Theme: "Work in Progress" - The last word of each common phrase has extra syllables added and becomes a profession.
26A. One minding everyone's p's and q's?: ALPHABET SUPERVISOR. Alphabet soup.
42A. Cruise ship physician?: FLOATING DOCTOR. Floating dock.
53A. Luncheonette worker?: COUNTER WAITER. Counterweight.
78A. Banker offering a penny for your thoughts?: MEMORY CASHIER. Memory cache.
89A. Artisan who specializes in life-size replicas of bison?: BUFFALO BUILDER. Buffalo Bill.
108A. Character in "Driving Miss Piggy"?: THE MUPPET CHAUFFEUR. The Muppet Show.
32D. One working with flower and dough?: BOTANY BAKER. Botany Bay.
42D. Couturier for Tinker Bell?: FAIRY TAILOR. Fairy tale.
This
is not a simple *DRIVE then DRIVER transformation. All of them have
spelling changes. Very creative. Hallmark of Ed's puzzles.
Loved the grid design also. I could picture the smile on Ed's face when he made four of the theme entries intersect.
Across:
6. LED screen alternative: LCD TV. 6. Unlike a 6-Across, say: LO-RES. Low resolution.
11. Fourth-yr. students: SRS.
14. Slice and dice, perhaps: PREP.
18. Stylish Geoffrey: BEENE.
19. Chicago hub: O'HARE.
20. Aim: GOAL.
21. Holiday lights spot: EAVE.
22. Trumpet sounds: BLATS.
23. Decor updates: RE-DOS.
24. Old school: ALMA MATER. We often just get ALMA.
29. Most articles in The Onion: SATIRES.
30. Shaft on a unicycle: AXLE.
31. Place of rapid development: HOTBED.
35. Short, made shorter: LIL.
36. One of 30 in septiembre: DIA.
39. Pub order: PINT.
41. Aerial footage provider: DRONE.
46. British school since 1440: ETON. Rich Hong Kongese send their kids to Eton.
47. Bikini tops: BRAS.
49. Biblical prophet: HOSEA.
50. Hit the deck again?: RE-DEALT.
52. Palais figure: ROI.
58. "Magic 3" rapper: NAS.
59. Utterly destroyed: IN RUINS.
61. __-Dame de Paris: NOTRE.
62. Happy cry: YAY.
64. Ancient pyramid builders: MAYANS.
65. Hair product that creates a wet look: GEL. I had this hairstyle for a short period. Preferred mousse.
68. Formerly named: NEE.
69. Tiny listening device: EARBUD.
72. Beginning of time?: TEE. Time.
73. Tri-tip, e.g.: STEAK.
75. Balaclava: SKI MASK.
76. Barnyard bleat: MAA.
83. Doll once sold with mustache and sideburn decals: KEN.
84. Jack Ma's company: ALI BABA. The middle guy is Jack Ma, who speaks fluent English. Ma disappeared from the public spotlight for a few years after criticizing China's financial system. Back now.
86. Name on a rap sheet: ALIAS. 114. Letters before an 86-Across: AKA.
87. Inventor/actress Lamarr: HEDY.
88. Most populous city in southwest Colombia: CALI.
95. Asteroids named for a Roman god: AMORS.
97. Covered in gold: GILT.
98. Subj. for some immigrants: ESL.
99. Browser address: URL. 13. Punctuation in a 99-Across: SLASH.
100. Passed in tedious fashion: WORE ON.
102. Upswing: BOOM.
104. Finger painting?: NAIL ART. 4. Digs for bugs?: ANTHILLS. Great clues.
113. Idylls: PASTORALS.
116. Accounts: TALES.
117. Info on a museum placard: TITLE.
118. Seller of Storå loft beds: IKEA.
119. High-chair feature: TRAY.
120. Put on a pedestal: EXALT.
121. Sea eagles: ERNES.
122. NL East team with a "curly W" logo: NATS.
123. Rte. displays: STS.
124. Charmingly silly: DIPPY.
125. Beloved ones: DEARS.
Down:
2. Guy: FELLA.
3. Navigated furniture in a game of the floor is lava, say: LEAPT.
5. Viola's false identity in "Twelfth Night": CESARIO. Learning moment for me.
7. Guitarist Atkins known as the "Country Gentleman": CHET.
8. Root beer brand: DAD'S.
9. Pants, in slang: TROU.
10. Scooter whose name means "wasp" in Italian: VESPA. Fresh clue!
11. Out of debt: SOLVENT.
12. Oscar winner Malek: RAMI.
14. Orchard figure: PEAR TREE.
15. Rodent in some zodiacs: RAT. Chinese and Vietnamese.
16. Sistine Chapel figure: EVE.
17. "As __ my last email ... ": PER.
20. Pasta sauce staple: GARLIC.
25. Subjunctive, e.g.: MOOD.
27. Banjoist Fleck: BELA.
28. "Star Wars" Celebration, e.g.: EXPO.
33. Sherlock's sister: ENOLA.
34. Big dings: DENTS.
36. Singer Celine: DION. "Because You Loved Me" is so beautiful.
37. Pt. of RIT: INST.
38. Outfielder Tommie who was AL Rookie of the Year in 1966: AGEE.
40. Rich layer cake: TORTE.
43. Therefore: THUS.
44. Mend with yarn: DARN.
45. Food writer Drummond: REE. "The Pioneer Woman".
47. Cup edge: BRIM.
48. Novelist Jaffe: RONA.
51. Desert feature: DRY AIR.
53. Washington venue?: CINEMA. Oh, Denzel Washington.
54. Add-__: extras: ONS.
55. Finished first: WON. And
56. Finished off: ATE.
57. Outrage: IRE.
60. Dubai's country, briefly: UAE.
63. Sleeve: ARM.
65. 1960s muscle car: GTO.
66. Eternally, in verse: EER.
67. "__ it on me": LAY.
69. Squeeze (out): EKE.
70. Took advantage of: USED.
71. Big Apple fashion label: DKNY.
73. Tolkien dragon: SMAUG.
74. Heat meas.: KCAL. Kilocalorie.
75. Spanish "Yes, yes!": SI SI.
76. Bright parrot: MACAW.
77. Site of an 1836 siege: ALAMO.
79. Tidal movement: EBB.
80. Sunscreen additive: ALOE.
81. Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, e.g.: SIBS.
82. Transport by semi: HAUL.
85. Caps worn during conclave: BIRETTAS.
87. Inferno of the damned: HELLFIRE.
90. Leg bones: FIBULAS.
91. Mopsy's sister: FLOPSY.
92. Perched upon: ATOP.
93. Affair with ti leaves: LUAU.
94. Stared off into space: DRIFTED.
96. London district near Oxford Circus: SOHO.
101. "Dagnabbit": NERTS.
103. Portioned (out): METED.
104. "So gross!": NASTY.
105. MetLife competitor: AETNA.
106. Tool that's made to measure: RULER.
107. Hair piece?: TRESS.
109. K or Wal finale: MART.
110. Cab: TAXI.
111. Give a hand: CLAP. And 112. Lend a hand: HELP.
113. Brooch: PIN.
115. Good to go: SET.
Going to have my first infusion on Tuesday. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers. Been feeling a bit anxious after having the phone call with the RA nurse last week. They'll keep me for extra 30 minutes for observation. Hopefully I don't have any of the side effects.
C.C.
37 comments:
I understood all the
themers except “memory cashier” (until
C.C. clued me in). Otherwise, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
And prayers for you and your “infusion,” C.C. Hope all goes well!
Good morning!
Caught the theme early on, and that really helped with the solve. The SW was the toughest area with BIRETTAS, PASTORALS, AMORS, and NERTS. It finally came together after correcting saPPY to DIPPY and FLOPpY to FLOPSY. This was a pleasant diversion. Thanx, Dr. Ed and C.C. (Good luck. I've had reactions to infusions, but several hours or days later. None severe.)
Good Morning:
I’m always happy to see Dr. Ed’s byline because I know I’m in for a treat. Today’s offering had me baffled for a while because I had so little filled in initially that I didn’t catch the theme. However, once I saw the gimmick, it helped with the solve. In addition to the clever and well-executed theme, the fill was exceptionally fresh and vibrant, IMO. I had Ditzy before Dippy, Ant Farms/Hills, Slant/Slash, Adore/Exalt, and Tomato/Garlic, all easily corrected by perps, which also aided with the only unknowns, i.e., Smaug and Cesario.
Thanks, Dr. Ed, for a very satisfying and enjoyable solve and thanks, CC, for the clear expo and insider’s observations. Good luck on Tuesday and fingers crossed that these infusions will help you to feel better.
Have a great day.
FIR with 8 clues emended.
I knew CHET without benefit of perp.
I was fascinated to learn Stephen Hawking's assertion that time (with a "t") didn't exist, at least as we know it, before the big bang.
Three-letter "Doll blah, blah blah" has to be either KEN or ann,
KMart owned the market, but failed to react to Walmart's challenge.
Didn't understand "Washington venue" for CINEMA.
Still don't know what a smaug is.
TLDR: I'm not quite OK, but my condition is improving.
My brain is still a little foggy from, of all things, an overdose of bed rest. Much to my surprise, the ED admitted me to the hospital. My Hbg (Hemoglobin) had tanked from my last test 6 months ago. During my stay I was awakened frequently for vital sign measurements or blood draws, and an alarm sounded if I sat up in bed without medical presence, since I was deemed a fall risk. After an endoscopy, the belief is that I had something bleeding in my upper GI tract that has healed itself after giving me Pantoprazole and putting me on a soft-food diet.
Yesterday at 5 AM I got a call from an ED doctor, who needed to talk to me because he was treating my wife in the ED. He told me that she had fallen in the nursing home where she was sent because I went to the ED. He was surprised when I told him that I was 9 floors above and a pitching wedge north of his location. She wasn't seriously injured, thankfully.
Yesterday about fifteen minutes after placing my meal preferences for yesterday's lunch and dinner and today's breakfast, the doctor came by and told me I was being discharged. I was so happy to get home, especially since I was wearing 3-day whiskers and 3-day underwear.
Thanks to all who extended best wishes and prayers Thursday. I still need to work on the Friday and Saturday puzzles, and check out the Corner for those day's comments.
Didn't understand "Washington venue" for CINEMA (until CC 'splained it.)
FIR. I found this a little crunchy for a typical Sunday. Several unknowns for me, like birettas, as well as numerous proper names made this more difficult. And were it not for a few WAG's, this would have been a failure for me.
As far as the theme goes, it seemed some of the answers were a stretch. None of them helped with the solve.
Overall this was not an enjoyable puzzle at all.
From over the river and through the woods ... just popping in with best wishes for good health to all y'all, especially C.C. and Jinx.
Sending you blessings and angels.
Thank you, Ed, and thank you, C.C.
I started with the lower third and my first theme answer was the THE MUPPET CHAracteR. Recovered quickly and understood the theme with that one. I was initially led astray when I DReamED before I DRIFTED. BUFFALO BUILDER came quickly after getting the theme, and then it was just a matter of not messing up the rest.
C.C, best wished that the infusion helps with the R.A.
Jinx, glad you are ok, and sad that your wife took a fall.
BTW, I first tried MR T for the doll. Not sure what I was thinking. SMAUG was the name of the dragon.
Ed Sessa provided us today with a solid and enjoyable Sunday diversion. His theme was clever and--for the most part--fun to solve.
Nice to see Hedy Lamarr make an appearance. She not only had a superior intellect, she was considered one of the most beautiful actresses ever. I never imagined that I would be with Hedy, but there we are together today at 83Across and 87Across. Eat your hearts out, guys.
Welcome back, Jinx, and thanks, C.C., for the solid recap. We'll all be thinking of you Tuesday.
Jinx, good to hear from you. Hope DW is okay. How is Zoe?
Took 16:37, to finish it wrong, not knowing the intersection of Cali & Birettas.
Good puzzle, despite a few other unknowns. I knew today actress (Hedy).
Glad to know you’re back home Jinx. Best to CC for the infusion Tuesday.
FIW. Couldn’t remember if it was HEDI or HEDY and DNK DKNY. I either didn’t know or forgot what a balaclava is, so a rough part of the puzzle for me. Is “sib” now a real word, or does the e.g. abbreviation imply the answer to the clue is an abbreviation? As far as I’m concerned, the clue for 3D is just a random combination of words. NERTS???
And does IKEA qualify as an Ektorp? Ahhh, so many questions, so little knowledge.
Wishing the best for all challenges being faced by some of the regulars.
So sorry to read of your difficulties! Hoping you and your wife have good helpers, and that all settles and heals soon.
Re: “Smaug” - name of the Dragon in “Hobbit”/Lord of the Rings”
I liked the wordplay of the themers. Overall fun, and mildly challenging. Thanks, CC for the elaborations.
CC - hope all goes well.
Jinx, heal quickly.
Praying.
Two nits to pick:
one with the English language:
“trou” — who even USES this? per OED frequency: 0.09/million (😯how do they even know this?🙄); I’ve never heard or read it (and autocorrect doesn’t seem to know it)! And I can see how it’s a useful crossword “word”/“fill”
& one with puzzle makers - “bra”!
Again, I see how it’s good “fill”, but really!? And it gets used so often?!
Has anyone ever, ever seen “jockstrap” in a crossword puzzle!? I dare someone to do it! Or, would it get censored - like (I read today) CBS censors “Nerts” (“Nuts”), cuz it’s a “dirty” word 😳 for male body parts?
😊 Maybe I’m still just overly-sensitized from my past doctoral research: “Femininity and Shame” (publ. 1997)
Nice to have a Dr. Ed puzzle to start the day. A little crunchy in spots, but very fair perps and good clues left me with a solid feeling of accomplishment. I enjoy something that leaves me with a feeling of AHA! rather than WTF? Hang in there, C.C. and Jinx. Hopefully, things will get better.
Musings
-We made it through 2 ½ hrs of boredom yesterday as grandson and a few hundred others got their degree from UNL, He was barely visible on the stage for 15 seconds but it's what proud grandparents do.
-Three bad cells due to laziness did not spoil Dr. Ed’s great puzzle. THE MUPPET CHAUFFEUR was my fav.!
-Me too on SW corner, D-O.
-It had to be BOTANY BAY but I had to look it up to see it was in Australia
-AFLAC was delayed as I fixated on the Emu
-Hit the deck again/REKNELT with RE_ _ _LT? Not so much…
-Love that look, C.C.!
-Balaclava looked familiar but it was not a Greek dessert
-On BBT, Howard claimed to be a biker because his VESPA was “the second biggest one they make”
-We have peeps here who claim RIT as an ALMA MATER
-RULERS in my early science classes were in inches, then in. and cm. and then only cm.
-All of us will be thinking of you, C.C. 好运.
- Best wishes to you as well, Jinx.
NaomiZ, I didn't see your comment earlier today. I hope you are having a wonderful time!
Irish Miss, I had already written a lot and didn't add "the story of Zoё." Not only that, but the story is a bit poignant. When i adopted my first greyhound (Zephyr,) a fellow greyhound lover kept my new dog for the first night because I was away on business, and my wife wasn't confident that she could do the job. We became couples friends, getting together with the dogs for Sunday brunch occasionally.
Last Wednesday I was saddened to read on Facebook that one of her two cherished greys had died. Then the very next day I had to make arrangements for Zoё as well as for Barbara. Even though she was grieving for her lost dog, she wouldn't hear of taking her for boarding, insisting instead that she stay at her house. She also kept Zoe's vet appointment for a UTI problem.
She also offered to take me home from the hospital yesterday, and while we were on our short trip to my house she told me that Zoё looks exactly like the greyhound she just lost. In fact, her surviving grey got excited when she saw Zoё come into the house, because she thought her sister was back. She said that she could see the excitement wane when Zoё got close enough for her to know it wasn't her sister.
What a true friend. In spite of her broken heart, she went far beyond what would be required by friendship.
Hope all is well with you both !
Jinx, we should all be so lucky to have a such a selfless friend in our lives. Healing thoughts to her and to your precious Zoe. And, of course, to you, too!
Daily prayers for Jinx, C.C., and everyone at the Corner.
Praying for CC, Jinx& Wife - and any Cornerites in need of prayer 🙏🙏🙏
Glad to see you back. Good luck in getting back into the swing of things.
Wishing the health gods shine their light on you and your Dw.
Neat Sunday puzzle, many thanks, Ed. And C.C., our hearts go out to you with best wishes for a highly successful process on Tuesday. Please take good care of yourself.
Well, as soon as I saw DADS, I figured we'd get a family theme, although the mother in ALMA MATER wouldn't exactly work as Dad's wife. Still, if Dad went to ETON or NOTRE DAME, maybe he'd function as a good ALPHABET SUPERVISOR or even a MEMORY CASHIER. That way he could be dealing with LORE and EXPOS and all kinds of stuff. But maybe it's time for us to get to a LUAU, maybe at a luncheonette that had a COUNTER WAITER who could get us a TRAY so we could get a STEAK and maybe a PINT of something to drink. Afterwards we could go to a salon and get some of that NAIL ART or FINGER PAINTING. Sounds like a fun time, although I'm not sure how all this would work out on a Sunday.
Have a lovely day, everybody.
Well done puzzle that was challenging. CC, wishing you well on your treatment. Jinx, nice to have you back. As we keep finding out, "old age isn't for sissies". ps, I liked the pic.
Smooth sailing until I hit the deep south, then everything slowed down as THE MUPPET CHAUFFEUR wouldn't come together. Finally got it but fell to the cross of CALI & BIRRETTAS by inserting an "A". NERTS!
I think the first themer doesn't fit the pattern. All the rest just add an "er" sound or similar, while this one adds "er" plus whole extra word "VISOR". If the answer had been simply ALPHABET SUPER (short for supervisor), then it would've been fine.
Is the answer to "Beginning of time?" the letter "T" or a golf reference? Fun how it works either way.
Good luck, C.C., on your RA infusion. I hope you see rapid improvement.
I do the daily and Sundays routinely without knowing the gimmick or theme. My paper does not even title the puzzle.This one was a challenge typically for that reason, but I got it.
Super Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Ed And C.C.
I enjoyed this puzzle, and solved online in good time, and smiled when I saw the themers. (Cache from Cash took me a while).
I’m running out of battery, but want to wish C.C. a good result and few side effects with her infusion.
And healing wishes to Jinx and DW. Sorry to hear of your medical experiences these last few days.
Cheering for our Maple Leafs tonight. Congrats to Dallas fans.
I liked this puzzle.
Best wishes to Jinx and C.C.
Thanks to Ed for another Sunday puzzler! FAVs were "Give a hand" next to "Lend a hand" and "Finished first" next to "Finished off".
Jinx. Thanks for the update. I'm glad you're home, too. I was concerned about Zoe. So happy to hear she was in good hands.
Thanks to C.C. for her knowledgeable assessment! Wishing you well on Tues. my friend ... and afterwards.
Hola! Very late but I want to send good wishes to C.C. and to all who are hurting. Besides my nephew's death on Friday I learned today that my cousin in New Mexico also died. it's been a rough weekend.
I’m sad to read of your losses. Praying peace for you and yours
a true friend; sad for her loss
3:29. AM and finally finished. Started ar noon!. Used my trusty monocular to help read the tiny print and my encyclopedias to look up info. First time in a while I finished the whole Sunday puzzle! Determination got me here! Sleeping in tomorrow! YIPPEE! 🤪
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