie" and so the theme was a little slow to emerge for me.
24A. "Honky Tonk Time Machine" singer: GEORGE STRAIT. Elizabeth George. I'd venture she's by far the least known of the three, but I may be wrong. I looked her up and she's an American, born in Ohio and living in California writing British detective novels. That's novel. (See what I did there?)
42A. '90s-'00s sitcom character who married his friend's sister: CHANDLER BING. Raymond Chandler. Friends: "The one with Chandler and Monica's Wedding", Season 7 finale.
Firstly, let's say hello to Dave Bardolph, I believe this is his LAT debut. A quick bit of research shows that he's competed at the ACPT and he likes a challenge - Matt Gaffney's weekly meta puzzles. That's impressive right there!
So the puzzle - I think it's a slick debut. Did you notice we've got a 16x15 to accomodate both the lovely Christie Brinkley and the reveal?
It's all complete coincidence of course, but there were a fair few repeats of recent Thursday fill. It's funny how it works like that. It's like waiting for a number 22 bus in London, you don't see one for ages and then three of them come along all at once.
OK, let's take the grand (rapids) tour:
Across:
1. Box office bust: FLOP
5. Exhibits grief: SOBS. The other kind of exhibit's grief? Getting stolen from the gallery.
9. Winter Games vehicle: LUGE. We've talked about this before. Why you would want to go feet-first down a bobsled run on a glorified metal tray is beyond me.
13. Dropped precipitously: DOVE
14. Jazz form: BEBOP. A genre that inspired and informed Jack Kerouac. I saw the manuscript of "On the Road" at a recent exhibition celebrating Route 66 here in LA. It was written on a typewriter in three weeks on a single roll of paper so that he didn't have to stop to change sheets. Quite amazing.
15. Nodding off in class, say: BORED. Wake up there, I haven't finished.
16. Frosted: ICED. You can ice a cake with frosting, but can you frost a cake with icing? We should be told.
17. Enticing emanation: AROMA
18. Digital greeting: ECARD
22. Boarding area: GATE. There are crickets at most gates at the moment. I've been grounded, no frequent flyer points for me this year.
23. Trunk holder: TREE. Does a tree "hold" a trunk? I think this was my least favorite of the day.
29. Capture: NAB
32. Ingratiate: ENDEAR. I look at "ingratiate" as a bad thing, a toadying-up to someone. Endearing is something quite different. Strike Two.
33. Brinker of kiddie lit: HANS. Thank you, crosses.
34. Soap unit: CAKE
35. Alpaca's habitat: ANDES
36. Parcels: LOTS. Parcells: Lots of Superbowls.
37. "The Piano" extra: MAORI
38. Regretted: RUED
39. "And __ off!": WE'RE
40. Send for: SUMMON
41. Polite title: SIR
44. Berth place: SLIP
45. Banned orchard spray: ALAR
54. One on a roll: VOTER
55. Enjoy leftovers, say: EAT IN
56. "Go ahead, I dare you!": DO IT!
57. Abs-strengthening exercise: PLANK
58. Spring up: ARISE
59. "Darkest Hour" Oscar winner Oldman: GARY
60. Do a laundry chore: SORT. I don't exactly "sort". Anything white or vaguely so goes in. The rest can fight it out amongst themselves.
61. Too hasty: RASH
62. Fencing sword: EPÉE
Down:
1. Org. created by the 1933 Banking Act: F.D.I.C. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. I had to look that up. Familiar acronym, unfamiliar proper name.
2. Ness, for one: LOCH. Ah - what about Eliot Ness? He could have appeared in many mystery novels.
3. Wrapped up: OVER
4. Like some boxers: PEDIGREED. I was thinking pugilists, then underwear and then - oh! Westminster or Crufts dog shows!
5. Sequence: SERIES
6. Orchestra pitch setter: OBOE. I often wonder if the oboe does anything else other than pitch-set. And what if the oboe is warped or something? Then the whole orchestra is out of tune, but at least all out of tune to the same degree.
7. Box office bust: BOMB. Clecho with 1A.
8. Michigan State players: SPARTANS
9. Age of Enlightenment philosopher: LOCKE. No politics in this blog, but I refer you to this. 'nuff said.
10. Eurasian range: URAL
11. "Chicago" star: GERE
12. Jacuzzi effect: EDDY
14. Player in a box: BATTER. This confused me, as I was still under the misapprehension that CHRISTY was CHRISSY. I went to look at my turkey baster and tried to make sense of that. Then, with a clang, the penny dropped.
15. "The Devil and Daniel Webster" author: BENET
20. Epic tales: SAGAS
21. Crocus kin: IRIS
24. They're changed on the road: GEARS. I thought TIRES first, but that wasn't working, but I channelled my inner BEBOP and ON THE ROAD mini-theme.
25. Boredom: ENNUI
26. Less mundane: ODDER
27. Sticker: THORN
28. Graded: RATED
29. Wynonna's mother: NAOMI
30. Ohio rubber city: AKRON
31. Person: BEING
34. College town on the Charles: CAMBRIDGE. It should be called Charlesbridge. Cambridge, UK, is a university town on the Cam. Ergo, Cambridge. Don't just pinch names, New England, make up some of your own. Too late now, I suppose. Boston, Cambridge, Woburn, Braintree ... I could go on. I would be amused to see Nether Wallop, Maine or ... more unprintable offerings. English town or village names can sometimes be a little ... salty.
36. We're in one now: LEAP YEAR. I had the "L", put in "LOCKDOWN" thinking all the time that it was a quick turnaround for a puzzle submitted to Rich. Then nothing fit around it, so out it came. All became clear.
37. Big picture: MURAL. Not a moutain range with an "M"? Some interesting stuff going on today. You know what it's like, you invite your buddy Michelangelo over for dinner and he brings a bucket of paint and a brush. Next thing you know, you're stuck with preserving an art treasure while your walls crumble. At least Banksy's stuff is stolen in the middle of the night and you don't have to worry about it.
39. Sound like a fan: WHIR. Nice clue - could be ROOT or CHEE ... oh no, ran out of space.
40. Moon goddess: SELENE
42. Store employee: CLERK
43. Extravagant: LAVISH
44. Angioplasty implant: STENT
46. Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger in 2019: MVPS
47. "Seize the day" acronym: YOLO. You only live once. It became a slightly-annoying internet meme for a while, then, as fads do, went away.
48. Yellow dwarf or blue giant: STAR
49. Early capital of Japan: NARA
50. Grammy winner Redding: OTIS. In a neat book-end of last week's Thursday, Janis Joplin and Otis Redding both had posthumous hit #1 singles. It's late for a music link, but too good to pass up. I can't not link this wonderful singer. As with Janis, taken too early.
51. TV cliff-hanger: SOAP. Some purists say you shouldn't have the same word in any clue that you have in the fill. Me? It's tough enough constructing. Don't start introducing arbitrary rules.
52. Part of a regular rotation: TIRE. So you don't have to change them "on the road"!
53. Eye ailment: STYE
So as usual, I ran out of paper and I have to finish here. Jack Kerouac had the right idea!
Here's the grid, all 16x15 of it and thanks to Dave. If you've got a couple of minutes to spare, enjoy the Playing for Change "Dock of the Bay" celebration. What they are doing looks more "normal" today, but they have been bringing musicians all over the world together with one song, for a great cause, for a while. Look up the "La Bamba" collaboration if you have a care, I dare you not to smile, laugh and cry.
Stay safe.
Steve
The reveal tells us:
46A. Their last names are the first names of three puzzle answers: MYSTERY NOVELISTS
19A. Longtime face of CoverGirl: CHRISTIE BRINKLEY. Agatha Christie. I always want to spell the model's name "Chrissie" and so the theme was a little slow to emerge for me.
24A. "Honky Tonk Time Machine" singer: GEORGE STRAIT. Elizabeth George. I'd venture she's by far the least known of the three, but I may be wrong. I looked her up and she's an American, born in Ohio and living in California writing British detective novels. That's novel. (See what I did there?)
42A. '90s-'00s sitcom character who married his friend's sister: CHANDLER BING. Raymond Chandler. Friends: "The one with Chandler and Monica's Wedding", Season 7 finale.
Firstly, let's say hello to Dave Bardolph, I believe this is his LAT debut. A quick bit of research shows that he's competed at the ACPT and he likes a challenge - Matt Gaffney's weekly meta puzzles. That's impressive right there!
So the puzzle - I think it's a slick debut. Did you notice we've got a 16x15 to accomodate both the lovely Christie Brinkley and the reveal?
It's all complete coincidence of course, but there were a fair few repeats of recent Thursday fill. It's funny how it works like that. It's like waiting for a number 22 bus in London, you don't see one for ages and then three of them come along all at once.
OK, let's take the grand (rapids) tour:
Across:
1. Box office bust: FLOP
5. Exhibits grief: SOBS. The other kind of exhibit's grief? Getting stolen from the gallery.
9. Winter Games vehicle: LUGE. We've talked about this before. Why you would want to go feet-first down a bobsled run on a glorified metal tray is beyond me.
13. Dropped precipitously: DOVE
14. Jazz form: BEBOP. A genre that inspired and informed Jack Kerouac. I saw the manuscript of "On the Road" at a recent exhibition celebrating Route 66 here in LA. It was written on a typewriter in three weeks on a single roll of paper so that he didn't have to stop to change sheets. Quite amazing.
15. Nodding off in class, say: BORED. Wake up there, I haven't finished.
16. Frosted: ICED. You can ice a cake with frosting, but can you frost a cake with icing? We should be told.
17. Enticing emanation: AROMA
18. Digital greeting: ECARD
22. Boarding area: GATE. There are crickets at most gates at the moment. I've been grounded, no frequent flyer points for me this year.
23. Trunk holder: TREE. Does a tree "hold" a trunk? I think this was my least favorite of the day.
29. Capture: NAB
32. Ingratiate: ENDEAR. I look at "ingratiate" as a bad thing, a toadying-up to someone. Endearing is something quite different. Strike Two.
33. Brinker of kiddie lit: HANS. Thank you, crosses.
34. Soap unit: CAKE
35. Alpaca's habitat: ANDES
36. Parcels: LOTS. Parcells: Lots of Superbowls.
37. "The Piano" extra: MAORI
38. Regretted: RUED
39. "And __ off!": WE'RE
40. Send for: SUMMON
41. Polite title: SIR
44. Berth place: SLIP
45. Banned orchard spray: ALAR
54. One on a roll: VOTER
55. Enjoy leftovers, say: EAT IN
56. "Go ahead, I dare you!": DO IT!
57. Abs-strengthening exercise: PLANK
58. Spring up: ARISE
59. "Darkest Hour" Oscar winner Oldman: GARY
60. Do a laundry chore: SORT. I don't exactly "sort". Anything white or vaguely so goes in. The rest can fight it out amongst themselves.
61. Too hasty: RASH
62. Fencing sword: EPÉE
Down:
1. Org. created by the 1933 Banking Act: F.D.I.C. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. I had to look that up. Familiar acronym, unfamiliar proper name.
2. Ness, for one: LOCH. Ah - what about Eliot Ness? He could have appeared in many mystery novels.
3. Wrapped up: OVER
4. Like some boxers: PEDIGREED. I was thinking pugilists, then underwear and then - oh! Westminster or Crufts dog shows!
5. Sequence: SERIES
6. Orchestra pitch setter: OBOE. I often wonder if the oboe does anything else other than pitch-set. And what if the oboe is warped or something? Then the whole orchestra is out of tune, but at least all out of tune to the same degree.
7. Box office bust: BOMB. Clecho with 1A.
8. Michigan State players: SPARTANS
9. Age of Enlightenment philosopher: LOCKE. No politics in this blog, but I refer you to this. 'nuff said.
10. Eurasian range: URAL
11. "Chicago" star: GERE
12. Jacuzzi effect: EDDY
14. Player in a box: BATTER. This confused me, as I was still under the misapprehension that CHRISTY was CHRISSY. I went to look at my turkey baster and tried to make sense of that. Then, with a clang, the penny dropped.
15. "The Devil and Daniel Webster" author: BENET
20. Epic tales: SAGAS
21. Crocus kin: IRIS
24. They're changed on the road: GEARS. I thought TIRES first, but that wasn't working, but I channelled my inner BEBOP and ON THE ROAD mini-theme.
25. Boredom: ENNUI
26. Less mundane: ODDER
27. Sticker: THORN
28. Graded: RATED
29. Wynonna's mother: NAOMI
30. Ohio rubber city: AKRON
31. Person: BEING
34. College town on the Charles: CAMBRIDGE. It should be called Charlesbridge. Cambridge, UK, is a university town on the Cam. Ergo, Cambridge. Don't just pinch names, New England, make up some of your own. Too late now, I suppose. Boston, Cambridge, Woburn, Braintree ... I could go on. I would be amused to see Nether Wallop, Maine or ... more unprintable offerings. English town or village names can sometimes be a little ... salty.
36. We're in one now: LEAP YEAR. I had the "L", put in "LOCKDOWN" thinking all the time that it was a quick turnaround for a puzzle submitted to Rich. Then nothing fit around it, so out it came. All became clear.
37. Big picture: MURAL. Not a moutain range with an "M"? Some interesting stuff going on today. You know what it's like, you invite your buddy Michelangelo over for dinner and he brings a bucket of paint and a brush. Next thing you know, you're stuck with preserving an art treasure while your walls crumble. At least Banksy's stuff is stolen in the middle of the night and you don't have to worry about it.
39. Sound like a fan: WHIR. Nice clue - could be ROOT or CHEE ... oh no, ran out of space.
40. Moon goddess: SELENE
42. Store employee: CLERK
43. Extravagant: LAVISH
44. Angioplasty implant: STENT
46. Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger in 2019: MVPS
47. "Seize the day" acronym: YOLO. You only live once. It became a slightly-annoying internet meme for a while, then, as fads do, went away.
48. Yellow dwarf or blue giant: STAR
49. Early capital of Japan: NARA
50. Grammy winner Redding: OTIS. In a neat book-end of last week's Thursday, Janis Joplin and Otis Redding both had posthumous hit #1 singles. It's late for a music link, but too good to pass up. I can't not link this wonderful singer. As with Janis, taken too early.
51. TV cliff-hanger: SOAP. Some purists say you shouldn't have the same word in any clue that you have in the fill. Me? It's tough enough constructing. Don't start introducing arbitrary rules.
52. Part of a regular rotation: TIRE. So you don't have to change them "on the road"!
53. Eye ailment: STYE
So as usual, I ran out of paper and I have to finish here. Jack Kerouac had the right idea!
Here's the grid, all 16x15 of it and thanks to Dave. If you've got a couple of minutes to spare, enjoy the Playing for Change "Dock of the Bay" celebration. What they are doing looks more "normal" today, but they have been bringing musicians all over the world together with one song, for a great cause, for a while. Look up the "La Bamba" collaboration if you have a care, I dare you not to smile, laugh and cry.
Stay safe.
Steve
The virus has made everyone readjust, including their wakeup time. Welcome, Dave. I enjoyed your puzzle and as always Steve's tour.
ReplyDeleteSeeing CHRISTIE BRINKLEY is never a hardship, as she ages along with the rest of us. I enjoyed GERE and GEARS .
I have read some books written by ELIZABETH GEORGE who may know from the INPECTOR LYNLEY MYSTERIES. She is not the only American who has achieved great success writing about BritishDetectives. My favorite is MARTH GRIMES , but the most famous would be JOHN DICKSON CARR .
I owe MARTHA an "A", sorry.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteGot through this one easily. Even read the full reveal clue. Amazing. Didn't recognize author GEORGE, though. We changed GEARS and TIRES while our play FLOPped and BOMBed. Yes, I was thinking of Eliot Ness, and I was also turning my nose up at "Tree holder." Overall, I liked the puzzle, even with that Chandler Bing guy (who?). Nice debut, Dave. Thanx for the elucidation, Steve.
NARA: I remember feeding rice cakes to the deer at Nara, but don't remember why.
Today's the last day of the Great Texas Lockdown. Let's hope folks take the reopening slow and easy. But you know they won't.
Good morning. I also got through this one easily-D-Otto. The biggest MYSTERY(s) for me: CHANDLER BING- no idea about that person; never watched 'Friends', GARY Oldman, & BENET- unknowns filled by perps. Elizabeth George- I'm glad that wasn't a fill; total unknown.
ReplyDeletePEDIGREED boxer? Laili Ali.
Steve- as for LUGE you could go down the bobsled ramp head first in SKELETON. Both sports are for people with a death wish, IMHO.
Clever theme - at first I thought there might be a thread with the last names but the reveal clue made me realize with CHRISTIE and CHANDLER that it was about MYSTERY and then need perps as to what was going to change from authors to writers to NOVELISTS when the first 2 didn't have enough letters.
ReplyDeleteSteve - I think the CAMBRIDGE (college town on the Charles) is referring to Massachusetts where Harvard and MIT are- although I appreciate learning about the CAMBRIDGE in England!
Heading to my real office today instead of my virtual one
Thanks Steve for the blog - I enjoyed the Otis Redding tribute clip! And congrats to Dave for your debut!
Thanks, Steve. Yes, it is my LAT (or anywhere else, for that matter) debut. Peace, and be well, everyone.
ReplyDeleteStrike three came first (13A): There is no verb spelled DOVE. The past tense of DIVE is DIVED.
ReplyDeleteI thought The Piano was set in Australia, but MAORI set me aright in Kiwi land. For some reason I wrote PEDIcurED at first. Too much time locked in with my wife and having to trim her toenails. My BORED student was just tiRED for some time.
ReplyDeleteA theme based on names? I enjoyed the puzzle, but the theme, not so much.
ReplyDeleteSteve, interesting blog. Yes, I agree that ENDEAR seems a pleasant, positive word and INGRATIATE seem a negative, off putting word. .
I haven't heard a bar of soap called a cake of soap since I was a kid. Is it out of fashion now?
We had BORED and ENNUI, although this puzzle was far from boring.
DO, I have been to the deer park in NARA. The deer there are a national treasure and are protected. There are more than a thousand there and they are very tame. People enjoy feeding them. IMO they are overly bold moochers. They grabbed food right out of my hand while I was getting it out of the bag. I was less than charmed, really, my only less than charming experience during two visits to Japan.
I love irises. Mine didn't survive being moved to another bed. Several years ago a chipmunk dug a hole next to my lovely harbinger of spring, a crocus flower, and ate the bulb, leaving the flower standing.
I see the garden center is open during the quarantine. I will buy tomato seedlings next weekend. Our target date for planting tomatoes here is May 10-15.
DIVED and DOVE are both acceptable."Twenty years ago, on a sunny afternoon in early May, Michael Gross dove into a Chesapeake Bay tributary to save his 2-year-old son."
Los Angeles Times, Apr 13, 2020
I guess STROVE and CLOVE and WOVE are out too? Sad.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-A fun theme and solve. GEORGE was unknown but “had to be”
-Christie was the inspiration for this great video and married the composer/performer
-Box office BOMB? Nope. Wait a minute…
-BORED – some lecturers are so enamored of what they are saying they don’t notice
-Old King Cole SUMMONED three musicians
-VOTER – we’ll walk the two blocks for our May 12 primary
-Towns did ARISE as the Union Pacific crossed Nebraska toward Promontory Point and most have now ebbed
-Favorite professional month – May - when we wrapped up the year and spring was here
-Staying in that BATTER’S box against a 105mph fast ball takes courage
-Being an overnight CLERK at a convenience store would seem to also take courage
-The Last Supper MURAL used to explain The Da Vinci Code (2:42)
-The season end cliff-hanger for Grey’s Anatomy always seemed to have someone dying
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was an unusual theme, but enjoyable just the same. I needed the reveal to see the light but all three authors were familiar. I was a big Elizabeth George fan until she went off the rails, IMO, in the last book I read. We had lots of fun duos today: Soap and Cake, Bomb and Flop, and Bored and Ennui. i had Ship before Slip (they both fit the clue) and I needed perps for Nara and Benet. My favorite C/A was Big picture=Mural. Extra props for only two pesky three-letter words in the entire puzzle!
Thanks, Dave, for a fun Thursday and congrats on your debut and thanks, Steve, for guiding us along.
I spent a total of one hour and fifteen minutes on the phone yesterday trying to reactivate autopay with Brinks, who just took over my home alarm system service from Spectrum. I wasn't allowed to do it online, only God knows why, and because the reps were working from home, I was transferred from pillar to post to complete the transaction. The last person I spoke with was a young American male who without any accent, speech impediment, or any other discernible impediment, managed to be completely incomprehensible. The verbal exchange was bad enough but the ghastly music while I was on hold (35 minutes on the first try) was just shy of torture. End of rant.
FLN
Vermontah, is a splooge the same as a splash? 😇
Stay safe, all.
I was going along swimmingly until coming to a screeching halt at the SW. I had situps for 57A and drew a blank for 46D after getting m--s despite being a sportsaholic. Eventually filled in with voter at 54A which finally gave me mvps. DNK Chandler Bing and wanted Christine, my DIL's name, instead of Christie. In the end, a nice Thursday challenge.
ReplyDeleteI just completed yesterday's fun USA puzzle. Congrats, Susan and CC. FIR. The name in the center of the puzzle was new to me, all perps. Only later did I look at the title and realize that the ladies' first names were capital cities. No other unknowns. About Wed. level.
ReplyDeleteI seldom do any puzzles other than the LAT. That must be why so many of you are faster than I am. I don't buy the NYT online or on paper. I used to copy and do the NYT Sunday puzzle at the library. I quit when the constructors too often placed 3 or 4 letters in one cell, wrote the answers backwards, etc.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteFLN - - Anon -T, I chortled over your phoncon with Mom. :-) Glad to see leading edge thinking:-). Appreciate her while you can. You are the good son.
Thought this one was on the easy side for a Thursday as others have intimated. FIR. Interesting theme. Enjoyed the solve.
Why did constructor opt for 4 cheater squares? They don't seem to be connected with the theme.
Berth - Had 'ship' before SLIP. In Norfolk we usually berthed at the D&S (Destroyer and Submarine) piers at the main Base.
THORN - Ger. Dorn, L. Ger. Doorn, Dutch doorn.
PEDIGREE - About half my Dad's milking herd were registered Holsteins. Each time he wanted to register a new heifer, photos had to be submitted to the Holstein-Friesian Assoc. at Brattleboro, VT, attesting that the animal had the proper attributes such as a white switch, and no black area touching the fetlock/hoof area. The animal had to be posed so a side photos showed all four legs in full view. (Today, I believe the registering authority is called Holstein Association USA, Inc.)
Steve, city names don't get much more salty than Blue Ball, Pennsylvania or Intercourse, Pennsylvania
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Blog Dave. Good puzzle. Steve's tour through the grid, as usual, was a fun read today.
I was able to finish the puzzle today but it took over 25 minutes. Just needed to get the synapses firing.
Steve: How about an English author whose protagonist is/was an American Army MP. Lee Child writes about Jack Reacher. I like his stories although sometimes they are a little far fetched.
Anon @ 8:11am: According to Meriam-Webster DOVE can be the past tense of Dive.
For 4 Down I had the last four letters from perps, REED, so I tried to put in a B thinking that the clue was leading to a kind of dog BREED. That slowed me down a bit until I got the PEDI. BATE made no sense, GATE had to be it.
Ben Franklin @ 10:29am: You left out that to get to Paradise, you go through your other two towns.
Rain and the shelter in place is making today yucky.
Be safe everyone.
A real Thursday challenge. Lots of misdirection and ink overs but eventually FIR. Had situp for PLANK which didn't jive with the STENT perp (PLANKs were a grueling torture after spin class.) Was so tempted to write in "pandemic" but perps led to LEAPYEAR. Only recognized Agatha as a mystery novelist. Liked the VOTER clue. Pairing of GERE GEAR
ReplyDeleteSTYEs such a frequent CW affliction we should have an on call ophthalmologist. Also frequent ICED ice icer. Who uses ice to frost a cake? Edo wouldn't fit. Couldn't the Japanese make up their minds about a capital? Sheesh.
A prior cornerite comment lamented putting the letter A in front of words just to create fill like agoing or acoming. Seems E used in the same way: ECARD, emag, evite, etail. etcetera
Don't try mouth washing with a CAKE of SOAP as a COVID cure!!. Common side effect "soap blindness" (Ralphie in A Christmas Story)
Frequently depicted bent over with her toga around her knees: SELENA the MOON goddess.
You can't escape:
My dog, cat, and goldfish were all on board. In fact every _______.....PEDAGREED.
Place for a sesame seed.....ON A ROLL.
Woody in "Toy Story" was _____ favorite....ANDES.
Parisian street layout or uncivil.....RUED
Going quietly....
Thinking Thursday. Thanks for the fun, Dave (congrats on your debut and thanks for dropping by) and Steve.
ReplyDeleteI had difficulty with this CW and DNF plus FIWed. I should have used some Google helps.
I finally saw the theme (sort of!) but like inanehiker, I started out looking for a thread with the names. Plus, I did not know CHANDLER's last name, and CAMp RIDGE seemed reasonable to this Canadian who had no idea about the Charles.. . . resulting in PING. LOL
As well, I could not remember the YOLO acronym, did not know Trout and Bellinger, and did not see the VO to give VOTER. (You Americans will have your chance in November to fulfil the Locke 2nd Treatise and give your verdict. The next Canadian federal election is scheduled for 2022, but since we have a minority government right now, that date could be sooner.) No more politics!
Did we all think of this pandemic for 36D "We're in one now"?! (I see Ray has one hand up already)
I had Situp before PLANK (hello Shankers, Ray), and agree with YR that my SOAP (yes I noticed the use in clue and answer!) is called a Bar not a CAKE.
I wanted 48D "yellow dwarf or blue giant" to be IRIS but it was needed for 24D.
I remembered the story of HANS Brinker, or the Silver Skates from my childhood. (Would speed skating be a better sport to encourage a child to take up than LUGE?)
Wishing you all a good day.
I knew I was in trouble with so many proper names. Amazingly, I did know CHRISTIE BRINKLEY. And AGATHA CHRISTIE. Not any of the others. BUZZ off before WE'RE off. Hand up for the other mistakes and misdirections that I fell for. Favorite misdirection was "One on a roll" for VOTER. But I was proud to FIR. Happy for the learning moments.
ReplyDeleteI lived in the CAMBRIDGE on the Charles. Twice. Also visited the other CAMBRIDGE of which you speak Steve.
MURALS have always fascinated me. I have many photos to share from around the world.
Here are my photos from a guided MURAL tour close to home in San Francisco.
It is always fun to do a guided tour in a city you think you already know. And to discover so many hidden treasures!
From yesterday:
ReplyDeleteLucina thank you for more of the amazing story of how you are a great-grandmother even though your HABIT gave you a late start! Good for your daughter! It is not the order of the achievements that matter. Just that one achieves something meaningful.
AnonT thanks for sharing the story of your mother. Scary. Good for you for gently trying to set her straight. Wow.
Dave, I thought it was a marvelous puzzle. I think the only fill I needed to change was "situp" to PLANK. Never watched "Friends" -- Chandler seemed vaguely familiar -- and didn't quite figure out the big reveal, but still FIR pretty easily. I enjoy a Thursday win. Thanks, Dave and Steve!
ReplyDeleteCanadian Eh, in a interview with Jimmy Kimmel a couple years ago actor Matthew Perry (Friend's CHANDLER BING.) claimed as a 10 y o he beat up his classmate your bedimpled PM. His father Pierre Trudeau was PM at the time. They joked about a rematch. Kimmel was shocked that there was no secret service protection for a standing PM's kids. I tried to LIU but got nowhere. If this is true it demonstrates a lot of impressive trust in the Canadian public.
ReplyDeleteReally liked this one. I love a good mystery, so I enjoyed the theme. Not familiar with Elizabeth George, but I know George Strait so it all worked out.
ReplyDeleteFun Thursday puzzle, even if I did struggle in a number of places. But a great debut, Dave, and thank you for stopping by. And your commentaries are always a treat, Steve.
ReplyDeleteI worked hard on the north, and it paid off when I got CHRISTIE BRINKLEY. Yay! Didn't know the other names, and began the reveal with HISTORY--but, thank goodness, changed it to MYSTERY at some point. I should read more MYSTERY NOVELS, shouldn't I? Like Irish Miss, I had SHIP before SLIP, and it's good to have confirmations that DOVE is indeed a verb. Always enjoy your funny glosses, Ray.
Have a good day, everybody.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Dave Bardolph, on your LAT debut! No SOBS from me!
If you haven't seen Richard GERE in Chicago, you are in for a treat! He plays the sleazy lawyer who sings and dances his way around.
As for MYSTERY NOVELS, I am familiar only with Agatha CHRISTIE and Eric CHANDLER and have never read anything by Elizabeth GEORGE. CHRISTIE BRINKLEY was recently featured in her vineyards where she grows prosecco grapes. It was either in Sunday Morning or 60 Minutes.
My daughter and granddaughter love the SERIES, Friends, and watch endless reruns of it.
Hand up for thinking pandemic before LEAPYEAR. Last night on Jeopardy, EPEE was an answer.
BATTER for me is what I make for baking cookies or a CAKE.
ICED tea is a staple here during the summer. Yesterday, SUN TEA was featured.
Thank you, Steve; I am never BORED when reading your sparkly commentary!
Have a gorgeous day, everyone!
HANS Brinker and the Silver Skates was one of my favorite childhood books. After reading it I resolved that someday I would visit the Netherlands and see those canals for myself. It took 55 years of waiting, but I did go.
ReplyDeleteWell constructed puzzle. Nice debut for Dave!
ReplyDeleteI had BOMB in 1A, soon knew it was wrong, then it shows up at 7D.
Richard GERE makes a dual appearance in the Crossword and Jumble puzzles. I do the LAT crossword and Sudoku every day, but have never cared for Jumble, the puns are a bit sophomoric for my taste.
Ray @11:55 - I had forgotten about that Matthew Perry - Justin Trudeau story. They both attended Rockcliffe Park Public School which "has long educated the children of politicians and ambassadors". And of course, that was over 40 years ago, but even then the "impressive trust in the Canadian public" was tempered by the awareness that one screwball can spoil it all. And don't forget that "Trudeaumania" around the 1968 election, and the 1970 kidnapping/murder of Pierre Laporte and the subsequent War Measures Act, had clearly indicated the need for security for Pierre Trudeau and family.
ReplyDeleteWOW, you are getting a Canadian history lesson today!
I looked at the Wikipedia article on Justin Trudeau and footnote #63 links to this article from the Montreal Gazette, Jan 12, 1979, that states that Justin and his brother Sacha (youngest brother Michel was born in 1975 and not going to school yet) had RCMP security. (Title is "Schreyer children to get bodyguards" as Schreyer was Governor-General designate; Trudeau children are mentioned in article)
Bodyguards
Re frequent crossword afflictions, how about 'eke' usually one or two per week.
ReplyDeleteSorry Ray, the link won't go directly to the old newspaper article.
ReplyDeleteTry this to get to the Jan 12, 1979 Montreal Gazette issue and then ask for page 62.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19790112&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
SecondTryReBodyguards
Picard, those murals are impressive and so colourful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Canada for a concise enlightening post. Amazed how much I learn here.
ReplyDelete(Matthew Perry backed down for a rematch in 2017. His excuse was Mr. Trudeau had the Canadian armed forces as a backup.)
ANother mystery solved,
ReplyDeleteI finally figured out how to print out the puzzle
from the Epaper...
I enjoyed this headscratcher a lot,
my only complaint is that it left a lot of dandruff on the couch...
Steve said:
It's like waiting for a number 22 bus in London, you don't see one for ages and then three of them come along all at once.
Reminded me of a dear friend, who when seeing the above would exclaim,
"Oh look! Here come a herd of Beese!"
What does the Oboe do you ask?
maybe this will remind you...
Not to be confused with The Clarinet...
The theme?
all I can say Dave is well played...
hmm, gets me in the mood to write,
I may be back with more later...
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Dave. Thanks, Steve.
I too entered lock down before LEAP YEAR, but that was quickly proved to be wrong.
I read "Seize the day" and was going to enter Carpe Diem. No doubt that reading the full clue helps in the solve.
As for the reveal, with the right perps in places, MYSTERY goVErnorS went in and fit. Gov's CHRISTIE and CHANDLER for sure, but I wasn't sure of GEORGE. Wait, Kentucky. Phyllis GEORGE. Very quickly that didn't work out with the crossing answers. Besides, Phyllis was the first lady of Kentucky for a bit while her then husband John Brown was governor.
Picard, agreed about guided tours of places you think you know.
Catching up...
Madame Defarge, welcome back ! Glad to hear of the positive outcome !
Vermontah, the other day you asked about "props" which in context is a word derived from Arethaa Franklin's cover of the OTIS Redding recording of the song Respect. In one verse, she sang she just wanted her "propers" (respect) and after that, the misheard (or shortened) lyric has become props, meaning to show someone or something due respect.
Then I realized you probably meant "perps" and I'm glad you figured it out. Here's a hint, if you are on a phone: Swipe all the way down to the end of the comments, and choose the option "View Web Version". You will then see the information and links in the right column that are not normally seen on a phone. Good stuff there.
@CED - I love the "herd of beese"!
ReplyDeleteA clever pzl from Mr. Bardolph, fun to do.
ReplyDeleteBut, yes, Steve, I did notice the 16x15 grid--another asymmetrical Xwd to keep us from working the diagonals for an anagram.
Boo.
Otherwise, a fine LAT debut!
CE Dave ~ It's easy to confuse the OBOE with the clarinet on sight. The OBOE is smaller (slightly) and higher pitched. I spot it in the orchestra as it's seated nearest the flute.
~ OMK
I liked this puzzle a lot. The only place I had trouble with was that abs strengthening exercise; I confess I was unfamiliar with the term PLANK in that sense. After changing SHIP to SLIP which revealed CLERK things began to get sorted out in that area. Thank you, Dave Bardolph, for a really nifty puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Steve, for your interesting write-up.
Thank you, CrossEyedDave, for your beese.
Thank you, CanadianEh, for all that interesting information.
I remember the name CHANDLER BING from the episodes in which a character named Janice, brilliantly played by Maggie Wheeler, used to call him by his full name and then laugh in a notably annoying way.
Yeah, I too read the Hans Brinker story as a kid.
It wasn't until we watched a British TV show called Grantchester that I learned of the Cam river and thus why Cambridge is so named. I also learned that Grantchester is a real place, not far from Cambridge.
Good wishes to you all.
Since I now get a week's worth of Latimes xwords I've been doing them at night.
ReplyDeleteWC
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Dave Bardolph, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteTop 2/3's of the puzzle went fine. The bottom third was tough.
Thought they were looking for actual first names in 46A. So, I missed that.
I knew ENNUI. Amazing.
AKRON was easy. I worked near it in Medina, OH.
Anyhow, I have to start my prep for my colonoscopy and endoscopy tomorrow. See you tomorrow, sometime.
Abejo
( )
ReplyDeleteEnnui is a word we all seem to know primarily from Crosswords, but how many have actually used it in conversation?
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteOy! A puzzle full of names?!? Say it ain't so!!! Crap, I'm going to hate this...
Hey, wait, I recognize the main names. I actually know of these folk [and was even able to dredge up Mr. BING, I was].
So what are these - MYSTERY [science theater? - no :-(] -OV- LISTS? (love lists?).
Oho! NOVELESTS. QED.
Thank you (and congrats on debut!) Dave[3]* for the fine puzzle.
Steve - you always don't fail to not not amuse.
Funny you bring up "The one where..."
Kids are fans of Friends (they weren't even born yet!) so last week we gave Eldest this for her birthday. [it's hard to see, but it's the Friends' Font]
WOs: SERIEL [sic] ->SERIES, AcRON & NiOMI b/f soap was sold by the CAKE
ESPs: MAORI, NARA, SOAP**, LOTS as clued, GARY, GERE, other names...
Fav: WEES - c/a MURAL. Very cute.
Lookie Jayce showin' up with a new Avatar. Lookin' good pal.
Enjoyed reading every one.
Cheers, -T
*there's already two other Dave's - CED & D4 :-)
**did not ink 51d for a loooong time b/c we made a CAKE w/ it earlier
Inveterate readers are well acquainted with many words like ennui not used in everyday conversation. I bemoan the fact that the body of words commonly used in conversation is so limited. I do not think of ennui as a word used primarily in crosswords,but as one commonly used in print.
ReplyDeleteENNUI is used a lot among theater professionals.
ReplyDeleteFor obvious reasons.
Although the English language contains over a million words, studies have shown that most people use only about 250 words on a regular basis. As YR notes, our conversations use a limited number. We tend to reuse certain words and phrases over and over instead of expanding our conversations with more expressive vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteWe, here at the Corner, tend to be more effusive in our commentaries and that, I believe, is because of our hobby, i.e., solving CWDS, which necessarily brings us into contact with more words.
The lovely Irish Miss asked me about SPLOOGE and SPLASH.
ReplyDeleteIf you have delicate sensibilites, don't google SPLOOGE. It does not, except in the broadest sense, mean splash. Have to wonder how it spurted its way into the puzzle.
I'm a fan of Elizabeth George, enjoyed the Linley books until I didn't. Have to confess, I completely misread 46A and looked back at the names of the other clues as first names, saw George, then I had _h_n already for 42A, misread that too and my brain clicked "john" so I was puzzling about the Beatles and not remembering any of the moptops named Christie. Yeah, I'm none too bright, it's ok, you can say it.
Splooge. That's going to bother me.
BTW, anyone watch enough Parks and Rec to remember Christie Brinkley's great role on that show?
Also, why is the past participle of "dive" not "diven?" English is strange.
DR
With isolation and shelter in place orders fancier words for boredom are required hence ENNUI.
ReplyDeleteWhat's all the fuss about DOVE? Just a white pigeon.
Lucina: Enjoyed reading your bio info.
I use ENNUI in conversation. Maybe I have more of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave, and welcome. Please give us more of your clever puzzles!
Steve, good tour!
@Lucina - you might like to re-think the "250" word vocab. A five-year-old typically has between a 2000- and 3000- word vocabulary. It's the target of foreign language learners to speak like a five-year-old.
ReplyDelete@Vermontah - yeah, you don't want to go the "splooge" route. It's British slang, and not something I'd want to use when I was complaining at breakfast when my egg whites weren't set.
Vermontah (@6:25) and Steve (at 10:30), yeah, Urban Dictionary is now the Merriam-Webster. I posted a comment using the word "spunky" and it was edited with "*%#&". What? So I googled it on Urban Dictionary's website. Same thing as what y'all described. The English language as we once knew it has been hijacked. Or maybe I'm way behind the times.
ReplyDeleteAnon-T - FLN @ 12:48AM. You are a caring and equally patient son. I had to laugh though at your choice of words explaining your Mom's news reporting.
Agatha Christi was one of my favorite mystery writers (P.D. James was my favorite). Chandler was kinda foggy, George who? Never watched "Friends", but with the C-H in place already, I filled in CHANDLER (perps helped with the last name). Former co-worker owned three dogs, and her teenage daughters named them Chandler, Ross, and Phoebe - weird names I thought for dogs until she explained.
Still scratching my head - SOAP for TV cliff-hanger? My mom was a soap opera fan, and I had to endure those darn shows during summer - ugh! Even as a 10-year-old, I knew they weren't cliff-hangers - just rinse and repeat for tomorrow's show.
(Occasional lurker, using Tony's def)
@ TX Ms - what happened to Monica, Joey and Rachel? She needs more dogs! I'm with you with P.D.James, I might be biased, but my, what a great writer.
ReplyDeleteIf you want a new "soap" and you have access to Amazon Prime, "Poldark" is a great candidate. The producers would dislike to hear it thus, it's really a "historical costume drama". It's a soap. We've just finished Season 2 and love/hate it!
Steve @12:15a, fortunately/unfortunately, I don't have access to Amazon, but I did read a review of Poldark's premise when it was first introduced. Nope!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't wait until the James mystery was published - bought them all. Loved her analytical forensic methodology in her books - think in her early days she worked in some capacity for the NHS.