Theme: "Prep Course" - Phrases with prepositions in front are punnily rephrased.
23A. Like members of Gamblers Anonymous?: AGAINST ALL ODDS.
48A. Like a church deacon?: ABOVE THE FOLD.
69a. Like a balloon company with a depleted helium supply?: OUT OF THEIR ELEMENT.
94A. Like one shopping for disposable phones?: AFTER BURNERS.
119A. Like supporters of a Seattle daily?: BEHIND THE TIMES.
18D. Like sausage's main ingredients?: FROM THE GROUND UP.
44D. Like one caught in a storm?: UNDER THE WEATHER
So the first words are all prepositions. Nothing more that coheres the set, right? I'm afraid I'm missing something.
I think Gary Larson has more Sundays than any other regular constructors for LA Times or other papers. Washing Post Sunday is an exception. Amazing!
Across:
4. Flamboyant Dame: EDNA.
8. Play with a receiver: PASS.
12. Chance to roll the dice, say: TURN.
16. In the archives: ON FILE. Including Peng Shui's original post.
19. Wishes undone: RUES.
20. Specialty: AREA.
21. Customizable cookie: OREO. Also 66. Wafer brand: NECCO.
22. Ship's accountant: PURSER. Come back to us soon, Spitzboov!
26. Tiny racer: SLOT CAR.
28. Resort town NNE of Santa Fe: TAOS.
29. Chopin wrote a "Revolutionary" one: ETUDE.
30. Assembled: MET.
31. Put-__: masquerades: ONS.
34. Former British automaker: RELIANT. No knowledge of this maker. It ceased production in 2002, according to Wikipedia.
38. Autumn flower: ASTER.
40. Like a popular crusader: CAPED.
43. King Cole and others: OLD SOULS. I'm one too. I'm stuck in the 1990s.
47. Federal biomedical agcy.: NIH. National Institutes of Health.
52. Draft status: ONE A.
53. What a shortage suggests: NEED.
55. "This is the truth": I CAN'T LIE.
56. Hang out in the sun: LET DRY.
58. "Splendor in the Grass" screenwriter: INGE (Williams)
59. First name in Israeli statehood: GOLDA (Meir). Raised in Milwaukee.
60. Plagued: GNAWED.
63. Sister of the moon goddess Selene: EOS.
64. Listening aid: EARBUD.
67. "The Far Side" cartoonist Larson: GARY. Same name as today's constructor.
75. Subdue, as a color: MUTE.
76. Sailor's "Stop!": AVAST.
77. Utah national park: ARCHES.
80. Beach tone: TAN.
81. Cheap hooch: ROTGUT. Sounds horrible.
83. Muff: BOTCH.
87. Rope material: HEMP.
88. Cello-supporting rod: END PIN.
90. Support for a big top: TENT POLE.
92. Boo-boo: OWIE.
93. Aspersion: SLUR.
98. List-ending abbr.: ETC.
99. Saturn moon named for a Titan: HYPERION. Wikipedia info: "The
moon is named after Hyperion, the Titan god of watchfulness and
observation – the elder brother of Cronus, the Greek equivalent of
Saturn – in Greek mythology. "
101. Yoga posture: ASANA.
102. Get a load of: AMASS.
104. American League East city: TORONTO. Blue Jays.
107. Farm clucker: HEN.
108. Back muscle, briefly: LAT.
109. Three-time Tony winner Rivera: CHITA.
112. Sitar music: RAGA.
115. Classic jazz nickname: SATCHMO. Louis Armstrong.
125. One-dimensional: LINEAR.
126. Seven-time Wimbledon winner: GRAF. We just had AGASSI last week.
127. "Relax, I'll take care of it!": OK OK.
128. European luxury wheels: BMWS.
129. Eye: PEER AT.
130. Soul mate?: BODY. Body and soul. We had to leave the church earlier last night, Boomer was in pain. Don't worry about Monday blog. It's already written and scheduled. He always starts his post as soon as we receive the puzzles.
131. Gear teeth: COGS.
132. Dutch word meaning "farmer": BOER.
133. Bank deposit, perhaps: ORE. Dictionary says bank is "the surface around the mouth of a shaft". Is this what this clue refers to?
Down:
2. Sister of Orestes: ELECTRA. Here they are.
4. Horse-and-buggy, e.g.: ERA.
5. Enjoyed, in slang: DUG. You're just incredible, Husker Gary!
6. Bar order: NEAT.
7. Actor __ Kate Dillon of "Billions": ASIA. Wikipedia says "Dillon is non-binary and uses singular they pronouns". Sorry, I don't know them.
_Billions_Season_2.jpg)
8. So last year: PASSE.
9. Museum focus: ART.
10. Raft, or where you might see one: SEA.
11. Actor Mineo: SAL.
12. Toddler's train sound: TOOT TOOT.
13. Pakistani tongue: URDU.
14. Comedian Foxx: REDD.
15. Wine quality: NOSE.
16. Special or black follower: OPS.
17. Nada, to Noël: NUL. French for "null".
24. Easter opening?: NOR. Nor'easter.
25. Camera option: LENS.
27. Ornate 18th-century style: ROCOCO.
32. Kind of architect: NAVAL. They design ships.
33. Opposite of save: SPEND.
35. WC: LOO.
36. Poorly: ILL.
37. Throw into confusion: ADDLE.
38. "It's the Hard-Knock Life" soloist: ANNIE.
39. Tuscany city: SIENA.
41. Blues singer James: ETTA.
42. FedEx rival: DHL. FedEx Smartpost is so slow.
45. Brown in a Croce song: LEROY.
46. Opines, for instance: SAYS.
49. Beehive, e.g.: BIG DO.
50. Peak in an Eastwood movie: EIGER. The Eiger Sanction.
51. Fight with foils: FENCE.
54. Coming-out: DEBUT.
57. Lawn tool: EDGER. We drove by Kirby Puckett's old house the other day. He lived in Brooklyn Park for a short period.
61. Commonly injured knee part, briefly: ACL.
62. Trouble: WOE.
65. Where embryos grow: UTERI.
66. Annual coll. hoops competition: NIT. National Invitation Tournament.
68. Dried chili pepper: ANCHO. It's called Poblano when fresh.
70. Budgetary excess: FAT.
71. Family-friendly rating: TV-G.
72. __ cuisine: HAUTE.
73. Dimethyl sulfate, e.g.: ESTER.
74. "Politically Incorrect" host: MAHER. Bill.
75. Virile: MANLY.
78. Throws off: EMITS.
79. Technical details: SPECS.
80. New Age pianist John: TESH, who once dated OPRAH (84. Talk show host in the National Women's Hall of Fame)
82. Walking __: ON AIR.
83. Heat meas.: BTUS.
85. Metric weight: TONNE.
86. Bankrupts, with "out": CLEANS.
89. Spruce up: PRETTIFY.
91. Magic org.: NBA. The Orlando Magic.
95. Rock's __ Fighters: FOO. Also 3. Flu fighters: SERA.
96. Old Opry network: TNN.
97. More crude, language-wise: SALTIER.
100. Stable color: ROAN.
103. Rigg co-star on "The Avengers": MACNEE. Patrick
105. Long hikes: TREKS.
106. Muesli morsel: OAT.
109. Longtime NYC punk rock club: CBGB. Stands for Country, BlueGrass, and Blues.
110. Sub: HERO.
111. "If __ a Hammer": I HAD. Peter, Paul and Mary. One of songs in D-Otto's stick.
113. The "Gee" in Bee Gees: GIBB.
114. Water, in some pistols: AMMO.
116. Purina rival: ALPO.
117. Goat quote: MAA. And 123. Fleecy one: EWE. We also have 122. Slop slurper: HOG.
118. Table scrap: ORT.
120. Sleepy cohort?: DOC. The Seven Dwarfs.
121. Ref's ruling: TKO.
124. Ukr., once: SSR. What does Russia wants in Ukraine?
C.C.
I'm
happy to tell you that the cool Windhover and his wife Irish are safe
and sound. They did have to go the storm cellar on Friday night. He said
he still solves crossword every day and sometimes visits the blog for
help. Happy belated 76th birthday, Windhover!
 |
| Windhover, 12/7/2006 |
31 comments:
Good morning!
Forgot to read the puzzle title, but didn't need it. The idea became apparent after the first couple themers. Only needed Wite-Out to change my CHOO-CHOO to a TOOT-TOOT. Noticed the CSO to C-Eh! with TORONTO. Finished well under the time limit, so life is good. Clever prepositional twists, Gary. Thanx for the tour, C.C. (You've got lotsa brass to call yourself an OLD SOUL in this crowd. Had to do a lookup to learn what a Kirby Puckett might be.)
ORE: I think the "bank" in Gary's clue refers to a river bank.
SAL: You've got to be a "certain age" to remember SAL Mineo (and his sister Sal Hepatica).
CBGB: Sounds like the heebie-jeebies.
Sorry to hear of Boomer's pain issues. Hope both Boomer and Spitz feel better soon.
FIWrong. Misspelt HYPiRION, missed 2 crosses to ucT < LAT, the C in CHITA + CBGB was unknown, filled with a WAG. It shouldn't have been, I read an article recently about CBGB closing. Mentioned how ironic its punk and grunge connection was, since the initials were for Country & Blue Grass Bands. CHITA was unknown, tho.
Gary "I want to author every puzzle" Larson gives us another fun exercise, highlighted by the inclusion of the cartoonist with whom he shares a name.
I do not know ASIA KATE but it was filed before I saw the clue, though RELIANT existed somewhere in my brain. We have always had many exotic cars here in SoFla. I agree that if you think the 90s are OLD SOUL you forget who we are. Speaking of forgetting, I appreciate the update on Windhover and Irish the only people I know who live in that part of the world. It did come close to Chattanooga, though.
133 Across could be Norwegian money: 100 ore equal one krone. Ore coins are not used any more because the krone is only worth about a US dime. But a bank deposit can be made with the VIPPS financial app that includes ore. If you buy something in a store that costs 9,50 you will not get any change if you pay with a 10 kroner coin.
FIW, missing NaCCO x EIGaR. But I got my Natick right (CHITA x CBGB), So I got that goin' for me. I also caught foo/flu, passe/pass, and oat/ort. Since Gary Larson already did his tie-in to the famous cartoonist, I won't have to name my favorite cartoon he drew. CSO to Tin @ NEAT.
At least in Las Vegas, a turn to roll the dice is called an inning. It remains your turn until you "seven out". In case you don't know craps, when you first toss the dice you win if you roll a seven or eleven, you lose if you roll two, three or twelve, and you then start over. Any other outcome becomes "the number". You continue to roll until you roll "the number" and win, or a seven and lose. If you make your number, your inning continues. If you lose, your inning is over. (There are lots of side bets that you can make, but nearly all of them are much more favorable to the house.) Unless you count cards in blackjack, craps is the game with the smallest house advantage. It is also very easy to learn if you stick with the best bets ("come" bets with maximum odds, and the dealer will help you with your odds bets if you need it).
Thanks to Gary and CC for the fun start to Sunday.
Forgot to say that my BIL grew up in Mayfield, and my grandson goes to Murray State University about 25 miles away.
Good Morning:
Like DO, I forgot to look at the title, but I doubt if it would have helped with the solve which was easy enough to see after a couple of theme entries. I started off on the wrong foot by mixing up my accountant’s locations: I had Bursar (College) before Purser (Ship). Other missteps were: CDC/NIH, Agee/Inge, Error/Botch, and Sere/Sera. The usual suspects, i.e., unknown proper names needed perps: Reliant, Hyperion, Electra, Annie, as clued, CBGB, and the never-heard of End Pin. On a positive note, there were CSOs galore: Owen (Taos), HG (Gary), CanadianEh (Toronto), Spitz and DO (Purser and Naval), Treks (Picard), and Moi (Siena, a local college and alma mater of a niece and her hubby and the name of their Bernese Mountain dog). Gary also provided a mini creature feature with Hen, Ewe, Hog, Roan, Maa, Alpo, and Oat. As usual, the three letter word count was high but probably can’t be avoided in a Sunday grid.
Thanks, Gary, for a smooth solve and thanks, CC, for your insider’s analysis and commentary. Sorry to hear of Boomer’s distress and I hope he’s feeling better. As far as you being an Old Soul, CC, I’d argue that you know more about current culture and trends than anyone I know! If anyone qualifies as an Old Soul, it’s me, still swooning over Cary Grant! 🤭
Happy Birthday, Windhover, hope it’s calm and peaceful after your recent harrowing experience. 🎂🎁🎈🎉🎊
Have a great day.
FIR. Completely blanked on slotcar, and didn't know nada about French I guess!
Musings
-So many wonderful and helpful puns. I really loved OUT OF THEIR ELEMENT
-PASS – Chiefs’ opponents know Mahomes is going to Kelce but can’t stop it
-R E _ _ _ _ T cars? RENAULT worked but they are French and are still being made. Otherwise…
-Our subdivision has a covenant that forbids clotheslines to LET things DRY
-RAGA was also in Beth and Brad’s puzzle yesterday
-I am the T-FAL of Greek mythological names. Nothing sticks!
-PASSE – Fidget spinners were everywhere in schools not long ago
-Female athletes are much more likely to tear their ACL. Here’s why.
-Unlike most other comedians, Bill MAHER takes swings at both sides of the political aisle
-My cousin’s wife (now ex) secretly CLEANED OUT their bank account at the Iowa casinos.
-C.C. – I hope Boomer feels better, I loved your write-up and teaching me “cohere” as a verb!
As I've mentioned before, I worked with Gary when we were both stand-up comedians. Since the cartoonist was also from Seattle their would be confusion and people would come to his show expecting him to be the latter. This led to him getting a stage name for a while. So, I enjoyed his referencing the cartoonist - because they do have a history together.
Hi Y'all! Thank you, Gary Larson, for a challenge with an amusing theme. Especially thought UNDER THE WEATHER was appropriate for us with all our ailing friends and the horrible storms recently. However, I didn't understand the "Prep Course" title of the theme. I'd forgotten that those words were prepositions.
C.C., thank you for getting us info on Windhover & Irish. As for your question, I think I read that Russia wants Ukraine for the access to the Black Sea ports and Crimea.
OLD SOUL: someone who has ages of wisdom because they have been reincarnated time and again?
Hope Boomer is feeling better. I don't worry about the Monday blog as much as I worry about Boomer being ill.
DNK: HYPERION, CHITA, ELECTRA, ASIA Dillon, ANCHO, TONNE, MACNEE, CBGB.
Irish Miss Yes, I will take the CSO for TREK!
Fun theme spoiled a bit for me by the utterly unfair Natick crossing xHITA/xBGB. I guessed GHITA, which is a name I know and GBGB because it has some symmetry.
CC Enjoyed GARY LARSON calling out his own name. Any way to know if that was his clue or from Rich Norris?
ARCHES is my favorite NATIONAL PARK. A good excuse to dig out these photos from my visit there.
Enjoyed seeing DIANA RIGG and PATRICK MACNEE.
From Yesterday:
Enjoyed seeing LUX. I am an alumnus of two University of California campuses that have that LATIN phrase FIAT LUX: Let there be light! Currently employed at one of them.
Thank you Gary for a puzzle that had its ups and downs, or should I say ACROSSES and DOWNS and which I found just as challenging as yesterday's. I'm afraid my Boy Scout training didn't PREPARE me for this, but I did manage to WHITTLE out a FIR. Loved the recursive clue at 67A! I still can't tell you guys apart - you're the one who supplies Hahtoolah with all her cat cartoons right?
And thank you C.C. for another illuminating review. I don't think you're missing anything - I think that's all he wrote. And please tell Greg that he is in our prayers.
A few favs:
16A ON FILE. CSO to Jayce - could you whip us up a translation of Peng Shui's original post. My Mandarin OCR app is on the blink.
29A ETUDE. Here's Evgeny Kissin's take on it. His fingers never leave his hands!
94A AFTER BURNERS. Burner phones are a favorite of organized crime groups (see e.g. LINE OF DUTY), as they are effectively untraceable.
133 ORE. Clever clue.
5D NEAT. A TOAST to TIN at sunset!
17D TOOT TOOT. "TOOTS Tuttle" was one of the characters in "Splendor in the Grass" and William INGE had a cameo role as Reverend Whitman.
100D CBGB. CBGB is the epitome of the "Law of unintended consequences".
127A OK OK. "I'll stop!"
Cheers,
Bill
Kept coming back to the puzzle until I finally filled all squares. Lots of unknowns and tricky clues but little by little all but one square was right. FIW because I left the wrong tense RUEs and didn't catch it when proofreading. Also didn't notice the preposition connection with the themers while recognizing them as common phrases. In spite of everything I enjoyed having the puzzle to work on and thank you Gary for constructing it for today.
Thanks C.C. for your helpful review. Keep us updated on Boomer. We hope he feels better soon.
Looking forward to tomorrow's puzzle and a less distracted day. Hope all of you are safe and well!
Prayers continuing for Boomer.
Thank you Gary and C.C. for the ride.
Picard: enjoyed your Arches pix. I was there with a bus-load of non-trekkers so didn't see all of those beautiful formations. That last one looks like a couple of people heads nuzzling.
I liked this puzzle. Hand up for entering BURSAR before PURSER. Almost filled RENAULT, as Husker Gary mentioned, but LOO proscribed it, and hand up for not having heard of RELIANT. I really wanted it to be TRIUMPH, though. At least I knew CHITA Rivera, who played Anita in the Broadway production of West Side Story. She was married, for 9 years, to Tony Mordente, a talented dancer who played "Action," one of the Jets, in the movie. (The incomparable Rita Moreno played Anita in the movie and also has a role in Steven Spielberg's remake.)
For a translation and explanation of Peng Shui's original post, I refer you to the news article at https://www.whatsonweibo.com/the-silent-storm-peng-shuais-weibo-post/
Here's an article that mentions many new words added to the dictionary this year. If you construct crosswords, you may want to add them to your database. If you just work crosswords, you may want to add them to your solving vocabulary now, instead of waiting until they show up in naticks.
The text of her post, not just a photograph of it, can be read at
https://vct.news/news/04fbb73d-0423-44a4-aa9a-2eaa31ede34c
I flew in to Louis Armstrong (SATCHMO) airport (MSY) last night from a week's vacation and I see a puzzle by a Gary Larson with a fill for another GARY Larson. I CAN'T LIE. AGAINST ALL ODDS the puzzle filled in the usual Sunday time but I had to look at LISTEE multiple times; never heard the word but the perps were solid. The theme was an easy guess after a couple of prepositions.
AFTER BURNERS- a friend who works as an assistant DA told me about a "burner phone". Drug dealers would buy cheap ones by the dozen.
RELIANT- man, was I ever wrong. I filled LEYLAND immediately until the first perp. I'd never heard of a Reliant automobile.
"
TOOT TOOT- I filled it but always heard that a train went CHOO CHOO and a boat went toot toot".
Perps or WAGS for unknowns today- RELIANT, INGE, changed PEG to END PIN, HYPERION, CHITA, Rivera, ASIA, NUL (I know null), ANNIE, CBGB- 8 is around the usual for a Sunday.
OLD SOULS- C.C., you're a young one around here.
NECCO, aka New England Confectionary Company went bankrupt; somebody bought it.
Husker Gary- tell your HOA that you want to hang your clothes on a line to fight global warming.
PK- Russia already took Crimea about 6 years ago. The reason Putin saber rattles over Ukraine is for their grain, just like Josef Stalin.
Thank you Gary Larson for a very challenging puzzle, that I spent a lot of time to unravel. I did enjoy it though.
Thank you CC for your detailed review. I hope Boomer is feeling better, and hope for a better prognosis for the days ahead.
I remember Windhover and his smart and humorous comments from long long ago. Glad to know both of them are safe and that they survived the storm. Wish them te best for thr future.
Re:: 133 Across ... Bank Deposit, perhaps .... ORE ( Thanks, Desper -Otto )
I think this may refer to a riverbank, side of a river, where heavier particles of river silt may accumulate on the side banks especially in the bend in the river ... and are likely to contain metal particles .. as ORE.
The same concept as for panning through wiers and pans for gold particles / grains/ nuggets etc.,
Above the Fold ... here, refers to 'fold' as a flock of sheep, and thus a congregation, I suppose.
After Burners ... here, I suppose refers to "disposable phones" used in criminal activities, and that are later thrown away, and cannot be traced. These are probably less common in the US where phones are effectively "locked", and can be traced ... unless stolen.
Thanks, Waseely !
Thanks Picard, for bringing back memories of a trip 20 years ago. I always thought you took your own photographs, but those pictures, of you at a distance, must mean that you must have had another person who took the actual photograph .... no selfie stick could be thaat long...
Have a good week, ahead, all.
Vid, in the US one can buy cheap prepay phones for cash, with no record of the transaction except for any security camera recordings. They will briefly work without even buying airtime cards, but these can also be bought without documentation. Walmart, Target and other big box stores sell them across the country.
Wow, I just watched the Roy Orbison Black and White Night concert again and it brought tears to my eyes. Man oh man that stage was packed full of talent that night! And, as professional as they were, they all seemed to be having fun.
Big Easy, I knew Russia took The Crimea, but I thought this was still in contention. I read somewhere that Russia wanted Black Sea ports because they don't ice up in winter like the Russian ports do. Maybe I dreamed that.
PK, you are correct. Russia wants a warm water seaport bad. Aces
One box wrong on the pure Natick of CHITA/CBGB(I had a T) no problemo. Unlike yesterday's box which was easily gettable.
ORE? Possibly the gold deposited into the bank?
Lots of LHF but some clever clues too. I just saw INGE in a Brando bio Betsy brought me at the flea market(Jinx that's on west side of 75 at hwy 27)
I heard Windhover mentioned on YouTube this morning. Fascinating story. Lots of theses about indiginous aboriginals blown away.
Picard, you sure showed me how the Park got the name ARCHES.
BigE, you've never heard a tootoo twain going TOOT TOOT
There was a Plymouth RELIANT, any relation?
There was a third alternative to bridge or tunnel to Logan Airport and that was a bridge taking one through Charlestown. There was a big NECCO Sign on the way through.
WC
Sunday Lurk say...
C.C. How wonderful you communicated with Windhover, he & his is OK, and you let us all know. Thank you.
And Happy (belated) Birthday, Windhover. Do pop-in again.
Boomer - get better soon.
"Politically Incorrect" went off the air in 2002; why not clue Maher with his current show, Real Time, which began airing in 2003?
PK - that's always been my impression of "OLD SOUL."
Picard - cool pix but, um, were you hiking in flip-flops?
Vidwan - phones are "locked" if you go with a big carrier. But there's plenty of places you can get a SIM and $20 pre-paid (cash!) plan (including WalMart - I see Jinx beat me to it). I've used burners a few times during investigations.
DW has a "tractable" burner for travel to China & Russia; basically an cheap (Android) phone that she moves her number to while oversees. Why? If her phone gets surreptitiously hacked she won't have to worry about her iPhone at home.
I can't be the only one that loves NECCO Wafers; I'm having some now.
Cheers, -T
Jinx @6:49 PM Planning a caper Jinx?
Aces @7:30 PM They've already got one.
-T @8:21 PM Since 1847? That's what I call SHELF LIFE!
Super Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Gary and C.C.
I required a little red letter help today, but I saw the Preposition theme.
Busy day, but I thought I had better claim my TORONTO CSO. I lived there while at U of T, and was just there the other day.
I LOLed at GARY’s shout-out to himself. Definitely not coincidental.
Hand up for a Natick cross with CHITA and CGBG.
Another hand up for wanting ChooChoo before TOOT TOOT.
I wanted Merry OLD SOULS but it wouldn’t fit.
I had END Tip before PIN.
This Canadian entered Nilla wafers and was proud of my learning that name here. What! NECCO wafers! Can someone explain the difference please?
Glad to hear that Windhover is safe. Belated Happy Birthday.
Feel better soon Boomer.
Good evening all.
OwenKL, thank you for that link. The concept of allyship is not new to me, but the word is.
BTW, you might like the St.Louis Post-Dispatch Comics and Games page. Seems pretty comprehensive for the comics. I found that page when looking for an online place to solve the daily Universal crossword. I used to solve it at The Globe and Mail, but it just stopped loading for me one day.
CanadianEh, Nilla Wafers are small vanilla flavored wafer cookies, light and crispy. Necco Wafers are smaller, thinner candies that have various flavors, packaged in a roll. See Dash T's image at 8:21.
As for the Nilla Wafers, one yummy way to enjoy them is in Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding. The easy recipe is on the back of the box or found online.
Dash T, I was trying to find the association between your image and the cartoon strip in the background. D'oh ! I guess I was overthinking it. You were just enjoying both.
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