Theme: "It's a Sign" - Each traffic sign is rephrased as non-traffic.
23. "Put that Sandra Bullock bomb-on-a-bus DVD in the clearance bin!": REDUCE SPEED. "Speed" the movie.
33. "Keep it clean! This is a family musical!": CHILDREN AT PLAY.
51. "Base jumping is awesome!": FALLING ROCKS.
67. "Play every song the whole way through!": DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS.
85. "Don't you dare throw another interception!": PASS WITH CARE.
99. "Our new corporate partners are almost here!": PREPARE TO MERGE.
117. "Can we please banish traveling salespeople already!?": END ROADWORK.
Fun theme. I'm very fond of this type of re-phrasing approach. I think the END ROADWORK is purposely placed as the last theme entry.
Textbook LAT Sunday grid. Super smooth. Low number 3-letter fill. Katie is a pro at making Sunday grids.
Across:
6. Italian "Enough!": BASTA.
11. Seat on a hayride: BALE.
15. Kiss, in Camden: SNOG. London. I only know Camden Yards.
19. Phone setting: ALARM.
20. "Bunnicula" voice actor Sean: ASTIN. Bunnicula is a vampire rabbit.
21. "You haven't changed __": A BIT.
22. Cod, for one: CAPE.
25. Reasons not to: CONS. Pros and cons.
26. Say, say: AVER.
27. Molding, e.g.: TRIM.
28. Sends: SHIPS.
29. Common nest spot: EAVE.
30. False flattery: SMARM.
31. Fruity baked treats: TARTS. No ovens in most Chinese kitchens. Our treats are just steamed or fried.
36. "Fine, I guess": OH OK.
38. More than want: NEED.
39. Letters on a face: XII. Clock face.
40. Tierra en el océano: ISLA.
42. Sup: EAT.
45. "The Morning Show" star: ANISTON. Jennifer.
48. Blow in the ring: JAB. Boxing ring.
54. Porcelain treasure: MING VASE.
56. Before now: AGO.
57. Spanish 101 verb: ESTAR. To be.
58. Breathes on glass, say: FOGS.
59. Sharqiya Sands country: OMAN.
60. Real drag: DOWNER.
63. Tart pub quaff: SOUR ALE.
66. Very good (at): ADEPT.
71. Late-night host Ferguson: CRAIG. He was succeeded by James Corden.
73. Gives off strongly: REEKS OF.
74. Boss: LEADER.
77. Sunscreen metal: ZINC.
78. Brought a case: SUED.
79. Word on a Paris map: METRO. And
82. Evian or Perrier: EAU.
83. Student's hoped-for university response: ACCEPTED.
89. Tuna tartare topper: ROE.
90. Conference unit: SESSION.
92. Cargo weight: TON.
93. Writers McEwan and Fleming: IANS.
94. Pronoun option: SHE. I used to confuse Boomer with my " ... then she/he said ..." It's all Ta in Chinese, whether she, he or it.
95. Small change: CENT.
97. Artful: DEFT.
106. October birth sign: LIBRA.
109. Extend a subscription: RENEW.
110. Biscuit containers: TINS.
111. Pulls down: EARNS.
113. State with a triangular swallowtail flag: OHIO. Hi there, Janice!
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115. Utah ski resort: ALTA.
116. Subj. for which trig is a prereq: CALC.
119. Like some humor: DARK.
120. "Mon __!": DIEU.
121. Bar perch: STOOL.
122. Respected villager: ELDER.
123. Choppers: AXES.
124. "Make it shorter," made shorter: TL;DR. Too Long; Didn't Read.
125. Fish with neon stripes: TETRA.
126. Carne __: grilled meat: ASADA.
Down:
1. Pigtails separation: PART.
2. Phone setting: ALERT.
3. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA.
4. Announcement build-up, maybe: DRUM ROLL. Partnered with 88. Places where things may seem fishy: CAT BOWLS. Both great entries.
5. "Dark Winds" network: AMC.
6. Ram: BASH.
7. Molded jelly made with meat stock: ASPIC. Chinese aspic.
8. 2022 NBA Finals MVP Curry: STEPH.
9. Aptly links (with): TIES IN.
10. "Do go on ... ": AND.
11. Rum brand with a bat logo: BACARDI.
12. __ and beyond: ABOVE.
13. Summer fabric: LINEN.
14. "3 Body Problem" antagonists, briefly: ETS. Based on the novel of Liu Cixin.
15. Garlicky dish: SCAMPI.
16. Like a sub: NAVAL.
17. Glass production?: OPERA. Philip Glass.
18. In need of an antibacterial wipe: GERMY. My sister-in-law
Connie is still in the hospital. Still not sure what caused her faint.
Probably the pneumonia. She can walk a short distance with a walker now.
24. Petrol pump brand: ESSO.
29. Paradises: EDENS.
30. Undercover operation: STING.
32. Massaman curry cuisine: THAI. We seem to encounter Thai food reference every Sunday.
34. Cause of a drip: LEAK.
35. Neural transmitters: AXONS.
37. Some barrels: KEGS.
40. Othello manipulator: IAGO.
41. Potentially awkward time at a middle school party: SLOW DANCE. No parties in our middle school. Lovers did not even hold hands then.
43. Wall display: ART.
44. Said "Cheers!": TOASTED.
46. Young salmon: SMOLT. Learned from doing crosswords.
47. Big cat: TIGER.
48. "East of Eden" co-star: JAMES DEAN.
49. "Make haste!" abbr.: ASAP.
50. Elbowed: BENT.
51. Craze: FAD.
52. Roman emperor after Claudius: NERO.
53. Swindler: CROOK.
55. Screwdriver need: VODKA. The cocktail.
58. Event for the faithful: FAN FEST. Attended quite a few TwinsFest over the years.
61. Neat: NO ICE.
62. London lang.: ENG.
64. eBayer's option: UPS.
65. Inn requests: ROOMS.
66. Deck one?: ACE. OK, deck of cards.
68. Sets to right: TRUES.
69. Root origins: SEEDS.
70. Oh so much: A LOT. I love this picture.
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| Andrea Carla Michaels, C.C. and Tom Pepper, 7/8/2024 |
71. Policy honcho: CZAR.
72. Puerto __: RICO.
75. Some audio receivers: EARS.
76. Word on a Paris map: RUE.
78. Longhorn, e.g.: STEER.
80. Even prime: TWO.
81. Zest source: RIND.
84. "Phooey!": PSHAW.
85. Some wedding readings: POEMS.
86. "The Crown" role for Erin Doherty: ANNE. Princess Anne.
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87. Many an audio receiver: HI-FI.
91. "No argument here": I CONCUR.
94. __ volumes: SPEAKS.
96. Dix x trois: TRENTE.
98. To whom Anna sings "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?": ELSA.
99. Italian fashion house: PRADA. And 102. ASOS biz: E TAIL.
100. Chill: RELAX.
101. __ nous: ENTRE.
103. Like a Scrabble board, in a way: TILED.
104. Gal of "Death on the Nile": GADOT.
105. Overthrow in the infield, say: ERROR.
107. Valerie Harper sitcom of the 1970s: RHODA.
108. Ran a program: AIRED.
112. Saints city, informally: NOLA. New Orleans Saints.
114. Stew pod: OKRA.
116. Summer hrs. in Houston: CDT.
117. Not just -er: EST.
118. Anti-trafficking feds: DEA.
C.C.
Insomnia tonight, so I downloaded the puzzle. My sleep pattern is horrible and the surgery didn't help. Nap time this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteAfter I finally noticed a few traffic signs (I'm slow) the others were easy guesses and the puzzle fell into place. I didn't like the Italian, Spanish, or French clues that required perps. BASTA, ESTAR, TRENTE.
Have I ever seen Bunnicula, The Morning Show, Late-night, 3 Body Problem, The Crown? NO, so ANISTON, CRAIG, ASTIN, ETS, ANNE- were unknowns and perped
OMAN, TLDR, OPERA, ETAIL- unknown as clued
SNOG-just plain unknown. C.C., I guess there was also no 'snogging' at your danceless middle school. No dancing, holding hands, or snogging, at least during school.
The theme was obvious early on, and that made the rest of this puzzle easier to solve. I didn’t find a lot of obscurities in this puzzle, and all in all it was an enjoyable experience to solve it. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteFIW, missing with puSH instead of BASH. pASTA (hey, at least it's Italian) and uSTIN (guess I was thinking of that Death on the Nile guy) were unknowns. Erased don't stop the music for DON'T STOP ON TRACKS, uboat for NAVAL, and wonk for CZAR.
ReplyDeleteI hope Tin smiled when he saw NO ICE.
Yeah, folks in London speak ENG, but we still need translators to understand them at times. ('Course where I grew up we needed translators when New Yorkers came to town too.) ENG rocker David Essex OBE had a big hit with Rock On, with the catchy lyrics:
Still looking for that blue-jean baby-queen
Prettiest girl I've ever seen
See her shake on the movie screen
Jimmy Dean
(James Dean)
Thanks to Scott and Katie for the fun workout, and to CC for the review.
FIW (or maybe a DNF). Completely and embarrassingly missed sour ale/smolt/fanfest. Was stuck on funfest and could not pry it out of my mind, which made the other sussable ones unattainable for me. Knew snog from British comedies. Agree Drag is a downer.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the best Sunday puzzles! Fun and creative theme. Not too many proper names or wildly obscure clues - especially not bunched up together. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAndy
FIR. I didn't pay much attention to the theme until I was almost at the bottom of the grid. And then the aha moment suddenly hit me. Pass with care was my light bulb.
ReplyDeleteNot a lot of mysteries in today's puzzle. A few unknowns here and there, but nothing the perps didn't solve.
Overall very enjoyable for a Sunday endeavor, so I'm pleased.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI begin every Sunday puzzle with a certain ambivalence because, more often than not, I'm either disappointed, bored, or just plain underwhelmed with the theme and execution. No such reactions today with this fun and enjoyable solve. The theme was cute and, aided by the title, easy to suss and solve. There was no dreck, no preponderance of esoteric or obscure proper names/places, and, as CC mentioned, very few (21) TLWs. Estar is a Spanish word that I've never seen before and Anne, as clued, and Trente needed perps. Smolt was originally Smelt (Smolt is also new to me) and Coin changed into Cent. 🤫 Seeing a full-blown Session was a treat but Cat Bowls struck me as a little too generic, a tiny nit in this otherwise engaging offering. My favorite cluing was for Reduce Speed, Children At Play, Pass With Care, and Prepare To Merge.
Thanks, Scott and Katie, for brightening my Sunday solving experience and thanks, CC, as usual, for the bird's eye view into the constructors' strengths. Always enjoy your cultural references and the culinary photos. Speaking of photos, I can see why you would treasure the one of you, Tom, and Andrea. The backdrop is stunning and the happiness and camaraderie of you three is infectious. Best wishes to Connie.
FLN
Inanehiker, thank you.
Anon T, thank you and I'm happy to hear that you're doing well in the aftermath of Beryl.
Have a great day.
Echoing IM above, I enjoyed this puzzle and the theme. Thanks to Scott and Katie for their fine collaboration. Grats to C.C. for her steady support in puzzle review.
ReplyDeleteWasn't sure if "ram" would turn out to be mASH or BASH. Went with the °B". EMAIL became ETAIL and CATBOxeS became CATBOWLS and NAtAL became NAVAL for the only stumbles.
Missing only the "Q" for the pamgram.
In the beginning, all was well, then they invented social media and cell phones with cameras.
Lunchmeat.
I too found this CW quite enjoyable. That doesn’t mean I FIR. I too had SMeLT for SMOLT and had SOuR ALE, and being a beer fan, I wondered what kind of beer that was. It was silly of me because I could easily have fixed it. I don’t understand UPS for eBayer’s option.
ReplyDeleteTLDR definitely needed perps.
".
Several years ago when I was in Vancouver China Town, I ate in a Chinese restaurant where the menu was not in English, and apparently no one spoke English. Seated next to us was a very elderly Chinese man with his niece. She spoke English and noticed we were at a loss, so they kindly guided us in our selection and one of the dishes we ate was ASPIC, Chinese style as C.C. pictures.
I meant my error was SOaR ALE.
ReplyDeleteI CONCUR with IM’s ☘️ assessment of this fine Sunday collaboration (I don’t have her flair and eloquence to write my own critique). FIR in just under 27 minutes with a few corrections, Spawn to SMOLT, Gucci to PRADA. BASTA and PANDA (as clued) were new to me. Thank you Scott and Katie for the cleverly themed and nicely clued grid!
ReplyDeleteC.C. ~ nice photo! Appropriately with a pack of constructors favorite cookies.
Yooper, concerning OREOS, I was in the cookie aisle at Walmart and noticed there was a house brand of Oreo named Twist & Shout. About half the price of Oreos. There was also a Double Stuf package.
DeleteMonkey ~ UPS is a shipping option, USPS or FedEx may be others.
ReplyDeleteA fun way to start Sunday. The theme was helpful and it was amusing to see the alternative meanings to "on-the-road" friends.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-I use the ALARM and ALERT functions A LOT thanks to my sketchy memory
-SHIPS: Getting a specialized order the next day (via UPS or whatever) amazes me
-Sundials and Super Bowls keep Roman numerals alive
-CRAIG’s forte hosting beautiful young girls who dressed and spoke suggestively
-Have you ever subscribed to a website for a single event and it RENEWED because you forgot
-Calculus and Trig
-The sound of Lily pawing at her CAT BOWL is very familiar in our house
-STEPH Curry led a “dynasty” that came and went like all sport’s dynasties
-A SLOW DANCE (e.g. All I Have To Do Is Dream) got us coward boys off the sidelines
-I love that pic too, C.C.!!
A former student and his prize LONGHORNS in Nebraska
-“Do you love me too?” Silence can SPEAK volumes.
-The classic THREE BODY problem in physics and astronomy
-What Irish said, again!
YooperPhil thank you. It finally dawned on me that it’s a shipping option for someone selling or buying on eBay.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone, been a while! I haven’t done today’s CW yet, but wanted to come on here to give some news about my dad, Tehachapi Ken.
ReplyDeleteTo start off—he’s okay (relatively), but you may have noticed he hasn’t posted here since June 17th. That’s because on June 18th he got in a car accident. A change in his meds caused him to fall asleep at the wheel. He got jostled around but luckily came away with just scrapes and bruises, even though his car was a total loss.
He also came down with Covid around the same day of the accident, which may have played a factor, and that certainly hindered his recovery process. He had disorientation, no appetite, and lots of pain and discomfort. On top of all this he is still experiencing intense pain from the shingles he contracted 10 months ago.
The good news is that he is recovering slowly but surely! His brother came out and stayed with him for a few days and now I’m here with him, cooking and running errands every day. His appetite and strength are improving but he’s still just taking it easy.
We just started doing the CWs again for the last two days, and loved the “Back to the Future” puzzle (thank you, Renee & Zhouqin). We’ll do today’s together and then read all the comments.
I know he misses everyone and I’m optimistic he will be back here soon.
Take care.
-Jim
Has anyone heard of ASOS?
ReplyDeleteWhy is a Cat Bowl fishy?
Jim @ 12:25 ~ Thanks for the update on your Dad. Sorry to hear about his accident and ensuing health issues, but glad to hear he's on the mend. Please wish him well for me and best wishes for a speedy recovery and return to the Corner. 💐
ReplyDeleteVery nicely done puzzle. Once you get the theme it flows. My only trouble was with the northeast corner where I was determined to make "cod" a fish. Duh! I had never heard of the online "etail" clothier ASOS. Cat bowls smell fishy cuz of the cat food, I guess. I've always had a dog. No ovens in Chinese kitchens. Wow, I never knew that. All in all a treat today. GC
ReplyDeleteHi Jim,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. Would you mind emailing me crosswordc@gmail.com?
Delightful Sunday puzzle, many thanks, Scott and Katie. And your commentaries are always a pleasure, C.C., thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteWell, when I saw PANDA, I figured we'd have a critter puzzle on this Sunday. But nothing turned up except those CAT BOWLS on the bottom, and I'm not sure the PANDA will enjoy that food. But there promised to be some food, beginning with the SCAMPI, although the rest was just flavorings and side stuff, BACARDI (to drink, I guess), along with SOUR ALE and VODKA, and some ASPIC and SEEDS and ASADA and ROE. But I think I'm going to leave the eatery, and go and hear some OPERA music and watch people doing a SLOW DANCE, and maybe join them.
Have a lovely Sunday, everybody!
HG, those occasional math operations in CWs also keep Roman numerals alive. I haven’t seen any lately, though.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of ENG in London, I watch a lot of British stuff on TV, and always need closed captions to understand the dialogue. Horrible diction, those Brits.
ReplyDelete.
I loved today's puzzle! Thanks to Scott and Katie for a clever theme well executed!
ReplyDeleteFAVs; FALLING ROCKS and CHILDREN AT PLAY also Pigtails separation; Seat in a hayride; and Not just -er. The "Word on a Paris map" clecho was fun, too.
We had ASTIN and ANISTON.
DH read "3 Body Problem" and said it was excellent.
Like Acesaroundagain, I thought my cod was a fish.
ELBOWED. Here is a link to a bad crash at the end of Stage 13 of the TDF when one rider ELBOWED (and shouldered) another rider. He received a hefty fine for this act. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF2G3GNyo54
ArizJim@12:25. Thank you for the update on your dad. Please relay to him my best wishes for his continued recovery! I'm happy to hear you enjoyed Friday's puzzle.
= )
IM @ 9:51. Nice to see you back in full form today. You always have the right words.
Thanks to C.C. for her constructor's insight on today's puzzle. That's a great photo! No wonder we see OREOs in so many grids -- constructors eat them!
I usually like Sunday puzzles and I liked this one.
ReplyDeleteRe today’s puzzle … What Irish Miss said.
ReplyDeleteArizona Jim - best wishes for your recovery from a real TSUNAMI of challenges! Keep your spirits up, and we’re all pulling for you.
I think the rider was rushing up on the left when he caught another rider moving to the right. The rider who frequently uses his elbows to dash at the finish line is Mark Cavendish. Not my favorite sportsman!
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteI'm really late to the party today but I enjoyed reading all your comments and concur with most of them. Though I did not finish the puzzle this morning, I continued after Mass and breakfast then fell asleep for at least an hour or more! So here I am and you all have finished and commented.
I love a double entendre and this was full of them. I think my favorite is: PREPARE TO MERGE. I also agree with C.C. that END ROAD WORK is aptly placed. It's too bad that CDT and EST could not have been linked in their cluing, Central Day Light Time and Eastern Daylight Time.
I read East of Eden twice, it was that good, but never saw the movie.
Tony, it's good to hear from you and to know you and your family are safe. I hope the same for desper-otto.
Continue to enjoy the day, everyone!
Arizona Jim
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear the news about your father but glad to hear that he is on the mend. I hope that continues and we hear from him soon.
Finished It Right this morning, and have been busy with the grandchildren ever since. Wanted to say that I enjoyed the puzzle! When I got to the second theme answer, CHILDREN AT PLAY, I realized that I was looking for road signs, and that helped a lot. I thought the cutest one was PREPARE TO MERGE. The difficulty level was just right. Thanks, by the way, for SMARM -- I had a general feeling of ick about the word, but didn't really know what it meant until the clue clued me in.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to Scott, Katie, and Patti for the entertainment, and to C.C. for the review and this wonderful, virtual space.
Wishing continued healing to Tehachapi Ken, with thanks to Arizona Jim for being a good son. We'll see you guys around the Corner.
Anonymous @5:17. Fair enough. Unfortunately many sprinters result to poor form when in the trenches. I am impressed with B. Girmay but was disappointed in him today.
ReplyDeleteAriz-Jim. Thanks for the news about your dad. You’re a good son and glad to hear he’s recovering from his ordeal.
ReplyDeleteHands up for hearing Andy Samberg read 61D answer as one word. Brooklyn 99 lingo to the fore.
ReplyDelete