Theme: "PR Stunt"
Good Sunday morning. Today C.C. presents a puzzle so dazzling, adding PR to the themers, the press must cover it. Let's take a look:
22a. Ultrathin bicycle chain holder?: LIGHT SPROCKET. Remove the PR and you get light socket.
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| This light-weight set of sprockets [a gear] will set you back $280 |
40a. Divinely inspired binge session?: THE HOLY SPREE. The Holy See. It's not a body of water, like I used to think, but the government of the Catholic Church in the Vatican.
58a. Number important to bakers?: VANILLA PRICE. Vanilla Ice. I'll spare you a rap song.
81a. Guaranteed ball catchers?: PROVEN GLOVES. Oven Gloves. I've stopped using them. All cotton side-towels work just fine and you don't have to walk over to get a mitt.
97a. Question from a grocery mister?: SHALL WE SPRAY. Shall we say?
118a. Fairyland queen?: SPRITE MANAGER. Site Manager.
34d. Garment for a gingerbread cookie?: PRALINE SKIRT. A-Line Skirt.
39d. Avid fan of Chunky Garden pasta sauce?: PREGO BOOSTER. Ego Booster. If you want to boost my ego, lie to me about how much you enjoyed this expo ;-)
Across:
1. "Alright, Still" singer Lily: ALLEN. Never heard of her or the song.
6. Split asunder: CLEAVE. This is a fun word 'cuz it's a contranym. Cleave means to tear apart but also means to cling to. [Cite [49:31 - Cleave is @2:30]]
12. Sought a dog treat: BEGGED.
18. Computer in a messenger bag: LAPTOP. My laptops go in a backpack along with a second monitor and various cables and lockpicks.
20. Throws in the trash: TOSSES. We learned Thursday to recycle eWaste.
21. Real: GENUINE. In my head I pronounce it like Mr. Haney [Pat Buttram] from Green Acres.
22. [See: Theme]
24. "Hold your horses!": EASY NOW. Just slow down your gumption.
25. Purple palm berry: ACAI.
26. High-pitched bark: YELP. Yip was too short.
27. Modern art?: ARE. LOL! Thou art -> You ARE.
28. Weighty burden: ONUS.
29. Poultry farm sight: COCK.
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| Foghorn Leghorn |
31. Meat in a Cuban sandwich: HAM.
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| Yum! |
33. Comics dog with a long tongue: ODIE.
34. Drain pipe material: PVC.
37. Stay-at-home worker?: UMP. Cute. In Baseball the UMP is at home plate.
40. [See: Theme]
44. Cookie with a churro flavor: OREO. There's a churro stand not far from me - they're good. A churro is pâte à choux (cream puff) batter, piped into hot fat, deep-fried until crisp, and shaken with cinnamon-sugar.
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| I checked. They exist(ed). |
45. Trunk: TORSO. Not on an elephant nor a train :-)
47. Peddle: SELL. It's funny, I can recognize peddle from pedal but, when it comes to writing it out, I get confused.
48. Seats for the faithful: PEWS.
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| You can buy it here |
49. Delany of "China Beach": DANA. China Beach was a TV series on ABC ('88 to '91) and she was the lead actress, or so I've Googled.
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| Dana Delany |
50. Sherlock adversary Adler: IRENE. She only appeared in the short story "A Scandal in Bohemia."
51. "I know kung fu" character: NEO.
I love this movie!
52. Land in the Seine: ILE.
53. "Get a hold of yourself!": COOL IT.
55. Batter's practice area: CAGE.
56. Plot progression: ARC.
58. [See: Theme]
61. Succulent harvested for its gel: ALOE.
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| Sorry Splynter, it's obligatory :-) |
62. Judged to be: DEEMED.
64. Bracelet closure: CLASP.
65. Nancy Drew's beau: NED.
66. "Nicely done!": BRAVO.
68. Scent: AROMA.
70. Yonder things: THOSE.
72. "Hamilton" actress Phillipa: SOO. Perps
74. The "L" of Samuel L. Jackson: LEROY.
76. Thrill-seeker's activity: BUNGEE. Everything you wanted to know. I'm still not doing it.
78. Quiet attention-getter: PSST.
81. [See: Theme]
84. Doctor's orders, for short: RXS.
85. Middling: OKAY. I like the clue here.
86. Refuse to give in: INSIST.
87. Jaden's role in "The Karate Kid": DRE. The 2010 reboot of the movie. I had to LIU after the solve 'cuz I had no idea.
88. Spanish uncle: TIO. Makes sense since TIA is an aunt.
90. Resume highlight: SKILL.
91. Fancy party: FETE.
92. Som tam cuisine: THAI.
93. Small earring: STUD.
95. Intrinsically: PER SE.
96. Flintstones Vitamins shape: FRED.
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| Mom doled these out daily. |
97. [See: Theme]
100. Asphalt alternative: TAR. On a Southwest flight after a bumping landing, the announcer said, "Oooh, that wasn't the pilot's fault; that was the asphalt."
101. Turk. neighbor: SYR. Turkey and Syria are neigbors.
102. Dude from Dundee: SCOT. The company I work for has an office is Aberdeen and that's the only place I've been in Scotland.
103. Pocket-sized: WEE.
104. "What __ have you got?": ELSE.
106. "The Alienist" author Caleb: CARR.
107. Find work for: USE.
109. Drink with cardamom: CHAI. Chai just means tea in Hindi. My co-worker from India laughs when anyone says chai tea: "Why are you saying tea tea?"
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| Marsala Chai |
111. Cast down?: MOLT.
115. Pack of camels: CARAVAN.
118. [See: Theme]
121. One with a cordial rivalry: FRENEMY. A portmanteau of Friend and Enemy.
122. Exactly right: DEAD ON.
123. Fancy party: SOIREE. At my last company we called our Christmas Party a soiree on the invites. One of the partners thought is was funny and pretentious so he'd be funny and pretentious when he said this word.
124. Auction bids: OFFERS.
125. Pitching battles?: AD WARS. This was cute. Not a (baseball) tie in the 10th inning reference, but ads. Eight clever stunts in ongoing ad wars.
126. Word between God and you: BLESS. LOL! Not a prayer nor a scene in Oh, God but God Bless You - like gesundheit.
Down:
1. Gnocchi __ Romana: ALLA.
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| Recipe |
2. Nonclerical: LAIC.
3. Org. for women who are great drivers: LPGA. Not cars but Lady's Professional Golf Association.
4. Set of principles: ETHIC.
5. "Ha, fooled ya!": NOT.
6. Lower left PC key: CTRL.
7. Contract flaw: LOOPHOLE.
8. Upper left PC key: ESC. Nice clecho.
9. Dickinson's advice column: ASK AMY. I know of AMY Dickinson from Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me - she's a very competitive guest.
10. Turn suddenly: VEER.
11. Haim sister mentioned in Taylor Swift's "No Body, No Crime": ESTE. Perps.
12. Fitted cap: BEANIE.
13. Succeed: ENSUE.
14. Fellas: GUYS. Or Dudes (whether or not a SCOT [see: 102a])
15. Liquor in a Negroni: GIN. Negroni is a cocktail, made of equal parts gin, vermouth rosso (red, semi-sweet), and Campari, generally served on the rocks, and commonly garnished with an orange slice or orange peel. It is considered an apéritif. [WikiP]
16. Capital One's virtual assistant: ENO. Did music's Brian voice this? ;-) //that's a joke - Brian ENO is puzzledom's favorite music man. ENO is also ONE (part of Capital One) spelled backwards
17. Drops on the lawn: DEW.
19. "Ha, fooled ya!": PSYCH. Clecho! And what I wanted for NOT! at 5 down.
21. Crystal hunter's finds: GEODES.
23. Some toy doggies: PEKES.
30. __-Missouria Tribe: OTOE.
32. Everywhere: ALL OVER.
33. "1984" author: ORWELL. Prepare. 1984 is coming 40 years late.
34. [See: Theme]
35. Marco Polo's hometown: VENICE. I've actually been to his home in Venice. It's a little off the beaten path - at least that's how DW & I got there.
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| UNESCO image |
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| My snap |
36. Like many candies: COATED.
37. City east of Syracuse: UTICA.
38. Principled: MORAL.
39. [See: Theme]
41. Consequently: HENCE.
42. Go around in circles: SPIN.
43. Diver on Louisiana's state seal: PELICAN. I lived in North Louisiana for ~8 years so this was a gimme.
44. Scent: ODOR.
46. Mocking smile: SNEER.
53. Redeems, as a check: CASHES.
54. Info on a political rival: OPPO. Opposition Research.
56. Pre-Christmas season: ADVENT. A four week period where you light a candle each Sunday leading up to Christmas. Lucina can explain.
57. Corp. shake-up: REORG. Oy! Last week at my Corp., a re-org was announced and layoffs are impending.
59. Brick made of soil and straw: ADOBE.
60. Balloon material: LATEX.
63. Like some city races: MAYORAL. I kept thinking of fun runs / marathons.
67. Happy hour picks: ALES. Hand up if you order that expensive scotch at a happy hour 'cuz you're too cheap to buy it IRL.
69. Not-to-be-missed: MUST SEE. Y'all remember NBC's MUST SEE TV of Seinfeld & Friends?
71. Gave an address: SPOKE. Orated didn't fit.
72. Gussies (up): SPIFFS. In slang, "Church it up."
73. Cantankerous: ORNERY. Mom said I was ornery. I assumed it meant impishly entertained.
75. Overly familiar: OLD HAT.
77. Category: GROUP.
79. Pico de gallo, e.g.: SALSA. I love pico and oft sauté it for scrambled eggs.
80. "The Accidental Tourist" novelist Anne: TYLER. Name.
82. Fought (for): VIED.
83. Face concealer: VEIL. Oh, not makeup.
89. AI field: IT SECTOR. I didn't realize last week when I posted an IT SECTOR joke that I was cribbing from the wrong puzzle and may have given a spoiler.
90. 1974 espionage spoof: SPYS.
92. Tough to solve: THORNY.
94. Night vision?: DREAM.
97. Leaves in a hurry: SCRAMS.
98. Sister show of "SmackDown": WWE RAW. Wrestling shows.
99. Smith or Jones, sometimes: ALIAS. In HS, we used Townes - more believable and, if "they" looked it up, it'd get our buddy in trouble :-)
102. Piggy bank filler: SAVER. Not the coins but the person inserting them. Cute, C.C., cute.
105. Spam, e.g.: EMAIL.
106. Sugar crop: CANE.
107. Food safety org.: USDA. United States Department of Agriculture.
108. Ignored the limit: SPED.
110. Chick tenders: HENS. Ha! Not snacks for tots but the bird that tends to baby chic.
112. EverQuest monster: OGRE.
113. Some bell-bottoms: LEES. Oh, please - let's not go retro and bring those back.
114. Number before cuatro: TRES. Spanish counting. Uno, dos, TRES, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ochoe, nueve, diez. Two semesters of Spanish and that's as little as I remember. Father Guido Sarducci was right! [3:55]
115. Exec. who holds the purse strings: CFO. Chief Financial Officer.
116. "I want my bone!": ARF. You didn't really think you'd escape an Anon -T review w/o some heavy metal, did you?
117. B-ball official: REF. Basketball is REFereed.
119. State next to Ore.: IDA. Oregon & Idaho.
120. San Francisco's __ Hill: NOB. A ritzy part of SFO just south of Lombard St.
The Grid:
 |
| The Grid |
Thank you, C.C. for another wonderfully fun puzzle!
Cheers!, -T
33 comments:
Based on the title given, it was easy to figure out what the gimmick was right away, and that helped solve this fun and not too difficult puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
D-o was proud of today's solve, until it wasn't. Was sure it'd be WPGA which made Lily's name ALWEN at 1a. (Have I ever mentioned....?) Trying MAST instead of VEIL slowed down the appearance of the GLOVES. (Never heard of oven gloves...only mitts.) Thanx for the diversion, C.C., and for the expert explication, Dash-T. (Methinks you meant Holy SEE.)
DANA: China Beach was the show that gave Marg Helgenberger her start.
SCOT: Me, too, Dash-T. Spent a week in Aberdeen -- the only Scottish city I've visited. It was December with 19 hours of darkness. Dark when I went to work, and dark again when I headed back to the hotel. Our office was near the airport, so I never got to see anything.
Father Guido Sarducci: This is what I think Dash-T meant to Link.
That was MASK, not MASt. Thank you, otto-correct.
FIW, carelessly missing eGRE x MeLT. I kinda get MeLT, but eGRE was easy fill as clued. Fixed mom->UMP, ahem->PSST, gala->FETE, inate->PER SE, esme->ESTE, mask->VEIL, and cal->IDA.
Ironically, Tabby's Restaurant in Silver Springs, FL sells OREO flavored churros. With VANILLA ICE cream.
I remember DANA from Desperate Housewives. Where shall I surrender my man card?
I guess I'll never remember Ms. SOO. How about "Jack who played Nick in Barney Miller?"
Being a country boy, I was certain that "guaranteed ball catcher" was going to be "barbed wire," but there were too many squares for that.
Europeans call travel trailers CARAVANs.
Most corporations become bloated and slow over time, and REORGs usually (but not always) greatly improve financial and operational performance. Senior management should ask themselves "if we were starting the business today, what would it look like?" It's often not possible to get there, but it does help as a model for decision making. Note that governments almost never perform such reflection.
I don't miss bell-bottoms, but I do miss Derek and the Dominos.
Thanks to CC for the clever, fun puzzle. My favorite themer was "garment for a gingerbread cookie" for PRALINE SKIRT. My overall favorite was "pitching battles" for AD WARS. And thanks to Bayou Tony for another stellar review.
I assumed the HOLY SEA reference was an autocorrect. I watched CHINA BEACH and enjoyed it, though having been ineligible to serve I had no real frame of reference. It is one of many TV shows where redhaired women rule while less than 6% of US women have red hair naturally.
LILY ALLEN I think is still the wife of DAVID HARBOUR who is best known for his role as 11's protector and teacher in STRANGER THINGS . From Broadway after originating the role of ELIZA HAMILTON to a recurring role in the new series DOCTOR ODESSEY you have to wonder who advises Philippa Soo on her career choices. I may be one the few people left who have never watched HAMILTON ; my excuse being my love of GORE VIDAL's book BURR .
Thank you C.C. and -T.
Took 19:29 today.
Probably would've taken less time had I been smart like SubG and actually looked for the title of the puzzle.
I had tried "mask" before "veil."
I knew today's actress (Dana) and vaguely remembered "Soo" from prior puzzles, but I didn't know the singer or her song, and although I knew/remembered "Orwell," I didn't know "Scot" or "Tyler."
"Thorny" was "tricky," at least to me, initially.
FIR. This Sunday CW had a little bite to it for me. And the only way I got the win was with a WAG at the crossing of Este and are. I'm not a Swifty so that clue meant nothing to me.
I got the theme early on and that really helped with the solve. But the cluing was tough, and at times I was totally at sea with the answers.
Overall a so so puzzle for me. Not my most favorite Sunday puzzle by a long shot.
With a puzzle by C.C., I always feel comfortable that we are in competent hands. Today's was a good example. There were some tricky proper names, sure, but they were for the most part spread all around the grid, so C.C. (and Patti, no doubt) made sure that Naticks were not an issue. They had the best interests of the solver in mind.
The theme was clever and lighthearted. We had both horizontal and vertical long theme answers, and in two places they crossed each other!
In the Dept. of Nitpicking, I would include those annoying verbalisms and conversational utterances like PSST, COOLIT, PSYCH, and EASYNOW, and would thereby urge the prompt issuance of a Cease and Desist order.
With many crosswords nowadays we seem to see certain answers over and over, to the extent that they can be considered staples. Well, today we hit the Trifecta with three staples, OREO, ALOE, and ACAI!
Thanks, Dash-T, for leading the way today. And thanks again to C.C., for giving us a solid, entertaining, and satisfying Sunday challenge.
Slow solve, but it all came out in the wash. Me two, DO for mask > VEIL.
Thanks to C.C. and -T for the review.
Love me tender, love me long. Take me in your arms.
Sweeten.
I managed a FIR in 33:57, gaining back a little CW solving confidence after 2 consecutive days of failure. A very well constructed grid, is there any other constructor as prolific as C.C., what a creative mind! I liked the theme, the title helped, just had to figure out where the PR came in the fill. I knew FRED, ORWELL, and ODIE, all the other names required perps. Like T Ken mentioned above, a lot of standard clueing and fill made the puzzle doable. Coincidentally, in yesterday’s CW I had LAP TOP BAG, instead of ZIP LOC BAG which led to my doom. Someday I’m gonna yell out PSYCH! at the right moment just to see the weird looks I get. Thanks Zhouqin for your fine creation!
Anon -T ~ the second challenge today was figuring out whose blog I was reading, first thought it was regular sub Naomi, but I was pretty sure she didn’t work in Scotland and knew she didn’t have a DW that you referenced. Anyway, nice write-up today!
A lighthearted theme with some clever clues. Some clues were too cute and annoying. Overall just ok. 3/5
Sunday puzzle. Good combo of CC&T……sounds like a law firm, or a NYSE player.
Greet the day.
Jinx in Norfolk, I typed in Florida developer's community that survived hurricane and a few came up. I think the one I saw was on CBS in October.
Thanks Unclefred and NaomiZ for acknowledging my point about our fragile and goofy power system. My son and a friend each installed solar. I saw the meter turning backward and the monthly bills for just a few dollars, but at the end of the year they each got bills for thousands of dollars. For sure they inquired why, and never really got straight answers for the charges.
As one who works in media, I enjoyed the PR theme. Impressive construction with so many horizontal and vertical themers. Hand up for MASK before VEIL and struggles with unknown proper names. I thought TAR and ASPHALT were the same thing. Last to fill was WWE. No indication of an abbrev. FIR!
A few days ago we attended this MUST SEE event at our zoo.
It is called Zoo Lights and has hundreds of such lighted amazing sculptures.
Musings
-C.C.’s wonderful puzzle had just enough WASABIOLI to make it interesting.
-My LAPTOP bag carries Mac accessories, treats, Advil, Tums, thumb drives, pencils and more
-Sports reporters often hang around the batting CAGE to get interviews
-The first episode of Better Call Saul, showed Jimmy/Saul/Gene running a doughnut shop in Omaha. So we knew where the ARC of the story would conclude.
-Do you know the LEROY who was “meaner than a junk yard dog?”
-Notre Dame and Ohio State were ranked as #7 and #8 out of 12 for the NCAA FB playoffs. Uh, they were not middling.
-PERSE is not in my vocab but I seem to be the only one.
-Tony, if you had just kept yelling out “Marco” you would have found his house in Venice :-)
-Utica, NE is 75 miles west of Syracuse, NE. :-)
-Several games get decided because a REF did or did not call an obvious foul or penalty
With an obscure singer at 1A, and a plethora of annoying "verbalisms" I decided that this one was not for me. TITT.
Is it Perse or per se
I jotted "DNK" next to seven of today's clues, but I've learned to keep going in spite of complete unknowns, and finished with only one bad square. Desper-otto and I were on the same wavelength: I put wPGA instead of LPGA, and thought ALwEN was a fine name to go with Lily. FIW but enjoyed it. I would love to pull a PR stunt here in the comments, but I'm not as clever as Zhouqin (C.C.) and can't think of one, even without the constraints of the grid.
Thanks for a great review, -T, and thanks for the word "contranym." C.C.'s clue "Split asunder" did give me a moment's pause, because of course a DH must leave his parents and CLEAVE unto his DW. Speaking of which, it's hard to find *anything* among the winding alleys and canals of Venice, so good job finding Marco Polo's house!
Who thought at the beginning of football season that the mighty SEC would be absent in the final game? The same thing may happen in bball - 5 of the top 10 are SEC NBA development organizations, er, schools.
I say PER SE when the occasion, per se, calls for it.
Remember that old joke where the defendant says to the judge "but your honor, the sign clearly said 'fine for littering.'"
Always a nice surprise to find a CC puzzle awaiting. Another fun and challenging endeavor. Well done CC. I liked "stay at home worker" and "modern art" i guessed this one so thanks -T for "splaining" it.
And my favorite (in real life) is when the receipt says "credit card swiped." No, it is not swiped. It's mine!
Might want to rethink the oven gloves. If the end of your kitchen towel ever ignites, you’ll wish you had thought this through.
I too always trust CC’s CW. She manages to gently guide the solver to the right answer. Unfortunately that didn’t work for me today.The middle west was á mess. My main problem was sticking to reSIST for INSIST, I DNK the actress named SOO, and SPIFFS never came to mind.
Otherwise everything else was DEAD ON. I noticed the theme right away so had fun coming up with the silly answers. There were lots of clever clues like the one for BLESS, MOLT, ARE, etc. However I didn’t like facing an unknown for 1A. That can be discouraging. Perps took care of this singer ALLEN.
I knew CC wasn’t reviewing her own puzzle, but couldn’t figure out who was subbing until Á-t’s signature. Great job. Thank you.
I’ll join your small group. I’ve never watched Hamilton but I have read and loved Vidal’s Burr, as well as everything else Vidal has written.
As far as red-headed women are concerned, my dear SIL is á GENUINE red-head, in fact she hit the trifecta, in addition to that, she’s left-handed and was born on the 4th of July.
I love the barbed wire reference. Ball catcher
Shall we spray at the holy spree?
Hi All!
First, I want to thank the Angel Editor who fixed my blog errata as they popped up today.
Second - now y'all know what I've been doing in my spare time the last few days.
Lem: No, I really wrote sea. In fact, it wasn't until you called it out AND I LIU again that I noticed the source I was cribbing from actually says! HOLY SEE. I heard it growing up and thought it was a sea, a body of water. Later I learned it was governing unit but didn't notice wrong sea/see.
Never too old to #Learn :-)
Jinx - I can't believe I missed my opening to link Bell Bottom Blues. Thanks!
NaomiZ - IIRC, we went from one street, through a restaurant, out to another street and turned left to find Marco's house. The reason I think this is true is we ate at the restaurant the night before (I got anchovy pasta - it was so delicious) and we exited through the wrong door and stumbled onto the house. The next day we retraced our steps to find it. My memory is iffy 'cuz the wine was good too :-)
I should have taken HG's advice and just hollered Marco :-)
HG - That's Mr. LEROY Brown [Croce] to you :-)
Cheers, -T
What a delightful treat, to get a wonderful Sunday puzzle from our dear C.C. Thank you so much, C.C.! And thank you, too, for your helpful commentary, AnonT.
I loved seeing LAPTOP at the beginning of the puzzle--put us right into our present century, and was supported by a reference to E-MAIL at the bottom, although I sure don't consider it a spam. I couldn't live without it, given all the wonderful social interactions it give us. I also enjoyed the way this puzzle was ALL OVER, dealing with many settings (VENICE, UTICA), famous figures in different fields (ORWELL, ALLEN), talents (SKILL, MORAL), parties (SOIREE, AD WARS, THE HOLY SPREE), clothing (BEANIE, SKIRT), good and bad people (LAIC, OGRE, FRENEMY), and different responses (SNEER, BLESS), and so much more. Again, many thanks, C.C. and A-T.
And have a lovely Sunday, everybody.
Hola! I have not finished today's C.C. puzzle though I enjoyed all that I filled so far and came here to discover Tony at the helm! Good job!
I don't know why but I have been feeling very short tempered lately which is far from my usual temperament. I even refused to respond to a telephone survey! Maybe it's the cold weather. Last night I even had to cover the plants because of a freeze warning!
So now that I have been entertained with all your witty comments, I'll go and finish the puzzle I hope you are all staying warm and enjoying yourselves.
What a coinkidink! I subscribe to the nerdy Kim Komando (her real name) newsletter, and in today's version she reports:
"Singer Lily ALLEN went undercover on celebrity dating app Raya to figure out if her husband, David Harbour, was cheating on her. He was. She found his profile by setting her preference to women, then cross-referencing the women on the app to his following on Instagram. That’s skill."
(I started listening to her radio show more than 30 years ago. None of my local stations carry her show, but I do enjoy the newsletter. If you are a tech nerd or a wannabe one, you can subscribe at komando.com. It's free.)
Picard, our Phoenix Zoo also has a "Zoo Lights" during the holidays and though I haven't attended in several years I know it has become larger every year. It's a great fund raiser and fun to see.
I have never seen Hamilton, either.
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