Theme: "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?" - Each phrase you might hear during a bad cell connection is humorously reinterpreted in a non-call context.
22. "There's not enough chocolate for the both of us!": I ONLY HAVE ONE BAR.
30. "Our waiter's wearing leopard-print pants!": THE SERVICE IS SPOTTY.
43. "Stop switching lanes so aggressively!": YOU'RE CUTTING IN AND OUT.
65. "We could get separated in this crowd!": I MIGHT LOSE YOU.
83. "Our next flight leaves 10 minutes after we land!": WE HAVE A BAD CONNECTION.
99. "I've been to more enjoyable weddings!": THE RECEPTION IS WEAK.
110. "It sounds like that relationship is over!": YOU'RE BREAKING UP.
This is a fun set. The static is replaced with humor. Super tight theme.
This
marks the fourth collaboration from Katy and Rich, the third Sunday.
Both of them seem to be fond of this type of rephrasing theme.
Across:
1. Facing the pitcher: AT BAT.
6. Closely guarded areas in soccer: SHINS.
11. Korean-style __: BBQ. I just call it Korean BBQ. They often use lettuces and perilla leaves as wraps.
14. Brunch side: HASH.
18. Sunday singers: CHOIR.
19. Window parts: PANES.
20. __ deco: ART.
21. Alexander of "Rizzoli & Isles": SASHA.
25. Up to: UNTIL.
26. Failure: DUD.
27. __ firma: TERRA.
28. Not trans: CIS.
29. Give heart to: ASSURE.
34. Former NPR host Norris: MICHELE. Soothing voice. She's born in Minneapolis.
37. Frosts: ICES.
38. Main ideas: THEMES.
39. Workout reminders?: ACHES.
40. Opera set in Egypt: AIDA.
42. Viewed: SEEN.
51. "My treat!": ON ME.
52. Elderly: AGED.
53. Wax-coated cheese: EDAM.
54. Sandwich choice: WRAP.
56. Spot for a pot: SILL.
58. Following: AFTER.
60. Big batteries: D CELLS.
62. Moody genre: EMO.
69. Board alternative: SKI. OK, snowboard.
70. Coco Gauff's sport: TENNIS.
72. MeTV fare: RE-RUN.
73. German auto: AUDI.
75. __-Cola: COCA.
76. Singer Halliwell: GERI. Ginger Spice.
77. Gentlemen: SIRS.
79. __ terrier: SKYE.
89. Nearly all: MOST.
90. Bygone GM line: OLDS.
91. Drummer Starr: RINGO.
92. Portmanteau pastry: CRONUT. Croissant & donut.
95. Swit co-star: ALDA.
97. Steering committee's output: AGENDAS.
103. Salad slice: RADISH. Have any of you tried watermelon radishes? Very pretty. They taste like daikon radishes.
104. Due-in hr.: ETA.
105. Gets bogged down: MIRES.
106. "__ Twist, Scientist": kid-lit bestseller: ADA.
109. Start: ONSET.
114. Rather wee: TEENY.
115. Spot for the night: INN.
116. Intended: MEANT.
117. Standards flouted by rebels: NORMS.
118. Blind part: SLAT.
119. TV's "Science Guy": NYE.
120. Arm bones: ULNAS.
121. Purple flavor: GRAPE.
Down:
1. Low-pH stuff: ACID.
2. The old you?: THOU.The Ten Commandments are part of my classes.
3. No fighter: BOND.
4. Suffer: AIL.
5. "Have a few samples": TRY THESE. These go well with your Korean BBQ. Banchan.
6. Few and far between: SPARSE.
7. Le __: French port: HAVRE.
8. Like some headsets: IN EAR.
9. Keanu role: NEO.
10. W-2 fig.: SSN.
11. Some pediatric patients: BABIES.
12. Luca of "The Godfather": BRASI. Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.
13. NBA div.: QTR. Quarter.
14. Horse-drawn carriage: HANSOM.
15. Insightful: ASTUTE.
16. Skins' opponents: SHIRTS.
17. Jay and Gloria's oldest grandchild on "Modern Family": HALEY.
21. Leave dangling: SUSPEND.
23. Stiletto, for one: HEEL.
24. Latin "behold": ECCE.
29. Wan: ASHEN.
30. "__ no easy way to say this ... ": THERE'S.
31. Center of a historic boast: VIDI.
32. Declaration of ability: I CAN.
33. Cook dim sum, say: STEAM. Any of you are Costco members? Their Prawn Hacao are amazing.
34. Subway spread: MAYO.
35. Touchscreen image: ICON.
36. Fish used to fish for other fish: CHUM.
40. Chowed down: ATE.
41. "__ be my pleasure": IT'D.
42. Trap: SNARE.
44. Soothes: CALMS.
45. Fruit that sounds unattractive: UGLI.
46. "All aboard!": GET ON.
47. March day for a historic coup: IDES.
48. Face late charges, maybe: OWE.
49. Browser links: URLS.
50. "__ is cheap": TALK.
55. Tire meas.: PSI.
57. Junior's junior: III.
58. Heart parts: ATRIA.
59. Winter bug: FLU. So relieved that my cough is almost gone. Almost a repeat of my ordeal last summer.
60. Drench: DOUSE.
61. Meadow mouthful: CUD.
62. "Yada yada" abbr.: ETC.
63. Copy cats?: MEOW. The clue is 66. Awesome: GREAT.
64. Frost's "__ by the Pacific": ONCE.
67. Sage, for one: HERB.
68. Raw material for some bees: YARN.
71. "Hard pass": NAH.
74. Self-critical remark: I STINK.
76. Noble deed of yore: GESTE.
77. Supply that might be ready to roll: SOD.
78. __ and outs: INS.
80. Ilk: KIND.
81. Lenovo laptop whose screen bends over backward: YOGA. Not famliar with this.
82. Actress Mireille: ENOS.
84. Blanket forgiveness: AMNESTY. Margaret said all my sins will be forgiven when I'm baptized. Sounds like the ultimate Control + Alt + Delete for the soul.
85. __ for: attest to: VOUCH.
86. "Ice Age" bird: DODO.
87. Family: CLAN.
88. Folding: CREASING.
92. French fashion house: CHANEL.
93. Biblical site of long division?: RED SEA. Parting the Red Sea.
94. Get one's bearings: ORIENT.
95. Unify, in a way: ATTUNE.
96. Perjurer: LIAR.
97. "That's a shame": AW RATS.
98. Nerd (out): GEEK.
99. Unlikely gaits out of the starting gate: TROTS. Ha.
100. Garden flower: PEONY.
101. Former Pakistan prime minister __ Khan: IMRAN. He was a pro cricketer.
102. Tuscan city that's home to the oldest bank in the world: SIENA. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Founded in 1472. Learning moment for me.
106. Taj Mahal site: AGRA.
107. Garbage truck destination: DUMP.
108. Sanctuary area: APSE.
110. Yang counterpart: YIN.
111. Big bird: EMU.
112. __ canto: BEL.
113. Scand. kingdom: NOR.
C.C.
21 comments:
For once, I did read the
title before I started, and it was a help solving the puzzle. But I knew what it was all about after the first one or two themers anyway. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Crashed and burned on this one. BAR should've occurred to me...but it didn't. Nor did QTR or BBQ. I've seen The Godfather, but it was years ago, and I didn't remember BRASI. Bzzzzzt. The rest came together quickly, and most of my WAGs were golden. Thanx, Katy, Rich, and C.C.
This puzzle describes my ATT cell voice reception. The data connection is top notch but the voice connection STINKS. But as is usual FOR me, the theme flew over my head until I'd filled THE RECEPTION IS WEAK.
The toughest fill for me was the side by side unknowns YOGA and ENOS. And of course those A&E unknowns HALEY, MICHELE, SASHA.
Isn't IMRAN Khan in jail? I know he was convicted of some trumped up charge, but being a leader in Pakistan usually doesn't end well when somebody else takes over.
How does "No fighter" and BOND relate? I have no idea. I'm not very ASTUTE.
Bond, as in James and Dr. No
Nice start to a Sunday as this puzzle paired well with my morning coffee. Living in a rural area with SPOTTY RECEPTION, I’ve probably said a variant of all the theme phrases while engaged in a call. As is the norm, I needed perps for the unknown names, SASHA, BRASI, IMRAN, MICHELE, ADA, and of course YOGA as clued, but everything came together with for a FIR time of 26:32. EDAM and SKI were all perps, didn’t see them till the expo. A seasick person is said to be CHUMming over the rail 🤮. The theme reminded me of an old CCR song with the line “somewhere I lost CONNECTIONs, ran out of songs to sing”. Thanks Katy and Rich for your fine construction and enjoyable solve. And thanks to C.C. for the further enlightenment. I thought Baptism only absolved Original Sin and prevented an eternity in Limbo? After that, a Confession is needed for absolution, and I’m probably overdue on that.
FIR. Brutal SE corner and proper names galore all over. Last fill was GERI/GESTE, which I only got because Beau Geste was floating around in my head. No idea if the two are actually related.
FIR. I must say I'm underwhelmed by the number of proper names, especially the crossing of Haley and Sasha. That's just wrong.
But the redeeming factor was a very clever theme which really helped with the solve. It was fun trying to figure all those cell phone references.
So overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
The CCR song was "Lodi".
This was a pretty easy fill for me, although some of the names were challenging. Perps helped. I'm always fascinated the the fact that I often struggle with puzzles others find easy and vice versa. Thank you Katy and Rich.
Really fun theme. Since I read the title, I knew what to expect. I too needed perps for some of the names like SASHA, GERI, ADA, HALEY.
My downfall was the Korean BBQ crossing BRASI and QTR. So I can’t claim a FIR. “Hard pass” didn’t mean anything to me, but perps made the fill obvious. Can nerd be a verb?
One of my favorite novels by Ann Patchett is titled BEL CANTO.
Thank you CC for the recap and the food photos and recommendation.
Musings
-Now that was fun! I understood “ONE BAR” after I got “SPOTTY SERVICE”
-I remember old flashlights that took D CELLS and never seemed to work when you needed them despite banging on them.
-I liked all the OLDSmobiles I had
-RINGO was a big hit in Omaha last June
-Talking to someone who has a “not so hidden” AGENDA can be pointless
-Bill NYE AGENDA now is climate change and atheism
-IN EAR – My hearing aids also serve as Bluetooth speakers
-In real life, Lenny Montana who played Luca BRASI was an enforcer for the Colombo mob family.
-My surrey gave way to a HANSOM
-The Skins team was not the old D.C. NFL entry.
-DUMPS? How gauche! They are now the sanitary landfill.
-Glad you’re making progress physically and spiritually, C.C.
"No fighter"- I was thinking lover, not being a fighter. Thanks
A DUMP is better for the environment than a 'sanitary' landfill. Rats, possums, racoons, insects, and birds will eat all the organic matter in a dump. In a landfill, the organic matter is rapidly buried, layer upon layer. The organic matter gets no oxygen and cannot decay. Operators install liners before and attempt to harvest the methane after. Most of the gas escapes and the surrounding area stinks.
If you think about it, almost all the garbage-trash you take to the street is just packaging. Politicians refuse to face real problems, and in this case, it is easier to bury it. Let someone in the future handle the real problem.
Good Morning:
This was a fun and easy solve, due to the plentiful and helpful perps. Some of the non-theme cluing was a little bit “stretchy”, IMO, but that’s a small nit about an otherwise enjoyable solve. I finished in way less than normal Sunday time which is a testament to the straightforward fill and the aforementioned generous perps.
Thanks, Katy and Rich, and thanks, CC, for your always keen-eyed observations and professional analysis.
Have a great day.
I wasn't happy with some of the name crossing Naticks, it always bums me out when I have to finish a puzzle with an alphabet run in red letter because any damn letter might work... otherwise the rest of the puzzle was just fine and dandy! (Hmm, I wanted to post the George Carlin "fine and dandy" routine, but this came up first and it suited my mood better...
Hmm, baptisms are usually given to babies. Can't have racked up much sins by then... I wonder if I can get baptized again right before if die...
Which reminds me, I'm getting up there (age wise), because, "large battery" to me invokes a completely different image. remember these freakin things?. Man, those camping lanterns were a pain to carry around!
Sorry if I'm in such a bad mood, so maybe it's better if you don't hear me...
Up until about 35 or so years ago, the small town I live in had a “dump”, a pit in the ground where people just tossed their garbage. It was a huge tourist attraction due to the black bear population that would frequent the place. Due to environmental concerns about ground water contamination, we now have a “transfer station” where it is compacted and brought to the “landfill”, but Tuesday’s when it is open is still referred to as Dump Night”, a social gathering occurs at a local pub, post dumping. 🤣
Hola! What a surprise to finish this Sunday puzzle before I leave. Thank you, Katy and Rich! I know SASHA Alexander from watching her and Angie Harmon fight crime on "Rizzoli and Isles". And the only ADA I know of is, Lovelace. So much to learn! The rest filled nicely and smoothly.
Have a GREAT day, everyone!
The Bond reference had me scratching my head for a bit but it was fair. IMO, YARN was inappropriate in the context in which it was used. SHINS aren't guarded in soccer - they are padded or protected. The AW of AW RATS felt off. The theme answers, OTOH, were very good and the title did, indeed, help quite a bit.
FIW, getting careless with SAtHA x AtTUTE. I think I told my hand to write ASTUTE, but had no idea of SASHA as clued.
No, HASH browns is a brunch side, HASH is a brunch entree.
While I'm complaining, my guess is that neither Katy, Rich nor Patti have ever been to harness races. TROTting is one of the featured gaits.
This year, one of my dermatologists was beautiful resident Dr. Joanna Twist. Hope she stays around after she finishes her residence.
I like Alan Jackson's TALK Is Cheap.
I had a hard time getting my laptop to start up today. Maybe too many vibrations over the road yesterday. I finally left it turned on while I did some chores, and when I got back to it a message said it was resetting to default CMOS settings. Haven't found anything amiss so far.
Thanks to Katy and Rich for the fun workout, except there were a few fills that weren't A&E stuff. And thanks to CC for another interesting write-up.
I enjoyed solving this puzzle. I like the big Sunday puzzles.
BEGIN-->START-->ONSET. (Noun, not verb.)
GOALS-->SHINS.
Yes, I have tried watermelon radishes. I like them.
There is an excellent dim-sum restaurant in Palo Alto called STEAM.
Good reading you all.
Many thanks for giving us an enjoyable Sunday puzzle, Katy and Rich. And your Sunday commentaries are always a pleasure, C.C., thanks for this one too.
Well, the THEME answers in this puzzle were intended to be generally negative, so we had lots of complaints and ACHES and pains (no, not PANES) and spotty service. So much so that it might not be surprising to have readers think it STINKS and we should maybe SUSPEND our discussion. But wait, there's also a suggestion of AMNESTY, so maybe we should BOND with a CHUM or two (don't call us a GEEK), and encourage our CLAN to be KIND, and lets CALM those BABIES. Then it might be time to play some TENNIS, and drink some COCA cola, and eat a RADISH and some GRAPES. Not a bad way to end this puzzle.
Have a lovely Sunday, everybody, and a great week ahead.
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