Theme: "Things That Go Bump in the Night" - Four monsters are hidden under four beds.
24. Thought experiment illustrating special relativity: TWIN PARADOX.
27. Dish garnish: MICROGREEN. Ogre under Twin.
44. Ryan Gosling's role in "The Fall Guy": BODY DOUBLE.
52. Italian blue cheese: GORGONZOLA. Gorgon under Double.
86. Wonderland resident who starts out as a chess piece: WHITE QUEEN.
94. Arrived nonchalantly: STROLLED IN. Troll under Queen.
115. Big name in baking products: KING ARTHUR.
119. Conway Twitty ballad covered by Blake Shelton: GOODBYE TIME. Yeti under King.
Reveal:
66. Common childhood fear, examples of which may jump out at you four times in this puzzle?: THE MONSTER UNDER THE BED.
See the answer grid below.
Each monster has the same letter count as the bed it's hidden. This makes Chandi's theme entry choices super tight.
Across:
4. Taiwanese laptop brand: ACER. Their monitor is pretty good.
8. Repeats a mantra, perhaps: CHANTS.
14. Out of bed: ASTIR.
19. Big day for a startup, briefly: IPO.
20. "__ might say ... ": SOME.
21. Zimbabwe's capital: HARARE.
22. Maestro Zubin: MEHTA. Born in Bombay. We also have 50. Conductor's reference: SCORE.
23. Printer tray abbr.: LTR.
26. Opponent: ENEMY.
29. Plant also known as a strangler fig: BANYAN TREE.
31. Dijon darling: CHERI.
32. Crew team's workout machines: ERGS. Rowing ergometers.
34. Italian hard cheese, briefly: PARM.
35. Humble poker hand: PAIR.
36. Candy with unique dispensers: PEZ.
39. Caesar lettuce: ROMAINE.
42. Like the Vatican's Bramante Staircase: SPIRAL.
48. Add new audio: DUB.
49. Skin opening: PORE.
54. Gobs: LOADS.
56. Shape sometimes made by a comfy cat: LOAF.
57. Couture monogram: YSL.
58. Paris runway spot: ORLY.
59. Routine: ACT.
60. Like sesame seeds in furikake, typically: TOASTED. My favorite is the nori furikake.
63. Not-so-powerful chess piece: PAWN.
74. Floors: AWES.
75. "Well, isn't that fancy!": OOH LA LA.
76. Blonde, brown, or red drink: ALE.
77. Symbol on many a flag: STAR. Chinese flag has five stars.
80. Comic Margaret: CHO.
83. Penicillin origin: MOLD.
84. Singer Zayn: MALIK.
90. JV player's goal: A TEAM.
92. Gin flavorer: SLOE.
93. Buccaneer's cry: ARR.
96. Worth-y things: ASSETS. And 2. Vision-ary?: OPTIC. Nice clues.
98. Evidence board need: PUSHPIN.
100. "Case of the Ex" R&B singer: MYA.
101. Big name in brut: MOET.
102. Diamond overlay?: TARP. Another great clue. Baseball field.
103. Farm-centric org.: USDA.
107. Capital on the Svislach: MINSK.
109. Sound judgment: HORSE SENSE.
118. Newspaper sect.: OBITS.
121. Poem of tribute: ODE.
122. Runs like a gazelle: LOPES.
123. Dig into an issue: GO DEEP.
124. Songwriter Sands: EVIE.
125. Geologic span: EON.
126. Basic question type: YES-NO.
127. Kumquat color: ORANGE.
128. Neptune's domain: SEAS.
129. Retired jet: SST.
Down:
3. One looking for on-deck loot: PORCH PIRATE. Hope it's not a problem in your area.
4. Queens neighborhood on the East River: ASTORIA.
5. Women who "don't cry," per a Brooks & Dunn song: COWGIRLS.
6. Leader in Kuwait: EMIR. 10. Like a 6-Down: ARAB.
7. Rapp of "Mean Girls": RENEE.
8. Momofuku founder David: CHANG. Try his chili crunch.
9. Chuckle syllable: HAR.
11. __ colada: tropical mocktail: NADA.
12. Disney movie set inside a computer: TRON.
13. Hot: SEXY.
14. Fervent agreement: AMEN AMEN.
15. Nissan sedan: SENTRA.
16. Lobster __: THERMIDOR. A la Wikipedia, it's a "French dish of lobster meat cooked in a rich wine sauce, stuffed back into a lobster shell, and browned". Never had this.
17. [Puts finger to nose]: IT ME.
18. "My 21st Century Blues" singer: RAYE. British singer.
25. Word in a ratio: PER.
28. Raised: REARED.
30. Speed skater Ohno: APOLO.
33. Mole: SPY.
37. Daring, in a way: EDGY.
38. Hectic spots: ZOOS.
39. "On the Basis of Sex" monogram: RBG. Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
40. Invalid: NULL.
41. Online marketplace: EBAY.
42. Sound of slime hitting the ground: SPLAT. And 65. Collision sound: WHAM.
43. Pupper: POOCH.
44. Extra helping hand: BOOST.
45. Pontificate: ORATE.
46. Leave for later: DEFER.
47. Bus. card address: URL.
51. Refinement: CLASS.
53. Comfort __: ZONE.
55. Put away: STOW.
61. Protozoan cell count: ONE.
62. Spokesowl who celebrates app streaks: DUO. Duolingo's owl mascot Duo.
63. Red carpet designer: PRADA.
64. Trap music city, briefly: ATL.
67. Gas station shop: MART.
68. Vagabond: NOMAD.
69. Wrapped South Asian garment: DHOTI.
70. Former Liberian president __ Johnson Sirleaf: ELLEN.
71. Help for getting to the pointe: BALLET SHOES.
72. Poet Thomas Stearns __: ELIOT.
73. Hockey ruses: DEKES.
77. Trade: SWAP.
78. Drive-__ window: THRU.
79. Taxi spots?: AIRSTRIPS. Aviation "taxi".
80. Corp. leader: CEO. And
81. Leader's spot: HELM.
82. "__ Murders in the Building": ONLY.
85. Go-ahead: ASSENT.
87. Strong coffee: ESPRESSO.
88. Some swabs: Q-TIPS.
89. Caterer's teapot: URN.
91. ABBA jukebox musical: MAMM MIA.
95. Contents of un lac: EAU.
97. Fancy fetes: SOIREES.
99. Rush: HASTEN.
104. Videoconferencing app: SKYPE.
105. Sputter out: DIE.
106. Puts money in: ANTES.
108. Accolades: KUDOS.
109. "__ mackerel!": HOLY.
110. Instrument similar to a suona: OBOE. Chinese instrument. I just call it laba.
111. Breakfast brand: EGGO.
112. American-born Jordanian royal: NOOR.
113. Fizzy drink: SODA.
114. Pristine place: EDEN.
116. Be generous: GIVE.
117. Monopoly payment: RENT.
120. Ask for more puppy chow: BEG.
Happy 78th birthday to Husker Gary's wife Joann and her twin sister Joyce. Here they're with their mom Martha, who passed away in August last year at the age of 100.
C.C.
33 comments:
I did see the “monsters” under the “beds” though it took a while at first. What a complex puzzle! It must have taken a long time to craft. Getting “monster under the bed” helped me with certain clues I was “iffy” on. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but scads->LOADS, oval->LOAF, rut->ACT, and delay->DEFER.
Wonder if Chandi understands that JV squads have A TEAMS? The clue kinda implies that the JV team consists of those not good enough to make the varsity team, which, of course, isn't correct.
It's ironic that we use ZOO to mean chaotic, when in the real world a good ZOO is anything but.
I still don't get IT ME, not to be confused with the more common "bITe ME."
The only talking owl I'm familiar with is on that OPTICs vendor's TV commercial.
This was one of those unusual outings when I got my FIR, but didn't much enjoy the solve. Chandi is on my "don't bother" list of constructors, but it's Sunday so I thought I would give it a shot. I don't regret it, but my list remains unedited.
Thanks to CC for the interesting review.
Good morning!
Guess who forgot to read the puzzle title? Yup, but I saw the bed size progression and the monsters hiding under them, anyway. Yay me. It took a tad over 20 minutes, so that's par for the course. The Wite-Out got a rest today. Thanx, Chandi and C.C.
After finding wet carpeting in the passenger well of the SUV, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about sunroof drains yesterday. I didn't even want a sunroof, have maybe opened it twice, and now I find it's the major cause of water leaks in SUVs. The drains are open now, and the dehumidifier (thanx, NaomiZ) has been temporarily relocated to the car.
I thought this was a very boring Sunday effort with way too many 3 and 4 letter fill. C.C. tried very hard to make it seem like a nice puzzle but it failed for me. Maybe if there had been some correlation between the bed size and the Monster I would have been impressed. The inclusion of a bunch of little known celebrities did not help.
Clever theme. Where I come from JV trams are generally made up of players not yet good enough to make the varsity team…
Teams…
I learned today that Chandi Deitmer, of Cambridge, Mass., works for Elevate Labs, a brain-training app which I guess explains the puzzle. In three years she has become a Sunday puzzle machine with 9 published in the NYT along with the 3 here. I too was not as blown away as C.C. but I am not an expert like she is so I applaud. I did not know "Plant also known as a strangler fig: BANYAN TREE. ." I have never heard of "Singer Zayn: MALIK" among other things. Tomorrow is a holiday to celebrate those who served in the military and they should be honored. I wondered if "Chandi" means "chant"
After a few detours and a couple roadblocks I was able to find my way home for a FIR in 35:45. Was not familiar with EVIE, ELLEN, CHANG, MALIK or the spokesowl DUO, or the one named singer RAYE. Also DNK MICROGREEN, TWIN PARADOX or HARARE. RENEE Rapp appeared recently, CSO to sumdaze. Hadn’t heard of Momofuku (or know how to pronounce it), or that cats curl up in a LOAF. Saw PARM topping ROMAINE made for a Caesar Salad. GO DEEP sounds more like a 🏈 or ⚾️ term. Now I know what T. S. stands for (clue seemed obscure till ELIOT perped). Puzzle lacked only a J for a pangram. Circles on the beds would have made sussing the theme too easy. Thank you Chandi for your very creative puzzle, and to C.C. for your write-up.
Good Morning:
I’m usually not enamored nor impressed with most Sunday puzzles, but today’s won me over for several reasons. First of all, the title was a hint but subtle enough to keep you guessing, but the reveal was the clincher and a fun grid spanner at that! As CC noted, the theme was tight as a drum, the cluing was tricky and clever, the grid was junk free* and blessedly devoid of obtuse or esoteric people and places, and there were only 26 TLWs, a modest number for a Sunday grid. The fill was lively with some standout entries: Porch Pirate, Horse Sense, Banyan Tree, Ooh La La, Ballet Shoes, Cowgirls, etc. Personally, my favorite fill was the handsome and charismatic (Zubin) Mehta, the decadent and delicious Lobster Thermidor, and the sharp and addictive Gorgonzola Cheese! *It Me joins the long list of non-words/phrases that we’d be happy to never see in our puzzles.
Thanks, Chandi, for a fun and enjoyable Sunday solve and thanks, CC, for always pointing out the not so obvious flaws or strengths in construction. Your professional eye is appreciated.
Have a great day.
Oops! Forgot to wish Joann a very Happy Birthday. 🎂🎁🎊🎈Best wishes to Joyce, too!
It me? Really?
This puzzle was a grind-it-out type. I FIR but there too many pop culture and proper names for my taste. An African capital-HARARE-is known by people but not the name of a president of a small African country- ELLEN. Clues about classical, rap, C&W, R&B, EUROPOP, and whatever music RAYE and MALIK warble.
ASTORIA, COWGIRLS, CHANG (momofuku sounds like a curse word), DUO and Duolingo, DHOTI, ATL, ELLEN, suona & C.C.'s laba, RBG, MYA- unknowns.
SENTRA- my brother has 2019 that has been in the body shop since last Dec. because parts are not available.
It's hard to find a decent auto without a sunroof. Nobody likes them and I can't understand why the mfgs. put them in. I've never opened the one in any of my vehicles, past or present. Never intend to either.
But one morning I walked into the garage and DW's Mercedes had all four windows down and the sunroof open. I called Mercedes and they said it was a safety feature in case a car went under water and was caused by something on her key fob being continually pressed in her purse. I'm glad it was not raining and the car was inside.
Junior Varsity teams do not allow seniors to play on them and give the underclassmen a chance for competition. Nobody wants to sit on the bench all the time.
I agree. It me? And Loaf for the cat clue? And Erg as the rowing team equipment? An erg is a unit of measurement. On a piece of exercise equipment, it is an ergometer. But the equipment is not an erg.
DNF. The top center had me completely flummoxed. Twin paradox and microgreen never arrived for me. The entire puzzle was a struggle for me with a bunch of clues that seemed out of my reach.
I never got the theme, and maybe if I had the top section might have filled in for me.
But it's done and behind me, so there's that.
Mine is a double bed, so evidently I've got a Gorgon underneath it. The fact that I've never seen it would explain why I've never been turned to stone.
A clever and adventurous puzzle, Chandi. I am impressed by the overall concept, and then its design and symmetrical construction. I have a fondness for grid-spanners; yours--the theme--is dead center and 21 letters long!
The solving for me was touch-and-go. In the north, for instance, I was slowed by the Brooks & Dunn song and Rapp of "Mean Girls." Similarly, the NE stymied me for a bit with a Natick situation of ITME (whatever that is) next to RAYE. In all cases, friendly nearby perps came to the rescue.
The puzzle was a learning experience. I had never heard of a strangling fig tree or a twin paradox, for example.
Some of my likes include misdirections such as 1 Across "Dandy," which most solvers might assume to be an adjective. Nope, not here; it's a noun. I also appreciated 56 Across "Shape sometimes made by a comfy cat" (LOAF). Our family has always called our cats--when they curl up like this, which is often--meat loaves. A meat loaf that is often purring.
The puzzle is only a "j" short of a pangram, I believe.
Nice to see Zubin Mehta make an appearance. My wife and I had season tickets to the Los Angeles Philharmonic back in the '70's, when Mehta was Music Director, so had the thrill of seeing him conduct dozens of times.
Thanks again, Chandi, for providing us such a pleasant Sunday morning activity. Your puzzle was informative and clever, and satisfying in its solving.
Kind of finished. I got the answer MONSTERS UNDER THE BED, but I saw only one MONSTER, the OGRE.
There were too many obscure names for my comfort. KUDOS to those who were comfortable with this CW. The biggest mystery to me is IT ME. No clue.
Thank you CC for your recap and explanation of the theme, I think.
Tomorrow used to be referred to as Armistice Day the end of WWI at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month 1918. Now it celebrates all war veterans.
A mostly unenjoyable exercise for me. Too many obscure names, feeble attempts at cleverness, and head-scratching choices of clues.
As a former high school coach, I will weigh in on the JV/A-team topic. Of course JV squads have an "A-team"...those would be the starters, and in most cases those players were better than most of the bench-sitting seniors on varsity.
Add me to the list of those befuddled by "IT ME."
What's a pirate's favorite letter? It's not ARR, and I used to think it was the "C", but now I know its the "P" - because without it a Pirate is irate!
Several clue/answer combinations today that were not well taken by this solver. Loaf, as clued. Ergs, as clued. It me. Microgreens.
I did appreciate T S Eliot as clued but did not quickly grasp the answer from the full name, rather than initials.
Happy Birthday, Joann and Joyce.
FIR but failed to solve the puzzle of the beds and monsters. I would have benefited from circles!
I have learned from Facebook and Instagram that when cats rest in a straight line with their heads tucked down and legs tucked under, they look like a LOAF.
Thanks to Chandi for the Sunday challenge, and to C.C. for solving it!
Gave up on this one when the realization that I was not enjoying myself came home to roost. On to Armistice Day.
Agree. To many unknown names and terms. Maybe I’m just too old…..
I always wondered why "LOAF" is used to describe someone who isn't doing much, just luxuriating. Guess it was named for the usual cat profile.
I agree. One short of a pangram!
Except for the search for a possible pangram, I was totally bored with this CW.
I had mixed feelings on this one. The terrific theme and skilled construction to make the theme work was excellent. But I guess the inevitable result is some seriously lesser stuff, especially the enigmatic IT ME. I admire the added dimension that the four beds are arranged by size, as desper-otto pointed out.
Big Easy, I laughed out loud at your observation that momofuku sounds like a curse word.
I have a feeling that Picard would get a smile out of TWIN PARADOX.
Happy Birthday, Joann and Joyce. I trust you are not paradoxes.
Good reading you all.
Nifty theme. The NE seemed beyond Saturday-hard when crossword reflex gave me ENYA off of the Y in ENEMY. I didn’t know RAYE. I’m familiar with IT ME but the clue mystifies me. I was looking for HUSH or something similar.
“ Erg is short for ergometer, which is the technical term for a rowing machine. “Ergometer” can actually refer to any exercise machine that measures the amount of work you are doing, but it is almost exclusively used to refer to rowing machines.” Hydrow.com
I have posted this before when we had ERG. Rowers in our area with cold winters use ERG machines for training and even competitions.
Musings
-Yes, my lovely bride and her twin celebrate their second 39th birthday today. Thanks for the kind wishes for them!
-What a brilliant gimmick and execution!
-With so many weird names I was very prepared for naticks aplenty. Imagine my surprise when I got the Congratulations screen without having to look for errors!
-Marni Nix DUBBED Liza’s voice for Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady
-The lowly PAWN has the capability of becoming a QUEEN
-PUSH PIN board in Breaking Bad
-I think it is not likely that Dodger second baseman Davey LOPES will be in our puzzles
At first I thought Fenway's GREEN MONSTER was under the TWIN.
FAVs: Clue for ASSETS and the misdirection in Paris runway spot.
My current DUOlingo streak is 310 days.
Happy birthday to Joann and her TWIN!
Happy birthday to any cruciverbalist Marines!
Thanks to Chandri for her tight grid and to C.C. for pointing that out to us!
Jayce Thank you for the shout out. Indeed, TWIN PARADOX made me smile.
Brilliant theme, brilliant execution.
Here we were privileged to experience Zen Monk Obayashi as he CHANTS in his remote mountain Senkoji Temple near Hiroshima
Learning moment about unknown KING ARTHUR as clued.
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