Theme: "Assembling the Parts" - Each theme entry consists of ABC, B is a preposition. Each entry is clued as AB+ BC = ABC.
22. "Might I suggest ... " + "Since you mentioned it ... " = "I'll be darned!": HOW ABOUT THAT. "How about ..." + "About that" = "How about that?".
30. Honest about + "L'chaim!" = Realistic: TRUE TO LIFE. True to + "To Life!" = True to life.
43. Approached old age + Ready to sail = Joined the cause: GOT ON BOARD. Got on + On board
61. Yell + Bent on getting = Need urgently: CRY OUT FOR. Cry out + Out for = Cry out for.
79. Sergeant's order + Type of skate = Get with the program: FALL IN LINE. Fall in + inline = Fall in line.
91. Patronize + Comfortable = Kind of parent: STAY AT HOME. Stay at + At home = Stay at home.
104. Cede + Pitching style = Climbing method: HAND OVER HAND. Hand over + overhand = hand over hand.
I don't recall a similar theme in LAT before. Fun and tight, Paul! Made me think of the great Merl Reagle.
I was wrong last Sunday when I said this would be the last puzzle edited by Rich Norris. Next Sunday's is.
Across:
7. One way to be taken: ABACK.
12. Behavioral Analysis Unit's org.: FBI.
15. Govt. loan agency: SBA. Also 40. DOD intel arm: NSA. And 101. Fed. power dept.: ENER.
18. Mountains of __: Genesis locale: ARARAT.
19. Bar offering: SUSHI. And
20. Heros, to some: GRINDERS. I prefer sushi.
24. Superior: HIGHER UP.
25. Wasn't present?: ISN'T. And 27. Car jackers?: MECHANICS. Fun clues.
26. Violent protester: RIOTER.
28. Irish moonshine: POTEEN. Learning moment for me. Also spelled as "Poitin".
32. Netted, say: SNARED.
34. Kennel club designation: BREED.
36. Angers: IRES.
37. Cliffside dwelling: AERIE.
38. Defense secretary under Nixon: LAIRD (Melvin). New name to me, though he does look familiar.
39. Dear: HON.
46. Archaeological site: RUIN. Hope you all get a chance to visit my hometown Xi'an someday. So many historical sites.
48. Noticed: SPIED.
50. "__ ideas?": ANY.
51. Phone downloads: APPS.
52. Irritates: RASPS.
53. Studied for a job?: CASED. Cased a joint.
54. Google find: SITE.
56. Lite: LO-FAT.
57. Have credit from: OWE TO. A few other To's: 39. Well aware of: HIP TO. 41. Take care of: SEE TO.
58. __ male: ALPHA.
65. Western __: UNION.
66. Super Bowl LVI champ: LA RAM.
67. Some wedding guests: AUNTS.
68. Snacks, say: EATS.
70. Biting: ACERB. This word just looks sour.
71. One may become a cliché: ADAGE.
72. Raise: REAR.
74. High point: TOP.
77. Marsh growths: REEDS.
78. Brief "Out of the question": CAN'T.
82. AOL alternative: MSN.
83. __ Elton John: SIR.
84. Morally instruct: EDIFY.
86. The Mick succeeded him as Yankee center fielder: DIMAG. Mickey Mantle. This might be Rich's clue. He's an avid Yankee fan.
87. Letters after many a general's name: RET'D.
89. Full force: BRUNT.
90. Experts: MAVENS.
94. Rouses: AWAKES.
96. Changeable type: CHAMELEON. So many great fill in this grid: 3. Celebration with a tent, maybe: LAWN PARTY. 56. Like some bonds: LONG TERM. More great fill: 71. Crucial trials: ACID TESTS. 74. Vacation rental option: TIMESHARE. 81. Online customer service option: LIVE CHAT.
97. Thingamabob: DOODAD.
100. "Goddess of Pop": CHER. Do you believe in life after love?
103. Hardly promising: HOPELESS.
106. Writers like O. Henry: IRONISTS. And 109. Writer: PEN.
107. Aquatic mammal: OTTER.
108. Beltway environs: DC AREA.
110. Rehab hurdle: DTS. Delirium tremens.
111. Crystal-lined rock: GEODE.
112. "Stagecoach" and "High Noon": OATERS.
Down:
4. Handel bars: ORATORIO. Nice clue also.
5. Apt grab rhyme: NAB.
6. Put away for later: STORED.
7. __ Clinton, historic English village that lent its name to a sports car: ASTON. Another learning moment.
8. Joke victim: BUTT.
9. "A Hard Road to Glory" author: ASHE.
10. Rent for fishing, say: CHARTER. Charter boat.
11. Do-it-yourselfer's purchase: KIT.
12. Disagreements: FRICTIONS.
13. Mountain West river named for sheep: BIGHORN.
14. Clinton said he didn't do it: INHALE.
15. Printing flourish: SERIF.
16. Actor Dern: BRUCE. Laura Dern's father.
17. Nile serpents: ASPS.
20. Indian butter: GHEE.
21. Patron saint of France: DENIS.
23. Risky turn, maybe: UIE.
27. __ pie: MUD.
29. Frosh, probably: TEEN.
31. Writes a new version of: RE-DRAFTS.
32. It's a long story: SAGA. One of our blog readers actually read "Dream of the Red Chamber".
33. Brightly colored: NEON.
34. Hopping targets?: BARS.
35. Clear (of): RID.
38. Common cat seat: LAP.
40. Japanese-American: NISEI. Jill is one.
42. Extra feature: ADD ON. A few more On's: 75. "... roasting __ open fire": ON AN. 92. Hit lightly: TAP ON. 98. Able to see right through: ONTO.
44. Dugout rack item: BAT.
45. Crude gp.?: OPEC. Can't fool our regulars.
47. "Aim High" federal org.: USAF.
48. Merit badge earner: SCOUT.
49. Little men in the front row: PAWNS.
52. Delivery assignment: ROUTE. Our mail delivery is still erratic.
54. Dig find: SHARD.
55. Sonnet line quintet: IAMBS.
58. Auto option: ALARM.
59. Velcro alternative: LACES.
60. Groom with a bill: PREEN. Verb "groom".
62. "M*A*S*H" corporal: RADAR.
63. Chinese currency: YUAN. My dad's salary was RMB49/month in 1981. Less than $8.
64. Authentic: REAL.
69. "Exodus" hero: ARI.
72. "Cast Away" escape vehicle: RAFT.
73. Nevada copper town: ELY. Learned from doing crosswords.
76. Cello parts: PEGS.
79. Flipper: FIN.
80. Sask. neighbor: N DAK.
83. Least fresh: STALEST.
85. Deadline: DUE DATE.
87. Asian noodle dish: RAMEN. Xi'an style. You can find this chain in New York City.
88. Lens cover: EYELID.
89. French word of approval: BON.
90. Managed: MADE DO.
91. Jersey __: SHORE.
93. "Bonanza" brother: HOSS. I watched a little bit of this episode when I was waiting for Boomer at the MRI waiting place. My first and only "Bonanza".
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94. Really dig: ADORE.
95. Sound file suffix: WAV.
96. China problem: CHIP.
99. Had too much, briefly: OD'ED.
102. Old food label figs.: RDAS.
104. Keep every one of: HOG.
105. TV pioneer: RCA.
Boomer's blood draw result was not good. His PSA rose to 445 (0-4 is normal), so the third chemo infusion did not work either. We're going back to the big VA hospital again tomorrow for a CT scan. Busy week ahead, appointment every day.
The good news is that spring is finally here.The snow is almost all gone.
C.C.
32 comments:
Thanks, C.C. This is an idea I've been tinkering with for some time. It wasn't easy to find common 3-word phrases that can be clued for the first and second words/the second and third words/all three words, with each meaning substantially different from the other two. But once I had a viable set, the process went with unprecedented speed. I sent this to LAT first. Rich responded immediately and accepted it. I wasn't asked to change any of the theme answers. I think this is the first time this has happened for any Sunday grid I've done in any venue. Other than a few improvements to the fill, the only change was to the title, originally "The Sum of the Parts."
This being my last LAT edited by Rich, I'd like to thank him for all his help over the years. When I started, I appreciated his collegial philosophy toward a new constructor. He's been more than willing to overlook difficult fill forced by a theme. Instead of rejecting the puzzle, he simply offered better alternatives. He's often suggested improvements to the theme or clueing angle, as well. I'll miss collaborating with Rich, but I wish him a happy retirement and I'm delighted to work with Patti. I've had several Sunday sized puzzles run in the Crossword Club, so I know how talented she is.
Thanks for the puzzle and the write up Paul and C.C. Thinking of Boomer through all this.
I was an avid Bonanza watcher in reruns, oh the days of VCR-taping my faves that came on after bedtime and then running the tape when I got home from work the next day.
On the recommendation of my now 16 year old I have recently read two Chinese novels in translation, Heaven Officials' Blessing 1 & 2. The daughter found them and their followups as web novels and when they were published in paper I purchased them on order asap. Fascinating love story amid the godly and earthly realms with lots of monsters and legend. #3 comes out in June!
All the best from Sweden
Good morning!
This one seemed to take a long time, though it really didn't Caught onto the theme without the title (which d-o forgot to read). POTEEN was a learning moment. Had UEY before UIE elbowed in. Very nice, Paul. Thanx for the expo and the update on Boomer, C.C. I hope that CT gives the doctors some insight for more effective treatment.
LAIRD -- He was my congressman when I was growing up.
HANDEL BARS -- There was a piece by that name in my Schaum piano book when I was a wee lad. (It's probably still there.)
In spite of the larger grid for Sunday, pretty much everything fell into place. The only answer I was unsure about was "poteen" and "uie" which I guess you could call a Natick for me. But I got it right. In fact, FIR, so I'm satisfied.
Good Morning:
This was one of those rare Sunday puzzles that I not only loved the theme, but the solve was a pleasure vs a chore. I, also, don’t ever remember seeing this type of theme, which made the solving experience even more special. I found much of the cluing very clever and, as CC noted, the fill was fresh and lively. And, an added bonus was the relatively low count of three letter words, which is always appreciated by me. I also appreciated the lack of unknown proper nouns that usually inundate a Sunday grid. I started out with back to back errors, Mangos/Melons and Wrong/Aback and also stumbled over Ares/Eros and Army/USAF, both careless errors.
I’m always on the alert for critter-related fill and today found Breed, Alpha, Aerie, Chameleon, Otter, Mahi, Kit, Preen, Fin, Hog, and Snared. In addition to the pairings CC highlighted, we had Spied/See, Apps/Asps, Shard/Site/Ruin, Share/Shore, Snared/Nab, Otter/Oaters, Rasps/Asps, Sushi/Bars, Mahi/Fin, Bon/Hon, and DTs/ODed. CSOs to Misty and Moi (RCA), Dennis (Denis), Owen and Moe (Iambs), Jayce (USAF), and YR and CED (Shore). Apologies if I missed anyone but Sunday grids test my observational skills.
Many thanks, Paul, for a most enjoyable and satisfying solve and for stopping by and sharing some thoughts on your craftsmanship, and thanks, CC, as always, for your unique perspective as a constructor, as well as a solver. Sorry to hear of Boomers’s lab results and wish you well with the busy and demanding week ahead. Thanks for keeping us up to date.
Have a great day.
Hmm,
Should it not be titled "some assembly required?"
Well, at least I learned something...
Anywho,
I finished the puzzle,
but, what do I do with the parts left over?
Musings
-Brilliant and fun!
-Some see protestors and others see RIOTERS
-One company is doing great business these days getting people out of TIME SHARES
-Poirot says BON Chance for Good Luck
-Such sad news for Boomer and C.C.
-Taken ABACK and ASTON – I was at a sports car show yesterday where the participants gunned their vehicles upon leaving the parking lot. One car got away from the driver and was sliding right toward me until a fire hydrant caught it and spun it around. I am glad to be here!
From yesterday's news...
I have raved previously about,
(Hey, it's better than ranting...)
The Play Goes Wrong.
Specifically, "Peter Pan," and "Scrooge. Plays by the above.
And opined that it was a crime that these shows are not 8n the public domain.
Well that has changed...
(Or, at least their weekly half hour play show, "The GOES wrong Show.")
Yesterday I posted "90 degrees."
Today I found out that (many) of these shows ARE available for free "if" you dig deep enough...
"IF" this style of humor appeals to you, may I suggest the following, in order!
Harpers Locket
A trial to watch
The Lodge
a Christmas Story
And The Pilot, (not the pilot)
There may be many more, but it requires digging thru thousands of free shows I did not know was available.
When watching any of the above, (when. Not in full screen, or via your television)
Click on the subscription name "YouTube movies and shows."
Scroll down to either "free" movies, or "free" shows.
Be sure to swipe left to see more.
And be especially sure to click on the "see more" at the end of the swipe to
find a treasure trove of free stuff....
FIR, but took a WAG at the crossing of Aston and poteen. Even spell check argued about poteen, changed it each time, and I've never heard of it.
HOW ABOUT THAT!!! Paul's Sunday puzzle that wasn't one of those GRINDERS that required a lot of fills using perps or WAGS. I GOT ON BOARD to his theme early and all the fills would FALL IN LINE after two or three perps. POTEEN for illegal Jameson and ASTON Clinton were the only unknowns filled by perps today.
A great puzzle with basically NO proper names except Dan Blocker's character HOSS and ASTON.
RUIN- an apt description of many cities in Ukraine
DIMAG- "where have you gone Joe Dimaggio?" an easy fill with The Mick clue.
LONG TERM bonds- only if you want to lose real money; inflation negates any return and you get to pay income tax on your measly interest.
BUTT of a joke- Will Smith didn't like his wife being one.
SwenglishMom- there's a LSU Cajun whose mother is from Sweden, Mondo Duplantis, who competes for Sweden. He set the world record of 20ft 4in in the pole vault. I guess he's a "Swedejun" or "Cajuswede".
Gary- protesters don't destroy, set building on fire, or assault, & rob people. RIOTERS do.
Big Easy, didn't you notice these proper names? ASHE, DIMAG, BRUCE, DENIS, ARI, ELY, CHER
Hola!
Yowza! I can't convey how much easier it was to solve today, not just the puzzle itself but our newspaper enlarged the grid! Usually it's so small I have to squint at every letter. Today it's almost all the way across the sheet, well 3/4s at least. I don't know if others here remarked on it since I haven't read you all.
The fill itself was fairly straight forward as is the case with Paul's puzzles. POTEEN was unknown and I was glad DIMAG perped itself. I did suss LA RAM. Also I knew YUAN from first hand experience.
CSO to my brother DENIS although he spells it DENNIS.
Now I have to go PREEN to go to church. More later.
C.C., I'm sorry to hear Boomer is not doing well. I'll pray for his well being today at chrch.
Have a spectacular Sunday, everyone!
CC and Boomer Very sorry to hear the medical news. Best of luck with the appointments this week.
Why is Rich Norris leaving and what will happen next?
Paul Coulter Thank you for stopping by. I am in awe of your construction creativity and ingenuity to make it work.
Here I was IN LINE SKATING in 1999.
The friend who taught me only did it once and then I got hooked for awhile! But I never got that good at it. I need to get back to it. Anyone else here do IN LINE SKATING?
Cross Eyed Dave Thank you for all of your amusing link finds! That "90 Degrees" bit on Friday was wild. New for me. Any idea how they made it? Is it a series?
Thanks for the puzzle and the recap.
Thinking of Boomer. Hoping for the very best this coming week.
A FIR Sunday! HOW ABOUT THAT! Paul, I enjoyed the puzzle very much, and caught on to the theme gimmick with GOT ON BOARD. Thanks for a super Sunday with plenty of interesting clues and fill.
Thanks, C.C., for a helpful review. I always appreciate your extra information. Sorry to hear of Boomer's test results. Hope you find out something this week that can improve his treatment. Keep us posted.
Some WOs included Agee/ASHE, oui/BON, and Laura/BRUCE. The last corner to fill was the NW again.
We had a big Spring LAWN PARTY for 21 years in a row. Now we are RET'D from hosting such events. Hope you all are enjoying Spring blooms.
Delightful Sunday puzzle, Paul--many thanks, and thanks for checking in with us. It's always interesting to get the constructor's thoughts. And your Sunday analysis is always a pleasure C.C., thanks for that too. But so sorry to hear about Boomer's disappointing news--I will keep him in my daily prayer.
My first funny conundrum came when I misread HANDEL bars as Handle bars. Thank goodness ORATORIO slowly filled in and I realized it was music we were dealing with.
I always loved RADAR O'Reilly on MASH during all those years the show was on.
Remembered that Elton John became a SIR at some point.
Irish Miss, thank you so much for remembering that my Dad worked at RCA for decades and decades. He's still with us at 93.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
Picard,
Not only is it a half hour BBC series,
they have several movie length plays!
How the Goes Wrong Show made 90 degrees is definitely a puzzle.
however, here is the Actors "own take" on it...
One of the most endearing things about this series is the troupe of actors.
No matter what role they happen to have to play, it is "part of the "schtick" that they
Each bring along their own idiosyncrasies.
Note of caution, you must see "The British" version!
There are versions from different country's that have different actors that just do not endear as well.
A case in point is the play, "Murder at Haversham Manor."
Picard, Rich Norris decided it was time to retire. Patti Varol, who's been Rich's assistant crossword editor since 2010, will be taking over the reins. I've been told we shouldn't expect any big changes.
Sorry if I overlink here,
But there is just so much funny stuff.
The show goes wrong has been so successful,
that everyone wants to copy it...
SuperSunday. Thanks for the fun, Paul (thanks for stopping by) and C.C. (sorry to hear of Boomer’s medical news, and hope this week will be better.)
I FIRed in good time and assembled the parts. Clever.
Hand up for Uey before UIE, Ares before EROS, Mangos before MELONS.
I changed Stowed to STORED, Acrid to ACERB. (And we had ACID TEST)
I smiled at NSA crossing SPIED, ADD ON crossing UNION.
MB or MAN ( hi Ray-o), AB or ALTA? Oh, we are across the border in NDAK.
Good to hear from you SwenglishMom.
Wishing you all a great day.
I was excited at the CSO to moi, as I am born in Sask, and currently live in Alta. No call out to me though, it was North Dakota! Oh well..... Finished the puzzle in middling time, took us a minute to figure out the gimmick. Sometimes we forget to look for it at all, so anytime that we "get" it is a win.
We are sorry to hear of Boomer's continued health challenges. We send warm thoughts and good wishes to you both.
Prayers, of course, continue for Boomer, and for C.C. -- may your challenges this week be graced by the holiness of Holy Week.
Today's puzzle is absolutely fantastic -- what a joy to solve!
I am extremely impressed with the inspired theme and solid construction of this puzzle, which was a pleasure to solve. I like Mr. Coulter's work. One typographical error prevented the TaDa finish, and I had to click "Check grid" to find it; it turned out that I had typed R instead of T (next to each other on the keyboard) where POTEEN crossed, um, TEEN. RELIC became SHARD, TAPAS became SUSHI, and ACURA became ALARM. HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMAN didn't fit in the INHALE space. Hand up for loving the clues for ORATORIO, ISNT, and MECHANICS; also liked the clue for CASED.
PEN reminds me that France is holding elections today.
Hopping targets: BARS reminds me of when LW and I went bar hopping in Eureka, California, many years ago. It was actually fun, and we met many out-of-work lumberjacks and other logging industry professionals. Those were the "save the spotted owl" days when the logging industry collapsed and threw hundreds out of work.
I miss Steve.
Irish Miss, thank you for remembering.
Picard, I have never tried in-line skating. Heck I always fall off a skateboard or surfboard. I used to roller skate on four wheels regularly in my youth, though, and was one of several who helped run the local roller rink.
It seems the term "groom" has recently been misused a lot.
Good wishes to you all.
Thank you P.C. and C.C. - you always make a good team.
A relative toughie for a Sunday, which are supposed to be Tuesdayish in difficulty, just bigger. More like Fridayish to me, but with a little persistence I was able to FIR it. My foggy understanding of the theme was a bit of a help, but C.C. finally clarified it for me when I got here.
A few favs:
18A ARARAT. When the waters of the flood had subsided, Noah had to think of something to do with all the animals and he came up with this enterprising solution.
38A LAIRD. In addition to being Nixon's Secretary of Define, “Laird”, is a Scottish title reserved for those who own larger estates or pieces of land in Scotland. The term “Laird” may be occasionally referred to by the owner themselves, or most likely by those employed by the estate.
4D ORATORIO. Love this clue. Here are few Handel bars appropriate to the season.
16D BRUCE. Ignored the word "Actor", and held on to his daughter LAURA longer than I should have.
21D DENIS. Really wanted St. Joan, as a statue of her just down the street from the hotel we stayed in on La Rue di Rivoli in Paris is fixed in my mind.
32D SAGA. Let me guess - a CSO to Jayce?
Cheers,
Bill
Word of the Day anglophone
Part of Speech: Noun, Adjective
Meaning: No, it isn't a telephone reserved for the English, or a telephone that tells you where the fish are running, but rather anyone who speaks English. You must be one yourself!
Notes: We have anglophobes, who hate us, anglophiles, who love us and, of course, anglomaniacs, who love us to distraction. We English speakers ourselves are anglophones simply because we speak English. You can replace anglo with franco for the French or French speakers (francophone) and russo for Russians or Russian speakers (russophone). Today's Good Word may or may not be capitalized.
In Play: Today's word more often refers to native speakers rather than to English language learners: "Although Dwight Mann lived in Italy for eight years, he never learned to speak Italian because he spent most of his time with other anglophones living there." Of course, others in the anglophone community probably spoke Italian quite well: "George is such an anglophone, he speaks the Queen's English, eschewing all Americanisms."
Word History: Today's word is a combination of Latin or Greek Angli "the English" + Greek phone "sound, voice". The name for the English comes from the area of Angeln, a hook-shaped peninsula protruding from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany into the Baltic Sea. Some of our ancestors migrated from there in the late 4th century, along with the Saxons, and Jutes, who came from Jutland. Phone, of course, is found in telephone, literally "distant sound", and phonology is the scientific study of linguistic sounds.
For more info see Word of the Day
Bill's comment: I'm sure CandadianEh! is familiar with this term.
Thank you Paul Colter for a very challenging puzzle, which I finally completed ...
Thank you CC for your illuminating review. I am so sorry the news about dear Boomer is quite disappointing, but I will continue to offer you my best wishes, and prayers for a good prognosis. Above all, I hope any pain involved is being adequately controlled.
Slowly, the CW all came together, and I was able to catch on to the A-B and B-C gimmick and the A-B-C solution. But some of the cluing was rather difficult, and took a lot of thought.
I got POTEEN very quickly ... I thought the etymology had to do with the ubiquitous Irish Potato ... But No ... it has to do with an English, 'little pot' ... I guess the liquor was fermented and distilled, and made in small quantities.... hence in little pots.
Thank you CED for your interesting things you come up with. You never fail to amze and amuse us !!!@@@
Have agreat week, to come, you all.
I'll break ranks. Disliked the theme IMMENSELY! As a baseball historian of sorts ( I have a room in my house devoted to Baseball _ centerpiece: baseball signed by Ty Cobb when I met him and shook his hand!)
DEMAG for JOLTIN' JOE?? ARE YOU SERIOUS???
This entry is WAY above my tolerance level! A total waste of my time.
I bonds add the cost of inflation to earned interest-especially good this year. Also interest not taxed by the federales, only by the states.
Come to think of it, after reading Bobbi Bruesch's comment, DEMAG sounds like something I used to do to tape recorder heads and to reels of magnetic tape. I know, it's actually called degauss. I've sometimes had to do it to our magnetometers, too.
This is a link to that bowling show on HBOthat Boomer might like How We Roll
I started very slowly, not grok'ing the "Assembly" nor Paul's tricky clueing. Once I found some LHF I was able to perp a few themes and I was rolling.
Yes, thought Clinton's denial was about sex, too.
Computing the Roman numeral (LVI) requires adding 1 to 2022-1967.
WC
Jayce and WC - hand up for thinking of that other Clinton denial.
waseeley - you are correct. Anglophone is a well-known word to me. I may be the only one here (besides LfromAlberta) who not only speaks the Queen’s English, but Spells it. LOL!
Good luck this week CC. Thanks for the update. All the best to you both. GC
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