Theme: "Center of Attention" - HALFTIME SHOW is orderly added to each common phrase.
21. Growling or barking, e.g.?: DOG THREAT. Dog treat.
28. Existence fueled by rotini and tagliatelle?: PASTA LIFE. Past life.
30. Driveway mistake?: GRAVEL ERROR. Grave error.
43. "You're talking to a haunted house expert here"?: I KNOW FRIGHT. I know, right?
47. Obnoxious poster in the r/wellsfargo Reddit?: BANK TROLL. Bank roll.
63. Rant against the sun?: DAY TIRADE. Day trade.
69. Providers of room service for musicians' tours?: BAND MAIDS. Band-aids.
81. Intense "don't blink" contests?: STARE WARS. Star Wars.
86. Opening dis at a roast?: FIRST SLIGHT. First light.
101. Erratic radiator?: FUSSY HEATER. Fussy eater.
103. Gigs as conductors and percussionists?: TEMPO JOBS. Temp jobs.
Sure hope circles all show up in your paper. Otherwise, some solvers might have missed the extra layer in this theme.
As
I mentioned last week, 12 entries in exact order is very demanding. You
just can't move theme around or put some in the Down slots to ease the
filling. Both both our constructors are pros.
Across:
1. Spot on a die: PIP.
4. Heel's opposite: FLAT. Shoe.
8. Relax: CHILL.
13. Broken bone's protector: CAST.
17. "You really think that of me?": AM I.
18. Take care of: SEE TO.
19. Casual layer: HOODIE.
20. "Barbie Girl" band: AQUA.
23. Overacted: EMOTED.
24. Hide furtively: LURK.
25. Rebel leader in a space opera: LEIA.
26. Iowa crop: CORN.
33. Thick lumps: GLOBS.
34. Smidgens: IOTAS.
35. Like the full-moon festival Boun That Luang: LAOTIAN. Boun = "Festival". That Luang ="Sacred Stupa",
38. Morsels: BITS.
41. Fig. calculated at a checkup: BMI. Body Mass Index. Also 61. Back muscle, casually: DELT.
Stuff Andy is interested in. This used to be his bed room, he turned it
into an exercise room during COVID. He now sleeps in my old room.
42. FYI kin: BTW.
51. Over yonder: THERE.
52. Soft ball: NERF.
54. German "no": NEIN.
55. Unit in many a Zillow listing: ACRE.
58. Food drive donations: CANS.
60. "Parenthood" actress Whitman: MAE. She plays one of the daughter in "When a Man Loves a Woman".
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62. Not again: ONCE.
65. Target: GOAL.
66. SmackDown figures: WRESTLERS.
68. Ultra big: MEGA.
71. Street: ROAD. 40. Italian 71-Across: STRADA.
72. Pocket-size: MINI.
73. Ambulance fig.: EMT.
74. Fashion monthly: ELLE.
75. "__ move": YOUR.
76. Lucy of "Pretty Little Liars": HALE.
77. __ monster: GILA.
79. Boise State's home: IDAHO.
90. Menopause treatment, briefly: HRT. Hormone Replacement Therapy.
91. Little taste: SIP.
92. Himalayan creature: YETI. And 119. Himalayan creature: YAK.
93. Like ears with studs: PIERCED.
95. Crete's highest pt.: MT IDA.
97. Was out: SLEPT.
107. Suckling spot: TEAT.
108. "My mistake!": OOPS.
109. Surrounding energy: AURA.
110. Title girl in Kay Thompson books: ELOISE.
116. Climber's hold: CRAG.
117. Straightforward: CANDID.
118. Shrek and Fiona: OGRES.
120. Seep: OOZE.
121. Palms, e.g.: TREES.
122. Group between boomers and millennials: XERS. Born between 1965 and 1980.
123. Intel seeker: SPY.
Down:
2. "If u ask me ... ": IMO.
3. Jargon with terms ending in -ay: PIG LATIN.
4. Born to be wild: FERAL.
5. 2022 U.S. Women's Open golf champ Minjee: LEE. Australian golfer. Her parents are from Korea.
6. Going slowly: AT A CRAWL.
7. Forest spirit in a Miyazaki classic: TOTORO. From "My Neighbor Totoro".
8. Dot follower: COM.
9. __ skirt: HOOP.
10. Collar attachment: ID TAG.
11. Von Trapp daughter: LIESL.
12. Resulted in: LED TO.
13. Four-letter name of a radio station, e.g.: CALL SIGN.
14. Word heard in a Spanish class roll call: AQUI. Here.
15. Ride the waves: SURF.
16. Confiscate: TAKE.
18. Backs (away): SHIES.
19. Playwright Ibsen: HENRIK.
22. Brand of hiking sandals: TEVA. Hebrew for "nature".
27. Naan kin: ROTI.
29. Jacobson of "Broad City": ABBI.
30. The "Gee" in "Bee Gees": GIBB.
31. Tomato type: ROMA.
32. Pop icon John: ELTON.
36. Put into a pot: ANTE.
37. Japanese drama: NOH.
39. Epiphany trio: THE MAGI.
42. "The Vanishing Half" author Bennett: BRIT.
44. "Be ready to prove your age": WE CARD.
45. Comes apart at the seams: FRAYS.
46. Let out: RENT.
48. Massage: KNEAD.
49. "I have to know!": TELL ME.
50. Bowling alley lineup: LANES. Boomer never would had imagined that now I need my lane also.
53. ATM charge: FEE.
56. Loops in: CCS.
57. Back in style: RETRO.
59. Literary device: SIMILE.
61. "I need the truth!": DON'T LIE.
62. Tough go: ORDEAL.
63. Close ones: DEARS.
64. Subscribe again: RENEW.
65. Assign points to, maybe: GAMIFY. Not a word I use.
66. Untamed territory: WILDS.
67. "Mambo No. 5" singer Bega: LOU.
69. "I __ of you!": BEG.
70. Landed: ALIT.
72. Wawa, for one: MART. Never heard of Wawa Mart.
75. Expert who's a real poser?: YOGI. The yoga pose-r.
76. Intrepid: HARDY.
78. Culture writer's milieu: ARTS PAGE.
80. Way cool: HIP.
82. Play area?: THE STAGE. Fun clue.
83. "Following these directions ... ": AS IT SAYS.
84. Wheels: RIDE.
85. Shadowbox: SPAR.
87. Cylindrical storage structure: SILO.
88. Lifted: HEFTED.
89. Verifiable: TRUE.
94. Collection of farm-fresh produce: CSA BOX. CSA = Community Supported Agriculture.
95. Persian greetings?: MEOWS.
96. Adhesive strip: TAPE.
98. Throw out: EJECT.
99. Big name in seltzer: POLAR.
100. Rib eye alternative: T-BONE.
102. Takes to the cleaners: HOSES.
103. Folded food: TACO.
104. 100 cents: EURO.
105. "Lucky" Grammy winner Jason: MRAZ.
106. Tots, e.g.: SIDE.
111. Close fam member: SIS.
113. Film with the Oscar-winning song "Naatu Naatu": RRR. Gimme for me.
114. Recruit: TAP.
115. __ blue: SKY.
Carmen sent me more Spring Festival pictures. I love the flower markets in Guangzhou.
 | |||
| Carmen and Lao Pan |
 |
| Good Luck Fruit |
Go solve this themeless Modern crossword if you have some extra time. It's edited by Anna Gundlach.
I didn’t know what a “CSA box” was until C.C. explained it. Also, I took a WAG at Aqua/Aqui to get the “q” but I figured with two “u’s” ahead of it, that was most likely. There were a few other times that I found there were some pretty serious obscurities (“Totoro,” anyone?) but I did figure out that the circled letters spelled out “half time show” so at least I had that going for me, as Jinx would say. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate how much effort went into creating this theme-heavy, timely crossword. But not while solving. Didn't care for CSA BOX (rebels?), GAMIFY, or RRR (is that really a movie?). Saw the CSO to C.C. at 56d. In the end, it was a DNF: ART SPACE rather than ARTS PAGE. Hey, CRAC could'a been a hand-hold. Bzzzzt. Thanx for playing. Congrats Chandi and Matthew on your construction. Thanx, C.C., for 'splainin' it all.
Thanks for the write-up, RRR looks incredible, had no idea it was out there, so great filler!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the extra puzzle as well, nice to have another challenge☺
Quite the slog today with a difficulty level of a Friday or Saturday, but I somehow managed a FIR in a couple ticks under an hour. Too many DNK’s to mention but my last area to cipher out was HALE, HARDY, and HRT (not familiar with menopause treatment 😂). The HALFTIME SHOW would have been impossible to suss without the circles, (even SS would have to admit that). Thanks Chandi and Matthew for your stellar creation, and a Pangram to boot!
ReplyDeleteC.C. ~ always enjoy your Sunday blogs!
http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/puzzles/crosswords
ReplyDeleteFIW. This Sunday puzzle was a real toughie. Took a lot of WAG's and missed only one. I had gens at 122A, and have never heard of a csa box or the film RRR. Also "the stage" as a two word answer was nasty.
ReplyDeleteI knew I was in trouble right off with 1D and 17A and one of my guesses was pad. Guessed right that time.
I had no problem with the theme. I got it early on and it was clever. The circles as far as i was concerned weren't needed or relevant.
Took 22:57 to finish today.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the prior posters on almost all commments.
I didn't know any of today's actresses, nor did I know: "totoro" (or how to parse that), RRR (that cover looks incredible?), gamify, csabox, and the woman's golf champ.
I resisted "wilds" wanting a non-plural word to match "territory."
YooperPhil, I'll agree that I never would've spelled out "halftime show" without the circles, but it also seems like a heavily diluted theme. They circled some letters among many letters, that spelled out that phrase.
Heck, even I could circle the right letters in this very puzzle to spell:
"Circles, Oh joy!"
😂😂
DeletePS. In my rush to finish with "circles, oh joy", I neglected to mention that those dreaded circles were placed in the midpoint (or, "half") of each phrase.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if that was evident, and I wanted the constructors to get their due credit.
Anon SS ~ I checked back on the grid and indeed you can create CIRCLES OH JOY, but your catchphrase is usually OH JOY CIRCLES, which can also me made from bottom to top. 🤣
ReplyDeleteFIW, missing tINy for MINI and rAE for MAE.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL WHITE SHIRT DAY/ WHITE T-SHIRT DAY (best worn saturated, and by the fair sex)
NATIONAL PEPPERMINT PATTY DAY (no Peanuts in these)
NATIONAL INVENTORS' DAY (and here’s to the companies that own the patent for your invention)
SUPER BOWL LVIII (I hear they just recruited some Usher to sing at the HALFTIMESHOW)
PUPPY BOWL XX
NATIONAL PORK RIND DAY (shouldn’t this be Buffalo wings or guacamole dip day?)
NATIONAL DON’T CRY OVER SPILLED MILK DAY (should be on a banner posted in the SB loser’s locker room)
Should have gotten MART for WAWA. But, like Buckees and Sheetz, it is primarily a gas station with good food and knickknacks as a side line.
You can spot a tourist in AZ when they pronounce GILA as if was in English.
I JUST commented on Mambo No. 5.
Thanks to CC for putting a fresh coat of paint on this...thing.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of coincidences that revolve around the CWs and our comments. We had just recently mentioned the “Nancy” comic strip which I hadn’t thought about in decades ; I tuned into NPR yesterday and was surprised to catch an interview with a cartoonist who just completed a biography on Ernie Bushmiller, Nancy’s creator. 🙃
When I opened the puzzle and saw all the circles, I decided to see if I could solve every answer that did not have a circle in it. And then, I decided to make it even tougher by not allowing myself to even read any across or down clues that had a circle in them.
ReplyDeleteThat's not a great plan for anyone that's watching their clock. It did make the puzzle quite a bit tougher. I couldn't get any perp-aid from twelve across and twelve down clues. That was tough. Got almost all of the answers that didn't have circles.
When I finally caved and decided to start reading the clues with circles, it didn't take long to see that I needed to add a letter to the middle of a phrase.
Finally solved it. No help, but the last couple of entries in the southeast corner had me wondering. I got the congrats message, but by then I forgot to look at the circles, so I missed out on the fun of seeing "HALFTIME SHOW."
Perhaps due to my approach today, or perhaps because I didn't see the clever phrase that was the center of attention, I didn't get any real sense of satisfaction today. I don't think that had anything to do with the construction or the editing. I'm sure it took great skill and a fair amount of time to make it all come together.
Yooper and Anonymous, with your OH JOY CIRCLES, you've missed the point that the across answer must be a common phrase when the circled letters are removed.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-Challenging, fun and timely!
-CBABO_/_ERS/RR_ cost me two bad cells
-TOTORO went quietly
-I've gone 77 years without needing a CAST. You?
-ONCE a king, always a king but ONCE a (k)night is enough
-Those SmackDown WRESTLERS participate in violent choreography.
-You’re probably near my age, if you remember Charlie Weaver and MT. IDY
-CANDID: If you ask for my honest opinion, you’re liable to get it.
-LIESL’s boyfriend had to choose between her and the Fuhrer in the cemetery. Uh, he did not choose her.
-A big Omaha radio station had the call letters WOW for Woodmen Of the World.
-Niece’s BOWLING team repeated as state champions last week. She is holding the trophy in this picture.
-I’ve read that cats only MEOW at humans
-Wonderful commentary and pix, C.C.
You can get the .puz file download here:
ReplyDeleteZhouqin Burnikel and Tom Pepper's Universal Sunday Crossword for Feb 11, 2024 (.puz file download)
You'll need to install a crossword solving app if you don't already have one.
Many of us use Across Lite.
The Across Lite app for Mac, Windows and iPad is free at litsoft.com
I managed to get all the HALF TIME SHOW fills but it was a DNF today. Just too many unknowns that I couldn't complete.
ReplyDeleteAM I and HOODIE- I got them by perps but I don't 'get' them.
LAOTIAN, ABBI, ELOISE, GAMIFY, MAE, TOTORO, BRIT- thank you perps
Never heard of WAWA, HALE, CSA BOX, POLAR seltzer, MRAZ, or ARTS PAGE (tried ART SCENE and SCAPE), or RRR and didn't complete those. GEN-S wouldn't work for XERS as CSA BOX wasn't there nor would it ever be.
my BMI from last checkup? Looked it up. 24.91
On another wavelength from this constructor today.
I liked this puzzle but FIW. I got all the special wordplay answers, but didn't notice that the inserted letters spelled HALFTIME, so many thanks to C.C. for that. Anonymous at 8:58 wrote: "They circled some letters among many letters, that spelled out that phrase." He or she totally missed the point that a single added letter in each phrase changed the familiar saying to something new, and those added letters combined to spell the big reveal. The circles weren't necessary, but they helped.
ReplyDeleteI changed ART scenE to ART SPAcE (my 30-something offspring love to use "space" that way), but never made it to ARTS PAGE. Didn't know MRAZ, and was hoping that CRoc was some kind of grip pounded into the rock. Guessing CRAG would have fixed it all, so it's my bad.
Y'all need to watch RRR! Quite a movie.
Thanks to Chandi, Matthew, Patti, and C.C. This was a perfect Sunday offering.
I got the theme pretty early and really appreciated its timeliness and construction.
ReplyDeleteHowever IDNF. As has already been said lots of obscure, at least for me, clues. Wawa to me is a child’s word for water. I knew none of the movie references, never heard of CSA BOX, so BAR SWEATS didn’t get completed.
I had ART scene, so missed the TEMPO. I’ve never seen GAMIFY. All in all not bad for a hefty and HARDY puzzle.
CC I loved your beautiful photos.
I liked how HALE and HARDY crossed each other.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed by the construction of the theme, although, like NaomiZ, I got all the special wordplay answers, but didn't notice that the inserted letters spelled HALFTIME. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteI would never have gotten MRAZ in a million years and had to look him up. Only then was I able to get CRAG. The parsing of ART SPAGE eluded me. So that whole SW corner made little sense to me.
Isn't the DELT (deltoid) muscle a shoulder muscle, not a back muscle? That clue held me back for a long time. I was reluctant to give up LATS (latissimus dorsi) or TRAP (trapezius), which are actually back muscles.
ID TAG got me to change BLOBS to GLOBS, and WECARD (which also took me a while to parse) got me to change VANS to CANS. I also had to change HAMMED to EMOTED (to accommodate COM), HUGE to MEGA, ROOM to ACRE, and MUTE to MART.
Good reading you all.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteUnlike so many of you, I really liked this puzzle; however, I did not quite finish before going to church and so did not parse the meaning of the circles. Clever! Thank you, C.C., for that.
So much of the fill I knew only because I've been solving crosswords for a long time and luckily, the ones I'm familiar with assisted in completing those I did not know. All in all, that contributed to the enjoyment. Some unknowns were: TOTORO, GAMIFY, MRAZ, CSABOX, HALE (as clued) and POLAR, also as clued. I've seen TEVA shoes at Dillard's stores and they are pricey.
My great-grandson has several NERF balls so I do know those.
Thank you, Chandi Deitmer and Matthew Stock. Oh, oh. Spellcheck doesn't like Deitmer.
On my first cross country trip I saw those vast fields of CORN and wheat; it's an unforgettable sight.
I do hope you are all enjoying your day. It's lovely here and many, many tourists are obviously enjoying it, too, as demonstrated by the dense traffic. It's unusual for a Sunday morning.
If someone corrected the process of proving my identity, I thank you heartily. It was really discouraging me for even posting. Today I did not have to go through that. Yea!
ReplyDeleteHad another activity attracting my attention today. Since this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, that means that Tuesday is Fat Tuesday aka Fasnacht Day. I am of German descent (Zettlemoyer was Mom's maiden name) I, many years ago, began making fasnachts at home each year before Fat Tuesday. They are so good right after they come out of the oil and cool! I do share. Each of my children's families receive a dozen.
ReplyDeleteFor the last few years, my youngest daughter, the best family cook, has been helping and will soon inherit the job. It's a lot of work. The toughest part is getting them to rise before frying. February yary is usually very cold.
Had a few fits and starts but did finish it with a couple of consults. Who knew you could buy hiking sandals or why you would want to. Noticed the pangram after noting the appearance of J, Q, X and Z. My above mentioned daughter used to participate in CSA and received lots of fresh veggies once a week.
Is being queen for a day like being knight for a night, Gary?
Commit.
Hiking sandals are great when a creek crosses the trail at various points. Wearing sandals beats taking boots and socks off repeatedly. They're good for river walking and rafting, and nice in camp during the summer. Teva is an attractive and sturdy brand. Flimsy sandals need not apply for serious outdoor activities.
ReplyDeleteJinx, I forgot to mention that I recalled your mention of Mambo No. 5 when I got to that clue today.
ReplyDeleteLucina, no one did anything to fix your issue of having to sign in to post a comment. Think about it. Was it happening every day? Your previous comments suggested it was not.
I am so impressed with Chandi and Matthew's puzzle! There was a LOT going on! How cool that "Center of Attention" can refer to the Half Time Show as well as the center circles in the long fills. I suspected something special was going on so I wrote them out and found the extra layer. Nice!
ReplyDeleteFAVs: Born to be wild and PASTA LIFE
Jason MRAZ has a wonderful line in one of his songs, "I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend."
Lee@2:47. I agree with NaomiZ@3:34 and will add that when multi-day backpacking, I tie my TEVAS to the out side of my backpack. I can quickly put them on to cross creeks and also I change into them at the end of the day. It is so nice to pull of your hiking boots at the end of a long trek and let your stinky socks air out!
Congrats to H-Gary's niece!
C.C. Thank you for your write up and for sharing the pics! I love all the bright colors! What a special time of year!
Lee and Sumdaze- I've gone through three pairs of KEEN waterproof sandals and an currently wearing some as I write this. Got a pair of Merrells too.
ReplyDeleteTTP
ReplyDeleteNo, it only happened on that one occasion. I guess it was a fluke and so far I've not had any further problems. I'll see what happens when I post this.
Anonymous @ 4:52. I love my KEENS for casual cycling because they have covered toes and a strong sole.
ReplyDeleteBusy weekend -- Friday we celebrated our youngest granddaughter's birthday (13 years) by taking her to the Baltimore Museum of Industry. It may sound a bit dull, but it was worth the visiit for just for the extensive documentary video on the Linotype machine, which was invented by Ottmar Merganthaler in Baltimore 1886. Its affect on the dissemination of knowledge for the subsequent 100 years was not unlike the impact of the computer and the Internet in modern times.
ReplyDeleteOh yes the puzzles-- Friday (FIR), Saturday (TITT), today (FIR with great difficulty).
Thank you Chandi and Matthew for the challenge, and for a remarkable and very timely (spot on!) puzzle.
Thank you C.C. for all the parts I missed (although I did get all the fill).
I'm playing catch up with reviews and still getting my eyes back, so I'll TTY[ALL]L.
Cheers,
Bill
Sunday lurk say...
ReplyDeleteGamify - trying to make the mundane fun(ish). For 3 years I've been trying to GAMIFY cybersecurity. Points for this, --points for that. #Phish
Never got legs, it didn't.
Play tomorrow.
Cheers, -T
Sumdaze- I also use KEENS, but for for all my cycling. I ride a lot but never felt the need to get special shoes. I'm not racing anybody.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely the greatest WASTE OF TIME I've ever engaged in!!! Patty Varol should be fired for this poor excuse for a "puzz!e" to appear on this page! Snobbishness oozes out of many clues here in. Can you tell that I'm frustrated? You bet your patooties I am!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy don’t you find some kiddie puzzle to do because you certainly can’t do a great Sunday puzzle like this! Every Sunday all you do is to complain and moan!!
Delete