Theme: "Gee Whiz!" - Gee sound is added to the start of the first word, changing spellings as needed.
22A. IQ test?: GAUGE OF REASON. Age of Reason.
35A. Schlemiels on wheels?: GOOBER DRIVERS. Uber drivers.
53A. Million-dollar smile?: GLAM CHOPS. Lamb chops.
74A. Fully understand and appreciate a night at the Met?: GROK OPERA. Rock opera.
90A. Set where Geico commercials are shot?: GECKO LOCATION. Echolocation.
109A. Took on divine roles?: PLAYED THE GODS. Play the odds. (Error earlier)
16D. "Hollywood Squares"?: GAME FOR THE STARS. Aim for the stars.
42D. French connection?: GAUL IN THE FAMILY. All in the family.
So happy to see Ed's byline. He's so original and innovative.
All the words have spelling changes. This really needs creative thinking.
Across:
1. Tiny tot: MOPPET.
7. Snakes with hoods: COBRAS.
13. __ Empire: Genghis Khan's realm: MONGOL. "The Legend of the
Condor" is my favorite TV series. The main character Guo Jing grows up
in Mongolia under the care of the Genghis Khan.
19. Get out of a bind?: UNLASH. Not a word I use.
20. Child's coveralls?: APRONS. Julia Child.
21. Laments: BEMOANS.
24. Fearing the worst: ALARMED.
25. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI.
26. Mara of "Women Talking": ROONEY.
27. Compadres: CRONIES.
28. Rock musical set in New York's East Village: RENT.
30. 74-Down suggestion: Abbr.: RTE. 74. Navigation tech: GPS.
31. Los Angeles mayor Bass: KAREN.
33. Shark's appendage: FIN. When I lived in Guangzhou, shark fin soup was often featured in our annual New Year's company dinner.
40. Droop under pressure: SAG.
43. Lena of "Chocolat": OLIN.
44. Abated: WANED.
45. Like pastrami: CURED.
46. "I Will Never Let You Down" singer Rita: ORA.
47. Intro, in journalism jargon: LEDE.
48. Rowing machine, familiarly: ERG. Short for "ergometer".
49. Unstated: TACIT.
51. Gets more life out of: RE-USES.
56. Lid: HAT.
59. Bona fide: VALID.
60. __ du jour: bistro special: PLAT.
62. Give the slip: ELUDE.
63. None: ZERO.
64. "Let's do this!": I'M IN.
65. Spoken: ORAL.
66. "Such a pity!": ALAS.
67. Former name of Exxon: ESSO.
68. Prefix with gram or second: NANO.
69. Lena Dunham TV series: GIRLS.
71. Horse-pulled cart: DRAY.
72. Expedia search results: RATES.
73. Elect (to): OPT.
76. The "D" of FDR: DELANO.
77. Really wound up: HYPER.
79. Fertility clinic cells: OVA.
80. Balkan native: SLAV.
82. Copacabana setting: RIO.
83. Sets loose: FREES.
85. Sean of "The Lord of the Rings": ASTIN. Sam.
87. Towering: TALL. Here's a picture me and my brother Andy, who's 4 years younger than me. Taken in 2002, the last time I saw him.
88. Male offspring: SON.
89. Dexterous: DEFT.
94. Poet laureate Limón: ADA.
95. __ to go: fixin' for a fight: RARIN'.
96. Caustic chemical: LYE.
97. Gestures of recognition: NODS.
100. Dubai, for one: EMIRATE.
103. "... if you say so": I GUESS.
106. Part of a putter: GRIP.
108. Formed a union: SAID I DO.
112. Spilling salt, perhaps: ILL OMEN.
113. Salon creation: HAIRDO. 115. Worked in a salon: STYLED.
114. Dresses with a certain flare: A-LINES.
116. Partake of: DINE ON.
117. "You should believe me!": HONEST.
Down:
2. "Don't interrupt!" studio sign: ON AIR.
3. Large feather: PLUME.
4. Summoning, in a way: PAGING.
5. Language suffix: ESE.
6. 2011 Marvel film directed by Kenneth Branagh: THOR.
7. Pumpkin pigment: CAROTENE. I tried Renee's stuffed acorn squash. So good.
8. Series starter: OPENER.
9. Highland hill: BRAE.
10. Flushed, as cheeks: ROSY.
11. "Yeah, that's __ from me": A NO.
12. ID with nine digits: SSN.
13. Fruit salad fruit: MELONS.
14. Muscat's country: OMAN.
15. Tuna roll seaweed: NORI.
17. Like adjustable hats and most scarves: ONE-SIZE.
18. Drug in Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind": LSD.
21. Less covered: BARER.
23. Proscribe: FORBID.
27. Rep on the street: CRED.
29. Hand-__ leather: TOOLED.
31. Checkers demand: KING ME.
32. "__ Maria": AVE.
34. Actor Beatty: NED.
36. Estadio cheers: OLES.
37. Lived, to a Brit: DWELT.
38. __ avis: RARA.
39. "Sí," in Paree: OUI.
40. Mira of "Shining Vale": SORVINO. She speaks Chinese.
41. AAA offering: AREA MAP.
45. Includes in an email: CCS.
49. "No more putting this off!": TODAY.
50. Parrots: APES.
52. __-Tibetan languages: SINO. Prefix for China.
53. Big name in California viticulture: GALLO.
54. Santa __: Silicon Valley city: CLARA.
55. Luau performance: HULA.
57. Hall of TV fame: ARSENIO.
58. "Don't joke about that yet": TOO SOON.
60. Earlier: PRIOR.
61. Carefree adventure: LARK.
63. Ardor: ZEAL.
65. Shrek, for one: OGRE.
70. Absolutely correct: SPOT ON.
71. Pipe-clearing brand: DRANO.
72. Maker of ColorStay cosmetics: REVLON. Great foundation.
75. Bad to the bone: EVIL.
76. "Melting clocks" painter Salvador: DALI.
78. Nonetheless: YET.
80. Decided not to retire: STAYED ON.
81. Up-to-the-minute: LATEST. Poor Connie had her gallbladder removed last week. She also had pneumonia again.
83. Rx overseer: FDA.
84. Corrected a distribution error: RE-DEALT.
85. Farm division: ACRE.
86. Master moguls: SKI. The ski bump "moguls".
90. Like students and sidewalks: GRADED.
91. Stationery brand: EATON.
92. British name for a murder mystery board game: CLUEDO.
93. Gourd: NOGGIN.
98. Source of some aerial photography: DRONE.
99. Fries, tots, slaw, etc.: SIDES.
101. Swift, to Swifties: IDOL.
102. Winter coat: RIME.
103. "Young Sheldon" actor Armitage: IAIN.
104. Circular current: GYRE. We had this fill before.
105. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH.
107. Attention-getting hiss: PSST.
108. Bro kin: SIS.
109. Prof's deg., often: PHD.
110. Poem of medieval France: LAI. Learning moment for me.
111. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO.
Happy 78th birthday to dear Jazzbumpa
(Ron), who's been our Wednesday Sherpa since January 2011.
27 comments:
I neglected to read the
title of this puzzle before I started it, but it soon became clear that it was an “add a letter” puzzle, and the letter was “g.” Anyway, it wasn’t terribly difficult. FIR, so I’m happy.
And Happy Birthday, Jazzbumpa!
I enjoy your commentary.
Happy Birthday, JzB!
Fun puzzle, Ed. I liked the puns. GOOBER DRIVERS cracked me up. I'm going to use that.
That south Texas area with LAI, IAIN, and GYRE almost got the better of me. I only needed the last letter of each one. DINE ON was the only thing that made sense to me, so I went with it.
C.C., Thanks for mentioning that we've had GYRE before. I searched and found about a dozen hits. It seemed many of them were tied to Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
’TWAS brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Those lines make absolutely no sense to me.
Good morning!
Dr. Ed gave us a punny assignment this morning. The central GLAM CHOPS area was the toughest for moi. Probably would've helped if I knew what viticulture was, he said Ernestly. Thanx for the tour, C.C. (Nice photo of you and Andy.)
Happy birthday, JzB. I always learn something from your esoteric expos.
Well I wandered around this one for a while, encountering clues like ‘Lena Dunham TV series”, “Poem of medieval France”, Poet laureate Limon” etc…I had my doubts about an FIR, which I managed w/out help in 45:50 thanks to immense perp help. DNK Mira or Mara, but I did know AVE Maria. Hadn’t heard of ILL OMEN or CLUEDO. REVLON was Ektorped. Had to change STAYED UP to STAYED ON. Last fill same as TTP, the I-N-E in DINED ON, as the 3 verts were unknown. I appreciate the creativity of Dr. Ed, enjoyed the theme and solve. Thanks to C.C. for your insights, nice photo of you and your “towering” brother! Happy birthday to JzB!
FIR. I took a WAG for gyre, a word I've never heard of and even spellcheck doesn't like. I guess since we've had it before I'd better remember it from now on.
I got the theme early on and that helped a little. Some of the answers seemed to be a stretch to me. And most confusing was the last one. Played the gods, which didn't start with the " gee" gimmick but ended with it? Oh well.
But overall I enjoyed this puzzle.
Dr. Ed never fails to amuse us. He threw a curve ball on 109A, not starting with the extra G. I caught the Gee early during the G-AME OF REASON. Not too many unknowns today. KAREN, PLAT du jour, GIRLS, THOR, REVLON, CLUEDO, IAIN, LAI.
ILL OMEN- unfamiliar with the term 'spilling salt'
I would think UNLEASH would be a better fill than UNLASH.
ARSENIO Hall- what a whiny-baby. They canceled his show because of poor ratings and he claimed racism.
In puzzleland, Mira = SORVINO, Rita = ORA
How do you go outside? You O-PUN the door.
FIW, missing my WAG@ THOm x mOONEY. Bad omen->ILL OMEN, outlaw->FORBID, reships->REDEALT, eddy->GYRE(?,) and leed->LEDE (UNTIE!)
The late Jimmy Buffett’s favorite audience participation song was FINs.
Can goo be a verb? Can OOZE be a noun? Inquiring minds want to know.
Never heard of an ILL OMEN. I hope it gets to feeling better soon.
Two LSD songs come to what’s left of my mind. First (and best) is the First Edition’s (fronted by Kenny Rogers) big hit (so to speak) Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In. The second was CCR’s Lookin’ Out My Back Door.
Please tell me that only in the English language do parrots=apes.
I wanted it to be Monte Hall. Maybe “Carol Merrill’s boss on daytime TV.”
OK, one more of my favorite tunes. George Thorogood’s Bad to the Bone.
Thanks to Mr. Ed for another satisfying challenge, and to CC for your usual fine job of recapping it. But I'm not too sure about the twofer. Only one starts with "G."
Happy birthday, JzB!
Something's wonky with my music links, so I'll follow with those.
FINs.
Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In.
Lookin’ Out My Back Door.
Bad to the Bone.
FIW. Fixated on “Servino” for some reason, which turned typically unknown but now crossword fixture “Ora” into “Era”…yeah, should have noticed. Maybe I was thrown off by the California viticulturist, since hosts who offer Gallo…serve vino.
I have to confess the cross of barer and bemoans led my dirty little mind to conjure up “the barer the couple, the more there be moans.”
Fair number of eye-rollers in the themed answers, but I laughed out loud at “Gaul in the family.”
Sunday puzzle…Sessa and CC, say no more, To enjoy!
Greet the day.
Pretty easy with a simple theme that was elevated by the quality of the puns. Enjoyed them all, even if PLAYED THE GODS was reversed from the rest (G-word last instead of first).
Thorogood? It's B-B-B-B-B-B-BAD TO THE BONE.
Good Morning:
Ed Sessa is one of my favorite constructors, especially because of his talents for word play. Today’s offering is a little different from his usual theme patterns, but still showcases his way with words. The fill and cluing were pretty straightforward, with the only unknown of Cluedo an no w/os. My favorite themer was Gaul In The Family.
Thanks, Dr. Ed, hope you’re fully recovered from the hurricane and thanks, CC, for your commentary and the sweet photo of you and Andy. Best wishes to Connie.
Happy Birthday, JazzB, may it be a special day. 🎂🎁🎊🎈
Have a great day.
Musings
-Dr. Ed always presents a lovely exercise.
-Abated: Ebbed and Eased did not make the Sunday cut
-I’m sure shark FIN soup is fine but I’m not sure I would DINE ON it if I knew what it was.
-The worst LEDES ever
-Love the picture C.C. but it is so sad you have not seen Andy for so long
-64% of teams who win the OPENER wind up winning the World Series
-Job applicants can find that PRIOR behavior can take some real explaining
-I could have STAYED ON at my job but one afternoon, I suddenly decided to OPT out
-This game was born out of boredom in an air raid shelter
-This DRONE picture shows my flooded golf course in 2019
-HBD Jazz!
All right! Á fun Sunday puzzle. Once I figured out what was going on with the Gs, I was set. Thankfully very few proper names, most of which I knew. We’ve had ADA Limón many times.
I must confess however I DNF because I missed the really clever cluster in the SW. ILL OMEN and REDEALT just didn’t come to me.
Since 109A was a curve ball as Big Easy put it, I thought it was going to be a theme recap, but no.
CC, your brother might younger, but he’s much taller. So sad it’s been so long since you’ve seen him.
Happy birthday JzB.🎉🎂🎊
Learning moment: gyre
(Don't remember seeing that before)
(Then again, I don't remember what I had for breakfast...)
The comments gave me an idea, but google can't seem to find a bad to the (trom) bone cake. Closest match: (view it quick before it's banned, it's on tik Tok) happy birthday Jzb!
Thought about including The Beatle's LSD song Lucy in the Sky (With Diamonds.) IMO it isn't in the same class as the others.
Ya got me, Dr. Ed. Crashed and burned in the southwest corner, but a very enjoyable challenge nonetheless!
I enjoyed Ed's puzzle and FIR, but thought that switching the added G to the last word at 109 Across was a violation of the theme, which caused me to question everything in the bottom center, including unknowns CLUEDO, IAIN, GYRE, and LAI. Still, a LARK overall.
Renee's stuffed acorn squash looks delicious. I bought a pomegranate at the farmers market today. You are giving me ideas!
C.C., I'm sorry it's been so long since you've seen your brother. I hope you are able to communicate. Poor Connie! She is lucky to have you looking out for her.
Happy birthday, JzB!
Super Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Dr Ed and C.C. (You got a CSO).
Officially FIW since I required red-letter help in that SW corner.
But GYRE filled with perps on the other side.
I loved the themers - favourite was GLAMCHOPS.
Gotta run.
Wishing you all a great day.
Happy Birthday JzB!
I enjoyed solving this puzzle. Happy birthday, Jazzbumpa.
Thanks to Ed for today's entertainment! FAV was GROK OPERA.
Thanks to CC for your explanations! I needed your help to understand the APRONS clue. I wonder how Mira came to speak Chinese.
Happy birthday to JzB!! Your blogs are always SPOT ON!
Big Easy here. I need to proof read my own work. It's age of reason, not ame of reason.
Certainly not a walk in the park, Ed’s offering was a vigorous workout. Brilliant theme — I still can’t choose a favourite between GROKOPERA, GOOBERDRIVERS, and GAULINTHEFAMILY! Still not sure how that departure with PLAYINGTHEGODS fits into the structure of the theme, though, but what th’ hey — funny stuff, and well-crafted. Thanks, Dr. Sessa 😎👍🏽
ERG in the rowing sense seems destined as a regular in puzzles these days; it used to be clued as “a unit of work” but that was prior to the advent of ergometer machines (here I go dating myself again…). A couple of sticky ones — the cross of proper names at 40d/46a is a bit ugly, and the Parrot>APES deal kinda gave me pause; is it funny enough to sell? And that SoCal corner was almost my undoing thanks to (hand up) badOMEN initially in the squares until I got the French Connection. That cleaned up the confusion and allowed a FIR.
Word in the biz is that Arsenio’s ratings suffered because white audiences found his material to be “too black”… Really? I thought he was articulate and funny, and I loved the hamburger-patty hairdo he sported for a while 😆 plus he had a killer female keyboards player in his band, Starr Parodi, who I had the honor of shooting for a Korg keyboards ad back in the early ‘90’s. A lovely person, Starr.
Thanks, C.C., for the run-through; I sincerely hope you get to see your big brother soon. And cheers to the birthday boy 🍻
====> Darren / L.A.
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