google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday November 8, 2020 Daniel A. Finan & Brian Herrick

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Nov 8, 2020

Sunday November 8, 2020 Daniel A. Finan & Brian Herrick

Theme:  "Did You Get the Part?" - Each theme clue is part of the first/second word of each theme entry. The other part of each theme entry hints at the "part" gimmick.

23A. PROP: IMPROPER FRACTION. Prop is a fraction of IMPROPER. Same logic applies to all the theme entries.

31A. OUT: MOUTHPIECE.

48A. VIE: MOVIE CLIP.

81A. GET: BUDGET CUT.

98A. ORE: CORE SAMPLE.

107A. TEN: SENTENCE FRAGMENT.

12D. ARE: RARE ELEMENT.

15D. VAT: PRIVATE SECTOR.

55D. HANG: CHUNK OF CHANGE.

66D. CON: SLAB OF BACON.

Eight of the entries have the parts in first words. Two entries in second words with the "of" structures. All clues are solid words. Super consistent and creative.

So nice to see Daniel A. Finan back. He was very active when I started blogging crosswords. Congratulations on your first Sunday, Brian!

Across:

1. Ones found on saucers, briefly?: ETS. Great clue.

4. Max: AT MOST.

10. Undercover agent's device: WIRE.

14. Many downloads: APPS. What are your favorite apps?

18. Oz creator: BAUM.

19. Corrupting atmosphere: MIASMA. This word just looks and sounds unpleasant.

20. Organized to a fault: ANAL.

21. Having no meetings, say: FREE.

22. Florentine flower?: ARNO. Flow-er. This gimmick was used a lot years ago
 
26. 2000s Cal.-based teen drama: THE OC. Starring Mischa Barton & Rachel Bilson.

28. Equate: LIKEN.

29. Longtime late-night host: LENO.

30. Iran has multiple ones: Abbr.: VPS. I did not know.

34. You, once: THEE.

36. Big, strong swimmer: WHALE. And 25. Female 36-Across: COW.

38. Ricola ad instrument: ALPHORN.


39. Database systems giant: ORACLE.

41. Pac-12 squad: UTES.

42. Nintendo's Super __: NES.

43. Winter fuel units: CORDS.

46. Dawdle: WASTE TIME. Great fill.

50. Lewd material: SMUT.

51. "How you doin'?": SUP.

54. Basic digital exercise: SCALE.

56. Chile relleno stuffing: CHEESE. Never had it.



58. Many readers of "Dreyer's English," for short: EDS. OK, editors.



59. Brian of electronica: ENO.

60. Home of the Milad Tower: TEHRAN. Wiki says Milad Tower (also known as the Tehran Tower) is a multi-purpose tower in Tehran, Iran. It is the sixth-tallest tower and the 24th-tallest freestanding structure in the world."


61. Cone counterparts: RODS.

62. Corn bread: PONE.

64. Icy Hot target: ACHE.

65. Short notice?: I QUIT.

66. Ward in Hollywood: SELA. Know for her "Once and Again".

67. Big break: RIFT.

68. Gyro holders: PITAS.
 

69. Desert formation: DUNE.

70. Lab coat discovery?: FLEA. Cute clue also.

71. Subject of many Instagram posts: SELF.

72. Snicket of kids' books: LEMONY.

73. Shocked cry: EEK.

74. Culinary lead-in to king: A LA.

75. Odds, etc.: RATIOS.

77. Hallmark of a procrastinator?: E-CARD. And 93. Like activity that can move mountains: SEISMIC. Just amazing clues.

78. __-mo: SLO.

79. Adds a soundtrack to: DUBS.

83. Decorated: FESTOONED.

86. Longtime "60 Minutes" reporter: STAHL (Lesley)

87. Hoppy brew, for short: IPA.

90. Disagreement ender: PACT.

92. Notes in C minor scales: E FLATS.

95. Allergic reaction: ACHOO.

97. Outdo: BEST.

101. Early TV maker: RCA.

102. Builder concerned with pairs: NOAH.

104. Midway alternative: O'HARE.

106. Bugs: RILES.

112. Creedence song named for a California city: LODI. Anyone from there?

113. Beat by a run, say: EDGE.

114. Slinky shape: COIL.

115. Metaphor for extreme pleasure: HEAVEN.

116. Make read better: EDIT.

117. No good one goes unpunished, it's said: DEED.

118. Professor 'iggins: ENRY.

119. Will of "BoJack Horseman": ARNETT.

120. Craving: YEN.

Down:

1. Batting helmet feature: EAR HOLE.

2. Jobs in which plugs are replaced: TUNE-UPS.

3. Slick: SMOOTH.

4. Pal in Provence: AMI. That's so gratifying that you noticed the total 3-letter words in my last puzzle, Agnes/Jayce!

5. "The Things They Carried" author O'Brien: TIM.

6. Syrup source: MAPLE.

7. "Hamlet" courtier: OSRIC.

8. Cook, in a way: SMOKE. Not fond of smoked food.

9. Compelling evidence: TAPE.

10. __ on Drugs: WAR.

11. Changes tonally: INFLECTS. Chinese can be complicated. Same MA has 5 different meanings depending on the tone.



13. Flair: ELAN.

14. To the rear, at sea: AFT.

16. Kind of person?: PEOPLE. People person. Boomer is one.

17. Taste and touch: SENSES.

18. Member of the Justice League: BATMAN.

24. Snares: ENTRAPS.

27. 2000 film set in a French confectionery: CHOCOLAT. I like Juliette Binoche.


32. Verified: PROVEN.

33. Cross inscription: INRI.

35. Possesses: HAS.

37. Fire on all cylinders: HUM.

39. Boo-boos: OWIES.

40. Usually challenging piece: ETUDE.

44. Official order: DECREE.

45. Authority: SCHOLAR.

47. "__ alive!": IT'S.

48. Tussaud of wax museum fame: MARIE.

49. Spartan queen of Greek myth: LEDA.

52. "__ me, you cad!": UNHAND.

53. Neruda's oeuvre: POESY.

54. "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo," for example: SEQUEL.



57. Concluding sections: EPILOGS.

60. Oceans' motions: TIDES.

63. Compensate for: OFFSET.

64. Get in the crosshairs: AIM AT.

67. Chiefs coach Andy: REID.


68. Odd: PECULIAR. Oh oh, try white miso & avocado combo on your toast.


70. One may be raised at a wedding: FLUTE.

71. Ear ornaments: STUDS.

72. Tres __ cake: dessert soaked in dairy liquids: LECHES.


74. Billboard displays: ADS.

76. Driver in a heist, say: ABETTOR.

80. Lisa Marie as of 1980, vis-à-vis Elvis: SOLE HEIR. Lisa Marie just lost her son.

82. Shock, as a perp: TASE.

84. Ike's WWII command: ETO. European Theater of Operations.

85. "Illmatic" rapper: NAS.

87. Self-destruct: IMPLODE.

88. Boarded, like clowns entering a clown car: PILED IN.

89. Nails that test: ACES IT.

90. Analyzed in English class: PARSED.

91. Say yes (to): ACCEDE.

94. :-): SMILEY.

96. Air Force __: ONE.

98. Heat player, say: CAGER.

99. Finance guru Suze: ORMAN.

100. "The Canterbury Tales" pilgrim: REEVE.

103. In the old days: ONCE.

105. "That's hilarious ... not": HA HA.

108. "Chopped" host Allen: TED.


109. Sac __: FLY.

110. Take home: NET.

111. Where to see a Heat player: TNT.

Does anyone know what these roots are?

C.C.


45 comments:

  1. Good morning!

    Sure glad I didn't have to describe the theme this morning. Realized early on that the clue would appear in the answer. Period. Didn't seem to be much of a theme. Thanx for 'splainin', C.C. There was lotsa nice stuff in this one. Thanx, Daniel and Brian.

    ORACLE: I liked their database, but detested their business software. It tried to have the answer for every business, and as a result, it wasn't the answer for any business.

    "Chile relleno": I usually order the beef fajitas, and dw orders the chile relleno when we go to a TexMex restaurant. It's been a long time...

    Time for that bike ride through the 'hood...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bit of a slog, but FIR. Still don't fully get the whole theme, and some clues are still a mystery to me. Thanks in most part to the crosses for finishing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Got it done but never saw or understood the theme.

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  4. For decades this has been our traditional week vacation on Sanibel island Florida. We haven't missed the week since Hurricane Charley's devastation in 2004 until now.

    As an alternative DW proposed a road trip to nearby Vermont (Stowe) for 3 days. I hesitated. A wintry alternative to a sunny beach hmmmm... but I went along.

    Well.....This week's weather report:

    Sanibel: High 70s, low 80s and rain all week.

    Stowe: Low 70s sunny, minimal chance of rain!!

    Plus you get three days respite from my rayfoolery

    See you on Wednesday.

    ReplyDelete
  5. FIR, with the usual Sunday slogfest. I liked the theme and it led me to victory.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Musings
    -Applying the title at moVIEclip gave me the gimmick. Random long fill phrases with practically useless cluing made for a challenge. Brilliant!
    -My favorite APP is GolfLogix
    -ANAL – Emerson wrote “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”
    -Ah, VPS is Virtual Private Servers
    -CORD – my lovely bride hated our wood burner stove but loves our gas one
    -I QUIT – I could have said/done this 20 years ago but I stayed for three months and completed my obligation professionally
    -No E-CARD for Joann Tuesday, as long as the real card I buy has a kitty on it, I’m golden!
    -In baseball, “Put one in his EAR HOLE” means to throw at a batter
    -Hits on all cylinders – Watching Patrick Mahomes play for Andy REID is appointment TV for me
    -PILED IN - Anybody remember this fad?
    -Hmmm… A magistrate in a SHIRE was called a REEVE. What word connotes that today?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gary, my all-time favorite Emerson line too. In fact my only Emerson line.

      Delete
  7. Ken I: PROP is a FRACTION of PROPER. VAT is a SECTOR of PRIVATE. I see it now, but I sure didn't get it while solving.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A tough one to FIR with 10 unknowns and not "getting the HANG" of what the puzzle was about until I guessed CHUNK OF CHANGE with most of the perps in place. I saw the light. The cross of two unknowns- ARNETT & REEVE- finished the puzzle today.

    Ken I- the Sunday puzzles print a clued theme at the top. I never look at it because those clues give away the puzzle. I'm only satisfied if I figure it out by myself. I don't use Google, books, or ABC runs and work all puzzles on paper using ink. Solving a puzzle is a double challenge- guessing the theme and correctly filling all the squares.

    77. Hallmark of a procrastinator?: E-CARD- didn't know what one was or what meant until I looked it up after I finished the puzzle. Hallmark and others have made a lot of money from scraps of paper.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I didn't get the 'clue' to the long answers. I only saw that each was included which helped me finish (eventually).

    I had AGENT OF CHANGE initially instead of CHUNK OF CHANGE.

    83. Decorated: FESTOONED. -> GREAT WORD! Haven't heard that word in a bazillion years.

    102. Builder concerned with pairs: NOAH. -> My favorite clue/answer!!


    ReplyDelete
  10. Valerie and I FIR. The theme took a while to "grok" but after that it proved to be helpful. It is not often that we are handed the actual letters, in the correct order, to place in the grid.

    50 Across calls out for the music and lyrics of the master:

    Tom Lehrer - SMUT

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  11. It's a miracle!! I just might frame this one. It took waaay too long for a Sunday, but I prevailed for a FIR in the end. I can't say that I liked the theme at all. Very iffy in many, many spots. My last fill was wire and anal as well as I quit at 65A. Even finishing right doesn't necessarily mean it was fun. Maybe Mass will help my brain to heal.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good morning everyone.

    At first I was going to skip today, since it's not in our paper, but went ahead anyway. I'm glad I did.
    Got it all but had trouble getting the theme fill started with a consistent logic. Finally it caught spark, and, in fact was able to partly prefill a few of the target words. I still can't explain clearly how the theme is supposed to word, but CC did it masterfully; so thanks. @ 19a, 'opprobrium' wouldn't fit so took MIASMA. Kinda like that word.
    Favorite clue was for 70a, FLEA.
    Like FESTOONED, too. Sorta goes with 'gussied (up)'.
    INFLECTS - CC cited mà, etc. Found The fundamental frequency of the four Mandarin tones in /ma/. that may help explain a bit more.
    DUNES - Had that in sedimentology. Parabolic, star and barchan are a few of the shapes. (Our farm's sandy loam acreage was an aeolian remnant of the last Ice Age.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Years ago I visited China for two weeks to assist my son who was adopting a 3 year old son from Mandarin speaking Harbin in the North. Americans exit the country via the consulate city of Guangzhou, where CC hails from (as far South from Harbin as Havana is from Montreal!). I met a remarkable young man at the Cathedral there who spoke flawless English (and lots of it!). He told me that in the Cantonese dialect there are 15 inflections! CC can correct me on that if needed.

      Delete
  13. BEST Chile rellenos :Ania’s Kitchen at San Gabriel Airport, S. El Monte Ca , east of Los Angeles

    FUN puzzle!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Got that the CLUE was in the the fill and it helped a bit, but other than that "I was CLUEless".

    Got waxed by MADAM(e) Tossaud. Didn't know her first name was "MARIE" and got lost in a sand DUNE in the Middle East. DNF, but still a fun puzzle with lots of clever fill. My favorites were FLEA and FLUTE. I'll raise a TOAST to Daniel and Brian on those masterful pieces of misdirection. And thanx CC, especially for all the delicious food. My guess on the roots is Jerusalem Artichokes.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I just saw that Alex Trebeck died. RIP, Alex.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anon @10:47, me too. Even having the theme pointed out by CC, I don't care for it.
    Fun sponge. Lost my patience and didn't finish. Friday's and Saturday's more logical puzzles I FIR. Least favorite Sunday in a very long time.
    I read an excellent historical novel about Marie Tussaud during the French Revolution.
    I will gladly get back to work now to improve my mood.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Musings 2
    -Thanks D-O, Now I love it even more as once again the trees hid the forest. The title let me get the “part” gimmick but the relation between the clue and the fill got right by me. I can’t claim an “ACES IT” even though I filled in every cell correctly.
    -I went back and reread C.C.’s intro and it was all there too but maybe my coffee hadn’t kicked in.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I was telling DH about the almost nonexistent clues for the long answers -- PROP for IMPROPER FRACTION -- when I came to the corner and C.C. explained that PROP is a FRACTION of IMPROPER. Oh! Never would have seen it myself, but FIR and got some enjoyment out of that. Thanks, Daniel, Brian, Rich, Joyce, and C.C.! Gonna go put flannel sheets on the bed. It rained in L.A.!

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  19. The more I look at CC's expo the more I see the logic of the theme and the more I appreciate it. Sorry for being such a grouch.
    My life seems up in the air. The next three and half weeks will be all play it by ear and trust that it will all work out. So many questions, so few answers. For a planner this is hard. Is there something I need to do or be aware of that escapes me? Am I prepared?

    Here is one question. The Oaks will pay two women to provide move-in help for the day of the move and maybe one more day. Generally they unpack and put away what is in your moving boxes. I would like to have the kitchen shelves dusted and lined by them, but I prefer unpacking my own stuff over several days, so many small bits and items that I will never find if I don't do it myself. I would prefer to set aside a later date when they can help with things I discover I can't do well myself. The staff and the resident at the Oaks think I am crazy. All my family members agree with me? What do you think?

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  20. Alex Trebeck has died. Rest in peace dear Alex. You have been a wonderful part of my life most evenings for many years. I will surely miss you.

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  21. We are talking about a lab coat. Not a white lab coat. A yellow or black lab coat will do. If the lab has fur like the ones in the AKC registry do, it can lead to discovering FLEAS. Constant itching, rubbing, or scratching are a tell-tale sign.

    As far as ANAL goes, everyone needs one in good working order. Try bringing obscene concerns up with a patient who has had colon or rectal cancer, and if you do, you'd better be wearing sneakers. Thankfully, I've never had to work in a place where that would be a worry.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous at 1:00
    Flea on a lab coat? My avatar doesn’t have any fleas.
    Alex will be missed, loved his enthusiasm and sense of humor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a pair of them and they did. Neptune (black) and Jupiter (yellow). Affectionate, wonderful creatures. I still miss them after 20 years.

      Delete
  23. Anon@1:00
    It's probably a black lab.
    "Unhand me, you cad" is archaic. "Getcher grubby hands off'n me." I've usually seen it with "you fiend" rather than "you cad."
    Sigmund Freud came up with that meaning of ANAL.

    Sad about Alex. I suspect that may be why they added Ken Jennings to the crew earlier this season.

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  24. Puzzling thoughts:

    RIP Alex Trebek

    As others have said, the theme, even when explained by C.C. was hard to PARSE. Good thing this puzzle wasn’t in the NYT, or Rex Parker would’ve torn this a new EARHOLE (sic)

    Had to look up a few clues

    One big ink-stained mess

    Too many contrived clues but perhaps the editors are looking for new wrinkles to make solving tougher

    I asked about whether we bloggers should pan an odd or disliked puzzle. The majority here say “no, let us (the readers) offer the criticism”. I’m cool with that, but will definitely comment if there’s a clue or word that seems “forced” in a puzzle I blog.

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  25. Like many of you, I FIR the squares, but didn't see the theme synonyms of "part." Fitting in the segments helped fill the theme phrases some and that was what I thought was the point. But it was far more clever. Good puzzle, Daniel and Brian. Thanks. Also a big thank you, C.C. for explaining it all . For some reason, DUNE was my third try there and CHUNK was slow, only becoming clear when I got I QUIT. By then I was almost ready to QUIT. But plenty of fun fill like FLEA and ALPHORN, which I once got a chance to try to play in Switzerland. Not easy, I found.

    We'll miss you Ray-O but enjoy your holiday. HG at 9:49 AM, would that be a "sheriff" from Shire and REEVE? YR, sounds like you are almost there. You can do everything possible to plan ahead, but my experience is that there will always be surprises. You'll do fine.

    ReplyDelete
  26. We do these puzzles to be puzzled.

    I was indeed puzzled,
    So the constructor did his job well.

    Unfortunately, I am still puzzled...

    (I will reread CC's explanation yet again,)
    (Maybe there is a V8 can hurtling in there I cannot see.)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Ooooh!

    I think it was out:mouthpiece that deflected the V8 can!

    It was not until hang:chunk of change that I saw
    That "hang" is indeed a large chunk of the word change...

    Which revealed that con could be a slab off the word bacon.

    Ergo vat is a sector (section) of the word private.

    Are is indeed an element of rare. (Stretchy, but valid.)

    Ten in indeed a fragment of sentence...

    Ore as a sample of core is a tough one one, as it
    Is not just a sample, it is almost the entire word...

    Get could indeed be cut off budget.

    Vie is indeed a small clip off the word movie...

    And finally, out is indeed a piece of the word mouth.

    So, I finally, finally, did get the parts, way after the solve...

    ReplyDelete
  28. This was a Real workout, and, although I finished it, I had to LIU a couple of times, so I can’t claim I FIR. Still, it was a lot of fun, the theme answers were creative IMHO, and some of the fill answers were delightful. Thank you, Daniel and Brian. Thank you, C.C. for a wonderful tour.

    MalMan, the Tom Lehrer clip was priceless. I used to love listening to his wonderfully irreverent slant on things, ButI’d never seen this one.

    I enjoyed the several mis-directions, such as builder concerned with pairs/NOAH, Florentine flower/ARNO, raised at a wedding/FLUTE.
    I totally screwed up the middle west initially. Madam/MARIE, Bagdad/TEHRAN, proved/PROVEN hung me up for a while. I had to look up the Milad Tower, and then my errors gradually corrected themselves. I also had trouble in the north central by putting in Yoric/OSRIC, a mis-spelling as well as a mistake. I knew MIASMA had to be right, so I reluctantly gave up Yoric and got straightened out. One more real flub was Daughter/SOLE HEIR. The “h” in Noah convinced me that daughter was right. Sheesh!
    I thought Lab coat concern was masterful.

    I loved FESTOON just because I like to say it. I also like to say MIASMA, even though the meaning is unpleasant.

    Anal retentive, or just anal, is a pretty common phrase, and I’m surprised that it was disparaged here as inappropriate.

    From a while ago, I don’t remember which cornerites enjoy Louise Penny, but thank you so much for recommending her books. I am loving them and, after reading the best selling latest one, I’ve started at the beginning of the series and am happily working my way through them.

    I learned of Alex Trebek’s death when I read an earlier post here today and am so sad. We watch Jeopardy religiously and kept hoping he’d somehow defeat his illness. He battled gallantly. RIP.




    ReplyDelete
  29. It took me an hour and a half to work this puzzle to completion. Didn't get the gimmick at all until reading the explanation by C.C. Lots to like about this puzzle: some terrific cluing and nifty fill. I am hesitant to praise the cluing any more because I don't know whom I am praising. Can't give credit if you don't to whom the credit is due.

    Raising a GLASS had to be changed to raising a FLUTE. I don't think I have ever in my life "raised a flute" although I have raised a glass many times. Nose wrinkle.

    PROVED became PROVEN after I figured out TEHRAN, which in turn ruled out MADAM and ruled in MARIE. THOU became THEE. ABETTER became ABETTOR. IMOLATE (yeah, I know) became IMPLODE.

    MIASMA is a nifty word, and to me it doesn't look and sound nearly as unpleasant as ANAL as it is commonly used to describe a person's behavior or viewpoint. I also like FESTOONED.

    Husker Gary, that would be sheriff.

    My favorite app is the Apple NEWS app that comes on the iPhone and iPad. 2nd favorite app is Pedometer++. I use the TV Guide app a lot but it is not a favorite because it crashes a lot.

    Seeya on Wednesday, Ray-O. And we'll seeya when we seeya, Lucina.

    The last time I sent my wife an E-CARD it fell E-FLAT.

    Those roots look like small, slightly deformed potatoes. I shouldn't say anything, because I have no idea what they are. They don't look like ginger roots. Are they ginger roots?

    Good wishes to you all.

    ReplyDelete
  30. That pancreatic cancer'll get ya every time. Rest In Peace, Mr. Trebek.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Sunday Lurk Say...

    RIP Alex Trebek. I'm about 1/2-way though Rogak's book...

    C.C. - You've noted there's not much cheese in Chinese food so - Chile Relleno is probably something you wouldn't like. But, like D-O's DW, I love it (with fajitas on the side - gotta have some meat :-))

    D-O: ORACLE analysis is spot on. I liked Sybase better.

    C.Moe - I liked when Steve would call out a clunker -- up isn't down.

    YR - You paid for it; do it your way.

    Have a nice trip Ray-O.

    Anyone else have this song playing over and over in your head? Donno why, but it's been occupying my little grey cells for the last 24 hours. :-)

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  32. Overlooked notes says:

    FLN - You too have a wonderful trip Lucina.

    Cheers, -T

    ReplyDelete
  33. Shir-Eeeve=>Sheriff. The Sheriff of Nottingham was probably under the Earl.
    I saw the theme as the types of words were all types of PARTS eg FRAGMENT , SEGMENT…

    Jayce described my solving journey. I went out for breakfast and went to different place and forgot to get a newspaper. They had the Gainesville paper and lo and behold there was a NYTimes xword . I got started but then I bought the TB-Times paper .

    I missed a box. LiDA/CHiESE. I thought that was Spanish

    WC

    ReplyDelete
  34. Well, I did the puzzle with great pleasure this morning, and was all ready to comment on it, when I saw a message that Alex Trebek had passed away. I couldn't believe it--he's been in such great shape even recently that I figured he still had a long way to go. What a terrible shock. When you see someone every day for years, like this, it's almost like losing a family member or good friend. Rest in peace, dear Alex.

    Anyway, thank you for a delightful puzzle, Daniel and Brian, and thank you for your always wonderful commentary, C. C.

    My favorite clue was "Builder concerned with pairs." What a weird clue, but I got it instantly: NOAH--yep, that ark with all those pairs of animals.

    Have a good week coming up, everybody.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must add: at first I had no idea. ARE"????. Then, I saw that the long answers contained those words. Ok? And slowly I solved, step by step. I kept having interruption s but finally I only had a little white. Then I remembered Leslie STAHL.

      So I rate this as an excellent Sunday xword albeit not exactly easy. Maybe I wasn't bringing my A game. Many clever clues. I'll stand by my interpretation of PART eg SLAB, PIECE etc.

      Lots of great clues. And names like OSRIC not (alas poor) Yorick ( I knew him well). That's why I had OrRIC at first as well as waves/TIDES; MIASMA recalls John Adams stay in London where he described the MIASMA of the London chimney smoke and "noxious vapors". He was happy to get back to Abigail.

      Procrastination? "Sloth in five syllables"*

      WC

      From "12 Steps and 12 Traditions". Bill Wilson. Splynter? Is that right?

      Delete
  35. Slogged along with it all day long. Once I saw the hook (I cannot claim to have uncovered the theme), I was able to at least see where the clue words fit in the long entries, so I was able to fill in all of them fairly early. I eventually got most of the grid filled, but finally gave up with about a dozen empty boxes.

    The one that really, really made me mad was missing OHARE! Had I spelled ABETTOR with an “O” instead of an “E”, I would have gotten OHARE and all the stuff around it, but by then I was in the process of giving up the ghost.

    LODI is my absolutely favorite CCR song.

    The clue for ENRY was my favorite today. The lab coat was second favorite. Noah was clued neatly too.

    HG, I too am a big Andy Reid fan. I was when he coached the Eagles and now with the Chiefs. I’m a bigger Patrick Mahomes fan, but that’s for another day. (Now, this is from a guy who lived in Denver in the early ‘70s and still carries the scars from the pre-Elway years, so you KNOW how I always felt about KC before Reid and Mahomes got there.)

    You MDs out there may correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding of pancreatic cancer is that it is USUALLY not detected until it has metastasized, and by then, it’s too late. It’s everywhere! One of the guys I work with at the museum was diagnosed with it a couple of months ago, but his story is that it is only a small spot on his pancreas, it was diagnosed very early, it is being treated with chemo and radiation, and the prognosis is good. At least, that is his story.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Super Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Daniel and Brian, and C.C.
    I’m late to the party, but wanted to say that I enjoyed this CW (after my grumpy day on Friday).
    The first theme to fall was CHUNK OF CHANGE and I saw the Part connection immediately. That helped the solve.

    Jayce’s third paragraph could be mine (but I was too short with Abetor).
    TNT filled in but this Canadian wanted Mia(mi) and had to Google just now to understand Turner Network Television. (I’ve told you before that I don’t know your stations!😀)

    The NW was the last to fall. THE OC was unknown.
    My spelling nose-wrinkle today was EPILOGS. My books end with Epilogues😁

    Atl Granny- DH got to play an ALPHORN in Switzerland and agrees that it is hard to do.
    Wendybird - SwampCat made me aware of Louise Penny and her books (I can’t believe that I was missing a wonderful Canadian author!). I commented about her newest book a month or so ago, and am glad that you enjoyed it.
    YR - I agree that you probably know best how the help can best be used.
    Wishing Lucinda and Ray’o happy holidays.

    I was saddened but not surprised to hear about Alex Trebek’s death. I read his autobiography recently.

    Good evening to you all.

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  37. I liked the puzzle. Give me a few letters and let me figure out the answer. Strange, but I almost finished. Madam got me, which made me miss that block. Never got the theme, thanks CC. I had some miasma. Aces By the way CC, those are Iris bulbs. They bloom in the Spring.

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  38. YR, i so agree! I wouldn’t want anyone else putting away things in my kitchen! I’d never find anything! Do it your way!

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  39. BTW. Drew Brees just mopped the floor with Brady and his Buccaneers. 38 - 3 I think, but I stopped counting at 31-0.

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