Theme: "Film Adaptations" - The first words and last words of 6 films are switched.
22. Film about double agents at the card table?: SPIES OF BRIDGE. Bridge of Spies.
38. Film about college kids trying to clean up the dorm before parents weekend?: ROOM PANIC. Panic Room.
48. Film about an out-of-this-world job?: SPACE OFFICE. Office Space.
61. Film about the morning meals of a 1980s pop star?: TIFFANY'S AT BREAKFAST. Breakfast At Tiffany's.
82. Film about the installation of red carpets?: LINE THE WALK. Walk the Line.
88. Film about a bird on a Firebird?: HOOD ROBIN. Robin Hood.
Reveal:
109. Reverse course dramatically, or an alternate title for this puzzle: FLIP THE SCRIPT.
Is there a further layer to cohere the set? I fear I'm missing something here.
I don't recall seeing so many great long fill in a Sunday puzzle. Stunning grid work.
Across:
5. Pen __: PAL. Oh I have an incredible pen pal: Janice Leavitt
from Ohio, who sent me these sweet Malley's Buckeyes. Janice reads our
blog faithfully. She just does not comment. Thank you, Janice!
8. Challah unit: LOAF. More food: 21. Polish dumplings: PIEROGI. 53. Khao kha mu meat: PORK. 104. Sandwich selection: ROAST BEEF. Steve probably knows khao kha mu. From Wikipedia: "hao kha mu is an individual dish consisting of stewed pig's trotter in seasoning condensed hot pottage (some recipes are mixed with cocoa powder or boiled peanuts), then it will be cut into thin slices and topped on steamed rice."
12. Two-dimensional: PLANAR.
18. Dialect that may be part of code-switching, for short: AAVE. African-American Vernacular English.
19. "Notorious" SCOTUS justice: RBG.
20. Model Macpherson: ELLE.
25. Truly enjoy something: EAT IT UP. More great long fill: 26. Controversial topic: HOT POTATO.
9D. The one that got away, maybe: OLD FLAME.15D. Lead-in to a potentially hurtful comment: NOTHING PERSONAL.28D. Hive inhabitant: DRONE BEE. 44D. Some barkers: CARNIVAL WORKERS. 81D. Bargain hunter's aim: GOOD DEAL.
82D. Fancy way to the airport: LIMO RIDE. What I said earlier. Stunning.
27. Gently add, as egg whites to batter: FOLD IN.
29. Cries of comprehension: AHAS.
30. Really wow: AWE.
31. Corn throwaway: COB. And
32. Melon __: BALLER. Both made me think of Agnes.
34. Old Dodge: OMNI.
36. Train for a relay, say: RUN.
37. Granada greeting: HOLA.
42. Jaunty neckwear: ASCOT.
45. Agenda unit: ITEM.
46. Short, secret passages?: NDAS. Non-Disclosure Agreements.
47. "Minions: The Rise of __": GRU.
51. Like ground turkey: LEAN.
52. Mimics: APES.
54. Mouse sound: CLICK.
55. Coddle: BABY. How do you call your loved ones? I hear "Honey"
a lot in Minnesota. In Xi'an, it's simple: "Bao Bei" (Baby) for
"boyfriend", "Lao Gong" for "husband".
56. Shift or sheath: DRESS.
57. Source of UV rays: SUN.
58. Tony-winning actress Hagen: UTA. 71. Pop singer Rita: ORA. 79. Actress Mireille: ENOS. 21D. Louvre Pyramid architect: PEI.Vowel-friendly 3-letter names. This one is heavy in vowel also: 14. "7 Rings" singer Grande: ARIANA.
59. Great Lake that touches four states: ERIE.
60. Clairvoyant: SEER.
68. Cello kin: VIOL.
69. Smartphone array: APPS.
70. Young man: BOY.
73. Faculty leaders: DEANS.
75. Sebastian of "The Little Mermaid," for one: CRAB.
76. Firefighting equipment: HOSES.
80. Scotland's __ of Skye: ISLE.
81. Shiva and Brahma: GODS.
84. NNE opposite: SSW.
85. Comedian Mabley: MOMS. First female comedian to perform at the Apollo Theater.
86. Farsi-speaking land: IRAN.
87. Spills: TELLS.
91. Beer ingredient: MALT. And 115. Dutch beer: AMSTEL.
92. Variety show hosts, briefly: MCS.
93. Joy of MSNBC: REID. Boomer kept asking me to check on her hairstyle.
94. Call it a night: GO HOME.
96. Neither win nor lose: TIE.
97. Intel org.: NSA.
100. Thousand __, California: OAKS.
102. Actress Blythe: DANNER. Gwyneth Paltrow's mom.
107. Full arm tattoos: SLEEVES.
111. Dreamlike: SURREAL.
112. "M*A*S*H" star: ALDA.
113. Deg. for many a CEO: MBA.
114. Upfront bet: ANTE.
116. Ballet supporters?: TOES. 8. Pacific ring?: LEI. Nice clues.
117. Madrid's Puerta del __: SOL.
118. Russian ruler until 1917: TSAR.
Down:
2. "Wham!": KAPOW.
3. Paperless party announcement: EVITE.
4. "Read 'em and __!": WEEP.
5. Three-quark particle: PROTON.
6. Britcom based on a "French and Saunders" sketch: AB FAB.
7. Pride initials: LGBT.
10. Early computer language: ALGOL.
11. Subtle inquiry: FEELER.
12. Semi-autobiographical Billy Joel song: PIANO MAN.
13. Permit: LET.
16. __ fresca: AGUA.
17. Scams, with "off": RIPS.
23. "How precious!": SO CUTE.
24. Unemotional: ROBOTIC.
33. Smart __: ALECK.
35. Westminster reps.: MPS. Members of Parliament.
36. Genre with many subgenres: ROCK.
37. Classic LP player: HIFI.
39. Jazz singer Anita: ODAY.
40. Riles up: IRES.
41. Swear: CUSS.
42. Egyptian cobras: ASPS.
43. Teapot feature: SPOUT.
49. In base eight: OCTAL.
50. Custard dessert: FLAN. Durians are custardy. High in fat,
high in sugar, the smell offends many, but I love them so much. Just
wish they were cheaper.
51. Hibernation station: LAIR.
52. Neck of the woods: AREA.
55. Texter's "Hold that thought": BRB.
56. Stand up to: DEFY.
58. 59-Down carriers: UFOS. 59. 58-Down passengers: ETS.
60. Little bit: SKOSH.
62. "Whatever": FINE.
63. Show of political support: YARD SIGN.
64. Me-time spots: SPAS.
65. Urgent PD call: APB.
66. Provide a fake alibi for, say: ABET.
67. Doll with fluffy hair: TROLL. Lots of trolls at our local flea market. I just don't see the appeal.
72. Seeks answers: ASKS. Please can you leave an Amazon review once you complete my puzzles?
You'll make me very happy!
73. Course component: DISH.
74. Canadian fuel giant: ESSO.
75. Rooster topper: COMB.
76. Whisky-maker Walker: HIRAM.
77. Vigilant: ON ALERT.
78. Text status: SENT.
79. Flock females: EWES.
83. "Yada, yada, yada": ETC ETC.
85. CT scan kin: MRI.
89. Mojave, for one: DESERT.
90. Like some yogurt: NON-FAT. Been loving my own soy yogurt.
92. Liturgical text: MISSAL.
95. "You there?": HELLO.
96. Martial arts-based fitness system: TAE BO.
97. German dissents: NEINS.
98. Way around Philly: SEPTA. OK, stands for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
99. Following: AFTER.
100. Thessaly peak: OSSA.
101. Homecoming guest: ALUM.
103. Comm. system in the film "CODA": ASL.
105. __ Law: electrical principle: OHM'S.
106. German sausage, for short: BRAT.
108. Valiant leader?: VEE. Valiant.
110. Ballet step: PAS.
Thank
you so much for the sweet posts, emails and cards for my birthday. I
hiked the outside loop at Springbrook, then had a few long
calls with my close friends. Will meet with the nice Church couple Bill and Margaret for a birthday lunch once I get this cough out of my system. They really love me despite the fact that I'm still not ready to be a Catholic (yet). I like being a lost lamb.
Congrats to Dennis and his wife
Linda who just celebrated their 35-year wedding anniversary! Dennis was
always the first to comment on our blog in the earlier days. Come back,
Dennis!
.jpg) |
| Dennis & Linda, Wedding Day |
 |
| Dennis & Linda, 35 Years Later |
C.C.
24 comments:
Good morning!
AAVE? Really? Needed C.C. to 'splain that one for me. Folks in Texas are unlikely to know that SEPTA is name of a Pennsylvania traffic system. Well, this Texan, at least. Finally caught the theme at ROOM PANIC, and that made the rest easy to suss. Thanx, Amie and C.C.
OCTAL: My first computer was a Heathkit H-8. The "8" indicates it was an OCTAL-based computer. The monitor, keyboard, and diskette drive(s) were add-on items.
HOSES: Had to make an emergency run to Harbor Freight yesterday to pick up an air hose. The link between my compressor and hose-reel had failed. Noticed it when I tried to top up the bike tires.
When it comes to “AAVE” I have to ask, did the crossword constructor just plug four random letters into a computer and see what came up? I wonder. Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. From “Spies of Bridge” onward, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
I got lucky early and caught the theme. BRIDGE OF SPIES is the only movie of the bunch that I had seen. I was just a kid when it happened but I remember when 'trade' was made. Not much trouble was needed to FIR, just some perps to get the unknowns-SLEEVES. MOMS, DANNER, REID, ALGOL, GRU, ENOS, SEPTA, and the never seen or heard of AAVE. Is that another name for Ebonics?
PROTON was the only logical fill for the Three quark particle- DNK.
Changes- BCCS to NDAS; LOW FAT to NON FAT; and ARN to VEE for the (Prince) Valiant leader. The Plymouth Valiant wouldn't fit.
PIEROGI- knew it but it took perps for the correct spelling
HIRAM- first thought was JOHNNY Walker-red, black, or blue
Yesterday 'started' great. Worked the puzzle, took a long bike ride, mowed the lot, sat in the recliner, looked up and saw WATER STAINS on the ceiling. Uh oh. Went upstairs and there were water stains on the second floor ceiling. A drain pipe for the 2nd floor AC unit became disconnected and drained water onto the ceiling. It's no fun pulling out fiberglass insulation in 110+F attic to hopefully let the sheetrock dry. Filed an insurance claim this morning. I hope the sheetrock doesn't need to be replace because it will be a big mess.
FIR, but erased spin for SKEW and lad for BOY. Melon ___: Carnegie was too long, Visa was too short. Oh, THAT Melon isn't speled that way? Untie! BALLER is also slang for a star basketball player.
Ok, ok. Yesterday I wrote that I would write "oboe" for any 4-letter musical instrument, even if it should be VIOL. Maybe because it was top of mind, today I didn't.
Haven't thought of marvelous comedienne MOMS Mabley in decades. Nice retro fill.
GTE California was headquartered in Santa Monica. Jane Fonda's husband became mayor, and decided to attack GTE as if we were public enemy number one. We had just signed a 40 year lease with Lawrence Welk for his building at 100 Wilshire Blvd, but the harassment from Tom Hayden became so intense that we bought the building, moved our headquarters to Thousand OAKS, then sold the Santa Monica building. So there!
I was already an old man before I discovered that Arby's wasn't named for ROAST BEEF. As everyone else probably already knew, it is named for founders Raffel Brothers. Next they'll be telling me that professional wrestling is rigged.
Oh yeah. I've got an OLD FLAME. Burned bright and hot for a while. I still wonder "what if" every time I hear Smoke from a Distant Fire by one-hit wonders Sanford-Townsend Band.
There's a Westminster other than the dog show? Who cares?
I know a guy who is kinda the Rich Little of music. He can sound just like the PIANO MAN and Louis Armstrong, among others. He makes a pretty good living doing so.
Mojave could have been a CITY in yesterday's puzzle.
I traveled a lot when I lived in Phoenix. I lived in the far northwest corner of the city, and knew how much taxi fare was from Sky Harbor airport. When I would arrive on a late flight, I would offer that amount for a LIMO RIDE. More often than not, I would ride home in a stretch.
Thanks to Amie for the fun challenge. I appreciated the mix of old celeb with the new. My favorite was "Pacific ring" for LEI. Got me thinking "Pacific Rim," which is "a whole nuther thing." And thanks to CC for another nice review. Interesting format, one that I think I would like over time.
NOTHING PERSONAL, it's just absurd.
My transexual wife has a beard.
She could be a geek --
Not a computer freak --
But a CARNIVAL WORKER type of nerd!
Mad's FOLD-IN artist has died.
For Al Jaffee I nearly cried.
My attempt to foresee
What his subject would be,
Often failed, altho I still tried.
(R. I. P. Al Jaffee, March 13, 1921 - April 10, 2023)
FIR, but this was extremely crunchy for a Sunday offering and in my opinion very poorly developed.
Way too many proper names, and aave and septa, really? Did we just fill in random letters and then search for some arcane clue? Not cool!
FIR. Ditto about AAVE. Knew SEPTA since I live in PA.
Only false step was Ecard instead of EVITE. Enjoyed the theme once ROOMPANIC filled. A couple of WAGS and perps filled most of the unknowns.Liked the two long down fills
Thanks to our Sunday analyst for her enjoyable summary, and a belated Happy Birthday, C.C.
Musings
-Not only did I not know khao kha mu, I didn’t know “pig’s trotter” or “hot pottage”
-Failure to read the clue made me rapidly put in a Q at A_UA instead of a G.
-Any port in a storm: AAVE & SEPTA
-Fans of musicals know of the hot-tempered CARNIVAL WORKER Billy Bigelow
-Those COBS will fill out much better now after a lovely 2” of rain yesterday
-Short, secret passages/NDAS?
-My puzzle constructor friend in Lincoln became a DEAN and then the president of Nebraska Wesleyan University
-SPILLS: I learned “Spill the tea” doing these puzzles
-I’ll bet you recognize these two people in today’s puzzle in this scene.
-PIANO MAN: “But it's sad, and it's sweet, and I knew it complete, When I wore a younger man's clothes”
-ALEC or ALEK? Wait, it’s both!
-ALERT: The Coast Guard motto is Semper Paratus (Always Ready)
Good Morning:
I found this to be a very smooth solve (finished in approximately the same time as yesterday’s) with little resistance, e.g., AAVE and ALGOL. The title and the first themer, Spies of Bridge, telegraphed the theme which, in turn, aided in seeing the rest of the films. The only unknown movie was Office Space and other than that and Robin Hood, I’ve seen all of them. Bridge of Spies threw me momentarily because I thought of Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. I also thought I had the book but, upon checking, I find that I have The Invisible Bridge, not the Bridge of Sighs. Or Spies! I’ll blame my foggy brain on another depressing, soggy, rainy day in the Great Northeast.
Lei and Pei made a nice, rhythmic duo but I found MCs a tad jarring, as I only remember seeing Emcees. Small nit considering the impressive long fill. I particularly liked seeing Blythe Danner as a reminder of her understated (underrated, IMO) performance in one of my favorite movies, The Prince of Tides. I often wonder how such a seemingly sane, sophisticated, genteel woman ended up with such a strange, eccentric daughter, Gwenyth Paltrow.
Thanks, Amie, for a trip down movie memory lane and thanks, CC, for pointing out the finer points of constructing and grid work. I also appreciated the way you grouped the related entries together. However, I’m reserving judgement on the photo of the pig trotter’s dish and that questionable fruit, Durian. Glad Margaret and Bill are such good friends to you and IMO, better to be a lost lamb (temporarily) than a black sheep! 😘
Happy Anniversary, Dennis and Linda. 🎂🎊🎉🎈💐 Semper Fi, Dennis.
Have a great day. Hope yours is drier than mine!
Arg!
Everyone wants a review!
(Sorry, but you hit a sore spot...)
I recently had a bad roof leak in the kitchen, fortunate, only because of the availability of pots and pans.
Finally got a roofer to fix it, except he couldn't, because it would not stop raining!
So what does the roofers office do?
They send me repeated emails, requesting a favourable review, before they have even started the work!
YA WANT A REVIEW? HERE YA GO! YOURE PISSING ME OFF WITH THESE ANNOYING EMAILS WHILE I KEEP CHANGING POTS AND PANS AND MOPPING UP WITH TOWELS!
as far as sip and solve xword review, that I haven't started yet, the best I can do is state that I am savouring them for when life is at its lowest drudgery point. (Think waiting for a plane in an airport...) as it would be the only thing that makes me happy in an intolerable situation... (quite honestly, I hope I never finish them...)
The puzzle?
I breezed right thru, with a couple of backtracks to fill 8n missing spaces. (I didn't even see that weird word HG was talking about?!?!)
But I have to smile at the link I found for flip the script...
Looked daunting at first pass, but gradually filled in. A lot of back and forth until the aha! moment when the theme dropped into view. All and all, an enjoyable outing.
FLN
Busy day yesterday as we attended a mini family reunion at the house my Father built, now owned by my oldest sister and her husband. Great food, great conversation, and lots of fund memories.
Oh, the puzzle -- thank you Annemarie and Katie for a near miss. I'd heard of GLEE, but DNK Jane Lynch,but didn't DIG DUG so it was an FIW.
And thanx for the review Husker!
TODAY
Thank you Amie for the filmatic tour de force, but alas had ENIS x TRILL for another FIW.
Favorite clue: SPIES OF BRIDGE. For years now Teri has been mentioning that as a film she'd like to see and I take this a a SIGN that the time is ripe.
And thank you C.C. for the review. We hope you get over your cough soon. BTW Linda is the spitting image of the sister who threw the party yesterday, both on her wedding day and circa 35 years later. Oh, and if you need any catechetic coaching or have any questions don't hesitate to drop me a line. 🙂
Cheers,
Bill
AAVE … Another Annoying Varol Edition 🤔 kkFlorida
Not much to say about the puzzle. I was not in the mood for it apparently.
CED@10:52. I definitely sympathize with you about reviews/surveys. Every Tom, Dick! and Harriet, wants a review. Now in your case that’s adding insult to injury, if you’ll pardon my clichés.
Get well CC.
CED @10:52 AM Wow, that guy is really a quick study. His granddaughter understood every word he said. 😊
@Anon 1:11 PM - OK, so you don't know what AAVE means, but it's rude to insult the editor. Says more about you than the entry or the puzzle.
I enjoyed the puzzle, pretty clever. And C.C.'s writeups are always a joy.
Thanks for your PuzzleWordCross, Amie! I liked the long fills. FAV: Mouse sound
Big Easy @ 8:12. Sorry to hear about your water leak. Oof!
I enjoyed your tour of the puzzle, C.C.! I always learn something new!
I got pleasure from solving this puzzle. AAVE went in and I didn't bother to try to understand what it is. I hit my Natick at the crossing of N-AS and O-AY. It was a short alphabet run to fill that D. Looking back, NDAS made sense; I had to sign one once for a certain employer. Still don't know Anita ODAY (O'Day?) and will forget in a few days. Does that mean I don't care? Maybe. I dunno (or care).
I liked seeing the old and recent photos of Dennis and Linda. I also liked C.C.'s write-up and all your comments.
OHM'S Law has served me extremely well over the years. I think I have used it at least 1000 times more than any other law or formula.
Good wishes to you all.
I thought this was one of the best Sunday xwords lately; the V8 can hit with TIFFANYetc, as my wife and I watched it again last week on PBS Friday at the Movies.
Yeah, AAVC…”let’s see just how obscure we can get!” And a pile of proper names, as usual; but thank the gods for perps to put them to rest.
C.C., no worries about being a lost lamb — you never know what new discoveries can arise via your wanderings 😎
====> Darren / L.A.
Tough Sunday puzzle, but still fun, Amie--many thanks. And C.C., what a pleasure to always get your helpful and interesting and delightful commentary--makes our Sundays special. And take good care of yourself and get over your cough soon.
Well, I always look for food in puzzles, and this one gave us a LOAF of bread before we even got our BREAKFAST, followed by some PIEROGI and a HOT POTATO, and some CRAB and some PORK. Then we even got some FLAN for dessert, with some MALT to drink. A pretty good DISH of food all around, healthy and NON-FAT: go EAT IT UP, everybody.
But while enjoying all that dining, we were accompanied by wonderful music, starting with the PIANO MAN playing, accompanied by a VIOL, giving ARIANA a chance to do some singing, and ending up with some ROCK playing on the HI-FI. A pretty GOOD DEAL all around for a Sunday.
Have a great week coming up, everybody.
Took 14:28 today for me to switch it around.
Great theme, but some of the fill wasn't so hot (e.g., algol, agua, esso, ossa, pas, octal), and good thing I didn't notice Aave while I was solving. I can accept this trade-off because the theme was fresh, amusing, and plentiful.
DNF since the "theme" was a stretch. The "long fill themes" weren't clever...they were just silly. This week's fill was about 90%.
BTW: I noticed you've picked up an eco-friendly detergent. I used some of their products and was pleased with the results but. Since I've had my credit cards hacked so often I've thrown them out. Sadly, many on-line retailers will only accept credit card orders. Any suggestions??
Grumpy Granny @9:00 PM I've had success with PayPal which takes the money from your checking account. Not all vendors support it though.
another pathetic puzzle,a proper name at every turn. And then we come up with.AAVE?
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