"Rock 'n' Roll"
Good morning! Today we are treated to a puzzle by two veteran constructors - one of which started our little haven on the internet. Let's crank-up the tunes and see what Tom & C.C. really mean by the puzzle's title.
22. Place for a rock: SOLITAIRE RING. ROCKs and ice are slang for diamonds.
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| Solitaire Diamond |
27. Place for a roll: CRAPS TABLE. ROLL the dice on craps.
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| Craps Table |
34. Place for a rock: CURLING MATCH. Curling is a Winter Olympics sport where you push a stone, aka the ROCK (don't confuse that with Dwayne Johnson), to the goal.
 |
| Maybe someone can explain what he's doing |
58. Place for a roll: SUSHI PLATTER.
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| Yummers! |
84. Place for a rock: ROSHAMBO GAME. Aka ROCK, paper, scissors.
105. Place for a roll: BOWLING ALLEY. I doubt there's anything coincidental about this Shout-Out to Boomer. In bowling you ROLL a ball towards the pins.
112. Place for a Rock: COMEDY CLUB. Chris ROCK is a standup comedian. He's also had starring ROLes in Movies.
 |
| Chris Rock |
123. Place for a roll: TAPE DISPENSER. A ROLL of Tape.
Across:
1. Bugs: NAGS AT.
Let's keep with the Theme
7. Flat-topped hills: MESAS.
12. Faux wood in a fireplace: GAS LOG.
18. Pass by: ELAPSE.
19. Harding biopic: I TONYA.
21. Chihuahua coin: CENTAVO. 1/100th of a currency.
 |
| One Centavo |
22. [See: Theme]
24. 1984 Jeff Bridges film that begins with a UFO crash: STARMAN.
David Bowie's 1972 Starman
25. Shorthand system: STENO.
26. Just: MERE.
27. [See: Theme]
29. Geometry calculation: AREA.
31. U.S. intel org.: NSA. National Security Agency.
33. "Trainwreck" director Judd: APATOW.
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| Judd Apatow IMDb |
34. [See: Theme]
39. Carbon compound: ENOL.
40. Short evening wear?: PJS. Pajamas.
43. Driver's assignment: Abbr.: RTE. Route.
44. Microsoft Office default typeface until 2007: ARIAL.
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| Arial Font |
45. Ore-Ida side, familiarly: TOTS.
Napoleon Dynamite
47. Tech company with an exclamation point: YAHOO.
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| Yep, it's got an exclamation mark. |
49. Envelope abbr.: ATTN. Attention.
51. Burden: ONUS.
52. Take a break: PAUSE.
55. Hulu alternative: ROKU.
56. Left high and dry: MAROONED.
58. [See: Theme]
61. __ as punch: PROUD. I'm aware of pleased as punch but not proud as punch. I've heard of PROUD as a peacock and love PROUD Mary (I know this is CCR's song but...
Tina's version really ROCKS!)
62. Bring home: EARN.
64. Shopping cart count: ITEMS.
65. Choice words?: ORS.
66. Fit together, as some dolls: NEST.
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| Matryoshka HUMOR |
69. Brobdingnagian: GIANT.
71. Barbecue fuel: COAL.
73. Kung __ chicken: PAO.
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| Recipe |
76. Booze: SAUCE. Slang for alcohol.
78. Bit attachment: REIN.
80. Dave Barry genre: HUMOR.
 |
| From 2010 |
84. [See: Theme]
87. Natural ability: APTITUDE.
90. Mammal with more gray matter than a human: ORCA. I'm assuming brain cells and not gray hair.
91. Caesar __: SALAD.
92. Nabe in lower Manhattan: SOHO. South of HOuston [St.] is a neighborhood. There's also a Soho [South of Horton] in London which I learned from The Who.
Lyrics
I woke up in a SOHO doorway / A policeman knew my name
He said, "You can go sleep at home tonight / If you can get up and walk away"
93. Miami Heat coach Spoelstra: ERIK.
 |
| Eric Spoelstra |
94. Buy time: STALL.
Panic! At the Disco - STALL Me.
96. Australia's national gemstone: OPAL.
98. In the midst of: AMONG.
100. Pub pintful: ALE.
101. Orecchiette shape: EAR.
102. Asgard god: ODIN.
105. [See: Theme]
108. Actress Jennifer in Capital One commercials: GARNER.
 |
| Jennifer Garner |
110. Letters after nus: XIS. Greek to me.
111. "Othello" villain: IAGO.
112. [See: Theme]
116. Matching: SAME.
118. Put in more chips, say: RAISE.
122. Stretch with no landmarks: OPEN SEA.
123. [See: Theme]
126. Firsthand accounts: MEMOIRS. Here's one I recently read.
 |
| Number One is Walking |
127. Fast and furious: HECTIC.
128. Sharp kitchen tool: PEELER.
129. Tons: OCEANS.
130. Knobs on a pipe organ: STOPS.
131. Respected ones: ELDERS. Pop taught us to respect our elders. Now I am (usually) one.
Down:
1. Loch in hoax photos: NESS.
2. Tons: ALOT.
3. Strong wind: GALE.
4. Word with column or cord: SPINAL.
Given the theme, this fill just screams for the Trailer.
5. Oregon's oldest city: ASTORIA.
6. Cha, chai, or matcha: TEA.
7. Bog down: MIRE.
8. 2021 Marvel movie directed by Chlo Zhao: ETERNALS.
9. Most tender: SOREST.
10. "32 Flavors" singer DiFranco: ANI.
 |
| From NPR's Tiny Desk Concert |
11. Bring into alignment: SYNC.
12. Arrives at: GETSTO.
13. Chess legend Karpov: ANATOLY.
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| World Chess HoF Inductee |
14. Milkshake insert: STRAW.
15. Meat common in Greek cuisine: LAMB.
16. Shape of sesame seeds: OVAL.
17. No longer there: GONE.
20. Indian city with a mausoleum: AGRA.
21. House channel: CSPAN.
23. "Just think ... ": IMAGINE.
John Lennon
28. Hairy Halloween costume: APE SUIT. I kept wanting to fill Itt.
 |
| Wednesday and Itt |
30. Disgraced energy company: ENRON. I know many folks that lost their job in the tower next to One Allen. Chevron owns ENRON's old building now.
 |
| The "Crooked E" should have been a clue. |
32. Make a scene?: ACT.
34. Swimmer's woe: CRAMP.
35. __ Pradesh: Indian state: UTTAR.
 |
| There it is! |
36. Fashionably dated: RETRO.
 |
| Groovy, eh? |
37. "All in the Family" spinoff: MAUDE. Spin-off in the '70's starring Bea Arthur.
10:32 of fun.
38. Short trips: HOPS.
40. Part of a magazine spread: PHOTO.
Def Leppard - PHOTOgraph
41. Class clown: JOKER.
42. Some whiskey drinks: SOURS.
46. Largest island in French Polynesia: TAHITI.
 |
| There it is! |
48. Wall flowers, perhaps: ART.
50. Wall or flower: NOUN. Cute.
53. Architect's detail, briefly: SPEC. Specification on a blueprint.
54. Muppet who never says "I": ELMO. He always refers to himself by Elmo.
57. Port city south of Kyiv: ODESA. Two 'S' ODESSA is an oil-town in West Texas.
58. __ Lankan rupee: SRI.
59. Take heat from?: UNARM. Cute.
Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm
60. Japan's largest beermaker: ASAHI.
63. Factor in sibling rivalry, often: AGE GAP.
67. Costco rival, familiarly: SAMS.
68. Bulky brass instrument: TUBA.
Bohemian Rhapsody on Euphonium, TUBA, Piano & Drums
70. Bridal bio word: NEE.
72. Instrument for a troubadour: LUTE.
73. Counterpart of poetry: PROSE.
74. Place for a stent: AORTA.
75. Prized statuette: OSCAR.
77. Sanders, for one: COLONEL.
79. "No Logo" author Klein: NAOMI. A Canadian author. I didn't know of this book but I know of her The Shock Doctrine.
 |
| Naomi Klein |
81. Big picture?: MURAL.
82. Black swan of ballet: ODILE. Odile is the black swan maiden and the secondary antagonist in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.
83. Type in again: REKEY. Reenter the data.
85. Rogue computer of sci-fi: HAL. It did tell Dave it was sorry.
 |
| 2001 A Space Odyssey's HAL. |
86. Small amount: A DAB.
88. Hypocritical sorts: PHONIES.
89. Polynesian kingdom with more than 170 islands: TONGA.
 |
| There it is! |
92. Tortilla chip topper: SALSA DIP.
95. Adds, as paper to a copier: LOADS IN. 500 sheets (a ream) at a time.
97. Fish in some omelets: LOX.
99. Series of bad takes: GAG REEL. The bloopers.
103. Appliances with drums: DRYERS.
 |
| Anatomy of a Dryer |
104. Ancient Cuzco dwellers: INCAS.
106. Not tricked by: WISE TO.
107. Gave for a short time: LOANED.
108. Italian city known for salami: GENOA.
109. Oldest of the Pointer Sisters: RUTH.
The Pointer Sisters - I'm So Excited
112. Lombardy lake: COMO.
113. Cartel founded in Baghdad: OPEC. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
114. Widely shared post: MEME.
 |
| A Maude Callback |
115. Sweeties: BAES. #TeenSpeak
117. Karaoke gear: MICS. The first Karaoke machine was the Sparko Box invented by Shigeichi Negishi in 1967. Negishi passed last January at the age of 100. Here's CNN's report.
119. Castaway's home: ISLE. You could be MARRONed there.
120. One who's forward-looking: SEER.
121. Makes a misstep: ERRS.
124. Interest rate fig.: PCT. The percentage rate for your LOAN.
125. Safety gear for ER workers: PPE. Personal Protective Equipment.
 |
| Covid PPE |
The Grid:
 |
| The Grid |
WOs: Gust->GALE, here->GONE, apr->PCT
ESPs: COMO, ROSHAMBO, GARNER, ERIK
Fav: UNARM as clued.
I hope y'all found at least one song to ROCK out to. And, if not, at least enjoyed the rest of the expo.
Cheers, -T
28 comments:
Thank you, Tom, C.C., and Dash T.
Fun puzzle. Fun theme. Tom & C.C. proved that there's always a place for rock and roll. I liked the alternating rock and roll places.
Fun write up. Dash T proved that he knows R&R music outside of Rush.
Same thoughts as your "pleased as punch" and "PROUD as a peacock" comments. And with Tina's version.
I didn’t remember what a “roshambo game” was, but the perps were solid. Otherwise, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Dash-T's "Yummers" made me think for a moment that it was Hahtoolah writing today's summary...but only for a moment. Totally agree about punch and peacocks. Never heard anyone say UNARM, either. It all came down to one bad cell -- ODeLE/EReK. Bzzzzzt. I hate when that happens. Thanx for the exercise, Tom, C.C., and Dash-T.
STARMAN: The starman learned how to interpret traffic lights. "Red means STOP, Green means GO, and Yellow means GO VERY FAST."
ASAHI: I usually order a bottle when we visit Shogun. My SLR, purchased back in the '60s, was also an ASAHI. In the US it was branded Honeywell Pentax.
Took 13:51 today.
I didn't know odile, the Russian chess player, the Mexican coin, the Indian state, and which Greek letters came next.
Took a long time to parse ro sham bo game.
Amusing puzzle.
FIR. Roshambo game was unfamiliar to me but perps saved the day. Also Odile and several proper names were also unknown.
However the theme was clever, and the fill was to be expected for a Sunday puzzle. Overall this was an enjoyable solve.
Only relatively recently (15 years?) had I heard Rock Paper Scissors called ROSHAMBO, and then thought it was the American Revolutionary War French admiral ROcHAMBeau, why I couldn't say.
Good Morning:
Even though the title and the clues gave away the cute theme, it was still fun to figure out the exact theme phrase for each alternating Rock and Roll entry. The only unfamiliar one was Roshambo but that's my lapse as I believe we've seen that reference before. As is typical for Sunday grids, there were several unknown proper names, namely, Erik, Eternals, Uttar, Naomi, Odile, and Ruth, but w/os were limited to only three: Tux/PJs, Anatole/Anatoly, and Lyre/Lute. In addition to a clean, junk-free grid, the low TLW count of 18 is most impressive for a Sunday grid.
Thanks, Tom and C.C., you make a dynamic duo and thanks, Anon T, for your extensive review and added links and visuals. I'm not on your musical wavelength, but I did enjoy Imagine and Proud Mary. Favorite comics were Duct Tape, Nesting Doll, and Happy Medium. Thanks for pinch-hitting for C.C. and hitting it out of the park!
A couple of Cornerites have mentioned their interest in the Louise Penny mysteries of Three Pines and CI Armand Gamache. I just stumbled across a series of these stories on Amazon Prime starring Alfred Molina as the Chief Inspector. I'm enjoying them so far and find Mr. Molina's portrayal low key but powerful.
Have a great day.
Tonga is in the middle of the Pacific.
A nice breezy Sunday CW with very friendly perps, which led me to a FIR w/o help in 24:12. DNK UTTAR, ODILE, NAOMI or ROSHAMBO, never heard of SOLITAIRE RING. Brobdingnagian?? I can’t wait to drop that word in a conversation. I’ve always thought that Jennifer GARNER is quite gorgeous.
C.C. and Tom ~ thank you for the very enjoyable solve! Especially liked the SO to Boomer with BOWLING “ALLEY”, a term we all know he loathed, as he favored Bowling Center or Bowling Lanes, but he would definitely appreciate the irony and humor!
Dash T ~ fine summary today! Enjoyed your music selection, SOHO is also in another Who tune, Pinball Wizard - “from SOHO down to Brighton I must have played ‘em all.” Liked the clip from Napoleon Dynamite, I thought that movie was hilarious, DW not so much 😂.
Well "ROCK AND ROLL HOOCHIE KOO" today. Where's Rick Derringer's video? And no video on Perry COMO.
Two puzzles in one week for C.C. with help from Tom. I noticed the ROCK at RING but the ROLL took a while. FIR NW to SE with a slow down and the cross of two unknowns- ERIK and ODILE. Never heard of ROSHAMBO, APATOW, or NAOMI. All perps for those fills. With the RU in place the guess was either RUBY or RUTH.
ANATOLY- I was thinking GARRY Kasparov at first. Misread the clue.
GARNER- Capital One started as a credit card company and became a bank. The first bank they bought was my local bank-Hibernia. The deal was closing in Sept. 2005 until Katrina hit in August and delayed it. I miss those caveman and Vikings commercials.
Never knew it was called salsa DIP, just SALSA.
BAES- only okay because C.C. needed it for the puzzle. Other than that, it sucks.
And if I remember correctly, Boomer called it BOWLING LANES, not ALLEY. RIP.
Hola!
Fun Sunday pun day! Unusual for Sunday I finished this one fairly fast. Thank you, C.C. and Tom for the zest.
That's all I have time for now.
Enjoy your day, everyone!
FIR and loved it! DNK ROSHAMBO, but that GAME was the subject of today's Bizarro comic: https://comicskingdom.com/bizarro/2024-04-14
ALso DNK NAOMI but I'll take the CSO.
Thank you, CC and Tom for the Sunday morning treat.
FLN, thank you, TTP, for freeing my Saturday comment from the spam filter. I usually read the blog and comment from my mobile phone, being too lazy to leave the breakfast table where I've solved the puzzle in the LA Times. The last few days, I've moved over to my PC because I ERR and REKEY less there. Could the spam filter have detected my different login and doubted my identity?
I neglected to thank -T above for the very enjoyable blog post today.
Let's see if I can figure out how to embed the link to Bizarro's ROSHAMBO GAME:
Rock Paper Scissors
Thanks, C.C. and Tom for the puzzle which provided a great start to the day...followed by -T's informative, enjoyable and concise recap...soon to be followed by a run to Costco and the cat treats store. Not a bad rainy Sunday here in sunny SoCal.
DITTO! Great puzzle! And wonderful rock-n-roll stroll!
Smooth, enjoyable solve today. Some really helpful perps, and clever clues. I have to take exception to UNARM (ed?) versus DISARM, and my barbecue always tastes better with CHARCOAL instead of anthracite!
Let's see if the word doobie gets this message deleted.
Yep, the message with the word e$c0rt in it was instantly deleted. That explains why NaomiZ's post was deleted yesterday.
FLN: I DON"T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
Thank you Tom and C.C. for a Rockin' and Rollin' Sunday afternoon.
And thank you -T for conducting the show. Nice chops!
Some favs:
1A NAGS AT. A little bit of that goes a long way!
84A ROSHAMBO GAME. Knew the game, but learned this name from Crosswords.
90A ORCA x 75D OSCAR.
105A BOWLING ALLEY. Ahem! I think this should be LANE!
82D ODILE. ODETTE is the White Swan.
85D HAL. Shift-Right-1 to get IBM.
109D RUTH. SHE's excited!? What about us?
Cheers,
Bill
I enjoyed this puzzle A LOT.
I am beginning to dislike the intrusive ads on the crosswrod corner website A LOT, also.
Good reading you all.
I seem to have given my wife Covid, for which I am extremely sorry. I am feeling A LOT better but she has been feeling pretty lousy yesterday and today. I hope that, as I did after 2 days, she feels much better tomorrow. Then we'll do the rapid home test again.
At 748 km² the Kingdom of Tonga is only 4,900 times bigger than Tonga Island in New Zealand - it's easy to get them confused. :-)
Bowlers are sometimes said to be throwing rocks. So, at a stretch, a bowling alley might also be described as a place for rocks?
Musings
-Just back from 18 on a perfect day. Every hole had four on the tee box, four in the fairway and four on the green. Somebody recently wrote that golf is dying. He does not live in Eastern Nebraska.
-Tony's write-up of C.C. and Tom's fun puzzle was a treat.
-I'll always remember Tom for helping get C.C. her very difficult recent trials.
Thanks to Tom and C.C. for a clever and fun puzzle! So impressive to see the 8 themers alternating down the grid!
I had a DNF in D.C. because I did not let go of tux as the short evening attire and guessed the chess player's name ended in an I. Oh, well, still OCEANS of fun. FAVs: Take heat from? Big picture? (I had Movie before MURAL), and CURLING MATCH.
Noticed ASAHI crossing SUSHI PLATTER.
Hey, -T, best yet! Excellent Rock & Roll tie-ins. Did you know they're doing a SPINAL tap sequel? It's been 40 years! Oof!
I read that memoir, too. Maybe you recommended it???
FAVs: Nesting doll comic and Maude MEME ... and the tunes, of course.
Jayce, hope you and your wife are fully recovered soon.
I'm wishing good health for all, especially Jayce and his wife.
Today was a busy day so I did not get back here but I did enjoy reading everyone's comments and T's review. Good job all around!
Sorry, guys ...I really disliked this entry. The theme was silly and senseless and the clues were too misleading. Needed nearly 15 hours to FINALLY finish ... with lots of "holes". Not my cup of tea!!!
I thought it was a great puzzle! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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