Theme: "Symbolic Language" - Part of each theme clue is replaced by its keyboard symbol.
22. Gets right to the .: TELLS IT LIKE IT IS. Gets right to the point.
31. In the ***: MEANT TO BE. In the stars.
51. Balder-: HORSE FEATHERS. Balderdash.
70. Dog #: ANIMAL SHELTER. Dog pound.
89. One %: THE UPPER CRUST. One percent.
102. Plays @: DABBLES IN. Plays at.
120. Non+: THROW A CURVEBALL. Nonplus.
The dot in the first theme clue is subtle. The other symbols are easier to spot.
Very fresh and creative theme from Paul. Very tight set with limited choices.
Across:
1. Make the world a better place: DO GOOD.
7. Passed into law: ENACTED.
14. Poker pronouncement: I CALL.
19. Not necessarily against: OPEN TO. And 63. Words of likelihood: APT TO. 128. Meet: RISE TO. 16. "We __ please": AIM TO.
20. Like cast iron and silicone: OVEN-SAFE.
21. Payoff: BRIBE.
24. Actor Jason: MOMOA. The Aquaman.
25. Small vortex: EDDY.
26. Hide out: LIE LOW.
27. Grenoble peak: ALPE.
29. PIN sites: ATMS.
30. Talkative bird: MYNA.
33. Pastoral people of Kenya and Tanzania: MASAI. Also spelled as Maasai.
37. Tiny pest: ANT.
39. Pacific tuna: AHI. 33. Taco choice, on menus: MAHI.
41. Latin heart: COR. Learning moment.
42. Gentle skin care brand: AVEENO.
44. First name in jazz: ETTA.
46. Plunge after a workout: ICE BATH. 81. Steam after a workout: SAUNA.
55. Royal Shakespeare Company venue: THEATRE.
56. Data: INFO.
57. Handbill: FLIER.
58. Shorthand for a person who prefers platonic partners: ARO. Aromantic.
60. Sure to happen: FATED.
61. Former: PRIOR.
66. Trig function: COSINE.
67. Part of many Arab names: IBN. Son of.
73. USN rank: CDR. I miss our Spitzboov, Commander Al in real life, and Santa of course.
 |
| Al & Scott |
74. Dairy din: MOOING.
76. Jane Curtin title role: ALLIE. Kate & Allie.
77. Movie credits and music charts: LISTS.
79. Dad: POPPA.
80. HMO alternative: PPO. Preferred Provider Organization.
83. Game with suspect tokens: CLUE.
87. Red disk hieroglyph: EYE OF RA.
93. Dogie catcher: LASSOER.
94. Has: OWNS.
95. Cheers: ELATES. JD just sent me this picture. Her oldest
grandson Truman will be off college in the fall. He was just a little
baby when JD joined our blog.
 |
| Truman, Cameron, Dylan, JD, Bob and Grady (Truman's younger brother) |
96. G7 member: USA.
97. Native people of Colorado: UTE.
98. Sinuous swimmer: EEL.
101. Copycatting: APERY.
107. Prone to snooping: NOSY.
109. Biblical birthright barterer: ESAU.
110. Fight like a knight: TILT.
111. Discarded devices: E-WASTE.
114. Role for Ingrid: ILSA. "Casablanca".
118. Ban alcoholic beverages: GO DRY.
123. Fish: ANGLE.
124. Clear French brandy: EAU DE VIE.
125. Bring out: ELICIT.
126. Informal farewell: SEE YA. 68. "That's how it's done!": BOO YA.
127. Displayed contempt: SNEERED.
Down:
2. "Say your piece" piece: OP-ED.
3. Neuter, as a horse: GELD.
4. "For your eyes __": ONLY.
5. Periods before soccer shootouts, briefly: OTS.
6. Embroidered mat: DOILY. 115. 6-Down material: LACE.
7. Wicked: EVIL.
8. Alt-country singer Case: NEKO. Beautiful.
9. Again: ANEW.
10. CBS forensic drama series: CSI.
11. Woven mat: TATAMI.
12. Paperless IRS option: E-FILE.
13. 2017 hit for Luis Fonsi: DESPACITO.
14. Co. with an iconic 8-bar logo: IBM.
15. Dalmatia native: CROAT.
17. Word dropped when things are getting serious, informally: L-BOMB.
18. Dealer's offer: LEASE.
20. Fat substitute brand: OLEAN.
23. "The Best" singer Turner: TINA.
28. Genesis patriarch: ENOCH.
30. Go for the gold?: MINE. Ha.
32. Backyard hideaway: TREE FORT.
34. Big name in cosmetics: AVON.
35. Feudal worker: SERF.
36. "The Ape and the Dolphin" fabulist: AESOP.
38. French crown: TETE.
39. Broke bread: ATE.
40. Hardy follower: HAR.
43. Foreseeable future: OFFING.
45. In the __ of: totally absorbed by: THRALL.
47. Lamb bleats: BAAS.
48. Creepy story?: ATTIC. Floor.
49. Blow up on social media: TREND.
50. "Blades of Glory" actor Jon: HEDER. Known for his role in "Napoleon Dynamite".
52. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI.
53. Chart made from overhead photos: AIRMAP. Images from the plane.
54. Fill: SATE.
59. Act like a startled doodlebug: ROLL UP.
62. Violated, with "of": RAN AFOUL.
64. Air pump meas.: PSI.
65. Auspicious tarot card: THE SUN.
66. Opera singer Siepi: CESARE. Another learning moment.
67. Drive: IMPEL.
69. Slangy denials: NOPES.
71. Much of the time: A LOT.
72. Food sticker: TINE. Stick-er.
75. NYSE banner events: IPOS.
78. Deep-six or eighty-six: SCRAP.
80. Sponges: PARASITES.
82. Abbey area: APSE.
84. Mandolin cousin: LUTE. I was thinking of this. But it's spelled as Mandoline.
85. Computer operator: USER.
86. Vintage etailer: ETSY.
88. Change after a blackout, as a clock: RESET.
90. All the rage: HOT.
91. Farm female: EWE.
92. Court material: CLAY.
97. "That's a lie!": UNTRUE.
99. Come after: ENSUE.
100. "The Hobbit" sequel series, for short: LOTR.
102. Impressionist Edgar: DEGAS.
103. All together: AS ONE.
104. Girl Scout's award: BADGE.
105. Big and strong: BURLY.
106. Minnesota representative Omar: ILHAN. Her daughter has a very crossword-friendly name: Isra Hirsi.
108. Break, as ties: SEVER.
111. Decorative pitcher: EWER.
112. Surfing need: WAVE.
113. Battery contents: ACID.
114. Sacred Nile wader: IBIS.
116. Letter opener cut: SLIT.
117. Voice above tenor: ALTO.
119. Vote for passage: YEA.
121. Poem of tribute: ODE.
122. Connecticut collegian: ELI.
Robert (Picard) and his wife Merlie visited Splynter last Wednesday. Hopefully Splynter will tell you more of the visit next week. I chuckled when he told me about his 7-hour nap afterwards. Picard is the first blog regular Splynter met in real life, I think.
.jpg) |
| Picard and His Wife Merlie |
24 comments:
I had to come to this
site to understand a couple of the themed answers, including “ dog #.” But now they all make sense. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
I kept reading it as "dog hashtag" until it finally clicked as the pound sign. Then the answer made sense.
Ditto asterisks, except that one never clicked as I've only heard asterisks called stars in crossword clues. Never in reference to the key symbol. But after googling, star is indeed an alt name for asterisk.
Good morning! (Rabbit, Rabbit.)
Yay, d-o got the theme. Only needed my Wite-Out to correct F-BOMB to L-BOMB, ENS to CDR and change that first A in PAPPA to an O. Got through this one quickly. Cute theme, Paul. Thanx for the expo, C.C.
L-BOMB: Since late January I've been dropping F-BOMBs like they were commas.
AIM TO: Sign in the men's restroom: We aim to please. You aim, too, please.
Haven’t seen Paul’s byline in the LAT lately, but I’ve always enjoyed his offerings, and today was no exception, even if it was a little crunchier than a typical Sunday puzzle. FIR in 38:56. CEASAR, EYE OF RA, EAUDE VIE and DESPACITO were all perps (never heard of Luis Fonsi, and he’s got a Greatest Hits album?). Had to change aping to APERY, and throes to THRALL. OT in soccer is more commonly called “extra time”. Noted AVEENO crossing AVON. When ***’s identify a themed fill in a CW, they are always referred to as starred clues and never asterisks. Nice work Paul, and thank you for the morning mental exercise, and to C.C. for explaining it all.
FIR. What a workout! This was quite crunchy for a Sunday. I had to take a WAG at cor since my HS Latin failed me. And Despacito was a total mystery.
I'm not much of a fan of the theme. I got it but a few answers seemed a stretch to me. 31A and 120A as an example. Even having it explained to me here isn't enough.
So overall this puzzle was meh!
Crunch, crunch, this morning. DNF. The NE remained blank. Too many unknowns. It wasn’t until ANIMAL SHELTER that I caught on to the theme. For the first one, 22A, i didn’t see the (point), and at 51A, I saw á hyphen, not á dash, so I was confused as to what we were supposed to complete.
I missed TiNA and OLeAN because I entered Lay LOW. Never went back to correct it.
Lots of unknowns like DEGAS as clued, HEDER, NEKO, DESPACITO, BOOYA, etc.
The blog wouldn’t let me complete my post.
Anyway, quite á work out this morning. Thank you CC for setting me straight on some of the entries.
Musings
-I wish I had read the title first of this very clever construction.
-We’re off to Lincoln to help our daughter move in. We started moving her in 1972 so…
-She has moved to very north Lincoln from very south Lincoln and so it will take 15 minutes off our trip across the city.
A DNF today. The combos of THE SUN (unk), LISTS, TREE FORT, FATED, CESARE (unk) and HEDER (unk) wouldn't work out for me. I guessed TREND (unk) after I changed CAPtain to COMMODORE or COMMANDER but it didn't help. LINES and TREE HOME wouldn't work.
I've seen the term non-plus didn't really know what it mean. Never used it but I did THROW A CURVEBALL correctly onto the grid.
***- ASTERISKS in my book, not stars. MEANT TO BE made it onto the grid.
#- Pound sign, number sign, and now it's hashtag.
I guessed DESPERADO before the perps changed it to DESPACITO (unk).
MOMOA, EAU DE VIE, EYE OF RA, NEKO- never heard of that foursome but the perps got 'em..
Good Morning:
As YP noted, PC has been absent for quite a while, so today’s offering was a reminder of how much I enjoy his work. I loved this theme and thought it was very well executed. There were several entries that gave me pause, i.e., Despacito, Eye of RA, Eau de Vie, Neko, Cesare, Heder, but the perps were fair, so no complaints. I think my only w/os were Aped/Aping, Bin/IBN, and IGA/IBM.
Thanks, Paul, and thanks, CC, for your professional opinion and insights.
Have a great day.
Yes, that's what I said earlier. In crosswords "stars" or "starred" for asterisks
I'll pretty much Echo Big Easy this morning. Never heard of singer or song, and failed the Latin test, among the rest of the obscurities. Couldn't get the perps to come to my rescue, so had to take big DNF.
When I was growing up, the slate tile hanging on the wall in the bathroom was painted with the scene of a little boy in a straw hat urinating in a stream. The caption underneath was:
"We aim to please. We hope you aim too, please."
Thank you, Paul, and thank you, C.C.
I solved this one hours ago , and went back to sleep. I know I had a typo, but I don't recall where it was. Glancing at the grid now, I recall that I also had to change APING to APERY.
From yesterday, it wasn't Stella that first introduced TOTES ADORBS in the LA Times crosswords. It was first seen on Thursday, Dec 13th, 2018 in a David Alfred Bywaters, reviewed by Steve. The clue was: "Cray" and "totes adorbs," e.g.: SLANG.
Stella's debut at the LAT was on Saturday, Dec 7th, 2019 with a crossword that (it seems) no one filled correctly. In that puzzle, she introduced the word shakshuka. Savory North African poached-egg dish: SHAKSHUKA
A bit of a poser from Paul this morning with just enough resistance to make it fun.
Timely reference to CLAY courts with Roland Garros in progress.
Had trouble with MASAI because I usually spell it with 3 As. Just kidding, I had no idea.
A Handbill is usually a FLyER, while a FLIER is an aviator.
LASSOER looks weird.
I'm glad CC was here to elucidate the # sign. I grew up with it being the pound sign, but it's been a hash tag for so long now that I forgot, so wondered how a dog tag fit the answer.
I always wondered why they were called "clay" courts because clay gets slippery when a little wet, but "clay" courts don't. They are not clay, they are CRUSHED BRICKS in Europe and mostly CRUSHED BASALT in the US.
I guess they were originally called clay courts because the bricks were made from clay. The problem both clay and grass courts have is inconsistent bounces.
Took 19:48 today for me to see the sign.
I didn't know euadevie, ppo, or Case Neko/Neko Case. I struggled to parse a few others, such as "eye ofra".
I thought it was a dog "tag" and not a "pound", so that threw me off the scent for awile.
On the bright side, I knew the roles for the Actresses of Today (Ilsa and Allie).
I liked this puzzle a lot, in spite of having to change many answers and resort to red letters to see where I went wrong. Seems like there were quite a few names that I didn't know, but, as many of you say, the perps filled them.
I agree LASSOER just looks weird. So does APERY but it's a neato word; it sounds rather Shakespearian.
My two thumbs down on "That's how it's done!": BOO YA.
Very cool that Robert (Picard) and his wife Merlie visited Splynter.
Good reading you all.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I also thought of dog tag instead of dog pound.
Tough, but very interesting Sunday puzzle, so many thanks, Paul. And, C.C., your Sunday commentaries are always a total pleasure, thanks for this one too.
Well, as you know, I always look for food in puzzles, but this one wasn't much of a kitchen, I'm afraid, even if it was OVEN SAFE and mentioned that someone ATE there, maybe enjoying some AHI or some EEL and some OLEAN. Wait, we even got some MAHI (whatever that is), so that's not too bad. And we did get an ANIMAL SHELTER, which is always delightful, especially if it has some HORSE FEATHERS flying around there, and some cattle MOOING nearby. And there's even a LASSOER who will keep the pups from roaming around too much. And even though there's some mention that the puzzle might "ban alcoholic beverages," we might still be able to get some "EAU DI VIE," so all is well, I think.
Have a lovely Sunday, everybody.
Difficult but enjoyable puzzle. Most unlikeable answers are lassoer (spell check tries to change it to lassoed). Didn’t care for Jane Curtin title role from an obscure 1984 sit com.
You might find Jane Curtin's role in that Kate and Allie show easier to remember then some obscure show on one of the new networks or a podcaster you've never heard of
First LAT Xword I've tossed in many moons. In the over 40 yrs I've been solving LAT Xwords this is only about the 20th I've tossed. Why?? Dunno!?! Just couldn't build a stream of steam.on this one. Putting constructor on my "puzzles to toss" list!
(Late to the party on this one, as I was gone all day Sunday at a car show…)
Even the title of this Sunday cw didn’t help me; I just couldn’t tune into Paul’s frequency to get the theme, even after I got all of them — I still can’t grok how “Non+” rotates into the answer; maybe I’m not understanding the phrase “nonplus” properly. Plus, “in the asterisks” stumped me; even after the V8 can hit, I still didn’t see stars…😆 The only two that made sense to me (prior to C.C.’s illumination) were “One %” and “Balder –“. Then add to the mix some pretty “meh” words like LASSOER and APERY (fits in with “asshattery” as a term) and I was not having fun. Imout and Ifold made a fine mess of the state of Maine until perps gave up ICALL, and I need to learn to stop spelling sheep noises as BAhS! Also ✋🏼 for having LayLOW at first — there’s that danged bit of “lie”and “lay” from grade school grammar that I never got right…
Whatever did constructors use for a crutch before ARO reared its ugly head in pop lexicon? And yeah, 57A shoulda been clued with an aeronautical reference; maybe “A person who makes 53A’s” for FLIER…and while I’m grousing about questionable clues, in futball (soccer) the period(s) before a shootout are traditionally called ET — “extra time” — not OT. That’s in the other kind of football, the one where you primarily use your hands…
Lest I sound too grouchy today, I will give a 👍🏽 to ALPE (using the Suisse word) and RISE TO for the final Across fill — pretty snazzy clueing there, kids.
Thanks for ‘splainin’ everything today, C.C.; I obviously was in desperate need of your help!
====> Darren / L.A.
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