Theme: "Sound Bites" - Both words in each theme entry end with the same letters but are pronounced differently.
21A. Traveling puppet show featuring talking melons?: CANTALOUPE TROUPE.
34A. Coffee vessel with a broken handle?: UNSAFE CARAFE.
56A. "Men never eat flaky pastry for brunch," e.g.?: QUICHE CLICHE.
80A. Result of an orchard's promotional deal with a bakery?: FRUIT BISCUIT.
98A. Lobster soup that's a little too spicy?: RISQUE BISQUE.
117A. Rule for adding toppings to french fries?: POUTINE GUIDELINE.
14D. Unconventional spot for breadmaking?: DOUGH TROUGH.
65D. Box of donuts kept on ice?: FROZEN DOZEN.
Pam Amick Klawitter is a wordsmith. See her books here. How did she think of Cantaloupe? Amazing.
I
was just talking to a friend about the craziness of the English
language, using the classic example of Dough/Laugh/Through/Bough.
Chinese is so simple. Chinese verbs never change. We don't even have a
definitely article. The tones can drive people nuts though. Just see
this Ma.
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Across:
5. Faction: SECT.
9. Mesoamerican pyramid builders: MAYAS.
14. Cozy room: DEN.
17. Pelee Island's Great Lake: ERIE.
18. "Same here!": SO DO I.
19. "When the moon hits your eye" feeling: AMORE. Dean Martin's "That's Amore". Also 109. Sings soothingly: CROONS.
20. Dublin-born singer/activist: BONO.
24. Sign of aging: RUST.
25. Add zest to, e.g.: SEASON. Do you use cumin in your daily cooking?
26. Skipping school: TRUANT.
27. One of 10 in Exodus: PLAGUE.
29. Org. with an elephant mascot: GOP. Created by Thomas NAST, whom we see from time to time. Donkey seems silly.
30. German gent: HERR.
31. Squirt __: GUN.
33. Hearth debris: ASHES.
39. "Scat!": BEAT IT.
41. H.H. Munro's pen name: SAKI. Have not seen him for a long while.
42. Trauma ctrs.: ERS.
43. "Anchors __": Navy fight song: AWEIGH.
45. Classic TV brand: RCA.
48. Man of La Mancha: SPANIARD.
51. Mystery writer Nevada: BARR. Anna Pigeon series.
53. Talk enthusiastically in a nerdy way: GEEK OUT.
55. Chinese zodiac animal before the Ox: RAT.
59. Ringlet: CURL.
60. D-Day fleet: LSTS.
61. Carol opener: ADESTE.
62. Taj Mahal city: AGRA. Also 68. Colorful Hindu festival: HOLI.
63. Remote hiding place?: SOFA.
66. Pay attention to: HEED.
71. Matthew of HBO's "Perry Mason": RHYS. Married to Keri Russell ("Felicity').
72. Male deer: HART.
73. Media revenue source: AD SALE.
77. Burden: ONUS.
79. "All right already!": OK OK.
83. Former Fed chair Bernanke: BEN.
86. Website known for feminist cultural criticism: JEZEBEL. Used to be owned by Gawker Media.
88. Microwave alert: BEEP.
89. Competence in a specific field: LITERACY.
91. United: ONE.
92. Not on edge: AT EASE.
94. Scouring pad brand: SOS.
95. Goofs up: ERRS.
96. "Credit cards only": NO CASH.
103. Increase: ADD TO.
105. One of the fam: SIS.
107. Stunning defeat: ROUT.
108. Fish-to-be: ROE. I like mentaiko pasta. Cod roe.
111. Teahouse mat: TATAMI.
113. Papier-mâché party item: PINATA.
116. Labyrinth: MAZE.
121. Some sheep: EWES.
122. Bath-loving Muppet: ERNIE.
123. Striped stone: AGATE.
124. Objectives: ENDS.
126. Campus list-makers: DEANS.
127. Russian turndown: NYET.
128. __ of yore: DAYS.
Down:
2. Timeline units: ERAS.
3. __ print: FINE.
4. One more time: YET AGAIN. Solid 8.
5. Before long: SOON.
6. School domain: EDU.
7. Whirlybirds, for short: COPTERS.
8. Earth, en español: TIERRA.
9. Last name of acting sisters Rooney and Kate: MARA. Also 46. Last name of NBA brothers Steph and Seth: CURRY.
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10. Interspersed with: AMONG.
11. Video-sharing site: YOUTUBE.
12. Abstract art pioneer Jean: ARP.
13. Leak slowly: SEEP.
15. Follow logically: ENSUE.
16. Takes down: NOTES.
18. Sledding spot: SLOPE.
20. Luca of "The Godfather": BRASI. "Sleeps with the fishes."
22. Beginning on: AS OF.
23. Grounds crew concern: TURF.
28. Wood-shaping tool: LATHE.
30. Metallic finish?: HARD C. Last letter in Metallic.
32. Pastoral sound: NEIGH.
34. Cold War initials: USSR.
35. California wine valley: NAPA. Also the cabbage that I eat often.
36. 32-card game: SKAT.
37. Cherry red: CERISE.
38. Some British peers: EARLS.
40. "A Death in the Family" Pulitzer winner James: AGEE.
44. Squirms: WRITHES.
47. Map collection: ATLAS.
49. Brightness stats?: IQS.
50. Writer: Abbr.: AUTH. Pam is an author.
51. Place to retire: BED.
52. Blackjack card: ACE.
54. Some 1980s Chryslers: K CARS.
57. Called "Shotgun!," say: HAD DIBS.
58. Corp. leader: CEO.
60. Potato pancake: LATKE.
63. Manga made for adolescent girls: SHOJO. Literally "young girls". Sho= Young. Jo = Girl/Girls.
64. Like some chardonnay barrels: OAKEN.
67. __ de cologne: EAU.
69. Novelist Erdrich: LOUISE. She was born in Little Falls, Minnesota.
70. Still competing: IN IT.
74. Take turns?: STEER.
75. Vigoda of "Fish": ABE.
76. __ service: LIP.
78. 4x4, briefly: UTE.
80. Greek salad topper: FETA. 87. Club ingredient: BACON. And 93. Sashimi fish: AHI TUNA. Our foodie Steve right now is now in an island off Fiji.
81. Like non-oyster months, traditionally: R-LESS.
82. Pull: CLOUT.
83. Root beer eponym: BARQ.
84. Neutral tone: ECRU.
85. CNBC topic: NYSE.
90. Zipped again: RESEALED.
94. Lenny's pal on "Laverne & Shirley": SQUIGGY. Unknown to me.
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97. Native Nebraskans: OTOES.
99. Persia, today: IRAN.
100. "Not nice!": SO MEAN!
101. Wedding party: BRIDE.
102. Skye of "La Brea": IONE.
103. Capstones: ACMES.
104. Sketches: DRAWS.
106. Nightie fabric: SATIN.
110. Zipped: SPED.
112. Associations: TIES.
113. Surname of two British prime ministers: PITT. "William Pitt the Elder" & "William Pitt the Younger".
114. "Queen Sugar" actress Lifford: TINA.
115. Comedian Richter: ANDY.
118. Mine extraction: ORE.
119. OPEC member: UAE.
120. Tee preceder: ESS.
C.C.
25 comments:
Good morning!
Yay, d-o caught the sound change immediately, and was off and running. Finished this one under 20, which on a 21x21 is a good thing. Many (most?) of the names were unfamiliar, but the perps filled 'em easily. This was an elegant creation -- thanx, Pam. C.C., your cultural comments are always enlightening. ("Donkey seems silly." That's because it's asinine. I use cumin only when making chili.)
Like D-O, I sussed the gimmick from the first themed solve. I wasn’t familiar with “Shojo” and a few other words but the perps were kind. FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but had a workout doing it. Got the theme early but it was of little help with the solve. Several unknowns and a few too many proper names, but perps solved most of them. Rhys had me for a while, as I wasn't sure if Curry ended in a "y" or an "i" I never heard of either so did a WAG and was right.
FIW, having a careless mistake at RAm x SKAm. incas->MAYAS, ditto->SO DO I, rnc->GOP, stag->HART, aims->ENDS, wiggles->WRITHES, iona->IONE.
I'm not sure I agree that GOP is an organization. It's a nickname for a political party, and I'm not even sure that a party is an organization. I don't think you can donate to the "Democrat" or "Republican" party, but you can donate to the DNC, RNC, and associated state and local committees. Besides, if you think the GOP is organized, just wait until next year's presidential debates!
We were supposed to single out ONE sign of aging? You could construct an entire Thursday puzzle based on the signs of aging that I display all by myself.
COPTERS (aka fling wings) don't really fly, they just beat the air into submission.
Nice puzzle from PAK, and another fun tour from CC.
Noticed that not only do the themers have the sound change, all are food- (or at least kitchen-) related
FIW/DNF - triple Natick! Plus the RAM/RAT mistake, but I didn't know SAKI or SKAT, so I didn't notice it. The other Naticks: BEN/BARQ and especially SHOJO/JEZEBEL.
NAPA SAKI SKAT... really?? SOLI (plural of SOLO) isn't great fill either but we could've had that instead of SAKI, crossing NOPE and SLAM.
I was able to finish this one in 14:43.
Didn't really catch the theme, other than seeing some repeating patterns.
I had stag before hart (thank you, "The Hartford" logo for coming to me).
I didn't know today's actress Tina or her show/movie, nor did I know today's novelist (Louise) or writer (Barr), although I knew the abbreviated writer (Auth). I knew Brasi and Bono, but didn't think that was the best intersection. Nor did I care for some British prime ministers crossing both pinata and the Russian turndown.
Shojo and cerise were all perps.
I enjoyed the themes--very creative!
A few guesses, like SHOJO that I didn't know, but not too bad.
And a learning moment--although I know it is to Weigh Anchor, I always thought the song was Anchors Away!
Bob Lee, I can relate. In the '50s when Patti Page sang, "Put your fickle past behind you..." in Cross Over The Bridge, I thought she was singing about pickle packs.
I too saw the theme right away. A testament, as CC says, to the inconsistencies of English pronunciation .
I would add to CC’s list “enough” . Mark Twain, or maybe George Bernard Shaw, is said to to have humorously proposed spelling fish GHOTI.
Unfortunately I didn’t finish. I really should have figured out JEZEBEL and RLESS, The only two I missed.
Clever theme. I feel we have seen this theme concept before? I thought CHERRY RED involved something glowing HOT.
billocohoes Thanks for pointing out the theme answers all related to food. Hence the Sound BITES.
Cross of unknown proper names STAM/SATI seemed better than anything else. I count it as UNFAIR rather than FIW. There was also BONO/BRASI, CURRY/RHYS, SHOJO/JEZEBEL Too bad to spoil such a clever construction.
Here is my video I found from 2002 of kids having a PINATA PARTY in the park across the street.
Sorry for the low resolution of 2002!
From Yesterday:
Lucina Thanks for the update and glad things worked out as well as possible with the leak and extensive plumbing repair.
From Friday:
MalMan Thanks for sharing your positive experience with STEPPENWOLF/John Kay. I was very happy with his performance, too.
FIR, but a struggle. First run through left a lot of blank space, but the downs came to the rescue. Lots of obscurity, (which means I don't know them!) And D-DAY FLEET/LSTS should have been PART of a D-Day fleet IMHO. COPTER: is a collection of parts flying in close formation, each one trying to go off on its own.
Another FIR after proofreading to make sure nothing was overlooked. Clever puzzle in several ways, Pam. Thanks! I noticed the themers change in pronunciation right away but didn't think about the food connection and Bites. (Good catch, billo!)
Hand up for aimS before ENDS. The SE corner was my last to fill because I was trying to fit in GUIDencE. Also put enye before BONO. Oh wait, she wasn't born in Dublin. I tried to fit WRIgglES in WRITHES' space. (Hi, Jinx) And stag came quickly but HART was the deer we needed today. (Right, Jinx and Anon@8:58AM?) HARD C needed perps before I got it. Oh, that kind of clue! Picard@12;31PM, I knew CERISE was a kind of red color but just found out CERISE means cherry in French, so "Cherry Red.'
Thanks, C.C., for being our GUIDE today. I only use CUMIN in chili regularly. Interesting about the 4 tones in Chinese. DH has explained to me how he had to learn the 6 tones Vietnamese use with Ma. And 18 numbers in Chinese "SSNs" makes sense for their huge population.
Our April weather has calmed down from its dramatic arrival yesterday. Good afternoon for a walk. So, Anchors AWEIGH (or AWay, as I thought it was too, Bob Lee)
Musings
-Always a fun Sunday with Pam!
-How in the world did I remember CERISE?
-Two very surprising teams are still IN IT for the NCAA BB National Championship
-I’ve always wanted to try and STEER the back end of a hook and ladder fire truck
-IRAN, now and then
-72F on the prairie today. I just looked and my course has no available tee times.
Charlie Echo @ 12:41PM and Jinx @ 8:53 AM
You all have made me look at COPTERS (fling wings) in a new way.
Hi Y'all! Thanks, Pam, for an interesting challenge which I enjoyed and filled. Thanks, C.C., for a great expo.
With the sound bites this puzzle didn't "slaughter" me but induced "laughter". No problem to FIR and finished at the cross of SHOJO and JEZEBEL, complete unknowns but it was an easy guess. Gawker?- Didn't their loss to Hulk Hogan put them out of business?
GEEK OUT- never heard that one before. RHYS, TINA, BARR, LOUISE- other unknowns filled by perps.
NO CASH - my entire existence until I got out of HS. No mon, no fun. Too bad, so sad, my dad.
K-CAR- I had one for a rental after I was rear ended. That and the minivan pulled Chrysler out of their first bankruptcy.
Lenny and SQUIGGY- my next door neighbor is called Squiggy by some of his friends.
SKAT, DKNY, YSL, & LSTS- some crossword fills from the past to use when nothing else would work. Jai Alai, Helot, Orr, Ott, and Cesta are some you don't much these days.
Thanks Pam for the delightful Sunday stroll. The clever theme was music to my ears.
And thanks to C.C. for calling the SHOTS on this one. IMHO the delicious ambiguity of English pronunciation turns out to be the secret of the language's success. It may be difficult to learn, but it's also the basis for much humor (e.g. the rampant punning we see in crossword clues) and some of the greatest poetry and drama ever written.
53A GEEK OUT. Small epidemics of this occasionally break out on the Corner.
62A AGRA. Spoiler alert: Depending on how you look at it, this city may or may not appear in the April 6th puzzle.
68A HOLI. Here's how they filmed a HOLI Festival in Season 1 of The Good Karma Hospital. Regrettably GKH will not be renewed for a 5th Season. This may be due to the incredible effort and expense it takes to film it in Sri Lanka (a standin for Kerala, India) not only due to the recent troubles in the island country, but due to the stress it must place on some of the older stars). But this fantastic medical drama is still out on Acorn and is definitely worth watching.
78D UTE. Many of us on the Corner have fond memories of our UTE.
81D R-LESS. This tradition is taught to Maryland students starting in the 6th Grade, along with the life cycles of the oyster (aka "Chesapeake Bay Sushi") and the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab.
Cheers,
Bill
billocohoes @8:54 AM Good call on the food/drink layer.
Tante Nique @11:09 AM Thanks for that Shaw quote. Didn't get the GHOTI gag, so I fished it up from the Internet.
ATLGranny @12:54 PM On my visit to China, one of the things I learned (from a young many who spoke FLAWLESS English) was that the Cantonese dialect spoken in the GuangZhou region in the South has 9 tones. I think the term "dialect" has different meanings in different countries. In my limited experience the Mandarin and Cantonese dialects are more like separate languages than say the dialects of the Alabaman and the Bostonian in our country.
Got stopped in the SE corner with too many intersecting proper names
Thanks for your puzzle, Pam! I put in then took out then put in several answers. Finally ended with a FIW @ SAwI/SwAT.
Thanks, C.C., for your write-up! Yes, I use a lot of ground cumin and cumin seeds in my cooking. I add it to beans, lentils, Mexican food, and Indian food. DH uses it to make excellent Cuban onions. I usually buy it in small bags at the ethnic food store.
In my 60+ years of solving LAT puzzles, I have never experienced a more convoluted, arcane crossword ...Started after breakfast and it's now supper time and I still have dozens of gaps.My library has been no help and I still refuse to let some computer do my thinking for me. Please don't lecture me about going to "simpler" XWord puzzles ... I'll take it as an affront to my intelligence.
Hola!
I worked on this off and on starting early this morning, went to Mass which today was longer because it starts with a precession of the congregation into the church while holding palm fronds then the reading of the Passion of the Lord. Afterwards I ate breakfast and changed the sheets on my bed. Only had to fill the line at the end of 117 to finish.
Yes, English is a strange language since it is formed from many other languages and has only minimal adherence to rules.
I'm so pleased my shower is now finished and the water flow is powerful! Very bracing!
I find the taste of cumin too sharp and do not care for it. I never use it.
Picard
Someday I would love to visit your city when you are celebrating some event! It is always a treat to see your photos of those activities.
This evening I'm going to my daughter's home to celebrate my granddaughter's 20th birthday.
In the meantime I'm going out to buy a cane. I feel unstable walking and so it's time for that step in my life.
I liked this puzzle very much. Loved the theme. I usually like Pam Klawitter's creations. But it is, I think, rather easy to see where Patti imprinted her presence, as those particular clue/answers are not typical Klawitter.
One of these days I want to try POUTINE. It's on my to-eat list. I wonder if it is similar to Peruvian Lomo Saltado which also features French Fries and gravy.
We, too, use cumin in chili, but making chili is not our daily cooking.
Steph CURRY is pretty well-known in this neck of the woods.
I'm a big fan of BACON but not of FETA.
Every time I see the name BARR I can't help but think of you-know-who.
Good wishes to you all.
I forgot to mention that I read one of Nevada BARR's books but it was a long time ago and I don't remember it.
Last night I finished reading STATE OF TERROR by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny. It's very good. I've also read one or two books by LOUISE Erdrich and one by her late husband Michael Dorris. I'm sorry he's gone because he was a great writer. Sadly he committed suicide.
I've read all of Nevada BARR's books which are mysteries that take place in National Parks.
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