Theme: "Call Up"- Seven different types of phone goes up in the grid.
3D. Amusement park pickup areas: TRAM STOPS. Smartphone.
5D. Cooper classic: THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. Home phone.
11D. Striped walkways: ZEBRA CROSSINGS. Car phone.
15D. Sweet snacks on sticks: CANDY APPLES. Pay phone.
21D. "Absolutely!": THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. Bat phone.
55D. Best Actor role for Anthony Hopkins: HANNIBAL LECTER. Cellphone.
71D. "That's not news to me": I'M WELL AWARE. Wall phone.
Reveal:
86D. Motorola Razr, e.g., and a hint to each set of circles: FLIP PHONE.
Tony Caruso is the beloved Anonymous-T on our blog. He came up with this idea a few years ago, but we could not make it happen. We still had trouble with the SMART/HOME choices this time around, but we came up with a good set.
Rich changed our 107A from IDA to IRA, otherwise,
the grid is just what we sent in. As always, some of the great clues
are Rich's.
Can't wait for Tony to retire so he can dedicate more to crossword-making or blog for us occasionally.
 |
| Tony with his Alfa Romeo Spider |
Across:
5. Word often after an "-er" word: THAN. Larger THAN life.
9. Adjusted to fit, as a ring: SIZED.
14. Future doc's hurdle: MCAT.
18. Mark replacement: EURO. Deutsche Mark.
19. Upbeat greeting: HI HO. We just had "Kermi' intro".
20. One's due: CREDIT.
22. Going rate: PACE.
23. Sweet Sixteen org.: NCAA.
24. Jacob's brother: ESAU.
25. Unexpected attack: AMBUSH. I'm now confused after reading your comments on SIEGE.
26. Pot builder: ANTE.
27. Distressed ones in some fairy tales: DAMSELS. Tony had ["They're "distressed" in cartoons]
29. Sun, for one: G STAR.
31. Pale green glaze that originated in China: CELADON. So pretty.
33. Adoption candidate, maybe: STRAY CAT. Rich's clue.
35. Antonio's love: AMORE. Guess what our original clue is?
37. Timeline divs.: YRS.
38. Seminole rivals, in college sports: GATORS.
40. Simpson trial judge: ITO.
41. Signature Obama legis.: ACA.
42. James played by Beyoncé in "Cadillac Records": ETTA.
44. "Mr. Blue Sky" rock gp.: ELO.
45. Inventor who had his ups and downs: OTIS. Tony had [Lift letters?]
47. Victory wreaths: LAURELS.
50. Wall St. debuts: IPOS.
53. PGA leaders, say: TOP PROS. Do you like Bryson DeChambeau? Boomer is not a fan.
55. Whacked at, as left field: HIT TO.
56. Stuck: IN A SPOT.
58. Slangy meeting: SESH. Session.
59. Bug with bounce: FLEA. Tony had the cute [Insect seldom seen at the market].
61. Requirements: MUST DOS.
63. EWR alternative: LGA.
64. Summer temp, maybe: INTERN.
66. Sch. with the mascot Sparty: MSU.
67. Sup at home: DINE IN.
69. 1862 Tennessee battle site: SHILOH.
72. Luanda is its cap.: ANG. Angola. We just had the Ang Lee angle.
74. Minor issue: NIT.
75. Ric of The Cars: OCASEK. Here with his then happy wife.
76. "Who wants cake?" eager reply: ME ME ME.
77. Polite title: SIR.
78. Easy, in ads: NO FUSS.
80. "That's so cute!": AWW.
81. Slide organisms: AMOEBAE.
84. Take suddenly: GRAB.
85. Pickable do: AFRO. Boomer wants to emulate Kyle Troup's routine. So I got him an Afro pick.
89. Second-marriage relationship: STEPSON.
91. "Et __?": "And then what?": APRES.
93. Awesome: STELLAR. Sorry to annoy Husker Gary.
95. Hindu festival of love: HOLI.
96. Detective's promising discovery: HOT LEAD.
98. Fly high: SOAR.
99. Cold rocks: ICE. Tony had [Robber's rocks].
100. Jeans name: LEVI.
102. Racing Unsers: ALS.
103. Hoppy brew, briefly: IPA.
105. Seedy company?: BURPEE.
107. Nest egg initials: IRA. And 108. Crew member: ROWER. We had IDA/DOWER. Rich's version is much better.
109. Words of comfort: I CARE.
111. Music genre big in China: CANTOPOP. My favorite singer is Andy Lau. Lau is just Cantonese for Liu (Lucy Liu, e.g.).
113. Mastered: DOWN PAT.
115. Box with openings: CRATE.
118. Pet rabbits' homes: HUTCHES.
121. Not at one's desk: AWAY.
122. Like some revenue, as parking fines: NON-TAX. Our original clue is too wordy.
124. Café additive: LAIT.
126. Stimulating nut: KOLA.
127. German gent: HERR.
128. Blessing elicitor: SNEEZE.
129. Civil rights activist Guinier: LANI. Wiki always has the best picture.
130. Baseball's Slaughter: ENOS.
131. Cookie that's customizable: OREO. Tony had [Cookie that's not famous?]
132. Dog-__ pages: EARED.
133. Type of prof.: ASST.
134. Teller's stack: TENS.
Down:
2. Hatchet man __ Brasi of "The Godfather": LUCA. Scary.
4. In order that one may: SO AS TO.
6. __ fit: HISSY.
7. "Take on Me" band: AHA.
8. Snickers ingredient: NOUGAT.
9. Vocal improv: SCAT.
10. Hogwarts librarian __ Pince: IRMA.
12. School URL ender: EDU.
13. Summer songs?: DISCO. Donna Summer. Rich's creation.
14. Movie-rating org.: MPAA.
16. Stage figure: ACTOR.
17. Many new drivers: TEENS.
28. Fact-checker's find: ERROR.
30. Vodka nickname: STOLI.
32. Rent: LET.
34. Lead-in to gender: CIS. Opposite of "trans".
36. Astronaut Jemison: MAE.
38. Receives: GETS.
39. Sunburn-soothing balm: ALOE.
41. Halloween is in it: AUTUMN.
43. "Whether __ nobler ... ": Hamlet: TIS.
46. Wight, e.g.: ISLE.
48. 20s dispenser: ATM.
49. Cap: LID.
51. __ Boogie: "The Nightmare Before Christmas" villain: OOGIE.
52. Won a Razzie Award, say: STANK.
54. Lover's suffix: PHILE.
57. Kobe-based shoe company: ASICS. I love my Skechers.
60. Remove entirely: ERASE.
62. Personal teacher: TUTOR. Tony had [Master of one?]
65. "Enough, Jorge!": NO MAS.
68. __ cavity: NASAL.
69. Huge success: SMASH.
70. Strictly follow: HEW TO.
73. Fox's quest in a fable: GRAPES. Tony had [Fruits of wrath?]
79. Burkina __: FASO.
82. "Blueprint for a Sunrise" artist: ONO.
83. Laundry brand: ERA.
87. Political battle: RACE.
88. First Black NHL player Willie __: O'REE. Hope he did not
stump you. We made sure that the crossings were fair. He's known as the
Jackie Robinson of ice hockey. A historical figure.
90. March 14 food: PIE.
92. Official proclamation: EDICT.
94. Blow: ERUPT.
97. Road crew supply: TAR.
98. Honshu honorific: SAN.
101. Big shot, briefly: VIP.
104. Dish from Valencian for "frying pan": PAELLA.
106. __ Mortgage: Quicken brand: ROCKET. Learning moment for me.
_3.png)
107. Oregon Trail state: IDAHO.
110. Yom Kippur verb: ATONE.
112. Wheat __: cracker brand: THINS.
114. "Stoned Soul Picnic" songwriter Laura: NYRO.
116. Level: RAZE.
117. Canned: AXED.
119. Tech mogul Musk: ELON.
120. Lip: SASS.
123. Org. with annual Jazz Master Awards: NEA.
125. Small batteries: AAS.
C.C.
50 comments:
FIW. AyA + NaUGAT + HIya & ASInS + OnASEK. AHA, ASICS, OCASEK were unknown, NOUGAT was a spelling error, and HI-HO was a trick/vague clue that needed the perps. (Now that I see it, I recall ASICS as a brand with a stylized B logo in front of their name. Wouldn't have known they had any link to a late basketball star or Japanese cattle breed.)
The theme was also a bust for me. I saw they were all words reading up, but with the huge grid (are we sure it's only 21x21? It sure seems larger! Whole sentences from top to bottom that weren't even spanners!) I could only see a few at a time (one flaw in AcrossLite, the scrolling sucks), so didn't suss their connection before I filled in the reveal.
Tony, disguised, as a TUTOR was dressed,
A Mistress of one, with fake wig and breasts!
He had an eye on some ICE,
Robber's rocks that were nice,
But his DAMSEL was discovered, dis-armed and dis-tressed!
The sour GRAPES of the fox's wrath
Were not as famous as Amos's, by half!
But by an odd twist,
The fox in the myth
Was seen dunking half OREOS in a CELADON carafe!
Kermit the Frog, oft for his intro
Used his catchphrase, HI-HO. Hi-ho
Was hijacked from some miners,
Dwarven forty-niners,
Who'd been TUTORED by their Mistress, Ms. Snow!
OTIS was a shop-lifter, a trawler
Of open-air markets, where he made an ERROR.
There a small insect cop
To his spree put a stop.
When he was arrested, it was a FLEA collar!
{B+, B, B, A-.}
Good morning (sorta)!
Say it ain't so, Joe. Yup, a second DNF in a row. My med student was taking the MSAT while eating SANDY APPLES. D'oh. Surprised myself when OCASEK came bubbling up from some brain recess. Was it STANK or STUNK? Didn't know that EWR is the Newark airport, but LGA went in -- looked better than LGU. Impressive debut, Anon-T. Let's see more from you in the future. Thanx for 'splainin' it all, C.C.
-T and C.C. had three LAT puzzle publications in 2016 back in the heyday of her mentoring the blog to publication. Combining the clues being for a climbing answers hidden between words did make this a challenge.
I remember when WILLIE O'REE came to the NHL as I was listening to Boston radio and TV stations. I would not have recalled his name. There were others that required the perps even if I 'knew' them. CELADON'S last three puzzle appearance have been in C.C. creations.
I will take the GATOR CSO
Tony, I liked many of your clues and the puzzle; C.C., you are the best.
Oops, not a debut? Proof, once again, that the mind is the second thing to go. Sorry, Tony.
FIR, but erased MsAT (hi D-O), HI Hi and even for RAZE.
STRAY CATs had some pretty cool songs back in the day, including some good covers.
We just had The Fifth Dimension's left-handed Libra Marilyn McCoo; today we have the gifted composer Laura Nyro who wrote many of their tunes. Gone too soon of cancer at just 49.
CC - Bryson is out of the Olympics for testing covid positive. I'm not a fan, but I do appreciate his dedication to self-improvement and innovation.
DNK et APRES. But APRES ski, I get back into the boat.
Isle of WIGHT is a (landlocked) city and county about a half hour drive from here. Virginia has a lot of locales named for those in England.
NASAL cavities aren't the ones probed by the ETs from the mother ship.
Great first puzzle, -T. I expect to see your byline as frequently as Jeff Wechsler and Paul Coulter. And thanks to CC for the always-informative commentary.
-T, I add my apologies to D-O's. Should have known that this was not a novice construction. Are the others available on line?
Good Morning, C.C. and Tony. Very impressive puzzle, especially with all the long, long down clues. My first thought for the sweet snack on a stick was Cotton Candy. It fit into the spaces and one of the words was correct - just not in the right placement.
Ric Ocasek was still married to Paulina Porizkova when he died in 2019. The were going through a very bitter divorce and he had written her out of his will.
Lani Guinier was President Clinton's initial nominee for Assistant Attorney General in the early 1990s, but some of her controversial writings caused him to reconsider.
QOD: It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one’s neighbor. ~ Eric Hoffer (July 25, 1902 ~ May 21, 1983), American philosopher
Just lurking...
Tony I see you have a "spidey" sense!
🕸🕷 🚘 🦸♂️
Musings
-Delicious home-grown tomatoes for BLT’s and a lovely home-grown puzzle by C.C. and Anon-T. Gotta love it! Even OOGIE, LGA and OCASEK worked themselves out.
-C.C., I’m withholding the adjective “awesome” :-)
-Cluing changes? “Tony, you was robbed!”
-Telemarketers may have finally driven us to AXE our HOME PHONE
-I left my CELL at home and needed to call home. I couldn’t find a PAY PHONE anywhere!
-My granddaughter is aiming for a PACE of 8 min/mile when she runs
-New rules are forcing the NCAA to share their millions with the athletes that generate that money
-Rude and crude DeChambeau is great for golf! The PGA needs someone who at least has a personality.
-Book title for a narcissistic opera singer: “ME ME ME”
-AMOEBAE – Just put in or ERASE a vowel any darn place you like
-It’s hard for me to read an entire Shakespeare play but little phrases like Hamlet’s soliloquy are wonderful!
-ROCKET Mortgage and Zillow are big players in the home selling market
I had a few misspellings but a very fun puzzle.
Immediately I knew Cooper's novel. Why? Because dumb me picked it to read for a middle-school book report and I just could not finish it (too long and complicated!).
I live north of NYC and only went to Newark once and never again! So I didn't know EWR. Plus, I didn't know if it was STANK or STUNK!
I know HOLI from watching the movie Outsourced! (Where an American fellow is assigned to go manage an Indian call center - very funny! They also made a funny series out of it.)
LOL I had BATS instead of BLTS for club alternatives and forgot to go back.
Flip phone funny story I heard in a podcast with William Shatner. Motorola gave him the first flip-phone and he was using it while walking through an airport. Everyone was pointing and laughing. No one had ever seen one and assumed he was making believe he was Capt. Kirk on his communicator!
Reminder of star classifications from blue to red (learned from a Saberhagen short story):
OBAFGKMNS (Oh Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me Now Sweetheart)
Congratulations to our 'fearless leader' and 'Yellow Jacket Tony' ( an inside joke) for their puzzle that beat me today.
As usual I'm usually clueless on the themes and my puzzles had circles. But it all came down to the cross of either HIYO or HIHO and the unknown band AHA. I guessed Y instead of H; a FIW. I had to change AMOEBAS to the latin AMOEBAE spelling to get the soap-ERA- which can be found next to the DUZ, FAB, RINSO, Ivory Snow, and a few other dead brands on the bottom shelf of a dollar store.
Unknowns galore today. I'd never heard of OOGIE Boogie or "The Nighmare...". Ditto for the terms CANTOPOP or ZEBBA CROSSINGS but they were easy guesses as were ATONE, ONO & ETTA after a few perps were in place. But CELADON, HOLI, LANI Guinier, IRMA Pince, & Laura NYRO- those were not guessable-all perps.
And then there's O'REE. The only hockey players I know of are Gretzky, Hull, Howe, Esposito, and the guy who did the original Miller Lite Commercials, Boom Boom Geoffrion. The only ice in NOLA goes in drinks.
I only know OCASEK because it is usually used as the clue for RIC.
Flip phones- I know some people who have them. No butt dials with a flip phone.
And why does Boomer dislike Bryson?
AnonT/Tony Congratulations on a fun and challenging puzzle. Last to fill was NON TAX/NEA which seemed wrong but it was right. But I was with desper-otto having LGU since I had no idea what was EWR. Thought it was a sports thing. FIW.
Immediately thought of the Beatles' Abbey Road album cover with ZEBRA CROSSING. Anyone else?
Immediately thought of the Beatles' "When I'm 64" for the ISLE OF WIGHT. Anyone else?
Here I was enjoying the HOLI FESTIVAL.
Here I was enjoying the HOLI FESTIVAL in full color with my friend Mallika who invited me.
As you can see, it gets quite messy. All the bright colors bleed to brown after awhile. I was grateful that it was at the UC Santa Barbara graduate housing area so I could ride my bicycle there. Not sure how anyone could drive home after that!
Has anyone else here experienced the fun of HOLI? Maybe Vidwan?
From Yesterday:
RayOSunshine and AnonT Thank you for the FLINTSTONES comments. Yes, I made the comment about watching the show in PRIME TIME because of the illustration provided by Husker Gary. Does anyone else remember watching the FLINTSTONES in PRIME TIME?
Oh, I was so proud of myself, but to no avail. Spelled amoebae wrong, plus Ocasek. Should have known better.
But it was a lovely, fun puzzle that I enjoyed a lot. Thanks Tony and C.C.
Becky
A fun way to start the day. Obviously, we knew who C.C. was but the fact that the co-author was -T completely escaped us. Congrats to you both!
The theme was grasped about half-way through and I asked out loud "Where's the BAT phone?" only to find it moments later. Fun, as mentioned, above. Only NIT to pick is NON TAX. I suspect that the original clue had something to do with the ACA and the court cases engendered by same.
Congratulations to AnonT and C.C. for today's puzzling start to my day! Unfortunately I broke my string of FIRs with four wrong squares, due to hurrying through and not proofreading well enough, especially the down fill. FIW. Sigh. But I did get so much right that I had struggled with, so there is that consolation. And I got the theme. C.C., I appreciated your review explaining tricky answers and giving AnonT's original clues. Interesting! And don't make us wait another five years for your next puzzle, AnonT!
Looking toward tomorrow with optimism and sending you all best wishes for a pleasant Sunday. HIHO!
Rats! One cell off for a FIW - automatically put in MSAT - hello D-O! Can never remember that acronym. Worked the puzzle @12:30, and didn't go back to correct SANDYAPPLES (duh!!)\
Good job, Tony and CC! Glad to see your name as a constructor. Didn't know O'REE, LUCA or EWR, but the perps were more than fair.
YR: Is it stank or stunk - difference? LGU didn't look right, and then I figured EWR was an airport so changed it. Still think Newark designation should be NWK rather EWR - my two cents' worth.
TxMs, I read that the Navy reserved all the airport codes beginning with N. EWR was the result.
Challenging Sunday puzzle, but how exciting to have Tony and C.C. as our constructors. Many thanks to you both, for a terrific job, and for the additional gift of your always wonderful commentary, C.C.
I can't remember when I saw a puzzle with such long downs as 5D and 21D--simply amazing. Sunday's are toughies for me, so I was thankful for tiny bits of help in the beginning, like ESAU, and ITO, and, of course, that favorite Hamlet clue, TIS. But slowly lots of neat items emerged, and so I never had a HISSY fit, even when I felt a little IN A SPOT. A favorite: SNEEZE for a BLESSING ELICITOR.
Have a great Sunday, everybody.
Thank you Tony Caruso ( Anon-T .... no longer Anon anymore ...) and C.C. for a very nice and long Sunday puzzle. I enjoyed every bit of it. When I saw the byline with CC, I felt instinctively that this had to be Anon-T...
We look forward to more CWs from you.
So, Anon-T, now, you've reached even new hts., expert code cracker, security analyst, jack of all trades to your girls, master mechanic ... and now this. You are amazing.
Going back, and thinking of my own life, I now realize, I had the knowledge and the brains to try all sorts of things .... but did not have the courage, gumption or guts to attempt them ... something I often regret.
I had a delectable time trying to solve the CW, I had 2 Sunday Zoom calls. to attend to. .... between our extended family, around the world, and the puzzle had to wait midway ... but I finally finished it.
A few names I did not know NYRO, O'REE, OCASEK, LANI ... I also could not figure out the Hindu Festival of LOVE. More on that in my next post, possibly.
Have a great upcoming week, everyone.
I forgot to add that Laura Nyro singing her own songs is much better than the Fifth Dimension. What an original writer and artist. Who could not love the line, "He stood out like a ruby in a black man's ear".
Becky
D-O @12:09 - Thanks, I hadn't known that. Now it makes sense.
D-O, that makes sense. Norfolk's code is ORF (or KORF to aviators, "K" meaning ORF is in the lower 48). Naval Station Norfolk's airport code is NGU.
Wow! This was a challenge! Cotton candy/CANDY APPLE, ale/IPA, AMOEBAs/AMOEBAE, kept trying to put the rabbit homes where the Chinese music genre belonged. With a few peeks at the grid I finally finished correctly. Thank you, Anon-T and C.C.! This was fun! I even got the theme!
I read Silence of the Lambs with HANNIBAL LECTER, no desire to see the movie.
A CSO at 113a. DOWN PAT?
Fav. clue/ans 33a Adoption candidate, maybe/ STRAY CAT. In the interest of equal time, here's a link to ADOPTABLE CATS at the shelter.
Due to seasonal allergies, a 128a Blessing elicitor/SNEEZE is heard frequently here.
Back to hot and humid with haze from West Coast fires. Stay cool, all you cool Cornerites!
Thank you T-Anon and CC for a very enjoyable puzzle. Great theme too.
Thanks, Picard, I now have a mental image for the Festival of Love (HOLI Festival).
Picky Yes on connecting ZEBRA CROSSING with the Beatles, but don't recall the 64/ISLE link tho. I presume all those HOLI colors are easily washable. I vaguely recall hearing about the festival, tho didn't remember the name.
HOLI was one of many ESPs, like MCAT (I had MSAT, too), CELADON, hRS< Yrs.
C.C. tends to be a bit sparse with her expositions. What is MCAT (not Medical School Admissions Test)? Why G-STAR (our sci-fi writer, Bob Lee, gave the list but not why they're not alphabetized)? EWR/LGA (nEWaRk/LaGuArdia explained over several comments)? MSU (Missouri, Montana, Mon Serrat, ...)? Does AHA stand for something, or is it just a band I've never heard of? Why does a teacher's union give a jazz award? And several other abbreviations that I'm familiar with, but would probably be puzzling to neophytes checking in here.
FWIW, the U.S. Navy did not close all the 'N's in the IATA airport code system. There could be a 'NWK', as that one is open.
Parlin Field Closed Closed Newport United States NWH
Norwich International Large airport Norwich United Kingdom NWI
NS Closed Closed Argentia Canada NWP
Pier 11/Wall St. SPB Closed Closed New York United States NWS
Hi Everyone:
Very late to the dance due to a topsy turvy day. What a pleasant surprise to see our own Tony teamed up with our own CC. Doesn’t get much better than that, eh? Fun theme and, as noted, some exceptional long fill. Alas, it was a FIW due to Hi Ya instead of Hi Ho and an obscure band named Aha. (Every pop musical reference is obscure to me.) I also tripped on Ocasek, not knowing Asics, I had Olasek and Asils. Holi, Canto Pop, Oggie, and O’Ree all needed perps as well. Some cute duos were ACA/Aha, IPO(s)/IPA, Tis/Cis, ORee/Oreo, ELO/Elon, and the two bands ELO and Aha. I have a Motorola Razr but it’s not a flip phone.
Thanks, Tony and CC, for a challenging and enjoyable Sunday solve. You two make a good team!
Have a great day.
OWEN: MCAT is the Medical College Admissions Test. It's not the Teacher Union (NEA). It's the National Endowment for the Arts.
OWEN: Also, one of the latter verses of when I'm 64 is:
Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck and Dave
Not Lurking today say...
Hi All!
First - a HUGE Thank You to C.C. for making the initial concept (FLIP PHONE(s)) and a few 'backwards' entries into a working grid. She's the best folks.
Second, a big thank you to Rich (and Patti?) for improving the cluing.
Though,.. I was kinda in love with my clue for 134a: "Left ones' place?" == TENS.
//Get it?, Base 10. Hundreds, TENS, ones... The 'tens' are left of the 'ones'. {Positional math / number theory humor...}
No?
No one?
Well heck, I guess C.C. & Rich were right *sigh* ;-)
And, #3, a tip-of the hat to waseeley, the potter, who helped me hone CELADON's clue (which Rich improved).
Wanna know some other notable changes?:
C.C. & I called the puzzle "Ring Up"
"Master of one?" was my clue for Bill G, the TUTOR. //How you doin' Bill?
I had 'cartoons' (Dudley Do Right's Nell Fenwick(right?!)) not 'fables' [ok, that is better] for DAMSELS.
@124a, "Du Monde" was appended to 'Cafe' for our NOLA contingent (and to clue that the fill is gonna be in Frawnch).
//Cafe Du Monde is a MUST DO when in The Quarter - good chicory coffee, beignets, and people watching.
Yes, C.C., I was too wordy with " ___ revenue (foreign aid, parking fines, etc.)" @122a. Thanks again LAT edit team.
Rich did accept "Seedy company?" [hello fellow gardeners!] and "Big shot*, briefly"
So,... There's that. :-)
Oh, and he (or Patti) came up with "Inventor who had his ups and downs" @45a.
Brilliant!
BTW, (and to be totally honest in my solve last night [I printed the puzzle when it dropped - giddy little me]), I got hung up in the 69a / 70d area.
Yes, I had to Google SHILOH when C.C. sent me that.
All-in-all, I'm very pleased C.C., Rich (and, I'm sure, Patti) got the puzzle's concept to print. And it looks like y'all enjoyed the team's effort; thanks for the kind words.
{B,A,B,A}
BobLee - that scene in Outsourced (the TV show) is exactly what I thought of when cluing HOLI.
AHA's Take on me. It was the best / most innovative music video of 1986.
Play Later. Cheers, -Tony
*Always makes me think of Billy Joel
For the band A-HA, it's a Norwegian band, I found the following online:
1982-2010, NOR) – Synth pop group from Oslo that was successful mainly in the 80’s.
Although various explanations for the band name’s origin exist, it has every appearance that the group was consciously looking for a recognizable catch phrase. Rumors circulate that A-Ha is the title of a song of A-Ha in formation.
Short, easy to pronounce and special: ideal if you want to stand out.
< YRS in my last comment, without a space in between, got interpreted as an HTML command, which erased everything to the next </. I won't recap the write/overs, but the last full sentence was
[While some of our bloggers go to the opposite extreme,] C.C. tends to be a bit sparse with her expositions.
Each blogger has their own personality, and some of us may prefer one extreme to the other, so this wasn't meant as a criticism so much as a neutral observation. Well, maybe a mild suggestion for improvement, tho as a relative noobie here, it's hardly my place to complain.
Thank you Picard,Robert for all those pictures on HOLI.
Those collage of pictures told it all. YOu really have an encyclopedia of photographs and a ready access to them !! Those pics are worth a thousand words ....
That told it better than what I ever could...
For the accurate, and complete discussion on HOLI , heres the whole story on Wiki.
For most purposes you can ignore the rest of this post....
What follows is an irreverent personal discussion on my take on Holi.
It is not meant to disparage any religion or point of view ..... just my 2 cent opinion.
Holi is not cognate with "Holy" !! ... it takes the name from a hindu mythology demon, actually a female demon ( demonesse ?) called Hollika, who is ceremonially burnt in a bonfire ( a type of Guy Fawkes ...) on the previous eve night.
Actually, it is about the death of another demon King Hiranyakashipu .... a name that is difficult to type, and impossible to pronounce. Mr H.
Mr. H. apparently. had some super powers that prevented him / protected him, from ... dying from old age or illness... that he would not die during the daylight or the nighttime ... inside OR outside a house .... on the ground or in the sky or water .... that he could not be killed by any man made weapon etc., yada, yada, yada.
So, the gods all got together, and hired a ---ish lawyer, to figure out the exceptions to the law.... Hindu mythology is full of complex enigmas, like this ....
*****************************************************
Holi is a very personal festival ... where you use your hands and fingers to color the faces of other people. It requires a very strong sense of discretion and ettiquette. The paint should a POWDER, organic, non-toxic and approved. It should be in bright colors but not black or grey. It should not be toxic, or indelible, or harmful or allergenic. The powder should not be thrown, at the eyes or ears... it should be gently daubed on the face, with permission and discretion.
Since this is all very personal, intrusive of personal spaces .... Holi should be played ONLY among close friends, close family and relatives, teachers and aquaintances. Preferably not among strangers. Best played in your own neighborhoods, classrooms, schools and areas.
Water based paints, OR Oik based paints, indelible paints or worse should be totally avoided.
Wear old clothes that you should be prepared to throw away.
If you dont want to indulge in the festival, its a good idea not to go out, of the house, on this day.
I loved this excellently constructed puzzle. Such a terrific job, Tony and C.C. Technically I FIW because I had AMOEBAS and SRA and had to do a Check Grid to reveal the incorrect cell. I thank you both for making gettable perps to help with answers that would otherwise be basically impossible to figure out, such as, as C.C. mentioned, O'REE. Fix us another one, Tony!
Funny to see OOGIE, which is another answer I got because of fair perps and a clue that made it sussable by including the word Boogie. It's funny because sometimes when, for example, I eat a tad too much and feel overly full, or am tired after undertaking a strenuous task, I'll moan "oogie oogie."
Interesting to learn about the Navy reserving all the airport codes beginning with N.
Take care, all.
Here's a trailer from Cadillac Records
I'm fascinated by that ERA which passed me by as I was out in CF
Bryson is a ONER. He should sacrifice length for more accuracy. ie. Physics for common sense. The original, Cameron Champ is closing out 3M as I type.
SESH perped in. Tony, eponymous market flyer?(FLEA)
EGR? LGA?? Thanks D-O
Why not after in Paris or Dijon for APRES
Agreed, IDA would've been next to IDAHO
111A guess was aided by Canton > CANTO
I was filling ENOS at the same time the Redsox plated 5 in the 8th to beat Yanks 5-4. Took the sting away from the '46 fiasco
I actually remembered Willy O'Ree. He was pre ORR
Picard, #2, yes*. #1 ??? And….
You sure know how to have a good time with an assortment friends
FIR but very slowly. I looked up at the constructor and saw CC which equals doable so persevere Wilbur. Since I've emailed with him, Tony Caruso should have rang a bell. I solved California moved to Florida and solved northerly until AMBUSH fell. Loved those long, down giveaways.
WC
* If it's not too dear. Brian, still need help with ZEBRAS
Jayce, you summed it up perfectly re. Perpable,doable and fair while challenging. Thoroughly enjoyable
Owen, in this case MSU is Michigan State University in East Lansing MI. Their sports nickname is the Spartans, their mascot is therefore named Sparty
Thanks Tony and CC for this very special puzzle with lots of new clues. I loved Pickable Do. Well, yes!!
Our heat index was 112 degrees here today. Was Texas any cooler??
Owen, A plus!!
WC - It was Adams' Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency that, I think, introduced me to ZEBRA CROSSINGs, which is what Brits call a crosswalk.
Abbey Road's is the iconic.
Vidwan - Not truly Anon say...
Back in '16, after my first collaboration with C.C., I wrote "
Quest for Anonymity:
Today, as you see
The Quest for Anonymity
Eluded me
To be cool
Like Argyle, JzB, Steve, and HG
A published puzzle
Out'd thee
I'm Tony. Thank you C.C.!"
There's been many reasons for the drought in puzzle production - mostly it's 'cuz I've been trying, in my spare time, to learn how to grid on my own -- I still can't get it right.
C.C. was kind enough to lend a hand (again!) to today's puzzle.
Cheers, -T
Hola!
WEES! What you all said! Terrific puzzle, Tony and C.C.! Congratulations! I loved it! It took quite a lot of pondering in some places, CREDIT, AMBUSH both of which I had to correct when reading C.C.'s excellent analysis. Of course, Summer, Donna Summer: DISCO. Gets me every darned time!
This is about all the time I have because my family is on the way here for dinner. I am so appreciative of our modern inventions, namely, the crock pot, which is my most useful cooking appliance next to the toaster oven.
I shall return after dinner. Don't know if I mentioned that my youngest granddaughter has Covid and won't be here. I'll really miss her since I'll be gone for two weeks.
Again, KUDOS, Tony!
I hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday!
My computer says it's 82 degrees right now! Unheard of in July but it's all thanks to the cooling rain. Our music director has us sing, Rain! Rain on us, Oh Lord. What a card.
Thank you Tony for playing with phones this fine Sunday morning - something I don't generally encourage, with all the spammers who show up on Sundays. But then I'm sure you could tell us all about spammers, black hat hackers, phishers, and assorted other cybernetic phonies. You certainly wear a lot of hats, and are a master of many of the metiers they represent.
And thank you C.C. for doing double duty as co-constructor and reviewer. I particularly liked your play-by-play of all the original clues vs the ones that made it past the edit. No offense Rich, but in most cases I preferred Tony's originals!
Didn't quite FIR due to some carelessness, but thoroughly enjoyed this creative puzzle. I particularly liked the long down fills, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS being the first to fall. Most of these were easily sussed after a few perps, and then provided multiple "spines" to support the rest of the fill.
Fav fill:
29G G STAR the astronomical type of our Sun. BTW this classification system was invented by a woman named Annie Cannon, who excelled in the men's world of astronomy, while working at the Harvard Observatory - albeit with the encouragement of the foresighted astronomer Edward Pickering.
A colleague of Annie's was Henrietta Leavitt, who also working at Harvard, discovered Cephoid Variable stars, which provided the basis for accurately measuring the distances to star. Henrietta also happened to be deaf, and there is a play about her, Annie Cannon, and others called Silent Sky, which I hope someday will be made into a movie.
The discoveries of these two remarkable women were instrumental in the birth of modern astronomy.
My other favorite, 31A CELADON was a glaze developed by the Chinese in the Sung Dynasty, which lasted from 960 to 1279 AD. However the exquisite bottle used in the example appears to be modern. Such beautiful glazes are difficult to produce: they have to be compounded with less than 1% Iron Oxide as the colorant, and then fired in a carefully controlled reducing atmosphere, with only a small amount of oxygen.
Interestingly the name CELADON is actually French. The term describing the pottery's pale jade-green glaze was coined by European connoisseurs of the wares. The most commonly accepted theory is that the term first appeared in France in the 17th century and that it is named after the shepherd Celadon in Honoré d'Urfé's French pastoral romance, L'Astrée (1627), who wore pale green ribbons.
Also I liked 90A March 14 food: PIE. I.e. 3.14 ... It's delicious and it makes the world go ROUND!
Cheers,
Bill
Tony @2:31 PM Thanks for the CSO on Celadon. I've been waiting this puzzle to drop and it's as beautiful as the glaze!
There was a wonderful finish to the 3M Open live from Blaine, Minnesota in C.C. and Boomer's back yard. It was filled with drama and the young man who won made some great shots and some bad ones. He is the third player currently under 27 to have won three tour events, one in each year on tour. Very impressive. I was a bit taken aback at how much time Frank Nobilo spent reminding the audience that Cameron is one of only 4 African Americans on the tour. Golf is worldwide sport, and America is home to a very diverse population. The sooner we stop always emphasizing our differences, the sooner people will realize they do not matter. IMO.
Hi Y'all! Great challenge from Tony & C.C> I almost gave up on the puzzle when I'd done both acrosses & downs on the entire top section and only had HISSY fit. That really described my mood when I saw so many unknowns. However, since it was these two constructors, I persisted and soon was enjoying getting the fills.
My yardman had a HISSY fit the other day when I asked him to do a small chore and I AXED him, thus ending 15 years of business association with three generations of one family. The work ethic did not extend to the millennial. He would argue for 20 minutes about why he shouldn't do a 5-minute job that his uncle and grandpa always did without my having to tell them. Wonder where I can buy a goat to crop grass.
I may be having a hissy fit right now. Have any of you been following the Olympic coverage? Why is street boarding an event and why is it even being covered by NBC? It seems to me that all these extremely young people (nothing wrong with being young) get on their boards and go down the same rail and then fall down. At least the females are wearing helmets. Because their brains are not between their legs. I hope those guys are at least wearing athletic cups.
What an exceedingly stupid event.
I wonder if this will be deleted.
Becky
This we as the toughest Sunday LAT puzzle in years! Grandkids over all day so I got to it at. 6:30 (p.m.). Struggled and finally finished at 12:30 (a.m.).PHEW!!! No complaints, though, because of the REALLY clever cluing ... lot's of slapping the forehead and murmuring "DUH!!!" Now to get some sleep!!
The makers of these puzzles frequently mention an artist/musician named Ono. I have looked and listened and can find NO artist nor musician named Ono. Who is this mystery person!?
ONO is Yoko Ono, John Lennon's wife. Some consider her an artist --- she does.
Perhaps AMORE was originally clued "That's ____," Dean Martin hit.
Becky:
"He stood out like a ruby in a black man's ear." sounds like Shakespeare's "Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear."
Post a Comment