Theme: "Ease Off" - Long E sound is replaced by a long A sound.
22A. Cleaner who doesn't bother with corners?: STRAIGHT SWEEPER. Street sweeper.
45A. Soft sounds from the barnyard?: GENTLE BRAYS. Gentle breeze.
68A. Gardeners who can tend a plot really, really fast?: SPADE DEMONS. Speed demons.
93A. Words on a sale poster?: PRICE PHRASE. Price freeze.
120A. Squabble over whose turn it is to get the car fixed?: MAINTENANCE FRAY. Maintenance-free.
15D. Interruption during the America's Cup?: SUSPENDED SAILING. Suspended ceiling.
37D. Race official?: JUSTICE OF THE PACE. Justice of the peace.
I really admire the creatively into this type of sound change theme. I can only do the letter replacement.
I think newbies can reference this grid when they design a seven-theme for the LAT. It's very well done. Pam is a total pro.
Across:
6. Came down: ALIT.
10. Sweets: HON.
13. Playwright Henrik: IBSEN. We have not seen GYNT for sometime.
18. Jetson canine: ASTRO.
19. Actor MacFarlane: SETH.
20. 92-Down base: RICE. 92. Ristorante dish: RISOTTO. Here's Blue Hen's cheater risotto recipe.
21. Timid: MOUSY.
25. Celeb's entourage: POSSE.
26. Epic journey: ODYSSEY. We made two VA trips on Wednesday due to an extra CT scan. Boomer was totally exhausted afterwards.
27. Long skirt: MAXI.
28. Director DuVernay: AVA. Just had her last Sunday.
30. Ad: SPOT.
31. Signature piece?: PEN. Great clue.
32. Encore presentation: RERUN.
33. Nullify: NEGATE.
35. Army bigwigs: Abbr.: MAJS. Majors. I think 90% of the VA patients I've seen are guys.
38. __ Jima: IWO.
40. Nursery purchase: TREE.
42. Occasion: EVENT.
44. Terre Haute sch.: ISU. Indiana State University.
49. Urgent-care pro: ER DOC. Always takes a long long time to get discharged from the ER. Those doctors tend to disappear.
51. Cotton thread: LISLE.
53. Rosary unit: BEAD.
54. Sporty Chevy: VETTE.
56. Self-image: EGO.
57. Some D.C. pros: NATIONALS. I remember the craze over Bryce Harper's rookie card.
59. Many a middle schooler: PRETEEN.
61. Family man: DAD.
62. Head-scratcher: ENIGMA.
63. Fencing sword: EPEE.
65. Mortise inserts: TENONS.
67. Expert: ACE.
72. __ de cologne: EAU.
74. Deletes: ERASES.
76. Farm tower: SILO.
77. Accommodate: OBLIGE.
80. Loving murmur: COO.
82. Trio-quartet combos: SEPTETS.
84. Rainy day gear: UMBRELLAS.
87. "Walk me!": ARF.
88. More faithful: TRUER.
89. "The Checklist Manifesto" surgeon/author Gawande: ATUL. Google shows that Atul has the Sanskrit origin, means "matchless or an incomparable person".
.jpg/320px-Atul-Gawande_(cropped).jpg)
90. Besmirch: TAINT.
91. D.C. subway: METRO.
97. Confidentiality contract: Abbr.: NDA. Non-Disclosure Agreement.
98. "Keep your __ on!": SHIRT.
100. Applaud: CLAP.
101. __ Dhabi: ABU.
102. Thickener used in molecular gastronomy: AGAR. Not familiar with "molecular gastronomy", but "thickener" is enough a clue. Agar is widely used in Asian desserts.
103. Prose pieces: ESSAYS.
106. Cybersales: E-TAIL.
108. Helena hrs.: MST.
110. Tit for tat, say?: TYPO. Another great clue.
112. Furry friend: PET.
113. Broadcasts: AIRS.
114. Lactose-free coffee additive: OAT MILK. I use this extra creamy oat milk for my matcha latte.
118. Literature Nobelist who served in the Irish Senate: YEATS. I knew this!
123. Hard-to-handle plants: CACTI.
124. Goes astray: ERRS.
125. Alaskan seaport: NOME.
126. Earring in a Vermeer painting: PEARL. We also have 48. Dutch painter Jan: STEEN.
127. Creme-filled cookies: OREOS.
128. Surname separator: NEE.
129. Short "So long!": TTYL.
130. Common __: SENSE.
Down:
2. Cornerstone abbr.: ESTD.
3. "It was nothing": I TRY.
4. Understands: GRASPS.
5. __-canceling headphones: NOISE. Our new neighbor has a kid who likes to play basketball in their garage for hours.
6. Like a used firepit: ASHY.
7. Allowed: LET.
8. Personal identification?: IT'S ME.
9. Scuppered: THWARTED. Consonants-heavy.
10. With it: HIP.
11. "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" novelist Vuong: OCEAN. Also famous for his "Night Sky with Exit Wounds". Here is why he's named Ocean. I have the same problem. My "bitch" and "beach" are the same.
12. Audacity: NERVE.
13. Troublemaking kid: IMP.
14. Second shot: BOOSTER.
16. Petro-Canada rival: ESSO.
17. Russian "no": NYET.
20. "The Princess Bride" director: REINER (Rob). "As you wish!".
23. Fabled wish-granter: GENIE.
24. Outlying community: EXURB.
29. Info requested by winery websites: AGE. Also 111. Wine label number: YEAR.
32. Canned tomatoes brand: ROTEL. I just threw away an almost full jar of Ragu. I had no idea that the sauce only lasts a week in the fridge.
34. Active Naturals skin care brand: AVEENO. Oaty!
35. Writer who created Pooh and Roo: MILNE.
36. Seoul airline: ASIANA.
39. Org. whose 2021 MVP was Jonquel Jones: WNBA. Playing for the Connecticut Sun
41. Roof overhang: EAVE.
43. Easily improvised costume: TOGA.
45. Math subj.: GEOM.
46. Shined a light on?: LASED.
47. "The best is __ come": YET TO.
50. __ liver oil: COD.
52. Hybrid big cat: LIGER.
55. Stretching muscle: TENSOR.
58. Lake on the Nile: NASSER.
59. Mani-__: spa treatments: PEDIS.
60. Fishing line holder: REEL.
64. Irksome one: PEST.
66. Harlem Renaissance novelist Larsen: NELLA. Learning moment for me.
69. Caffeinate, perhaps: PEP UP.
70. Flower that sounds like a furrier: ASTER. And 75. Furriers who sound like flowers: ASTORS
71. River delta area: MOUTH.
73. Kenya neighbor: UGANDA.
78. __ noire: BETE.
79. Basic Spanish infinitive: ESTAR. To be.
80. GoPro product, briefly: CAM.
81. Mined finds: ORES.
83. Stonestreet of "Modern Family": ERIC.
85. Big picture?: MURAL. This works without the ? also.
86. Spill the beans: BLAB.
89. Plain to see: APPARENT.
94. Spruces up: CLEANS.
95. Totally face-plant: EAT IT. I overhead Boomer shouted "Take that, Janice" when he was watching a Twins & Guardians (Indians) game.
 |
| Janice and her daughter at an Indians Game Pre-COVID |
96. Poison __: SUMAC. The one on the left is not poisonous.
99. Faucet: TAP.
102. Money paid to get money: ATM FEE.
104. Oman neighbor: YEMEN.
105. Fixed gaze: STARE.
107. Immature comeback: IS NOT.
109. Dance moves: STEPS.
110. Bygone name in toys: TYCO.
114. Turow book: ONE L.
115. Setting of the memoir "Reading Lolita in Tehran": IRAN.
116. Metallica drummer Ulrich: LARS.
117. "Friday Night Lights" actor Chandler: KYLE.
119. "__-boom-bah!": SIS.
121. Anger: IRE.
122. Minnesota senator Klobuchar: AMY. We're a super blue state.
Thanks
for the sweet birthday wishes. We were super busy that day with various
appointments, but we enjoyed a chocolate cake, some red apricots (new
to me) on a beautiful Minnesota summer day.
Boomer completed his radiation on Friday. Unfortunately his oncologist tested positive for COVID, so he was not able to get bone strengthener infusion, which is postponed to July 11th.
Next week we'll meet with the spinal cord doctor. And his normal PT/OT.
C.C.
29 comments:
FIWrong. 3 misspelling, each in a different corner. 3 bad cells.
Theme was meh. SWEEPER should have been SWAPER.
There was an old maid in UGANDA
Who had known many men, to land a
Husband. She was picky
To find her Harry, Tom or Dicky!
What's sauce for a goose, fits a gander!
SETH was not MOUSY at all.
He had plenty of NERVE and gall!
He gave a bouquet of ASTER
To an heiress of ASTOR.
But ASTRO, the dog, ate them all!
{A-, B+.}
Good morning!
Spelling it RISSOTO slowed things down in SOCAL. Finally realized my error and YEATS appeared. Whew. DNF avoided. This was a cute, easy to understand theme. Even d-o got it. Thanx, Pam and C.C. (Hope things go well for Boomer this week.)
FIW, starting with 1a x 1d, dEIGN instead of FEIGN. Never heard of Burkina FASO, but I see that its GDP is much less than a tenth of Elon Musk's net worth. Also blew the Natick of OCEeN x eVA. Just plain old carelessness at TENdOn x SPADE DEMONd & UMBnELLAS.
ISU? I prefer University of Indianapolis, home of the Greyhounds!
I knew about molecular gastronomy from this season's "Below Deck Sailing Yacht". It was among the food demanded by one of the prima donna customers. The chef explained it, but I didn't get it.
Now I know how "scupper" got its name. A lot of small sailboats have them. They are basically a hole below the water line that suctions out water as the boat moves. When the boat stops, a flap keeps water from coming back in. It scups it! Gotta put that one in my obfuscation thesaurus.
My BOOSTER was my third shot. And my fourth.
The Best is Yet To Come. I certainly hope so.
A lot of my HO railroad rolling stock was from TYCO. Didn't know they were out of the business.
Thanks to Pam for the fun. This one wasn't beyond my ability, it was just beyond my discipline. And thanks to CC for another solid tour, and especially for the Boomer update.
FIR, despite a slew of totally unknowns. A few of the theme answers worked for me, but several were a puzzle till I got here and read the blog. Just couldn't grasp brays, frays, and sailing. The CW was a bit if a workout for a Sunday!
Finishing a week of FIRs with Sunday! No silly errors today. Yay! Thanks, Pam, for the fun of the puzzle and theme, easily figured out. And thanks, C.C., for the excellent review and update on Boomer. Another doctor with COVID, another treatment rescheduled. Hope all goes well this week for you all and glad you had some happiness on your birthday.
Before I got worried about the unknown proper names, I found the perps helped. Whew! I also noticed OREOS made an appearance after a long absence. When will we see Erie again? We've been using that "rainy day gear" lately so UMBRELLAS should have been my first thought.
Happy long weekend to everyone!
This puzzle was a lot of fun. I didn't understand all the phrases before I came to this blog, but I do now. Anyway, FIR, so I'm happy.
And, BTW, congratulations ATL Granny on a week straight of FIRs. That's quite an accomplishment!
Good Morning:
I’m always happy to see Pam’s byline, especially on a Sunday when she has a broader canvas to show off her word-play talents. This type of theme, however, isn’t one of my favorites because it usually requires a stretch of imagination to reconcile the phonetics with the clue. Also, knowing the theme from the title and very first themer entry greatly diminishes the difficulty of the solve. That said, Pam gave us plenty of fresh fill and, as CC noted, some very clever clues to make the solve a pleasant, if easy, one.
Thanks, Pam, for a leisurely Sunday stroll and thanks, CC, for the insider’s assessment and critique. Thanks, also, for the update on Boomer and good luck with this week’s challenges.
Keith, I didn’t post yesterday but please accept my belated sincere condolences for your heartbreaking loss.
Pat, I’m very sorry for your recent loss, as well.
Have a great day.
Musings
-STRAIGHT SHOOTER? Uh, not so much in this fun puzzle.
-DO you know someone with whom you had to FEIGN interest in what they were saying?
-Nothing says VETTE to me like this 67-yr-old version
-I was TODAY YEARS OLD when I first saw ATUL and OAT MILK (use it or lose it!)
-Granddaughter is moving to D.C. next month and has already scoped out her METRO strategies
-I live in an EXURB of Omaha
-The ASTORS made millions in Oregon and never went there
-Gotta run!
Thanks for the Boomer update C.C. And hang in there Boomer.
It was an easy fill for a Sunday but there were eight proper names that I knew and about that many that were perped. Too many. It took a few theme fills to catch the E to A switch. The REINER, RICE, OCEAN, HIP (or hep) area was the last to fill.
Four Countries TODAY- YEMEN Burkina FASO, ABU Dhabi, UGANDA
THWARTED-all perps; never heard of scuppered. Neither Bing or Google list it either.
Thought I understood the theme as an E removed, but of course they did not make much sense. Thanks for the E to A explanation.
Learning moments:
Spaghetti sauce doesn't last forever in the fridge?
While with the amount of pasta we eat, sauce would never last more than a month in the fridge. I always thought that if reheated to boiling it was perfectly safe. Am I wrong about this?
Never heard of "scuppered."
now the question is how and when to use the word?
Delightful Sunday puzzle, many thanks, Pam. And C.C., your commentaries are always so helpful and a pleasure. You and Boomer are in my prayers every day, and I hope you have a really good week ahead.
As soon as I saw HON, I was happy, and then came one of my favorite writers: IBSEN! A bit later we would get another great literary figure: YEATS.
Of course, I also love "The ODYSSEY."
Having the nursery purchase turn out to be a TREE made me laugh.
ENIGMAS in puzzles often require ERASERS to get them right.
More artwork with MURALs and with that Vermeer painting of the lady wearing that PEARL earring.
Fun puzzle, thanks again, Pam.
And have a good week coming up, everybody.
Great Sunday puzzle. Very satisfying, very few unknowns. I remember reading, “Reading Lolita in Tehran” by Azar Nafisi. Wonderful book and so enlightening about the Iranian revolution from the author’s first hand experience.
Best wishes to all for a lazy, comfy Sunday.
Best of luck to CC and Boomer with health appointments.
Slow to get the theme. The title implied E's were dropped OFF? Can someone explain how E->A fits with the "Ease Off" title?
Eventually got it and enjoyed it. As usual, the proper names not so much. Has anyone heard of ROTEL? It just sounded wrong. Still managed to FIR.
I am very grateful for this new video of DW and me doing our Swing DANCE MOVES at a new outdoor venue.
From Yesterday:
OwenKL Please let me know what you saw when you looked at my OAKLAND Cathedral photos? I had a set of five photos and one video. The first photo was of the outside. How is it for others? Can other people see the full set?
Wilbur Charles Thank you for the kind words about my OAKLAND Cathedral post. Can you say more about what your brother was advised regarding COVID?
Husker Gary Thank you for that performance of "The Typewriter". I have seen it performed, but can't remember where or when.
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Pam, for an interesting ENIGMA. Thanks, C.C., for enlightenment & news of Boomer. I'm still praying for you both.
Was elated to get FEIGN & FASO to start off.
Couldn't read the title before I started and recognizing the theme was trickier because of the alternating placement of the changed words. Finally mulled it over long enough after filling it right to understand the cleverness.
Last fill: R's & N in the ROTEL, RERUN, & REINER area. Couldn't remember REINER for "Princess Bride" (Duh!). Never used ROTEL (always grew & canned my own tomatoes). RERUN: 32a "Encore presentation." Thought of concert encore & my Buick Encore model, but not TV shows. (Duh!) Also forgot to go back & put the "R" in RICE after filling in RISOTTO at the bottom. (Duh!) Don't like referral clues so far apart.
DNK: SETH, ATUL, STEEN, OCEAN, NELLA, ESTAR, ERIC, LARS, KYLE as clued. ESP
Didn't know TYCO was defunct. Wonder who bought it out.
Just lurking, sitting at the gate at O'Hare waiting for our flight to Syracuse
Changing the EE sound to a long A gives the phrases an Irish lilt. "Juno & the Paycock" by Seán O:Casey
Thought I would provide an example of a SCUPPER. This one is the FloMax Ball variety. No, it's not a link to a prostate medication site.
I've seen big TYCO undersea cable-laying ships in Baltimore Harbor. Google says TYCO Toys was bought by Mattel in 1997.
Sunday Lurk say...
Thanks for the update on Boomer, C.C. Keep up the PT/OT, Boomer!
{B+, A}
HG - where in DC is your Grand going? Eldest just got an apartment and is moving to Fairfax for the next 5 years to attend George Mason's PhD program. Your Grand looking for a place / roommate yet?
Nice moves, Picard.
Safe travels, Ray-O.
Jinx - Thanks for info /image on SCUPPER. CED - thanks for the laugh
Cheers, -T
Thank you Pam for a pleasant Sunday stroll for a FIR, once again extending my streak to 1. As the cluing was pretty STREETFORWARD, with plenty of fair perps for the P&P, I didn't really need the theme to help solve it.
And thank you C.C. for the review, especially the theme explanation. And thank you for the update on Boomer. COVID just won't seem to let go, and it's still causing lots of problems and slowdowns, especially in hospital settings.
Some favs:
13A IBSEN. I've never read any of his plays, but have seen several performed. Peer Gynt was also the inspiration for Edvard Grieg's well known incidental music. Here's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Grieg's Suite No. 1.
62A ENIGMA. The ENIGMA machine was a big "head scratcher" for the Allies during WWII. They devoted a small army of mathematicians, scientists, and "computers" (bright young women, fresh out of college, who did the number crunching) to solving it. The Imitation Game is the story of Alan Turing, the genius who broke the ENIGMA code.
102A AGAR. DNK "molecular gastonomy", but there aren't aren't too many 4 letter "thickeners". Well ROUX maybe, but it didn't perp.
96D SUMAC. A tart, but refreshing drink called "Indian Lemonade" can be made by soaking the berries of the Staghorn Sumac in water, straining the mixture, adding sugar, and chilling. Serve over ice.
Cheers,
Bill
Jinx @1:47 PM Thanks for that Jinx. Now I know what a "Rusty Scupper" is, aside from an overpriced restaurant on Baltimore's Harbor Place.
Anon-T, all of DC is pretty expensive. Doesn't matter where you are, your grand won't go very far.
*rim-shot* -- funny, D-O.
I tried to find two of my fav modern-day chefs' videos re: molecular gastronomy.
I only got an article from Gordon Ramsay.
I did find a vid from Alton Brown railing against foam.
Cheers, -T
I liked this puzzle very much. I can't think of a Klawitter puzzle I didn't like. Not all that enamored of MAJS, though.
Picard, like you I think of "Ease Off" as implying that the letter or sound "E" is removed, rather than replaced by another sound. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the gimmick. At first I tried to massage STRAIGHT SWEEPER into STRAIGHT SWAPER (hello, Owen!) but finally realized the two "E"s in SWEEPER were not the target of the sound alteration.
Really glad that the answer to "Sweets" is HON and not that other thing.
IWO Jima means Sulphur Island. Its name in Japanese is actually Iō Tō, which also translates to Sulphur Island.
Gary, I love that picture of that VETTE.
Congratulations on knowing YEATS, C.C. I didn't know it but took a guess and got lucky. Another guess I got lucky on was WNBA.
There used to be a "Rusty Scupper" near here, too, waseeley. We used to go there for drinks after work. I guess it was sold, because it is now called "The Faultline." Still overpriced and the food is nothing to write home about.
Interesting story about how OCEAN Vuong got his name.
When I see the name ROTEL I immediately think of the British stereo equipment. Why is that? Because we bought some of their components many years ago and it is still working perfectly today. Back then everything was analogue but now it's all digital.
Re TYCO: I used to do a lot of contracting work for a high-end electronic connector company called AMP, located in Harrisburg, PA. An absolutely terrific place to work, and everyone was always treated with great respect. Then they sold out to a company called TYCO Electronics, which was headed up by a corrupt CEO named Dennis Kozlowski. Everyone I knew at AMP was furious and several of them resigned or retired in disgust. In March 1911 the company officially changed its name to TE Connectivity, LTD. They still make excellent connectors. I think TYCO Toys is an entirely different company, which is now owned by Mattel, as Jinx said. They made the "Slot Cars" which I and my son used to spend hours playing with.
Good wishes to you all.
I was TODAY YEARS OLD when I learned that scupper was also a device on a boat. I only knew that word in reference to the drain in the parapet or floor of a flat roof to get rid of excess water. Thank you, Jinx.
Approximately around 1982 or so I learned of ROTEL tomatoes. A coworker friend invited me over for "shoes" and a BBQ. His wife made a dip with saucepan melted Velveeta cheese and a can of Rotel tomatoes. I've been buying Rotel tomatoes ever since, although I've passed on the Velveeta. In a pinch, it's also a great time saver for making salsa fresca or black beans. Don't forget the cilantro !
C.C., I thought your description of the e to a sound replace was fine, but apparently some people either don't read you reviews or are too rigid to accept the word play that Pam constructed.
We are a most appreciative and gentle blog greeting almost every puzzle with joy. Personally, I thought the theme today was more than a stretch but gobbledygook. I love PAK's puzzles but this while not difficult to solve was not satisfyingly. Mix in Gawande: ATUL , Larsen: NELLA , and Vuong: OCEAN and my fun meter soured. I did love ASTER , ASTORS and ESTAR all in one puzzle.
The story of DENNIS KOZLOWSKI is somewhat unique in the era of 90's greed. Among his other acquisitions was a client of mine who became an interim companion. He really liked spending money.
Best to you C.C. and Boomer and Pam thank you
Super Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Pam and C.C.
I FIRed and saw the EEs changed to an A sound.
Any unknown names were perped fairly.
I’ll take a CSO at that Petro-Canada clue. Our price of gas dropped overnight as Ontario govt. removed $.05 from their tax.
Wishing you all a great evening.
Picard, all I saw yesterday was the video, and today just a black screen.
Okay, went back to yesterday, and the way the page was set up, I thought the vid was it. If I'd read the fine print -- but hey, I'm a guy, and reading instructions is not a guy thing!
Jayce, I think GTE used millions of those AMP connectors. IIRC, they made cable splicing fast, reliable and cheap. Replaced manual connecting, soldering and tape (3M's Scotch 33+, to be specific). Seems like AMP made our RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors and tools too. But I wasn't around in 1911, so I'm not sure. (according to D&B, TYCO Electronics Subsea Communications is located in Manila. TYCO the toy company, HQed in New Jersey, began its demise in 1970, when the Sara Lee company made the unfortunate decision to buy it. Oh well, everybody doesn't like something.
Thank You Pam Amick Klawitter (PAK) for a long and involved Sunday puzzle, which I completed with some difficulty. But it was enjoyable, especially when solved over a couple of hours, between Sunday chores.
Thank You CC, for the enjoyable review. My prayers continue for both of you. Hope the oncologist recovers, soon, from the Covid, so he/she, in turn, can perform their duty on Boomer.
On the CW puzzle, I was confused with some of the usual matters, but finally prevailed in the end.
LIGERS :: There are a reported 100 Ligers, in the world, with most of them presumably in the US. No wonder, it must take a lion's share of ones earnings just to feed them. They are a product of a male lion/female tiger, and are smaller than Tigons, their sister-hybrid of the other-way=around hybrid ....
And then there are Pizzlys ..... My, Oh My, these exotic species are getting AMOROUS, .... like Romeo and Juliet .... .
Thank you CED for your unfailing humor, we take you for granted, but your humor never fails to hit the mark !!@!! ( although I couldnt understand the last joke ... )
Thank you Picard for your numerous photos, and your lovely video with your lovely DW, dancing away ... At first, I thought, they must have taken dance lessons ... then I thought - these people seem to be professionals, ... it was that good. I have never danced on such a long routine, I would be definitely embarrased ... and an embarassment to all concerned !@!!@ The band would probaby, stop playing in disgust... ;-o)
Atul Gawande, is one of many talented surgeons, but he is a very good writer and an efficiency and an optimization expert and communicator, as well.
HIs first name, Atul is indeed a common one, from the Sanskrit,..... a-tulya .... from 'tool' or 'toolna' .... with a "soft - t" as in 'th'
... means a measuring scale or scales...
.... thus 'a-tool' is .... that-which-cannot-be-measured ... hence 'incomparable'.
Have a great 4th of July celebration, and a great week ahead, you all.
Picard, had to go back since I missed your swing dance video earlier. Made me smile, you looked like you were having such fun. Used to love to dance.
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