Theme: "The Final Frontier" - Each common phrase is re-phrased as "Star Trek" related.
21A. Satisfied with one's work in the transporter room?: BEAMING WITH PRIDE.
42A. Detain Dr. McCoy?: COLLAR BONES.
69A. Phaser, slangily?: SPACE HEATER.
93A. DNA sample from Kirk's chief engineering officer?: SCOTT TISSUE.
119A. Masseuse trained in massage techniques from Spock's home planet?: VULCANIZED RUBBER.
15D. Allure of boldly going where no man has gone before?: STAR ATTRACTION.
50D. Happy Meal toy replica of Captain Kirk's ship?: FREE ENTERPRISEI think this is Amy Ensz's LA Times debut. Congrats, Amy!
This is a great design for a 7-themer puzzle. Five Across and Two Downs. The great Gail Grabowski was very fond of this style.
Across:
6. Vendor's wagon: HANDCART.
14. Online access cos.: ISPS.
18. Nixon's older daughter: TRICIA. The Nixon Library says her
wedding "was the first wedding ceremony held outdoors in the White House
Rose Garden and one of the most widely documented."
19. It established Congress: ARTICLE I.
20. PDQ, in the ER: STAT.
23. Miles' "Sideways" love interest: MAYA. Played by Virginia Madsen.
24. NFL official: REF.
25. Conger catchers: EELERS.
26. Daring deed: GEST.
28. Informer: RAT.
29. Setting for searches: INTERNET.
31. Black: EBONY.
34. Big mess: SNAFU. Long time ago I was worried that Rich would not allow this fill.
36. Title book in a classic computer game: MYST.
37. Brezhnev of the USSR: LEONID. Here with Nixon.
40. One who gets in: ELECTEE.
47. Sends, in a way: ELATES.
48. Cover letters?: SPF. New clue angle.
51. One may be painted: TOENAIL.
52. Fancy topping: CAVIAR.
54. Mangy mutt: CUR.
55. Apple product: IPAD.
56. Opening tempo of Dvorák's "New World Symphony": ADAGIO. Also 66. "Be silent," in music: TACET.
58. __ gratia artis: MGM motto: ARS.
61. End of a warning: OR ELSE.
63. Weave: ENTWINE.
68. Arch type: OGEE. Like this one.
73. Tiny: ITSY.
74. Katniss' ally in "The Hunger Games": PEETA. Here they are.
76. Surpasses: EXCEEDS.
77. Forward pass: AERIAL.
79. No. with two dashes: SSN.
80. Ski weekend destination: CHALET.
82. Pluck: GRIT.
84. Flamenco shout: OLE.
85. Heineken brand named for a Mexican city: TECATE.
87. Recurring: ITERANT.
90. Actor Beatty: NED.
91. Warm sign-off: AS EVER.
97. Beverly Cleary title dog: STRIDER. Unknown to me.
99. Defrauded, say, with "on": PREYED. Those iTunes gift card scammers need to be severely punished. So heartless.
100. 18-wheeler: SEMI.
104. Frontier home: TEPEE.
105. Either Zimbalist: EFREM.
107. Creme-filled Drake's cake: DEVIL DOG. Also a new term to me.
111. Bobby of the Bruins: ORR.
112. Contents of some banks: DATA.
114. Gloomy: SULLEN.
116. Wedding promise: I DO.
117. Newton, e.g.: UNIT.
124. Fabled loch: NESS.
125. Observing lions in the wild, maybe: ON SAFARI. How many of you have been to Africa?
126. Sign up: ENROLL.
127. De Matteo of "The Sopranos": DREA. This guy just looks like a mafia member.
128. Uncalled-for: NEEDLESS.
129. Candy mogul H.B. __: REESE.
Down:
2. Gender-specific pronoun: HIM.
3. Less cordial: ICIER. Still piles of snow in our yard, but the
roads are all clear. I can't wait for Boomer to feel better so we can
walk around the pond in our neighborhood again. He likes to say hello to
the ducks and feed them popcorn.
4. Flax fabric: LINEN.
5. High nester: EAGLE.
6. "Easy to Be Hard" musical: HAIR.
8. Unnamed degree: NTH.
9. Cocktail party staple: DIP.
10. "Bad Moon Rising" band, briefly: CCR. Creedence Clearwater Revival.
11. Adjust in a garage: ALIGN.
12. Flight by night: RED-EYE.
13. Connections: TIES.
14. School of thought: ISM. This means "Long live Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought". Our classrooms all had this poster.
16. Pony up the service charge, say: PAY A FEE.
17. Museum pieces: STATUES.
18. Wee: TEENY.
21. Cup part: BRIM.
22. Bayou, perhaps: WETLAND.
27. Poet who used the name Old Possum: T.S. ELIOT.
30. Abbr. often after a comma: ETC.
31. Carbon compound: ENOL.
32. Storage spot: BIN.
33. Horatian work: ODE.
35. Sports org. name since 1910: NCAA.
38. Historic time: ERA.
39. It's a wrap: OBI.
41. Big name in jeans: LEVI. What is your favorite jeans brand? I love American Eagle.
43. Elevator name: OTIS.
44. Runs easily: LOPES.
45. Grazing area: LEA.
46. Barely enough: SCANT. Boomer used to love walleye and could eat two big pieces like this in one sitting. Now he finishes one piece in three days.
48. News exclusives: SCOOPS.
49. Clears of data, as a PC: PURGES.
53. "A Death in the Family" author James: AGEE.
56. Wonderstruck: AWED.
57. "Buenos __": DIAS.
59. Flea market deal: RESALE. I really love flea market.
60. Did salon work: STYLED.
62. Allow: LET.
63. Latin "behold": ECCE.
64. Bygone depilatory brand: NEET. Now known as VEET.
65. First word in all but one "Seinfeld" episode title: THE. Which episode does not have "The"?
67. Cause of inflation: AIR.
70. Everglades deposit: PEAT.
71. Wheel connectors: AXLES.
72. Play delayers: RAINS.
75. Gave in (to): ACCEDED.
78. Start of a classic accusation: ET TU, Brute?
81. Fabled racer: HARE.
82. Flapjack cooker: GRIDDLE.
83. Dorm overseers, for short: RAS.
86. Wilcox daughter in "Howards End": EVIE. Also unknown to me.
87. Tabloid couple: ITEM.
88. Sign-off letters before L: TTY. Talk to You Later.
89. Nice season: ETE.
91. Blow away: ASTOUND.
92. "Ambition should be made of __ stuff": "Julius Caesar": STERNER.
94. EMT skill: CPR.
95. It's found in banks: ORE.
96. Immigrant's subj.: ESL.
98. Tighten the strings of, maybe: RE-TUNE.
101. Safe to have: EDIBLE. I made Boomer some Spanish rice last
Wednesday. He liked the taste, but his stomach did not. Terrible ordeal
for him that night.
102. Example: MODEL.
103. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.
106. Bogus: FALSE.
108. Church official: ELDER.
109. Nemo's creator: VERNE.
110. Habituate: INURE. Not a word I use.
113. Makeup line: AVON.
114. Galahad et al.: SIRS.
115. Action movie weapons: UZIS.
118. Screening org.: TSA.
120. Heel: CAD.
121. CIO partner: AFL.
122. Dundee denial: NAE.
123. NYY rival: BOS. Boston Red Sox.
Some extra notes:
1) For those who attend the ACPT this year, don't miss out the Cru
Dinner. The great Michael Alpern won't be there, his co-conspirator
Chris Aldrich will be the host. You can read more details here. Our Jeffrey has been a judge for many years.
 |
| Jeffrey and Mike Alpern, ACPT, 3/23/2019 |
2) Boomer had his blood draw last Monday. The result was not encouraging. His PSA went up to 428, so his body did not respond well to the second chemo treatment.
He
had his Eligard shot and the third chemo on Thursday. Dr Downs also
arranged an earlier blood draw for April 4th. If the PSA does not go
down, they're going to have more scans and decide the next steps.
I think we were very lucky in those years when he took the oral chemo. He tolerated very well the side effects. This time everything is just different. We've canceled his PT/OT since chemo itself is already too much for him.
C.C.
37 comments:
FIWrong. Not unexpected, it's Sunday.
Misspelt EFRaM + ORa, and AcTS < ARTS, didn't notice it caused a spelling error to AcTICLE.
Liked the Star Trek theme! I was president of the Albuquerque Star Trek club, "Alpha Centari" [sic] for about 3 years, and edited several issues of our club-zine. Too bad the title was president. Crystal Gale came out with the song "I Am The Captain Of Alpha Centura" during my term.
Good morning!
Zipped right through this one. No Wite-Out required, but waited on perps to decide if it was DIos/DIAS, eNURE/INURE, EFRoM/EFREM. TTY? Did not realize that abbreviated abbreviations were allowed. This one took less than half the allotted time, so life is good. Thanx, Gary, Amy, and C.C.
Sorry to hear of Boomer's struggles. Hope his medical team can come up with a successful treatment regimen.
100,000 angels to you and Boomer
FIR, but erased aka for SPF, slopes for CHALET, elan for GRIT, enlist for ENROLL, acts for ARTS, box for BIN, and fixed EFRaM. I saw "Sideways" and kinda liked it, but I can only remember that it centered around wine country. GEST makes sense, but don't remember hearing or seeing it before today. Also DNK TACET,PEETA, EVIE, that belts can be wraps (OBIS), and thought DEVIL DOG was a pseudonym for Cujo.
Vendor's wagon had to be HAND CART because "roach coach" wouldn't fit.
DREA was great in her role as Adriana. IIRC, Christopher had to snuff her for being a RAT.
GRIDDLE evoked John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy":
"Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle.
When the sun's coming up, I got cakes on the GRIDDLE.
And life ain't nothing but a funny, funny riddle, thank God I'm a country boy."
Anyone else wrinkle their nose at the abbreviations for "number" at clue "no. with two dashes" and fill SSN?
Thanks to Gary and Amy for the fun. And thanks to CC for explaining it, and especially for the Boomer update.
Good Morning:
My first thought when I saw the theme was that Picard would be in Seventh Heaven. I, on the other hand, didn’t benefit very much because I have cursory knowledge of Star Trek and that is mostly from crosswords. Overall, I enjoyed the solve but Sunday grids are just not my up of tea, mainly because they’re usually laden with three letter words and obscure words that are seldom heard in real life, e.g., Gest, Iterant, Tacet, etc.; interestingly all three are underlined in red. I admire the constructors of Sunday grids, though, having first hand knowledge of the challenge just the cluing presents.
Thanks, Gary, you did a fine job paying tribute to Captain Kirk and crew and thanks, CC, for your always refreshing insider’s viewpoint. So sorry to hear of Boomer’s difficulties. Sending warm thoughts and bear hugs to you both. Thanks for keeping us posted.
Have a great day.
My father gave me a euphemistic definition of SNAFU: situation all fouled up.
Cup. Sorry.
Good morning. Thank you Gary, Amy and C.C. Congrats, Amy !
Nuts. A typo away from swift perfection. My answer for 3D "Gender-specific pronoun" was HIn.
Fun crossword. I can't believe that I recalled so many things about Star Trek, but they came to mind. Quickly. Was Star Trek really just a 1960s futuristic cowboy and western series with space as the setting for westward expansion, and the alien life forms as the replacements for Native Americans ? So many of the story arcs seem to parallel western movies. Maybe that is why they are so relatable.
C.C., like you, I didn't know STRIDER. The I in STRIDER and the crossing EVIE was my last fill.
We are thinking of Boomer and wish him only the best. Hopefully the next PSA test will show improvement and better results.
FIR. Took a while, but got'er done!
Hi CC - thanks for mentioning the Cru Dinner! There's still plenty of room.
Jinx, I first tried taco CART. Roach coach evokes a memory of those purpose-built pickup trucks with the shiny diamond patterned stainless steel wall coverings, selling coffee, prepackaged cold sandwiches and subs, chips, candy bars and the like. Modern food trucks are so much better.
C.C. has the Sunday crossword at USA Today. Simply click on: Dow Components
Apologies for forgetting to thank Amy as the co-constructor.
Musings
-TE_ATE/AC_EDE cost me one bad cell due to no beer knowledge and a misspelling
-This entire wonderful puzzle was worth doing for VULCANIZED RUBBER!
-NFL REF’s do not want to make or fail to make the call that decides the game at the end
-I am currently searching INTERNET to find out if $4,800 is too much to pay for my next hearing aids.
-If you’re going to use “OR ELSE”, you’d better have something and be prepared to use it
-Usually, a SEMI trailer has two AXLES with eight wheels and the SEMI tractor has three AXLES with ten wheels
-I weigh about 935 Newtons
-OTIS didn’t improve or invent how elevators run, he improved how they stop
-Woodward and Bernstein probably came up with the biggest SCOOP in history
-Easter is when we are most likely to hear the phrase “ECCE homo”
Addendum
-The only Seinfeld episode whose title did not begin with the word “the” was the fourth episode of the first season and was entitled Male Unbonding
So sorry to hear that Boomer is not responding as was hoped. He remains in my thoughts and prayers. GC
After managing to FIR a Saturday CW yesterday, taking 40 minutes (exactly the same time as Friday) using pen and paper I thought I’d give Sunday a try. But knowing I can seldom FIR a Sunday CW I did this one on my laptop w/ red letters turned on. What do you know? FIR in (wanna guess) 40 minutes! Yesterday a had a couple WAGs that worked. Today none did. I have liked most iterations of StarTrek, going all the way back to the sixties. It has always been about exploration and acceptance of other species and cultures, with occasional conflicts (the Borg, for instance). Anyway, that made this a Sunday that I kinda had an inside line on. Still, 40 minutes with red letters turned on is nothing to crow about. I loved VULCANIZEDRUBBER fill. DNK GEST, MYST, STRIDER, DREA. Thanx GL & AE for creating a Sunday CW that I could actually complete, although with red letters, is that an honest FIR? I’ll take it!! Thanx too to C.C. for the terrific write-up. Thanx for keeping us in the loop about Boomer. We are all of course wishing the very best for him.
So sorry to get worrisome news about Boomer's test results, this morning, C.C. You are both in my daily prayer, and I will continue with even more intensity. And thank you also for a lovely puzzle commentary this morning.
Delightful Sunday puzzle, Gary and Amy, a pleasure with both the tough long solutions and clever brief items everywhere. Very enjoyable, many thanks.
Nice to see the picture of Nixon with TRICIA. Maybe not my favorite president back in the day, but looks like a loving family man.
Yes, I suppose the best place to observe lions in the wild would be ON SAFARI.
Thank goodness I don't have to take any RED EYE flights at night anymore.
T.S. ELIOT has always been my favorite poet.
Have a great Sunday, everybody.
Well, I'll say one thing: the theme was clear from the get-go. Like others, I didn't know the dog "Strider." And I wasn't sure how to spell "Peeta" and "Efrem" But perps came to the rescue. FIR, so I'm satisfied.
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Gary & Amy. Still praying for you and Boomer, C.C. Enjoyed your expo.
Uncle Fred, you still beat me. I filled 'er in 50:35 with red-letters on.
Last to fill was the ITERANT/TTY. No idea even after a red-letter run filled it.
never watched StarTrek ever. Only had 3 channels in those years & it wasn't on any of them. But I apparently picked up enough STAR TREK info in public discourse to fill those theme squares.
Heineken has TECATE beer? I went to TECATE, Baja California, Mexico, and drove past the TECATE brewery there many years ago.
Lucina, from the other night. I was upset about discovering my potted plant was poisonous because the only place I have for a potted plant in my little house is on the kitchen table. I really didn't like the idea of anything poisonous in such close proximity to my food for two days before I knew of the potential danger. It went outdoors in the lovely weather yesterday but had to be brought in on my floor by the door when the temperature dipped to the 30's last night.
Starry Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Gary and Amy, and C.C. (Continued prayers for you and Boomer).
Since I do Sunday CWs online, I finished, but no Tada; asking for a grid check gave me red letters at EFRaM and ToCATE. But I loved the Star Trek theme, and agree with HuskerG that VULCANIZED RUBBER was great.
The SW corner was last to fill as STRIDER, EVIE, DREA were unknown.
I had no idea about a Drake’s cake.
I thought that Spanish gold (ORO or ORA) was in the bank, but it was ORE.
I had Played ON before PREYED.
I noted a plethora of couplets today: NEET/ PEAT, ORE/ORR, CAD/CUR, ASTOUND/AWED, ITSY/TEENY. Plus Arch and Heel found in clues. Can I add TIES and OBI?!
Plus ARTS and CRAFTS, and the cherry on the top of ARS gratia artis.
Hand up for having been ON SAFARI in Africa. Coincidentally, my Facebook memories came up today with a “We booked our trip to Kenya” from 9 years ago.
Wishing you all a great day.
Thank you Gary Larson and Amy Ensz for a challenging but fun filled Sunday mega puzzle.
I got the Star Trek theme right away, and the punny words in the long answers.Some of the smaller words were confounding, but I finally got my best stab at an answer. TTY was a puzzle ( Whaaa...?) OK, TTYL.
Thank you CC for an illuminating blog.
My prayers and hopes and best wishes will alwyas be there for you and Boomer.
Let us pray and hope for the best, and I hope they control his pain as much as possible.
FOR PK, as above ....
.... many household plants are poisonous or potentially toxic, Poinsettias , Deifenbachias etc., ... just make sure you wash your hands when you or if you touch them, and that there are no little kids in your household. If it still makesoo you queasey, then get rid of them.
Husker Gary :::: RE HEARING AIDS AT $4,800
Have you tried the KOHL's Hunters Hearing Aids... ????
Look and search on Google !! ... The prices range from $ 99 to $ 2,500
A friend of mine uses these instead of the hospital audiologist supplied ones, because he says they are just as good, are returnable within 30 days, and he doesnt have to worry about losing them ....
A major part of the cost of a hospital / doctor prescribed hearing aid is that the doctors factor in their fees for the consultation etc. into the cost of the AID, so Docs tend to favor the expensive kind..... thats my theory anyway....
I was going to buy some myself, but our medical insurance and deductible agreed to pay the major portion of the cost of the hearing aid, and under preessure from my wife, I bought the hospital kind. But, its always worth taking a look and see....
On the CWs, I was aware of ECCE HOMO and EFREM Zimbalist Sr. and Jr...
Have a nice rest of the weekend ...and an easy Monday tomorrow.
This was a fun stroll down Star Trek memory lane- the re-runs have been on almost continually since then that it seems that it was on a lot longer than 3 years
I have been to Africa several times on medical missions - everyone asks if I saw any lions or elephants - nope- wrong side of the continent. Ghana had a lot of monkeys, large lizards, and goats but not any of the animals you see ON SAFARI. I only think of GEST in the context of the movie "Beau Geste" - with the added E on the end
Heineken has a whole slew of brands including TECATE and Fosters they acquired around the world similar to InBev from Belgium who owns Anheuser-Busch and Corona among others. If you ever get to St. Louis, visit the free AB brewery and where you get the free samples at the beer garden at the end it has all the InBev brands as options to taste. (There is also a VIP tour that costs money- don't fall for that- the free one is fine)
Looking forward to the watching the Oscars tonight or maybe tomorrow - I usually record so I can watch without the commercials.
Thanks CC and Gary and congrats to Amy!
Hope this weeks treatments aren't quite as rough on Boomer
FOR HUSKER GARY ::: HEARING AIDS
Amazon also has a whole plethora of Hunters Hearing Aids ... but you have to order them first ... there is no way, that I can think of of trying them on, for size and fit, prior to ordering them. Kohls may let you try them on ... in any case in most states, the hearing sids shoud be returnable within the first 30 days. Hope this helps.
Thanks, C.C., for the update on Boomer's situation. I wish the news was better and have you both in my thoughts.
The crossing of ORE and EFREM got me today when I put an O. I see others had trouble in that area too. I still don't quite get how ORE relates to bank but realize the Spanish word wasn't called for. Otherwise, Gary and Amy, the puzzle was a joy to fill and all went well. Thanks. And nice debut, Amy.
Thanks C.C. for the review and extra info, especially about Boomer. Sorry you're having setbacks and hope they get resolved. I know it can be discouraging, but remember we're all rooting for you all. Being able to get out and walk around the pond this Spring sounds like a good goal, Boomer.
I enjoyed the Star Trek part of this puzzle and found the rest of it to be less fun and interesting. LMAO at VULCANIZED RUBBER. I liked ARTICLE I, TOENAIL, TECATE, STATUES, and EDIBLE.
HG - my patients say they get the best deals at CostCo or Sam's Club and you can actually go in and try them on - go in for adjustments etc.
Thanks, CC, for your informative recap. Positive thoughts coming your way for better news. Y’all have been through so much already but remain stalwart as ever.
Breezed through, but hit a wall at the Cleary (who?) dog’s name, Julius Caesar’s quote, and “warm sign-off.” Finally guessed AS EVER as in a letter's closing, and then both STRIDER and STERNER fell into place. I spent two weeks ON SAFARI in Kenya, then a five-day excursion to Mombasa and Lamu Island. Unforgettable trip – still smile at John’s (Kenyan guide) humorous takes on the numerous wildlife we saw. Highlight was a hot-air balloon ride at sunrise across the savanna.
ATL Granny @ 4:17 - ORE is sometimes found along riverbanks like Alaskan rivers during the Gold Rush. Favorites: SPACE HEATER and SCOTT TISSUE.
Irish Miss Indeed I am grateful to Gary Larson and Amy Ensz For an entire puzzle that feels like a CSO. It is notable that the entire Star Trek theme is from The Original Series that predates Picard.
Very clever idea very well executed! SPACE HEATER refers to a specific episode called "A Piece of the Action". These constructors are clearly sophisticated fans.
Happy to see VERNE as the creator of NEMO. Hand up I struggled with that area with STRIDER and EVIE. WAG to FIR.
It takes plenty of AIR to complete the INFLATION of the marvelous inflatable creations of my Solstice friend Pali.
Here I was with Pali, his friend Yoshiko and one of his largest pieces requiring AIR for INFLATION.
Yoshiko does a lot of the sewing of these epic inflatable pieces.
Thank you!
Thanks for all the hearing aid info. I went online and found the Lively company selling the same ReSound GN aids I currently have "on loan" and I can get them for $3.200 less than what my audiologist wanted and the reviews were very good. I get professional online assistance and can return them for free within 100 days.
DATA also a Star Trek nod...
IM @ 8:41: I like it -- an "up of tea", followed by a 'down of beer' or a 'sideways of psychotropics'?
Dear CC:
One hard part about being a spouse in this situation, is that if the medication isn't working -- for whatever reason -- you have to wait in suspense until the next appointment. And, hopefully, there will be a different drug ... but meantime, the wait, alone, by itself, is draining.
Michael
Re ISM, for my generation (Gen X raised in USA) the movie Ferris Bueller brought us "Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an ism, he should believe in himself."
C.C.:
Please know that Boomer and you, as well, are in my prayers. I shall double hem this week and hope all goes well.
My new computer was installed and thankfully my granddaughter is here to help when I need it. She is a whiz with a computer.
FIW; got stuck in the SW as well as a few other spots
First time I noticed that our paper didn't show a theme name (Sunday) or the constructors name(s). I actually thought this one was done by Rich
As others said, VULCANIZED RUBBER made the puzzle a big hit! Cute themes and puns
C C --> continued prayers to you and Boomer. As a survivor of his cancer it saddens me to hear that his treatment is not responding. On a separate note, I enjoyed your puzzle at USA Today. I was surprised to see the asymmetry of the grid blocks. Is that allowed only by Erik?
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