Theme: "Shh!" - S is changed into SH sound, changing spelling as needed.
23A. Startling revelation for a couch potato?: TUBE SHOCK. Tube sock.
25A. Menu of family-sized KFC options?: BUCKET SHEET. Bucket seat.
50A. Full-time employee at a corn processing plant?: ALL-DAY SHUCKER. All-day sucker.
82A. Did too much heavy lifting?: OVER- SCHLEPPED. Overslept.
107A. Really, really cheap liquor?: DOLLAR SHINE. Dollar sign.
111A. Ruse for crashing family reunions?: UNCLE SHAM. Uncle Sam.
36D. Food Network production featuring a chef's work surface?: COUNTER SHOOT. Counter-suit.
41D. Sweeping segment of a prop comic's act?: BROOM SCHTICK. Broom stick.
Somehow I thought this puzzle was by our own Jeffrey. Very much his style.
In case you're not aware, Gary Larson & Amy Ensz are husband and wife. Here's the Cruciverb interview of Gary. He's so good at wordplay.
Across:
5. Bamako's country: MALI. Bamako is on the Niger River.
9. Lethargy: TORPOR.
15. Bygone Swedish car company: SAAB.
19. Maggie Smith's "Good Bones," e.g.: POEM. Not famliar with Maggie Smith the poet.
20. Agenda: PLAN.
21. Oat Milk Blend shampoo maker: AVEENO.
22. Combustible pile: PYRE.
27. Just-in-case item: SPARE.
28. "Let Me Love You" R&B singer: NE-YO. He also wrote "Let Me Love You" for Mario.
30. Like many a safari cat: LEONINE.
31. Water cooler sound: GLUG.
33. Had to have: NEEDED.
35. Apex predators of the ocean: ORCAS.
39. Rowan Atkinson character: MR BEAN. Feels like forever ago.
42. Butters up, perhaps: GREASES.
44. Religious residence: PRIORY.
45. Not theirs: OURS.
46. More oozy: GOOIER.
48. Makes jigsaw puzzles, perhaps: DIE-CUTS. Did not know this can be a verb.
49. Brief "If you ask me": IMO.
54. Tiny criticism: NIT.
55. Kanga's kid: ROO.
56. Credit __: Zurich bank: SUISSE.
57. Director Reitman and tennis great Lendl: IVANS.
58. Golf bag item: TEE.
59. Fred of "Schmigadoon!": ARMISEN. He was also in "Portlandia".
61. __ now and then: EVERY.
62. Heat unit: THERM.
64. Sp. titles: SRAS.
65. 12-Down and 50-Down, maybe: HOT TEAS. 12. Aromatic Sri Lankan exports: PEKOES & 50. Aromatic Indian export: ASSAM. Black tea.
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68. Pride sound: ROAR. Lion.
69. Command to a guard dog: SIC 'EM.
71. Bits: IOTAS.
72. Feels like: WANTS TO.
75. "I hate it": UGH.
76. Chat with online: EMAIL. And 71D. Chatted with online, for short: IM'ED.
77. Fine: CHOICE.
80. Hornswoggled: HAD.
81. "On the other hand ... ": BUT.
84. Med. condition with repetitive behavior: OCD.
85. Bistro VIP: MAITRE'D.
87. Paged: BEEPED.
88. Garden center bagful: SOIL.
89. Ruler divisions: INCHES.
90. Mexican market: MERCADO. Wikipedia says it's both Portuguese and Spanish word for "market".
93. Like an overtired child, maybe: BRATTY.
95. Co-star of Nimoy and Shatner: TAKEI.
96. Type of canoe: DUGOUT.
97. Russian refusal: NYET.
98. Derek's ex-wife on "Grey's Anatomy": ADDISON. Played by Kate Walsh.
100. Sushi bar drink: SAKE.
103. Wall recess: NICHE.
113. Genre for some Tokyo-based bands: J POP. Here's "The Queen of Japanese Pop" Namie Amuro.
114. Does the job perfectly: ACES IT.
115. Costa __: RICA.
116. Blob's lack: FORM.
117. Small tastes: SIPS.
118. __ out of: slyly avoided: WORMED.
119. Particle accelerator particle: ATOM.
120. Jedi Council leader: YODA.
Down:
2. Ascend: GO UP.
3. "For My Broken Heart" singer McEntire: REBA. She'll replace Blake Shelton on "The Voice".
4. Surfaces: EMERGES.
5. Radar gun reading: Abbr.: MPH.
6. Parallel to: ALONG.
7. Shoestring: LACE.
8. Blue Pac-Man ghost: INKY.
9. Can opener: TAB.
10. Small eggs: OVULES.
11. Flow back: RECEDE.
13. Upturned, as a box: ON END.
14. Naan alternative: ROTI. Derived from Sanskrit for "bread".
15. Ball-shaped: SPHERIC.
16. Sailor's affirmative: AYE.
17. Equal: ARE.
18. Exacta or trifecta: BET.
24. Actress Ward: SELA.
26. Dormitory annoyance: SNORER.
29. Cyclops feature: ONE EYE. I don't want to link it.
32. Separates, in a way: UNGLUES.
34. Mouse hat feature: EARS.
37. More chichi: ARTIER.
38. Modus operandi: SYSTEM.
39. Catherine's "Schitt's Creek" role: MOIRA. Catherine O'Hara.
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40. Buzz: RUMOR.
42. Mercury and Mars: GODS.
43. River inlets: RIAS.
44. Pizzeria output: PIES.
47. Actor/director Ken: OLIN. He's in "thirtysomething"
48. Fashion letters: DKNY.
51. Busy place: HIVE.
52. Iris layer: UVEA.
53. Roller coaster parts: CARS.
60. Wrath: IRE.
61. Some Spielberg movie collectibles: ETS. Ah, OK, figurines.
62. In shape: TONED.
63. Sombrero, e.g.: HAT.
65. Icy coating: HOAR.
66. Elevator name: OTIS.
67. Soft mineral: TALC.
68. Zoomed past: RACED BY.
69. Turn in: SUBMIT.
70. Large lizard with dewlaps: IGUANA.
72. Moist towelette: WIPE.
73. Implied: TACIT.
74. "Strange to say ... ": ODDLY.
76. Nights before: EVES.
77. Some athletic shoes: CLEATS.
78. Listen to: HEED.
79. Research on a political rival, briefly: OPPO. Opposition research.
82. Frozen fries maker: ORE-IDA.
83. Howard or Alcorn, for short: HBCU. Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
86. Tour de France mountains: THE ALPS.
88. Hit the spot: SATISFY.
90. Iditarod driver: MUSHER.
91. Narcissist's problem: EGOISM.
92. "Be My Baby" memoirist Spector: RONNIE.
94. Actress Russo: RENE.
96. Hustle genre: DISCO.
97. Maker of sweet wafers: NECCO.
99. Sketch: DRAW.
101. Preternatural glow: AURA.
102. Make a scarf, say: KNIT.
104. Jimmy __: fashion brand known for expensive shoes: CHOO.
105. Difficult: HARD.
106. Actress Thompson: EMMA.
107. Pros using mixers, for short: DJS.
108. Nail polish brand: OPI.
109. Cut (off): LOP.
110. Takeoff approx.: ETD.
112. Hasty escape: LAM. Also a popular Cantonese surname, as in singer George Lam or fashion designer Derek Lam.
So happy that my book is now available on Amazon. Thanks for the review, acesaround, thanks for supporting me whenever you can!
C.C.
41 comments:
A water cooler goes GLUG
When a bubble bursts in its jug.
While an ORCA will burst
To the surface thru surf
To suck in more air thru its plug!
A Jedi Master named YODA
Escaped being killed by a soldja.
Most Jedi were slain
And the few that remain
Weren't honored by Sith one IOTA!
{B-, B-.}
Good morning!
Slow'n'steady won the day. Drew blanks in Texas, but MUSHER broke things open. D-o forgot to read the title, but managed to suss the theme anyway. Well done, Gary, Amy, and C.C.
Well, knowing theme gimmick definitely helped me solve this puzzle, although I thought one or two were a bit of a stretch (over “schlepped” anybody?) Anyway it was a fun solve. There were the usual obscure proper names, but , as is usual on a Sunday, the perps were kind. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Sorry, I inadvertently left a “the” out. It s/b “knowing THE theme gimmick.” But I bet you folks already knew that.
Took 15:44 today to get this one.
Theme was ... meh.
No really bad clues that I remember, and no circles, so that's good.
Enjoy the day, everyone, and congratulations to C.C.!
Good morning. A grind it out puzzle even though I noticed the SCHTICK at TUBE SHOCK. The intersections of unknown A&E fills always hard for me take guesses. NEYO & INKY- thank you perps. The 3-way MR. BEAN, MOIRA, & ARMISEN was even harder, with all five of them beings unknowns. OLIN, ROTI, J POP, POEM- add to that list.
Changed JOULE to THERM fur "Heat unit"
Changed CHOU to CHOO. Habit for Chou, as one of my doctors is named Chou.
LAM- not only a Cantonese surname; one of my Vietnamese friends is named LAM.
HBCU- most of you have probably heard of Howard U. but not Alcorn A&M. It's midway between Vicksburg and Natchez close to the river. About 40 miles from either. It's not on the way to anywhere.
FIW. Mispelt MALa and AVEENa. I thought the R&B singer would be Laura NErO, but on further review she spelled it NyrO anyway. And a bad WAG at TORPOn ended my struggle. Also had to erase receed for RECEDE. Have I mentioned that I have trouble with speling?
I think there's a difference between GREASES, which think of bribing, and buttering up, which I think of as flattering. GTE had a company practice on bribery. If an employee needed to bribe someone to do something they were required to do anyway, like stamp a visa, the cost was OK and reimbursable. If the bribe was to get around laws or regulations, like clear a package through customs without inspection, it was forbidden.
Remember when TABs were pop tops? Remember when idiots were sent to the ER when they accidentally swallowed one after putting it into their beer/soda?
I live midway between two local HBCUs - Hampton and Norfolk State.
DNK that RONNIE Spector had an autobiography. I'll look for it. She also sang parts of her iconic song on Eddie Money's Take Me Home Tonight, co-written by her murdering husband Phil. Eddie, Ronnie and Phil are no longer with us.
Thanks to Gary and Amy for the fun, and to CC for another interesting, informative tour.
BigE - I've said it before and I'll say it again... HBCUs have the best marching bands. [see: Grambling Stateway north of you] -T
FIW. Had mercada instead of mercato, and didn't know oppo from oppa. The theme was a little bit of a stretch and frankly didn't get a few of them till i got here.
Jinx , think of buttering up a frypan, not a bureaucrat.
Good Morning:
The title and a couple of early answers made the theme clear so the solve was easy and quick. I say quick but there were plenty of pauses at the raft of unknowns: Poem, Moira, Ronnie, Armisen, Ne Yo, Mercado, Inky, etc., but the perps were fair, so no complaints. I stumbled over Orbs/Gods and Meant/Tacit, but the bulk of the fill and cluing was pretty straightforward overall. I was impressed with the low (21, I believe) three letter word count, which is very unusual for a Sunday-sized grid. As CC has mentioned often, puzzles based on sound can be tricky due to varied pronunciations and spelling, so allowing a certain leeway and relaxing of the norms might be necessary. My gauge of a good puzzle is whether I enjoyed the solve itself and, if it offered a challenge, all the better.
Thanks, Gary and Amy, for a fun theme and a satisfying solve and thanks, CC, for the usual insider’s viewpoint. I especially appreciated the inclusion of Gary’s interview which I found to be rich with insight about Gary’s accomplishments and life as a constructor.
Have a great day.
FIW. Had to look up the Mexican market to complete OPPo andHBcU and went with kPOP for 113A. Somehow the tea became ASrAM rather than ASSAM and I do know assam tea, drat!
Otherwise, a fine puzzle and good synopsis.
You mean "do" not "to"
I don't have much to say about this puzzle...
Musings
-Huh? TUBE SHOCK was a direct letter insertion and then BUCKET SHEET added the pun
-From here to Timbuktu. Yes, that is a city in MALI
-I love reading personal info I get on FaceBook but not reading personal AGENDAS some have
-I thought I could find and install my SPARE tire one dark night on the Platte River after watching the Sandhill Cranes. Nope, I NEEDED a mechanic who happened to park next to me
-I stir my medicine into my water with 20 clockwise turns of the spoon and then 20 clockwise. OCD?
-I learned Bodega by watching Seinfeld, but not MERCADO
-I thought the woman pitching a skin product on TV looked familiar but I could not place her. Then her name appeared with the subtitle “As seen on Grey’s Anatomy” and I knew who she was.
-A 50-cent trifecta paid $491.18 in this year’s Kentucky Derby
-UNGLUES – Does anyone else have trouble opening the bags in some cereal boxes?
-Sheer repetition may cement OPI into my questionable memory
Husker, isn't that just 40 clockwise turns? Sounds well-mixed to me.
OKL - "frypan" I've heard of. I think they use them in kick-shins. I even think we might have both in our house. I'm pretty sure the restaurants where we eat have them too.
Too many proper names
This puzzle came together slowly for me today, but was fun. Took three cups of coffee to finally arrive at the FIW, but that was probably me. A caffeine deficiency obviously. Clever clues and fair perps made this an enjoyable start to a Sunday morning.
Dang, D-O, ya got me again. I love having my own personal Jimmy Cricket! 20 CW and 20CCW makes for a thorough mix and satisfies my OCD!
When I saw Gary Larson’s name, I rejoiced, but too soon. This CW gave a few more gray hairs. I did catch the theme quickly enough, but a few kinks kept me from FIR. I hate myself for not coming up with ALL DAY. In retrospect so obvious.
There were quite a few unknowns such as OPPO, JPOP, even though I remembered OPI. INKY and NEYO, also unknown.
I still had fun persevering.
GLUG reminds me of my stop over at SEATAC airport on my way to Alaska. As we were sitting waiting for our next flight I kept hearing strange GLUG GLUG sounds. I finally found their source. A Jim Green designed “Talking fountain”. Has anyone else heard those other places?
Congratulations CC on your book publication.
Tante Nique, I just had to look that up. Here's the Jim Green talking fountain.
I liked the theme and the puns. Although I FIR w/o red letters or any help, I do not like names crossing names. My wags panned out. For me it was just moderately fun for this reason. Has any constructor tried to use fewer names, especially crossing ones? I wish.
OPPO has been big in political news for a very long time. OPPO is often unsavory and taken out of context or exaggerated.
"The idea of “buttering up” meaning “to flatter lavishly” appeared at the end of the 18th century and comes from an ancient Hindu tradition of throwing balls of ghee butter at statues of gods in order to ask for favours." Grease is more related to bribe.
Thesaurus synonyms for oozy are all disgusting. Gooey is much more appetizing. From yesterday, I don't think of molasses as oozy. Yuck!
Off to teaching Alan today's reading lesson at age 60.
Except for the mandatory crossed proper names I enjoyed the theme. The changed spellings made it challenging and interesting. FIR.
Not my best IGUANA photo, but this one is in COSTA RICA.
From Last Wednesday:
Wilbur Charles and AnonT Thank you for your kind words and comments about my DRAG video and BOA photo. And for the kind words about Merlie.
From Yesterday:
Learning moment that the unknown band WHAM actually had a hit that I had heard of.
This is Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by WHAM.
I am guessing others have heard it, too.
The married couple Gary and Amy constructed a super SHunday puzzle for us, complete with eight themers. Thanks!
I managed to FIR, saved by catching an error (WORkED instead of WORMED) by noticing the perp didn't make sense. Have I mentioned how downward fill doesn't register as easily? Proofreading and paying attention paid off again.
Thanks C.C. for your helpful review. I wasn't sure about ARMISEN and OLIN, but the N seemed most likely.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!
Thank you Gary and Amy for this SHimmeringly delightful puzzle for which I got a FIR, thus extending my SHtreak to ONE.
And thank you C.C. for SHtraightening me out on the theme, which SHoared right over my head.
Just a few favs:
19A POEM. Here 'tis. Could also have been clued Dowager Duchess from Downton Abbey.
39A MR BEAN. Not only is he an accomplished musician, but an Olympic athlete as well.
Gotta go see the Wild Mountain Laurel in peak bloom behind my son's house. TTYL.
Cheers,
Bill
Picard, I'm surprised that you didn't know Careless Whisper and Last Christmas that I linked to yesterday, along with Wake Me Up. Those are their big three, I think.
Jinx Thanks for the heads up. Right after I posted, I took another look and saw your post. Yes, Careless Whisper indeed is one I know. Never knew the title. Not sure about Last Christmas. It is a bit too soft for my taste, but I remember these on the radio.
I should add that I was astonished to FIR yesterday. Last to fill was ?OWS/?HRISTY. Never heard of a man named CHRISTY. That is my brother's nickname for his wife.
Had no idea about what TAWNY PORT could possibly mean. But I laughed out loud when I finally figured out the SUN/MON thing!
Learning moment about the utterly annoying slang word FACTS. UGH! And learning moment about DADAGER. Struggled with that area until the light went on.
I read the title so sussing the theme was easy but I still did not see all of the "source" phrases until reading C.C.'s review. (Thank you, C.C.!) I think this is because of the spelling differences. Ex: "sine" for "sign". I am impressed with Gary & Amy's ability to see opportunities for puns in those spellings.
waseeley - I paused posting Mr. Bean anything 'cuz I wanted to see what CED came up with. Rowan Atkinson is hilarious taking a concept to it's most wacky extreem.
Thanks for Chariots of Fire link.
Picard - always w/ the cool snaps!
Cheers, -T
I enjoyed solving this puzzle, which, as well as for Irish Miss, is what counts for me. My enjoyment would have been even greater were it not for tiresome clues/answers such as the following:
Maggie Smith's "Good Bones," e.g.: POEM
"Let Me Love You" R&B singer: NE-YO
Fred of "Schmigadoon!": ARMISEN
Derek's ex-wife on "Grey's Anatomy": ADDISON
"For My Broken Heart" singer McEntire: REBA
Catherine's "Schitt's Creek" role: MOIRA
"Be My Baby" memoirist Spector: RONNIE.
I liked the S to SH sound change gimmick, and I liked the following:
Like many a safari cat: LEONINE
Not theirs: OURS
Hornswoggled: HAD
Like an overtired child, maybe: BRATTY (at first I had WHINEY)
Blob's lack: FORM
__ out of: slyly avoided: WORMED (I like the word WORMED)
Separates, in a way: UNGLUES
Pizzeria output: PIES
Hit the spot: SATISFY (at first I had SIT WELL).
I learned that an ATOM can also be a particle accelerator particle, in addition to sub-atomic particles such as electrons and protons.
I learned that EMAIL can be considered to be a form of online chatting.
I learned that CLEATS can actually be a type of shoe, not something that is attached to the bottom of a shoe.
I learned that India exports ASSAM itself, not tea that is grown in Assam. I also learned that Sri Lanka exports PEKOES, not Pekoe and Orange Pekoe teas, whether loose-leaf or not.
I learned it is acceptable crossword construction practice to cross proper names (whether real or fictional) such as INKY and NE-YO, MR.BEAN and SELA, MOIRA and ARMISEN, ADDISON and RONNIE, and YODA, EMMA, and CHOO.
I had STUPOR before TORPOR.
So, RosE and Tante Nique, are you still bedazzled by how white toilet paper is and how blue things are so, well, blue?
Good reading you all.
Thanks Anonymous-T!
Mr. bean is an acquired taste, and I doubt anyone here except me watched your entire link.
(Even I think watching two episodes back to back is too silly even for me...)
But for those who did not watch it, it ends with Mr Bean painting his apartment, but loses his paintbrush. Not to be deterred, he covers "everything" in newspaper, puts a stick of dynamite in the paint can, lights the fuse and attempts to exit before the paint job goes kablooie...
Definitely worth suffering thru the armchair sale for the over the top ending!
I've had a running argument with Larson for years."Don't mix replacing letter clues with respelling words clues". I should have tossed this entry after seeing his name! Once we had a running argument about mixing two or more themes in his puzzles for months. I always have grossed over mixed themed puzzles and will continue to do so! Obviously, it's a DNF day for me.
CED - well, fine then. How about some Blackadder ;-)
Cheers!, -T
C.C.
I want you to know how much I am enjoying your puzzle book! I hope you will have more in the future.
Great puzzle today!
OMG - My little (Army (ret.)) Bro just said this over the horn...
"I never lose. I either win or I learn."
Brilliant! -T
It helped that we've had OPI and HBCU recently. But I had HEaR,BONNIE and Lucina's favorite market was UNK. I knew BEEPED had no A but stuck with hear/HEED
Phil Spector was convicted of murder? Thx Jinx. He was a big influence of R&R
Late start as usual on Sunday.
WC
Jayce @5:55. I am curious “yellow” . What?
A-t.Yea, I liked Blackadder. Long time no see.
Husker G @ 10:20 "-UNGLUES – Does anyone else have trouble opening the bags in some cereal boxes?"
It's not just cereal boxes, it's packaging in general. Try to open some lunch meat, or some jello, or some Wheat Thins, or the ultimate, some grapefruit sections from Mexico. I had get some pliers out, the lid was glued on!
I feel your pain on opening things. I use scissors and special grip pads. I tried to finish this puzzle today but still no luck. Instead of looking things up I let CC guide me through the tough areas. Nice job on the puzzle book. I'm still enjoying it. GC
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