52. *Firmest offer: STARTING BID. First offer.
69. *Dreamed every possibility: WORRY YOURSELF SICK. Dread every possibility.
90. *Charmed, e.g.: LEAFY GREENS. Chard, e.g.
105. *Ramen from a restaurant: DINED AND DITCHED. Ran from a restaurant.
Reveal:
121. "I want nothing to do with this!," and how to make the six starred clues match their answers: LEAVE ME OUT OF IT.
We've seen themes with removing ME from the theme entries. I don't recall a theme with ME clue removal. Very unexpected.
For this type, you need the theme entries to be solid-in-the language, and the clues should sound natural with or without ME.
Across:
5. Feature of some debit cards: CHIP. So happy now I have my own debit card and credit card. My Baby Ruth tin era is over.
9. Flea market warning: AS IS.
13. Lounge on a train: BAR CAR.
19. Yet again: ANEW.
20. Headey of "Game of Thrones": LENA.
21. Spanish kiss: BESO.
22. Painter Monet: CLAUDE.
26. Military training groups: CADRES.
27. Fearful: AFRAID. 96. "Is it worth the risk?": DO I DARE. Peach!
28. Tazo beverage: TEA. Pleased that I finally got my Naoki matcha also.
29. Casserole pasta: ZITI.
31. German appliance brand: MIELE. Italian for "honey". French is "miel". Or "chérie"
32. Many an irs.gov download: FORM.
36. D.C. daily: WAPO. The Washington Post.
38. Twirled (around): SPUN.
39. Musical finale: CODA.
40. __ buco: OSSO.
43. Marinara tomato: ROMA.
46. Per unit: A POP.
48. Fragrant fir: BALSAM.
55. Legal org.: ABA.
57. "Fast Money" cable network: CNBC. Hosted by Melissa Lee.
58. Poker variety: HOLD'EM.
59. Rebecca Solnit's "__ Explain Things to Me": MEN. Origin of the word "mansplaining".
60. "Understood": NOTED.
62. "Buenos días": HOLA. So this guy called me last week. Ted is a Brooklyn native, ex-NYPD officer. Coolest guy I've worked with. "Oh, Xi'an, wo qu guo." He said. Impeccable Chinese.
63. Fitting: APT.
64. __ Lingus: AER.
66. Pop Warner football division: PEEWEE. OK,
from Google: Pop Warner has nine tackle football divisions: Tiny-Mite,
Mitey-Mite, Junior Peewee, Peewee, Junior Midget, Midget, Junior Bantam,
Unlimited and Bantam.
68. Rock singer?: SIREN. Homer's "Odyssey"
74. Poutine topping: GRAVY.
76. River formations: DELTAS.
77. Plopped down: SAT.
78. 12/24, e.g.: EVE.
81. Past due: LATE.
82. Viral social media posts: MEMES.
83. Place to retire: INN.
86. City with a view of Vesuvius: NAPLES.
88. __-friendly: USER.
89. Cal. neighbor: ORE.
92. Actress Plimpton: MARTHA.
94. __ colada: tropical mocktail: NADA. Twist on the pina colada.
97. Strip on a bench: SLAT. Not verb "strip".
98. Small jazz combo: TRIO.
99. "Pitch Perfect" actress __ Mae Lee: HANA.
101. Snoop (around): NOSE. And
103. Snoop (around): ROOT.
111. Small 34-Down: MINI. 34. Apple tablet: IPAD.
114. Central Florida city: OCALA.
115. Square one?: NERD. We've seen this clue before.
116. Hoodwink: CON.
117. Noisy insect: CICADA. We ate cicadas when I was a kid.
119. Generous: GIVING. Thank you so much for caring me the way you've been, Glenn!
124. Jerk: MEANIE.
125. Loser to the tortoise: HARE.
126. Part of Q.E.D.: ERAT.
127. Small building block: ATOM.
128. Actress Dahl who is Lorenzo Lamas's mother: ARLENE. Here they are.
129. "Ah": I SEE.
130. Oxen harness: YOKE.
131. Scottish caps: TAMS.
Down:
2. Switch positions?: ON/OFF.
3. Pascal of "The Mandalorian": PEDRO.
4. Curse: SWEARWORD.
5. Oaf: CLOD.
7. App with pics: INSTA.
8. Origami need: PAPER.
9. "Abbott Elementary" network: ABC.
10. Quit working suddenly, as an engine: SEIZE UP.
11. Emphatic refusal: I SAID NO.
12. Longtime Chicago Symphony conductor: SOLTI (Georg)
13. Covertly add to an email: BCC.
14. Oakland's county: ALAMEDA.
15. Tom Wolfe coinage for frivolous activism: RADICAL CHIC. Learning moment for me.
16. One making jerky, perhaps: CURER. Gluey.
17. "Skyfall" singer: ADELE.
18. Pedometer button: RESET.
24. __ bean: LIMA.
25. Corn servings: EARS.
30. "Monsters, __": INC.
33. Crescent on Pakistan's flag: MOON. Here's their flag.
35. "Totally horrible": SO BAD.
37. Painter's layer: PRIMER.
40. Workplace safety org.: OSHA.
41. "Enough!": STOP.
42. Taffy type: SALTWATER.
44. __ Grand: Las Vegas casino: MGM. Las Vegas was fun when Boomer was around.
45. Penny prez: ABE.
47. Dev of "The Newsroom": PATEL.
49. Reef explorer: SNORKELER.
50. Willing partner: ABLE.
51. Thom __ shoes: MCAN.
53. Welling up: TEARY. Wish there were pills for tears.
54. Enters, as data: INPUTS.
56. Disputes: BEEFS.
60. Loch resident, familiarly: NESSIE.
61. Carry a balance: OWE.
65. Winona of "Stranger Things": RYDER. She was born in Winona, Minnesota. Big Easy just told me that I'm a strange girl in a strange land. Some tragic truth to it.
67. Chapter in history: ERA.
68. Pear-shaped instrument: SITAR.
70. Too far: OVER THE LINE.
71. Saudi Arabia neighbor: YEMEN.
72. The Grand __ Opry: OLE.
73. Serenaded: SANG TO.
74. Blue: GLUM.
75. Tabula __: RASA. Followed by 79. "__, vidi, vici": VENI.
80. International gas brand: ESSO.
82. Disney heroine voiced by Auli'i Cravalho: MOANA. Cravalho is from Hawaii.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(587x151:589x153)/moana-bafc3805a2db4b2798dabf8a6dc31597.jpg)
84. "Montero" singer Lil __ X: NAS.
85. Pro Bowl org.: NFL.
87. Frilly underskirt: PETTICOAT.
90. Go on: LAST.
91. Lawn party site: YARD.
93. Was connected: HAD AN IN.
95. San __ Fault: ANDREAS.
100. Novelist Patchett: ANN. She has her own bookstores.
102. __ homo: ECCE.
104. Fail to mention: OMIT.
105. Steadfast belief: DOGMA.
106. More slick: ICIER. Our roads are so icy now.
107. Maritime: NAVAL.
108. Yamuna River city: DELHI. Tributary of the Ganges.
109. Comfortably familiar: HOMEY.
110. First month of el año: ENERO.
112. Commerce pact until 2020: NAFTA. Replaced by USMCA (United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement).
113. Figure of speech: IDIOM.
117. Meet-__: rom-com device: CUTE. So cute.
118. Cash dispensers: ATMS.
120. "__ willikers!": GEE.
122. Flying formation: VEE.
123. Connecticut's Charter __: OAK.
Lesley sent me these pictures last night. Guangzhou is ready to open the Spring Festival flower market again. The market usually starts three days before the Spring Festival (next Sunday). Lots of red, the lucky color in China. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit.
Here is a picture of flower market in 2020. Very pretty. Bring me back to Guangzhou, please!
C.C.
After I got the reveal, I looked for the “me” in the themed answers. Didn’t see it. Then I looked for the “me” in the clues. A-ha! As D-O would say “the V-8 can hit.” And that allowed me to get “dined and dashed”, for example. Now, I have a caveat with the puzzle constructors. Four interconnected woman’s names? Two of which were beyond obscure? I’m talking, obviously, about “Moana”, “Martha,” “Hana” and “Ann.” That doesn’t seem quite fair to me. But through P & P I got ‘em, and managed to FIR, so I’m happy, if a bit disgruntled. Oh well, “all’s well that ends well,” I guess!
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteSomehow, d-o managed to miss reading the full reveal clue. [That never happens. :)] The puzzle title was no help. So, although the grid was successfully filled, d-o never saw the theme. [Sigh] Thanx, Taylor and C.C. (Nice photos of Guangzhou...the only major Chinese city I've visited. Of course, that was 35 years ago.)
Can anyone make a puzzle without using so many proper names?? It's ridiculous
ReplyDeleteCan you?
DeleteYes I can and I certainly wouldn't have three names intersectas they do at82 down
DeleteThank you C.C. for the explanation. Even though I FIR I could not understand what LEAVE ME OUT OF IT had anything to do with the fills because it didn't; ME was in the clues. Duh!
ReplyDeleteMODELO ESPECIAL- I had two last night at La Tia Taqueria & Cantina. Better than the overpriced meal. No NADA coladas in sight. Only Margaritas.
No problems this cold (for NOLA) morning except the unknown proper name filled by perps and WAGS. LENA, MARTHA, HANA, PATEL, SOLTI, ABC, OAK, PEDRO, MEN
GEE, I SEE we also had HEE, PEEWEE, and VEE.
Meet CUTE. Learned it from crosswords but never heard it said.
Changed "I Am A ROCK" singer Paul SIMON to SIREN- just a plain rock.
I've never heard of RADICAL CHIC but I guess it refers to Limousine liberals wearing BOHO chic clothing.
I FIR but very slow for a Sunday, and looking back at the clues I can’t quite put my finger on why. Though there were a bunch of unknowns (including three of the four names in the MOANA MARTHA ANN HANA cluster).
ReplyDeleteI’ve never heard of MODELO ESPECIAL, so I saw the word MODEL, saw SPECIAL, got stumped by HEE (tee-___ could be *anything*, also LANA LINA LUNA are all legit names), and when I finally figured it out (my last fill), I had to look it up to see how it was parsed.
At least I got the theme when I figured out MARRIED IN SECRET and noticed mewed -> wed.
FIR, but absolutely no help from the theme clues. Would still have no idea except for C.C.’s explanation.
ReplyDeleteFIR Sunday, starting a new string, I hope. After the reveal, I saw the ME deletion in the clues after searching the fill fruitlessly.Today I proofed and caught an error just in time: HiNA/HANA. Now the perp made sense to me, HAD AN IN. Thanks, Taylor, for a puzzle with many "Oh, wait..." moments. So much fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks, C.C., for a colorful review of the puzzle and an update. Glad you are fixed up with the needed cards now. The flower market looks so festive!
Subgenius, I knew both ANN and MOANA, MARTHA seemed likely, and I finally sussed HANA, as mentioned above. So I am happy too, and relieved rather than disgruntled.
Enjoy your long weekend, everyone!
I had no idea of the long answers and had lots of blanks until I finally made it to the bottom and got LeaveMeOutOfIt. Then I quickly figured out all the long answers, which then helped fill in all the rest.
ReplyDeleteThat was very clever, so although frustrated until I hit the 'reveal' clue, it worked out. Maybe I should have started at the bottom!
But I agree--WAY too many NAMES!
FIR, but it was a struggle. When I got to the reveal, I saw the gimmick, but it took a while to see Modelo Especial. I'm not a drinker, so even Nada Colada got by me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, C.C., for explaining the theme. After filling this and lengthy mulling over the title and reveal, the theme still made absolutely no sense to me. Still doesn't make sense why a constructor would want to take so much time & effort to build such a convoluted theme.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Taylor, for the parts of the puzzle I got. But I gotta tell you, I cringed when I saw your name. So many obscure names & rivers & what not. I can almost hear your evil chuckle as you construct.
C.C.: let the tears fall. Eventually they dry up by themselves. I lost my husband suddenly 26 years ago. There is still sadness, but no tears anymore. Prayers for an easing of your pain.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteOne man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so they say. As Sunday puzzles go, this one had only two unknowns (Hana and Moana)to me, rather than the usual scads. Oh, add Modelo Especial, which I was parsing as Model EO Special. I also found the fill very straightforward, as evidenced by only one w/o, Post/WaPo. Because the title offered no help and the themers made no sense, I needed the reveal to understand what was going on and, even then, it took a minute or two to understand the gimmick. I, personally, found this to be a fun, change of pace Sunday offering and an enjoyable solve.
Thanks, Taylor, for a nice bit of trickery and thanks, CC, for explaining the theme the and challenges it presented to the constructor. I enjoyed your commentary and cultural references and, particularly, the gorgeous photos.
Have a great day.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteFinished this in good time and since I don't have to go to church I just slogged away.
MOPS/MAMA was an easy start. No need to be AFRAID.
Interesting about MIELE. In Spanish it's also MIEL.
On my commute from SFO airport I love to see the sign: entering MARIN County. Then I know it's near to my destination. Sadly it's likely inundated right now.
LENA Horne would have been more familiar to me but I knew CLAUDE Monet.
WAPO is where I print the puzzle if my newspaper isn't delivered like yesterday.
There was a time when I watched CNBC daily but have lost interest lately.
Dev PATEL has appeared in many movies that I've seen. I really liked The Best Exotic Hotel which had a luminous cast of actors.
HANA is also a remote town in Hawaii which is reached by a treacheous winding road.
One wite-over, DOGMA from TENET.
Today a marathon run takes place on our streets so I went to Mass yesterday.
C.C., I am so sorry that you are going through such a rough time and I wish I could tell you that it will soon be over, but that is not so. I mourned for two years straight after my DH died. After that it lessened a bit but the void is never filled.
Musings
ReplyDelete-I couldn’t find the gimmick until suddenly BEmeR and meWED appeared and I saw I was “looking for answers in all the wrong places!” Loved it!
-I love filling out FORMS for my doctors online at home!
-It’s so great when we get a peek into C.C.’s past life. I told her she has a novel in there!
-The view we had in NAPLES was of Vesuvius and an ongoing garbage strike
-SIEZE UP – I had not checked the oil on the school’s riding lawn mower. Clunk!
-You can yell at an ump or referee but don’t go OVER THE LINE
-Unbelievable Jacksonville win last night. It ain’t over until it’s over!
Thanks C.C. I enjoyed your recap and the pics. Thanks for the reveal. Still don't know why the title is what it is. Worked it out except for the quadruple names, then just guessed right.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what happened to my comment this morning. It has vanished, at least I can’t see it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recap, C.C.
ReplyDeleteAs for the puzzle, the reveal was among the last to fall and that led to quite a bit of head scratching en route to a battle weary FIR.
ReplyDeleteI too was wondering how the the theme answers were fitting their clues until I read the reveal. Reminds me of the unusual type of crossword puzzles that Evan Birnholz creates. BTW, his puzzle today was fun. You can find it at the WAPO.
Coincidental with the clue "City with a view of Vesuvius", we made Chicken Vesuvio yesterday. We watched them make it on America's Test Kitchen Friday evening. So good. I learned that the dish was created in Chicago.
Tante Nique, there were no comments from you this morning.
FIR, but erased buso for BESO, bed for INN, pompei for NAPLES (last time I was in NAPLES I could almost see Sarasota), vini for VENI, and rant for LAST.
ReplyDeleteRock singer(s)? Steely Dan's Home at Last declares Well the danger on the rocks is surely past. Still I remain tied to the mast."
Frilly undergarment reminded me of the old TV show PETTICOAT Junction, with Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, Betty Jo and Uncle Joe.
We had a sign in our office stating the obvious: "Easy to use is easy to say."
Didn't the theme, even after grinding on it for a while. Thanks CC. And thanks to Taylor for the fun challenge. Plenty of unknowns, but I was saved by the perps.
Oh I almost forgot. Pina Colada is just strained pineapple. I've seen it on alcohol-free menus. In a way, the adult version is a "spiked" or "adult" pina colada. Back before I became a quitter, I made a killer (adult) pina collada. Fresh pineapple cored and chopped, a whole peeled banana, a little coconut cocktail syrup, and, of course, plenty of ice and silver rum. Blend until you can't wait any longer, then pour your glass before your guests, just in case you run out.
ReplyDeleteAnd a NADA colada is literally "nothing strained." Maybe the motto of the "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Strained" crowd. (I just made that up. Pretty good, huh? (OK, I can see myself out. No need for the bouncer.)
ReplyDelete🤙🏽🤣
DeleteJust lurkin' and learnin', nosin' and snoopin' and goofin'!
ReplyDeleteBTW the Romans called their sweethearts Meum Mel "My honey"
CC...Care to share a CICADA recipe? Cicada stir fry? Sweet & Sour CICADA, General Tso's CICADA. A CICADA Collada?
Just funnin' yah......😄
TTP I wonder if I forget to post it. Thanks for checking.
ReplyDeleteThere's an old movie with Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall on TCM. Fun but so sloooooow as they were in 1957. They sure argued and fought a lot.
ReplyDeleteThis was a slow and steady Sunday - definitely had to come to the blog for the full explanation of the theme, but fun and creative.
ReplyDeleteI'm with IM and ATL - the names were far from obscure for me - only unknown was HANA Mae Lee - though I enjoyed all the "Pitch Perfect" movies and know what the actress looked like- I just didn't know her name.
I had to switch TeePee to TeeHee.and the benches seat to SLAT in 97A, SO SAD had to change to SO SAD to get BALSAM. Haven't worn a PETTICOAT since the '60s - thank goodness- so itchy!
ANN Patchett is a wonderful author - she only has one bookstore- in Nashville - Parnassus Books. A must see destination for book lovers - a wonderful kids' area, a dedicated space for visiting authors to come and do readings of their new books. This article mentions other small independent bookstores she likes across the country as well (well Powell's in Portland, OR is NOT small)
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/travel/an-international-bookstore-guide.html
Thanks CC for the blog and Taylor for the puzzle!
and 12D was a gimme as Georg SOLTI was the conductor for the CSO during the years I lived in Chicago - he was music director there from 1969 to 1991
ReplyDeleteDitto to Bob Lee @ 8:50's first sentence. How clever to have a removal of letters in the clue. Well done, Taylor! FAV themer: Char(med)d, e.g. I also liked Switch positions?
ReplyDelete74A CSO to C-Eh?
Big Easy @ 8:07. I see what you were thinking with Paul Simon. Constructors should borrow that one from you!
C.C. Thank you for your recap and for sharing the gorgeous photos!
After numerous “what th’ 🤬” moments, it became a huge “DOH!!” moment when I got the reveal.
ReplyDeleteWell played by the constructor (except for all those crossed names…)
====> Darren L.A.
I'm new here and relatively new to crosswords. I struggled with this one but figured out the ME trick fairly quickly, which helped, but I couldn't relate it to the theme. Seems to me a more accurate title would have been "I'm done here".
ReplyDeleteLots of writeovers and head scratching. Last to fill was the D in PEDRO. I learned that neither of the "Snoop" answers was POKE.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to drink, one of my favorite beers was Cerveza Negra MODELO.
Hard to find good SALTWATER taffy.
Lucina, MARIN county is now one of our go-to places also, since our son and his wife now live there.
Georg SOLTI was a fine conductor, but I think he sure was hard to watch, the way he would lunge and stab.
Good wishes to you all.
Well, here’s a first! I actually had (took?) time to work my way through a Sunday puzzle. I’m not sure when I’ve ever done that before today. However, lousy proofreading led to my messing 50D, 57A and 68A, for a great, big FIW! I did not recognize the ME and how the theme fit together, but that’s OK.
ReplyDeleteThe only name that I knew was ARLENE Dahl. All the rest of them were perps. (There I go, showing my age again.)
Tried COBS before EARS.
Thanks, Taylor and C.C.
Actually I thought this was fairly easy, probably at least partly because I was totallt unfamiliar with only two names: the Pitch Perfect actress and the actress who played Moana. But I completely glossed over the reveal saying that 'me' was in the clues and wasted a lot of time looking for it in answers, including those without it! Never got it at all until reading CC's explanation. Silly me.
ReplyDeleteJayce, I agree about it's being hard to find SALTWATER TAFFY. I've had it in New York along the coast though I don't remember the town where we were visiting some former neigbbors. In Baltimore, too, on the waterfront and in South Carolina. Myrtle Beach, I think.
ReplyDeleteMy late brother-in-law had a knack for finding unique places.
Lucina - oh, wait:
ReplyDeleteSunday Lurk say...
Lucina - I've got a whole bag of saltwater taffy from Sausalito, CA right next to my desk. I like the vanilla, licorice, and peppermint the best.
Mocktails are what you give the kids when you're out having dinner & a cocktail. Remember the Shirly Temple? -- Grenadine (pomegranate w/ sugar), ginger ale, and maraschino cherry on top - give her two if she's being 'good' - keep the kid busy for a while :-).
I enjoyed reading everyone the last few days (Saturday's grid was a crusher!) while DW & I were busy in the garden getting ready for Spring ('twas a nice weekend in Houston).
Cheers, -T
Into the ether I go
ReplyDeleteI remember discovering the BARCAR out of NYC in 66-67. Dangerous
I had Tee off. Yep, names just kept coming; knew none
I finally got the theme but I'd already filled them.
Yes, a slow Sunday that I started very late since I have to go out for the paper
TTP, I've been neglecting my EB WAPO Xword lately
CC, I've been binging Monk. True love is a blessing but lost love is a curse. Another saying from the J world of Chet &Lois: Give time, time
WC
BTW, FIR
DeleteI'm on a long streak, Watch it end on a deluge of pop-culs
Also,, CSO at OCALA next door
WC