Theme: "We've Moved!" - The "us" sound from the top four theme entries are moved to the bottom four entries.
23. Command to Alexa?: YOU CAN NOT BE SIRI. You can not be serious.
32. Like one who nailed the Kylie costume?: JENNER TO A FAULT. Generous to a fault.
48. Stocking stuffer for Fido?: CHRISTMAS BONE. Christmas bonus.
64. Roman who tried to stop Brutus?: CAESAR'S PAL. Caesar's Palace. The only "us"less us sound.
73. Pumice stones, emery boards, etc.?: CALLUS TECH. Caltech.
89. Headline about Condoleezza's gaffe?: RICE ERRONEOUS. Rice-A-Roni.
107. Rucker's song catalog?: DARIUS PRODUCTS. Dairy products.
119. Painting depicting angels?: PIECE OF THE PIOUS. Piece of the pie.
Ah, you know I'm lousy with sound change theme. I had to ask D-Otto to get the "we" and "us" connection. You really need creativity and imagination to create this type of puzzle.
Sam and Doug are both
veteran constructors. They've collaborated on many puzzles over the
years.
Across:
5. More deadpan: DRIER.
10. "Coffee Cantata" composer: BACH. Google shows that Coffee Cantata is a comic opera about a "young vivacious woman named Aria who loves coffee."
14. Girl Scout cookie also called Caramel deLite: SAMOA.
19. Indian tourist city: AGRA.
20. Playground rejoinder: I AM SO.
21. __ vera: ALOE.
22. Gives off: EMITS.
26. "The Bachelorette" props: ROSES.
27. Like many martinis: STIRRED. Not Bond's.
28. Bug: IRK.
29. Gather around: ENCIRCLE.
31. Blue drop in emoji: TEAR. I don't ever want to risk a "Nope" from D-Otto or a "Thumper" from Agnes.
35. Bathroom rug: MAT.
37. Tree-loving Seuss character: LORAX.
39. "Bosch" star Welliver: TITUS. Stranger to me.
40. Midsummer arrivals: LEOS.
41. "Pronto!": ASAP.
43. Academia's "Ancient Eight": IVIES.
46. Ming things: VASES.
52. "Yummers!": DELISH.
57. Couch kin: SETTEE.
58. Rhino kin with long snouts: TAPIRS.
60. Teegarden of "Friday Night Lights": AIMEE.
61. "A Wrinkle in Time" genre: FANTASY.
67. __ butter: SHEA.
70. Head-slapping cry: DOH.
71. National Back to School Mo.: AUG.
72. Bubbly Italian: ASTI.
77. Kerosene: LAMP OIL.
80. Leaning one way: ATILT.
81. Unable to see the big picture: MYOPIC.
83. __ Translate: GOOGLE. I finally threw away my old Chinese-English dictionary.
87. Short trailer: TEASER.
92. Princess Charlotte's aunt: PIPPA. Middleton.
95. Sports bar fixture: TV SET.
96. Disney hero with a "superbark": BOLT. We also have 128. Some boxers: DOGS.
97. Islamic leader: IMAM.
101. Not a soul: NO ONE. You don't normally see "not" in a NO answer.
103. Brainstorms: IDEAS.
106. "Physical" singer __ Lipa: DUA.
111. "__ company ... ": TWO'S.
113. Strike: CROSS OUT.
114. Skater Midori: ITO.
115. Ruin, as a garden: TRAMPLE.
118. Not obtuse: ACUTE. Angle.
123. Choir stand: RISER.
124. Holding insured by the FDIC: ACCT.
125. Daiquiri garnishes, often: LIMES.
126. Bunker: TRAP. I love watching pros holing out from a green-side bunker.
127. Monopoly stack: DEEDS.
129. Tour of duty: STINT.
130. Floor: STUN.
Down:
2. Four-award acronym: EGOT.
3. Colorful dessert: FRUIT TART. Lovely.
4. "__ bleu!": SACRE.
5. Mexican bread: DINERO. And
6. South African bread: RAND. All money.
7. Texter's qualification: IMO.
8. Ballpark fig.: EST.
9. Wright of "House of Cards": ROBIN.
10. Hoops score: BASKET.
11. "Paper Girls" actress Wong: ALI.
12. First name in civil rights: CORETTA. Scott King.
13. Shockingly evil: HEINOUS. And 15. Unconcerned with right and wrong: AMORAL.
14. Font line: SERIF.
16. Errant pool shot: MISCUE.
17. Verdi work based on a Shakespeare work: OTELLO.
18. Balance sheet listing: ASSETS.
24. With 49-Down, body that was once the world's fourth-largest lake: ARAL. 49. See 24-Down: SEA.
25. West end?: ERN. Western.
30. Checked out for a job?: CASED. Bank job.
32. Jakarta's island: JAVA.
33. Has a life?: EXISTS.
34. Mariano who leads the MLB in career saves: RIVERA. His cards are pretty cheap.
35. Apple Store offerings: MACS.
36. Tennis icon Arthur: ASHE.
38. Glass edge: RIM.
42. Hidden dangers: PITFALLS.
44. AuctionWeb, since 1997: EBAY.
45. Drench: SOP.
47. Brown quickly: SEAR.
50. Looks after: TENDS.
51. Zoe's partner in fashion: NIC. Never tried this brand.
53. "Feel What U Feel" Grammy winner: LISA LOEB. Doug once made a NYT puzzle with her.
54. Little rascals: IMPS.
55. Usher's offering: SEAT.
56. Port opening?: HELI. Heliport.
59. Coal formation: SEAM.
62. Sandbox player: TOT.
63. "Beg pardon": AHEM.
65. "How's it goin'?": SUP.
66. Disco era term: AGOGO.
67. "Shoo!": SCAT.
68. Detest: HATE.
69. Director Kazan: ELIA.
74. The Miners of the NCAA: UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso.
75. "For a great nose indicates a great man" speaker: CYRANO.
76. __ polloi: HOI.
77. Actor Schreiber: LIEV. Husband of Naomi Watts.
78. Nails the exam: ACES IT.
79. H+, e.g.: ION.
82. Pie chart no.: PCT.
84. One who plays well with others: GOOD SPORT. Great fill.
85. Real doozy: LULU.
86. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA.
88. Bygone detergent brand: RINSO. So I tried CLR for the first time last week. I much prefer vinegar.
90. Cabs and zins, e.g.: REDS.
91. GPS offering: RTE.
93. Surfing annoyance: POP-UP AD.
94. Colonnaded entryway: PORTICO. I just call it a porch.
97. TSA request: ID CARD.
98. Peppermint Patty's pal: MARCIE.
99. Pique: AROUSE.
100. Sprayed gently: MISTED.
102. Official orders: EDICTS. Whenever there are a few COVID
cases in Xi'an, everybody will have to get tested. Poor Andy often has
to get up at 5:00am to get his test.
104. Not going anywhere: AT REST.
105. Give and take: SWAP.
108. App buyers: USERS.
109. Pac-12 player: UTE.
110. Sits on a windowsill, say: COOLS.
112. Skips over: OMITS. If you skip over your COVID test, your
cellphone health code won't be green. You can't get on a bus or a train
or go to a store.
115. If so: THEN.
116. Where lei people party?: LUAU. Ha.
117. "30 for 30" network: ESPN.
120. Heart test, for short: ECG.
121. In top form: FIT. Last Wednesday Boomer was visited by a 80-year-old Eucharistic Minister named Bill, who's in top form.
122. "OMG, enough!": TMI.
We
applied and were approved for the VA Home-Based Primary Care in June
after Boomer's surgery. They did not have enough nurses, so Boomer had
been on a waiting list. Two days ago we finally got the OK call. Next
Thursday we'll have a consultation.
C.C.
The only themed entry I didn’t understand was “Caesar’s pal” but C.C. clued me in on that (D-oh!) and I had trouble getting “trample “ at first. Other than that, not too many problems. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteWorked this one yesterday, at CC's request. I liked that although spellings changed, the vowel sounds stayed consistent throughout. RICE ERRONEOUS was my favorite. It was refreshing that there was no reveal for d-o to miss. Thanx, Samuel, Doug, and CC.
I was not excited by the theme but enjoyed a puzzle that was not dominated by young people references. LIEV SCHREIBER is known for much more than being married to Naomi. His HBO series RAY DONOVAN was a major success and he has done much narration work in movies and TV.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of NIC+ZOE and saw our new favorite entry EGOT was back.
Great news that you will get help C.C. and good to see Sam and Doug in a new collaboration.
No busses or trains in my area (rural), but where do you need a COVID test to go to a store?
ReplyDeleteFIR, but found the theme lacking.
ReplyDeleteBack from surgery, tied to oxygen, but feeling stronger every day. Missed this blog a lot, but plan to be a solver each day.
FIW x 3. Ran out of P&P, and didn't analyze YOU CAN dO ThE SIRI, even after I had figured out the "serious" end. Didn't help that I didn't know Robin or Rand, but should have remembered the McEnroe catch phrase. I watched a little of Wimbledon this year, and liked that they have video reviews for players to challenge blown calls. I also missed PIPPi x CYRiNO. I've never understood the fascination a lot of Americans have with the British royals, but I should have known CYRANO because William F. Buckley Jr. sailed across the Atlantic on a boat by that name.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a single episode of The Bachelorette , but "didn't get the rose" has worked its way into the vernacular.
Two's company, but three's company too, especially for Chrissy, Janet and Jack.
When I lived in Atlanta, I learned that Delta flight attendants dreaded working when CORETTA was flying. Apparently she was quite the diva, and of course no one was allowed to say no to her.
Any puzzle with DOG and ZOE in it has to be a good puzzle.
If...THEN...elseif. Easy conditional coding tools.
Why the hell is National Back to School Mo. AUG? They should start after Labor Day. Guess The Tempos will have to redo their song.
Thanks to Sam and Doug for the fun workout, and to CC for the fine tour.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis type of theme is not one of my favorites because, once it is obvious, the solve becomes much too easy and predictable. But I appreciate the authors’ ingenuity in coming up with some fun puns, especially Jenner To A Fault and and Rice Erroneous. Another plus was the noticeable lack of unknown proper names, at least for me. Nic and Aimee were the only ones I wasn’t familiar with. When I read the clue about a “great nose”, I was all set to enter Durante, but it was too long, pun intended!
Thanks, Doug and Sam, for a Sunday stroll through the park and thanks, CC, for guiding us along so skillfully. You’ll never get a Thumper from me because, in my mind, you’re the puzzle Queen who can do no wrong! Good luck with the home aid interview. BTW, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber are no longer a couple. Rumor has it that she is in a relationship with Billy Crudup. (What a strange name.)
FLN
Michael, I wish those in power would take notice, as you did, to my and many others’ vocal criticisms of recent offerings. 🤗
Have a great day.
I FIR in about 30 minutes but had trouble understanding the missing US but not the added US sounds. I filled them but didn't understand the JENNER TO A FAULT, CHRISTMAS BONE, or CAESARS PAL until C.C.'s explanation. DOH, which I changed from DUH. The ROBIN-JENNER cross was a WAG, both unknowns. ONER to LULU was my only other change.
ReplyDeleteC.C. is not the only one who's lousy with the sound change.
DUA, LIEV, ALI Wong, TEAR, TITUS, AIMEE, PIPPA, NIC- other unknowns to add to ROBIN Wright and Kylie JENNER.
C.C.- I use Lime-Away. As for COVID and testing, we were informed that some of our friends tested positive and we took tests Thursday. Diane's positive but I'm negative but neither of us is sick.
DARIUS Rucker- many years ago I got four tickets to The Masters Practice Rounds. After the pros were through we walked out the gate some people offered to BUY my tickets. Hootie and The Blowfish were having a concert and they wanted to see the band. I felt guilty taking the money but it paid for our dinner that night at Carrabba's Grill, which was next door to Hooter's and who did we see? John Daly selling stuff in the parking lot.
Agogo I sussed because it was not the disco era
ReplyDeleteAgreed — pre-disco late ‘60s
DeleteLess than an enjoyable offering. It has been a bad weekend for the LAT X-word.
ReplyDeleteKindagree.
DeleteKS @ 7:47 ~ I forgot to wish you a speedy recovery. Hope you can join us often while you recuperate.
ReplyDeleteA fun Sunday puzzle, and I really enjoyed figuring out the long answers.
ReplyDeleteBut I didn't know Darius after I had filled it in, and pronounced it dah-ree-us (as in the Persian King of long ago), so I couldn't figure out what dah-ree products were. DOH!
Musings
ReplyDelete-Two proper name cell boo boos on this fun puzzle.
-Gotta run
Hi Y'all! Good challenge, thanks, Samuel & Doug. Lot of blank spaces at the top but I did better lower down and worked my way back up. Took 51 minutes. Didn't get the them until it was all filled and did a lot of heavy thinking.
ReplyDeleteDNK: TITUS, BACH, AIMEE, BOLT, DUA Lipa, ROBIN, ALI, RIVERA, NIC, LISA LOEB, LIEV. All names. Sigh!
Wanted "one who plays well with others" to be "musician". Nope.
Lemonade: ditto from me.
KS, glad your surgery is over & hope you heal well & quickly. Stay with us.
C.C., thanks for the great expo. Hope you like the home aid. I betcha Boomer will charm her/him just like he charms everyone else. Sounds like the Chinese are really trying to get the pandemic under control there, even if it is difficult for citizens. Poor Andy.
Thanks for the Boomer update, C.C. and for the blog.
ReplyDeleteI hope you continue to feel stronger everyday, KS.
As for the puzzle, as is our pattern for Sundays, Valerie took the lead putting pencil to the newspaper page with me serving as a consultant. Thanks, all, for the many pertinent comments, above, both pro and con. When all was said and done we were unsure only of BOLT but it perped.
ReplyDeleteWeird Flex, but OK
🤣👍🏽
DeleteEdward in Los Angeles here.
ReplyDelete74D my alma mater
‘81 BS Biology
‘83. BS civil engineering
Musings
ReplyDelete-WWE REF’s are equivalent to the Washington Generals who play the Globetrotters
-AIMEE – I’ve lost count of how many ways I’ve seen this name spelled at school
-Dad had a sister I never knew as she died from an accidental fire while filling OIL LAMPS in 1921
-C.C., I wonder if your Chinese/English dictionary contained “Weird flex but okay”
-The biggest mistake made getting out of a sand trap bunker is not swinging hard enough
-In AUG. some new teachers soon learn the PITFALLS of trying too hard to be the “cool teacher”
-Peppermint Patty had to keep telling Marcie, “Don’t call me sir”
-Interesting info about Andy’s plight, C.C., but glad to hear you and Boomer are getting some help
AmUSing theme. So many proper name crossed clusters.
ReplyDeleteHere I got to see WRINKLE IN TIME FANTASY author Madeleine L'Engle up close here at UC Santa Barbara in 1998.
From Yesterday:
Wilbur Charles Thank you for the kind words about DW and our FRY BREAD photo. Can you enlighten us about the meaning of BC in your previous post?
Interesting Sunday puzzle, many thanks, Samuel and Doug. And I loved your pictures, C.C., a total delight. I also send my best wishes to you and Boomer for a good week ahead.
ReplyDeleteWell, I AM SO happy and STIRRED by the lovely garden plants in the puzzle this morning: beautiful ROSES and green IVIES. Wish I could put them in some VASES in my living room.
And some interesting food items as well, beginning with that FRUIT TART--a nice dessert after a supper with RICE, maybe sprinkled with some LIMES. DELISH! I'd say that might work well for a LUAU.
But those poor DOGS are pretty lonely, because except for that ROBIN and those TAPIRS, there weren't many critters in this puzzle. Hope they all stay away from a TRAP.
Still, fun start to the day, and have a great Sunday, everybody.
Thank you Sam and Doug for a challenging but FIRbuLOUS puzzle. I knew that there was a theme, because this is Sunday, but I didn't find out what it was until I came to the Corner. In fact even after C.C. explained it, I'm still not sure what it is.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you C.C. for the explanation, although I don't think it penetrated this old noggin. I'm glad you're finally getting some help taking care of Boomer.
Oh and thanks to Teri, who broke the logjam on IVIES, giving me JAVA and JENNER[ous] TO A FAULT.
Here's one fav:
10A BACH. When he wasn't writing transcendent liturgical music, intricate keyboard works, and beautifully harmonized instrumental works, BACH spent his evenings in Zimmer's Cafe jamming with his buddies from the local Collegium Musicum, and drinking COFFEE* (BTW the title Sleepers Awake from the preceding link is a pun on "Wachet Auf" ("Wake Up!"), the title of one Bach's most famous liturgical cantatas> . Here's a short clip from the Coffee Cantata sung by Korean soprano Sumi Jo. You can just smell the AROMA of those beans. DELISH!
Cheers,
Bill
* probably to escape his 20 children
Hola!
ReplyDeleteSlow and steady while enjoying my cup of JAVA was my pace for this puzzle which I started quite early before going to church. After a light breakfast, I resumed and finished the few cells left blank.
LAMP OIL reminds me of the year I stayed with my grandmother (at age 7). She had no electricity and at dusk she lit the kerosene LAMPS and at the crack of dawn she went outside for wood chips to light the stove. Since I was so young, none of that bothered me.
Sunday puzzles are usually a long slog but this one had some interesting fill such as JENNER TO A FAULT and others. RICE ERRONEOUS was funny. I don't hear RICE-A-RONI, the San Francisco treat anymore.
DUA Lipa was a complete guess.
Thank you, C.C., for all your enlightening remarks and for keeping us informed about Boomer's progress.
I hope your day is going well, everyone!
I very much liked the theme gimmick; so imaginative. Looking at the name Rice-A-Roni I would never see "errone(ous)" emerge from "A-Roni". Damn clever indeed.
ReplyDeleteI almost got tripped up by the unknown-to-me TI-US crossing R-VER-, but I guessed the last(?) name of somebody named Mariano could very well be RIVERA, which filled that TITUS guy and helped reveal CAESAR. (Add JENNER and you have 4(!) proper names crossing.)
I wrinkled my nose at LAMP OIL being clued as Kerosene because I never figured kerosene is an oil. Maybe I just don't know chemistry well enough. I don't care enough to look it up. ... Okay, I looked it up, and whattaya know it's "a light fuel oil". Okay, a true learning moment. I AM SO glad to learn it. (Would my foe retort "YOU ARE NOT"?)
So, it was ENCIRCLE, not ASSEMBLE, and ACUTE, not CLEAR. I wasn't fooled by "Mexican bread" or "South African bread."
Interesting to learn that about CORETTA King.
Good wishes to you all.
Took me 59:33 to FIW but I did see the theme and that helped fill squares.
ReplyDeleteYes, Robin Wright (aka Robin Wright Penn when she was married to actor Sean Penn) was in House of Cards on Netflix but I think more people remember her as Buttercup in The Princess Bride or as Jenny in Forrest Gump -- both solid roles in cultural knowledge.
KS @ 7:47. Best wishes on your continued recovery.
An apt title for me.
ReplyDeleteSuperb Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Samuel and Doug, and C.C. (hoping you get some help with care soon).
ReplyDeleteI needed a couple of red letter helps to finish, but I did see the moved US theme. (Were TITUS and HEINOUS Easter Eggs?)
I’ll blame my missteps on still being tired out by the grandchildren yesterday.
For some reason, I entered and held onto Pesato, until I was forced to DINARO.
Hand up for thinking of Durante, but I had seen CYRANO de Bergerac at the Shaw Festival recently.
I had to wrack my memory for PIPPA. Princess Caroline is a spunky child.
Anon@7:45- I don’t think anyone has answered your query yet. Please see C.C.‘S comment at 102D re her friend Andy in China. (And be glad you don’t have to follow those rules!).
KS- hope your recovery proceeds well.
Wishing you all a good evening.
CEh! @6:56 PM Minor correction - Andy is C.C.'s brother. In fact they have collaborated on the construction of at least one puzzle here.
ReplyDeleteWe went north today where the tbtimes are NOT. I found one at Winn Dixie but fell asleep half way through.
ReplyDeleteMr S has become Mr W as I age. I FIW on LOEB and BOLT(plus c. below)
I held off on commenting on CYRANO DeBergerac, he of the long nose. And it's 20th century "Cousin" La Cage aux Folles
C-eh finally elaborated. I wasn't sure if the Corner knew Cyrano and I misspelled the name as well as MYOPIC having an I for Y(and miotic to boot)
As I used to say to Argyle, "I'm posting to the ether". And he'd assure me that the corner read the last posts before starting the new write-up
WC
Picard, if I mentioned BC I was referring to the college I attended up the road from MIT. It stands for Boston College (quite the large and prosperous university these days)
This was just a silly themed puzzle ...the type that insults my intelligence. In Julius Caesar, Brutus was never confronted by a friend of Caesar who warned against him going to the Forum. Just plain buffoonery that lowers the esteem I have always had for your constructors.
ReplyDeleteHere I am again, 30 minutes later. Just laid the puzzle page of my LAT puzzle on the floor upon which my dog can practice personal hygiene. What a waste of almost eleven hours!!!! Come on editors!! Do your jobs!!
ReplyDeleteChiming in late to say I really enjoyed this crossword. I mostly solved it top-to-bottom, and after I figured out the theme, the +us answers were difficult and funny. I guess I like puns more than most solvers, but RICE ERRONEOUS cracked me up!
ReplyDelete