Theme: "Creatures of Habit" - Each common phrase, in the pattern of *ING + creature, is humorously rephrased.
22. Canine that thinks it's an old-timey news announcer?: CRYING WOLF.
32. Bird that thinks it's a television show host?: TALKING TURKEY.
48. Marsupial that thinks it's an actor?: PLAYING POSSUM.
67. Tabbies that think they're collies?: HERDING CATS.
86. Insects that think they're outfielders?: CATCHING FLIES.
99. Lambs that think they're census takers?: COUNTING SHEEP.
115. Bird that thinks it's a restaurant critic?: EATING CROW.
I wonder who came up with the title. So perfectly captures the theme/clue approach of this puzzle.
Here is a short bio of Rebecca. Here is Rachel's website. Both are amazing constructors.
Across:
6. Whole bunch: SCAD.
10. "I did it!": TA DA.
14. Spumante specification: BRUT.
18. Faith with a shrine in the Hanging Gardens of Haifa: BAHAI. I bet Hahtoolah has been here.
19. Healing succulent: ALOE.
20. Silent stars?: MIMES. Lovely clue.
21. "The Chi" creator Waithe: LENA.
24. Bikini in the Pacific, e.g.: ATOLL.
25. Eager: AVID.
26. Any minute now: SOON.
27. Corvallis sch.: OSU. Oregon State University. The Beavers.
Tom Pepper graduated from University of Oregon. The Ducks. This picture
was taken on Nov 1, 2013. He likes that hat.
28. Ridiculous: INANE.
29. Flanged fasteners: T NUTS. Also 74. Minor in Hollywood: D LIST. 81. Cable network that's a nonprofit: C SPAN.
30. Willingness to support: BUY IN.
36. Contacted privately, in a way: DM'ED.
38. Craps cube: DIE.
39. Egyptian peninsula: SINAI.
40. Ingredient in some vegan marshmallows: AGAR.
42. "The curl experts" hair care brand: OUIDAD. Unfamiliar to me. What does the word mean?
45. Tourney favorite: TOP SEED.
51. Agcy. that oversees PubMed: NIH.
52. Snare: NET.
54. Cambridgeshire cathedral city: ELY.
55. Brewery shipments: CASES.
56. Cheer syllable: RAH.
58. Snapple rival: NESTEA.
60. "Homeland" org.: CIA.
61. Opposite of 33-Down: HOLA. 33. Opposite of 61-Across: ADIOS.
62. Sets to zero, as a scale: TARES. Learned from doing crosswords.
64. Runs very slowly: SEEPS.
65. Alight: LAND.
71. Pound sounds: ARFS.
72. Pot payments: ANTES.
75. Inflict upon: DO TO.
77. Italian three: TRE.
78. Big name in financial services: SCHWAB. They bought TD Ameritrade last year.
80. Fashion monogram: YSL.
82. Trouble: AIL.
83. Observe: SEE.
84. Cozy room: DEN.
90. Teensy bit: SMIDGEN.
93. Wool type: MERINO.
94. Olympic swimmers Crocker and Thorpe: IANS. Ian Thorpe is known for his powerful 6-beat kicks. We also have 104. Swim events: MEETS.
95. "Groovy": NEATO.
96. Picture of Pluto?: CEL. Pluto the dog.
97. "Star __": WARS.
107. Takes a victory lap, maybe: TROTS.
108. Reads (over): PORES.
109. Frozen solid?: ICE.
111. Caramel candy sold in a tube: ROLO.
113. Word after "Lavender" and "Purple," in song titles: HAZE.
114. Red Monopoly piece: HOTEL.
118. Finished: OVER.
119. __ City: Pittsburgh: STEEL.
120. "__ did I just watch?": WHAT.
121. Don: PUT ON.
122. Try again: REDO.
123. Little helper?: ASST. Little hints at Abbr.
124. Simplicity: EASE.
125. Pedometer units: STEPS.
Down:
2. Pod used as a chocolate substitute: CAROB.
3. "Such a flirt!": OH YOU.
4. Occasion to carry an umbrella: RAINY DAY. Cloudy, rainy here, but not cold.
5. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.
6. Carpentry tools: SAWS.
7. Social capital: CLOUT.
8. Pioneering ISP: AOL.
9. Pt. of HDTV: DEF.
10. Phoebe or Cronus: TITAN.
11. Surrounded by: AMONGST.
12. Mutation that removes a DNA sequence: DELETION. Might be Rachel's clue.
13. Interpretation first provided for a SOTU address in 2021: ASL.
14. Comfort item for some tots: BLANKIE.
15. Light show?: REVUE.
16. Principle celebrated on the first night of Kwanzaa: UNITY.
17. Iotas: TADS.
20. __-pedi: MANI. Someone asked about my hand cream last week. This saved me.
23. Used up: GONE.
28. Stores with Småland play areas: IKEAS.
29. Gives a zero-star review, say: TRASHES.
31. Cry from a Mega Millions winner: I'M RICH.
34. Ball caps or bottle caps: LIDS.
35. Remove from the top of an inbox, say: UNPIN.
37. Musher's conveyance: DOGSLED.
40. Partnerships: ALLIANCES.
41. Jam at a Pride Parade: GAY ANTHEM.
43. Awake before the alarm: UP EARLY.
44. Headwear sported by Rihanna on the cover of British Vogue: DURAG. Preferred over DORAG
46. Consider, as an idea: ENTERTAIN.
47. Prepares at a state fair, perhaps: DEEP-FRIES. Come here and try our fried pickles.
48. Gym: PE CLASS.
49. Lye, in a lab: NAOH.
50. Syst. between Baltimore and D.C.: MARC. OK, Maryland Area Rail Commuter. Unknown to me.
53. Fez danglers: TASSELS.
57. Enters: HEADS IN.
59. __ cucumber: SEA.
62. Blast letters: TNT.
63. "This is your last warning!": STOP NOW.
66. Droplets on a cobweb: DEW.
68. LP or EP, e.g.: DISC.
69. Official religion of Djibouti: ISLAM.
70. Deer sir: STAG.
73. Turns blue?: SADDENS.
76. Burning: ON FIRE.
79. Sired: BEGAT.
81. Easter Island's country: CHILE.
85. Nasal irrigation vessels: NETI POTS. Looks uncomfortable.
87. Backstage crew: TECHS.
88. First Nations people: CREE.
89. Like some intricate designs: LASER CUT.
91. Before birth: IN UTERO.
92. "I love everything you've done here": NO NOTES. Just perfect.
98. "I'll drink to that": AMEN.
99. Hunger for: CRAVE.
100. Ran very slowly: OOZED.
101. Receive: GREET. I mentioned last time that I bumped into
Boomer's old colleague Steve at the pool last month. He kindly invited
me as his guest to the annual Graybar Retiree Luncheon. The couple in
the second picture told me about their granddaughter, who received the
very last Debra Burnikel Scholarship.
 |
| C.C. & Steve Bauer, 12/14/2023 |
 |
| Joan, Allen Silver & C.C. |
102. Put on the market: SELL.
103. Breads with pockets: PITAS.
105. Rich cake: TORTE. Graybar had this and carrot cake on their menu.
106. Single-masted sailboat: SLOOP.
107. Mjölnir wielder: THOR.
110. Give credit to: CITE.
112. Possesses: OWNS.
114. Employee benefit option, for short: HSA. Health Savings Account.
115. Manchego source: EWE.
116. Cry of recognition: AHA.
117. Path finder in a Pathfinder, briefly: GPS.
C.C.
I always thought it was called a “dorag” not a “durag” but that’s what the perps mandated. Other than that, I didn’t have any major problems with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteI was sure it was DO-RAG -- a rag for one's "do," and that POSSOM must be alternate spelling of POSSUM. Bzzzzzzzt! Thanks for playing. (I learned yesterday that Mayim is out at Jeopardy!. Works for me.) Wasn't familiar with the brand OUIDAD; is that like "Yes, Pa?" Not sure I understand NO NOTES. Is that like "No red flags?" or "No punch list?" It only took 16 minutes to create my DNF -- that's pretty quick for d-o on a Sunday. Thanx, Rebecca, Rachel, and C.C.
DO, you are correct, it is a DO-RAG according to Google, so your theory on POSSOM must be correct. Need confirmation from the authors of the puzzle.
DeleteFIW, missing the RAG that covered my hairDU, just like Desper-Utto. Erased asti for BRUT, lavender blue (dilly dilly) for purple HAZE, ira for HSA, ill for AIL, and since the only Olympian named Crocker or Thorpe I knew was jim, jims for IANS.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
WRIGHT BROTHERS DAY (Orville and Wilbur Wright made that first successful flight on December 17, 1903. They are still waiting for their luggage)
NATIONAL MAPLE SYRUP DAY (as far as I know, there just isn’t any acceptable substitute)
All SLOOPs are single-masted, but not all single-masters are SLOOPs. Cats, cutters, ketches and yawls are in the mix too.
Perfection in nature - 24 hours in a day, 24 cans in a case of beer.
I like the SCHWAB commercials, featuring the numbskull Carl as the full-service broker.
Thanks to Rebecca and Rachel for the fun exercise, and to CC for the guided tour through it.
Took 20:08 today.
ReplyDeleteTop-left corner was brutal for me. I didn't know Waithe or whatever he/she/they created.
"unpin" didn't make a ton of sense to me.
With the "u" in "tnuts", I wanted "sunup" for the light show.
But hey, no circles, so like our good friend SubG, I'm happy.
FIR. But I question durag. i was certain of possum, but i very much wanted dorag. Even spellcheck agrees with me.
ReplyDeleteA small nit: little helper with a question mark is not the same as an abbreviation, yet that was the answer.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThe title, Creatures of Habit, and the first themer, Crying Wolf, almost guaranteed that I was going to enjoy solving this puzzle, and I was not disappointed. All of the idioms are so familiar and evocative, but I think my favorite is Herding Cats and its humorous clue. I never stopped to think of just how many animal-related phrases we use to express ourselves, so it was fun to see them all reinterpreted comically. I was stymied by several unknowns, which is not unusual in a Sunday grid: Ouidad*, Durag, NAOH, No Notes, Thor, Marc, Lena, as clued, and HSA, but the perps were fair, so no complaints. I believe my only w/o was Blue/Haze (Hi, Jinx, dilly-dilly!). I like clecho clues and today we had Ran/Runs very slowly for Oozed/Seeps and I also appreciated the low (24) word count of three letter words. Ouidad Stephen Wise if the founder of the hair care company which bears her name.
Thanks, Rebecca and Rachel, for a very enjoyable and satisfying solve and thanks, CC, for your expert guidance and commentary. Thanks for sharing the photos of the Graybar gathering. That was a lovely gesture by Steve to invite you to the luncheon.
FLN
One last comment regarding yesterday's puzzle. RPS wrote "I maintain this is a nasty but ultimately fair puzzle." I respectfully submit that the vast majority of Cornerite solvers agree with the nasty but disagree with the ultimately fair.
Have a great day.
Oops, I forgot the * for Ouidad's origin and If should be Is.
ReplyDeleteDURAG?? Please see my comment for DO above. Theme was great. I agree with IM. Took a bit of time to slog through the rest of the fill. FIR or FIW depending on the ruling above.
ReplyDeleteA bow to Rebecca and Rachel and our fearless leader, Zhouqin, for their presentations today
Watched the Transiberian Orchestra's "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve" last night. Bought the DVD when it came out 25 years ago. Never get tired of watching it every Christmas season. It is often on TV each year at this time. Highly recommended!
In this night, it's not too late. (TSO)
Forever
Wikipedia has durag as an “alternate spelling.” That, and two foreign words with the only cluing being that they are opposites was dirty pool, but managed to FIR. For once, the theme actually helped and was quite clever.
ReplyDeleteI liked the theme clues and answers a lot. Really well done, and fun.
ReplyDeleteI agree that little doesn't lead me to an abbreviation, but what else could it be with the perps.
Otherwise I was able to plow through this with only a little help checking answers. Made the first check when I was pretty stuck and had some awkward letter combos and was surprised that all were right, so that helped me recognize some two word answers. Didn't recognize DURAG and OUIDAD was totally unknown to me, so I resorted to trying every letter to finish the puzzle.
To Anonymous of 10:54 AM: Wikipedia lists durag as the correct spelling with a parenthetical link to "alternate spellings" as do-rag, dew-rag, and doo-rag.
ReplyDeleteAside from some do-du,
ReplyDeleteAnd I really think instead of ouidad, yes mom is more common usage...
I think this puzzle was a perfect way to waste some time before I can take some more pills.
(Tylenol, I have Covid, again.)
(DW shares everything...)
Musings
ReplyDelete-Clever with a challenge at every turn but I earned “got ‘er done”
-TOP SEED Husker VB plays for a national championship today
-To TARE or “zero out” a balance was a frequent task in my science lab
-OH YOU from 1908
-A RAINY DAY yesterday was very welcome here on the dry prairie
-I enjoyed your write-up, pix and personal info, C.C.
On the spelling of durag: "While we’re here, it’s worth noting that the spelling of durag is a tiny bit fraught with controversy. Merriam-Webster renders it as “do-rag,” observing that it is a rag used to protect a hairdo. On the other hand, anyone who has ever worn a durag spells it durag. Moving on."
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/style/durag-solange-met-gala.html
An enjoyable puzzle with helpful theme entries! My last filled space was the D where unknown OUIDAD and DURAG crossed, the latter being a new spelling for me. I do not understand UNPIN as clued -- can anyone explain? Thanks to Rebecca and Rachel for the fun, and to C.C. for solving.
ReplyDeleteAn enjoyable Sunday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteA minimum of white out needed.
Fav clue was Picture of Pluto - Cel
Thanks Rebecca and Rachel.
……. kkFlorida
I can't picture any self-respecting redneck ever calling it a "durag." Even otto-correct doesn't like it.
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle, fun and satisfying theme. Lots of interesting clues and fills. There was some challenge to it, but all fair.
ReplyDeleteSome head scratchers: UNPIN, DMED, NO NOTES? WEES about the alternate spelling of DURAG crossing unknown, to me, OUIDAD.
After a rainy, depressing day yesterday, cool, bright sunshine today.
Christmas Eve is a week from today. Who knew it would be here so fast?
WEES regarding DURAG, NO NOTES, OUIDAD, MARC.
ReplyDeleteCan someone please explain how CRYING WOLF relates to "an old-timey news announcer"?
CC Thanks for your comment about the BAHAI HANGING GARDENS OF HAIFA. I have posted some of my photos there before, but you may have missed it.
Here I was at the BAHAI HANGING GARDENS OF HAIFA
It has many sections.
Here is just one of those many sections of the BAHAI HANGING GARDENS OF HAIFA
From Yesterday:
AnonT Way cool that someone was able to read your mind and share with you the Unicycle WHEELIE video. That guy is just fearless! So inspiring! Thank you!
Sunday Lurk say...
ReplyDeleteJinx - In '88, DW & I were in VT for our one of our Anniversaries (and leaf-peeping) and went to Sugar Bush Farms. OMG! No more Mrs. Butterworth for me.
D-O: NO NOTES is basically, "I can't think of any way to fix / improve what you've done." If it was crap, I'd have notes galore telling someone how to improve it (assuming I was asked).
Picard - "excessive reporting, called "crying wolf", can dilute the information value of reports." I assume it goes back to The Boy Who Cried Wolf... Or maybe it's just a reference to CNN's Wolf Blitzer :-)
//and, yeah, that dude on the UNIcycle is nutty-fearless.
I have no opinion on d_rag as I can't spell anyways.
Cheers, -T
Oops, it was in '08 we went to VT. It was our 20th. -T
ReplyDeleteThe old-timey news announcer was the town cryer.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the theme and many of the clues/answers. Was stumped by OUIDAD and LENA, and nonplussed by DURAG. ISLAM became BAHAI and then appeared later.
ReplyDeleteASTI --> BRUT.
IMED --> DMED.
CASKS --> CASES.
BASE --> NAOH.
JIMS --> IANS (hi, Jinx).
BLUE --> HAZE (dilly dilly).
BLANKET --> BLANKIE.
DONE --> OVER.
I made it harder for myself by expecting an Arabic word for fez TASSELS.
I remember a Spencer Tracy line in the movie Inherit the Wind: "That's a lot of BEGATs."
Good wishes to you all.
WEES. Picard- could it perhaps be a reference to a REALLY old news announcer? The Town Cryer?
ReplyDeletePicard, the crying wolf refers to the town crier as the person who delivered the news in the old times.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I didn't refresh to see that others already posted about the town crier.
ReplyDeleteDidn't get the D with Durag and Ouidad. Didn't like "no notes or unpin". Otherwise a fun way to kill some time on a rainy day here in Virginia. Always enjoy the pics CC. GC
ReplyDeleteWell, I mulled this one over & over and it took me an hour & 15 minutes to fill. I kept getting ING in the right place with the second word, then was stumped a while. Didn't understand a bunch of words after I had the right ones, like NO NOTES.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know what Rhianna wore on her head and plugged in "beret" which turned red. Thought she was too classy for a DO-RAG. I had a neighbor who showed up several times intending to help me in the yard with something I was struggling to do. He looked so different wearing a do-rag over usually bushy hair and appearing suddenly a few feet from me, that I jumped and screamed every time. Very embarrassing to both of us.
Enjoyed the theme when I finally got them filled. Thanks, Rebecca & Rachel.
Thanks, C.C., for continuing this great blog.
AnonT, Charlie Echo, Brian Thank you for your theories about CRYING WOLF.
ReplyDeleteI am very grateful for your post, Brian. It means two out of three go for it being the Town CRYer!
Glad you agree about the Unicycle WHEELIE guy, AnonT. I am actually quite risk averse. But there is no way to do those tricks without going for it and risking falling. Over and over. Painfully. I can deal with pain. I can't deal with breaking something that I will need later.
Thanks to Rebecca and Rachel for an enjoyable rainy Sunday solve! My favorite themer was HERDING CATS. I also smiled at Frozen solid?
ReplyDeleteHand up for DuRAG/POSSum. I started with ASTI (Hi Jayce) in the NE so that took a while to sort out.
I especially liked the awkward letter combinations C.C. highlighted in her write-up at 29A.
NaomiZ@11:48. You can "pin" an email to the top of your Inbox so it doesn't make its way down the list and eventually become forgotten. Basically, pinning keeps it at the top, overriding the "date" criteria. If something is already pinned to the top of your email's Inbox's list, you can UNPIN it.
Thank you, C.C. for your write-up today! It sounds like you enjoyed the luncheon. I'm sure SCADs of people were happy to see you.
= )
CED@11:17. Hope you feel better soon!
I’m about ready to go and edit Wikipedia’s entry on “do-rag” to read “alternate misspelling”. As D-O noted, no self-respecting redneck — or any other color neck — would spell it with a U, because as Lee noted above, it’s put on to protect your “do”, not your “DU”. Duh. Plus, I’ll believe Merriam-Webster before I’ll ever believe Wikipedia. DURAG would not fly in a game of Scrabble!
ReplyDeleteOK, enough griping about that (even though it partially caused a FIW since I didn’t know TARES).
Great theme, clever clueing for the most part (loved the ones for DOGSLED and CEL) and thank you for minimizing use of proper names in this puzzle!
====> Darren / L.A.
POSSOM or POSSUM? According to Miriam Webster BOTH are correct.
ReplyDeleteDO RAG or DU RAG? Only DO, not DU, is correct for the one I wear under my bicycle helmet. IMHO anybody who used O instead of U got it right. I used DU because OUIDOD looked stranger than OUIDAD.
Getting that straight, the puzzle was very easy with just a few unknowns filled by perps.
LENA, OUIDAD (yes papa?), DMED, MARC, NETI (thought it was netty), THOR and that's it.
Not familiar with the term UNPIN. Looked it up after. My start menu is "about:blank" for both Chrome and Bing so absolutely nothing loads except what I want. That keeps all the crap you don't want, need and or never use from loading, taking up time and memory.
Purple HAZE I knew but Lavender Haze? Don't know of that song.
BigE - I thought your last sentence was going down the Abita Brewery route :-)
ReplyDeleteFLLLLN - Thanks RPS for piping back in and a warm welcome to The Corner to Marcwithak.
Cheers, -T
Anon-T, I prefer Abita Amber. Don't like the Abita AndyGator or their Strawberry Lager. Never tried their Purple Haze. One of our Pickleball friend's boyfriend just retired as the brewmaster at NOLA Brewing, which was the first craft brewer in NOLA. They seem to be multiplying like weeds lately.
ReplyDelete