BLUFFY McLIARPANTS
It seems fitting that I should get a poker/card-playing theme - sadly, I was down on Long Island this past weekend to attend the wake of my dear friend Greg B., whom I'd known for nine years, as he died last Tuesday after a three-year battle with brain cancer. I had not seen him since the diagnosis, as the disease had made it diffiuclt for him to retain your name or the thread of a conversation, so he opted to spend his time ( rightfully ) with his wife and daughter. I was grateful to him for inviting me to his home for a poker game once a week, and you knew it was poker night because he would wear a shirt with "Bluffy McLiarpants" across the front; the image above was my response to that shirt; I wore this at the card table to "distract" the other players 😵. We've seen several Emma Oxford puzzles for the LA Times, and today's grid was a pleasant solve for me; no circles, just a few names, and a Wednesday difficulty. The themers which represent the "stages" of a card game;
18. 1977 Top 20 single by Boz Scaggs: LIDO SHUFFLE - Cool song
23. "Love your work!": I'M A HUGE FAN - we would fan first, to see who dealt first
38. Engagement ring option: PRINCESS CUT - done by the player to the dealer's right
54. Aspiring musician's goal: RECORD DEAL - always to the left
59. Dramatic presentation often staged during Lent: PASSION PLAY - we would PLAY high/low games, with a "stack" of chips, and the winners would "split" the pot; you could also go 'both ways', and if you won, you would "sweep" - thus, the words on my T-shirt
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Civil War POTUS: ABE - I wondered what his middle name was; POTUS is the abbr for President of the United States, so I wondered what A_L would be - more here
4. Anklebones: TARSI - crossword staple
Such beautiful Tarsi
9. Lawn ornament in a hat: GNOME
14. Bagel topping: LOX - I stopped in to see Cooper ( also my brother, who shares the same house with the dog ) and had me another bagel with chocolate chip cream cheese - it's better than it sounds~!
15. Not suitable: INAPT
16. Aspirational, as goals: LOFTY - my lofty goal is to be recognized for my fantasic board games - still trying to figure out how to get them produced
17. Hill worker?: ANT - not the quaint reference to the "US Capitol", on the "hill"
20. DEA agent: NARC
22. 44th first family: OBAMAS
27. Drive-__: THRU
30. Polite assent in Seville: SIS, ENOR - Si, C.C.~!
31. Court figs.: DAs - District Attorneys
33. Rower's implement: OAR
34. "The Mystery of __ Drood": EDWIN
36. Face With Tears of Joy, for one: EMOJI - 😂
41. Selected: CHOSE
43. Cars: AUTOS
44. Zeus, e.g.: GOD - "high -ODs" . . .
45. Skip the grass seed: SOD - low "-ODs"
48. Cloaks: MANTLES - I watched two "classic" movies over the weekend - "The Curse of Frankenstein" ( that's Fron-ken-schteen - see 7D. ) and "The Horror of Dracula", both starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee - two actors who would later have roles in the Star Wars films
Tis the season~!
52. Highlander of ancient Peru: INCA
56. Zeus's daughter: ATHENA
58. Not fooled by: ONTO
64. Do some mending: SEW
65. The Ivies, e.g.: OCTET - those eight being these
66. Leader of the girl group Red Velvet: IRENE - we've seen her here before - KPOP
67. Before, before: ERE - "Able was I . . . "
68. Some Southwest landmarks: MESAS
69. Things to read on the road: SIGNS - 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯 if you're gonna rock down to . . . .
... and not recharge your smart phone 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯
70. Australian airport code: SYDneyDOWN:
1. "Ironic" singer Morissette: ALANIS - I linked her and the song in a previous puzzle
2. Brand of scouring powder: BON AMI
3. Bonuses: EXTRAS
4. Up to, for short: TIL - unTIL
5. Alex and __ jewelry: ANI - I had ANN to start, but she showed up later at 62D. Here's a shocking story behind the woman who founded the jewelry company
6. "Tubular!": "RAD~!"
7. "Spaceballs," for one: SPOOF - Mel Brook's parody of the Star Wars films; it's a tough call as to which of his other spoofs is better - Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein~?
Dark Helmet & Colonel Sandurz
8. Bleak assessment: IT'S BAD
9. Down in the dumps: GLUM
10. Skim, in the dairy aisle: NO FAT
11. Branch: OFFSHOOT
12. The NHL's Canadiens, on a scoreboard: MTL - abbr for Montreal; I had MON - MTL is nearly a unique fill; The "Habs" - too early in the season for me still, CandianEh!
13. Quiet part of a hurricane: EYE
19. "Pitch Perfect" actress __ Mae Lee: HANA - filled via perps
21. "Here's to you!": "CHEERS~!"
24. Boxers or briefs: UNDIES - which are you~? Or do you go "commando"~?
25. Formal dress: GOWN - were undies "formerly" worn beneath that gown . . . ?
26. Actor Stoltz: ERIC - I liked him in Pulp Fiction
Prank caller~!
28. "The Big Bang Theory" character: RAJ - I asked my brother, sitting across his dining room table, for this answer - he likes it, but I cannot stand to watch a single scene of this show
29. New England sch.: URI - University of Rhode Island - my "CT nextdoor neighbor"
32. __ fiddle: SECOND - HA~! FIT-AS-A- worked, too~!
35. Teacher's org.: NEA
37. High-priority activity, per some guidebooks: MUST-DO
38. Downloads before a long road trip, perhaps: PODCASTS - ROAD MAPS worked, too, but duped
39. Japanese sport: SUMO
40. Rating unit: STAR - I give this crossword four-and-a-1/2 out of five "Moe Stars"
41. Much of the F/X in the MCU: CGI - Computer-Generated Imagery, the Marvel Comic Universe; I am not a fan of this genre, tho I did like Deadpool
42. Babe: HON - I prefer this quaint three-letter SO nickname to "bae"
46. Black-and-white treat: OREO
47. "Mystic River" novelist Lehane: DENNIS - I have read the book; one of a just a handful from authors whose work gave me an emotional response - another was The Secret Place by Tana French
49. Inserts in some frames: LENSES - those kinds of frames
50. Diner or bistro: EATERY
51. Lost steam: SLOWED
53. Lost: AT SEA
55. Island off Naples: CAPRI
57. Battleship successes: HITS - the Milton-Bradley ship-hunting game
59. Juice brand with distinctive bottles: POM
60. Nail, as a test: ACE - R.I.P. ACE Frehley of KISS
Shock Me - the extended "smoking guitar" solo from 1977
61. Relay segment: LEG
62. "The Baby-Sitters Club" writer __ M. Martin: ANN - more here
63. "Affirmative": "YES."
For Greg
Splynter
51 comments:
I get the theme, and
that was fine, but there were too many obscure names to suit me, including one that almost led to a FIW, “Ani” crossing “Lido.” I put “Ana” and “Lado” but didn’t get the “success flip” so I corrected myself. But it was a near thing.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
DENNIS crossing IRENE were both unknowns, but the perps were kind. Forgot to look for the theme, but it wouldn't have helped with the solve. Thanx, Emma and Splynter. (If someone asks "Boxers or briefs?" you shouldn't respond, "Depends.")
FIR, getting my WAG@ANN x IRENE. Pretty easy guess, but these days a lot of names have unusual spellings. Right, ANI? Also, alise->ALANIS, shorts->UNDIES, pta->NEA, and hand up for mon->MTL.
If you must know, I'm a boxer-briefs guy. As Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson sang in this beautiful ballad, we don't have to be one or the other.
Here's an old country and western standard by Jean Shepard called SECOND Fiddle to an Old Guitar. Sounds more like bluegrass to me. Kind of the equivalent to the modern day "golf widow."
DNK EDWIN, ANI. or ANN, but I did know DENNIS. I'm almost finished with The Given Day, his fictional account of the real Boston police riot of 1919. I LIU, and there were 103 riots in Boston from 1700-1976.
Thanks to Emma for the puzzle. Too many A&E items for my taste, however. And thanks to Splynter for another fine review. Sorry to read about your friend Greg, but that was a nice tribute. And I really liked the "no outlet on Electric Avenue" pic.
Splynter, I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. My Mom once told me that the hardest part of getting older was losing people we care about. My thoughts and prayers are with you and all who loved your friend. Sincerely, JoyB
FIR. I didn't have to much difficulty with today's presentation. Even the obscure clues at least had helpful perps.
I missed the theme completely and didn't get it until coming here. But when I look back on it now I see it is obvious.
So overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Jinx, if you haven’t already read it, put Shutter Island on your Lehane list. He’s been one of my long-time favorite authors.
Depends! 🤣
eric stoltz in mask was excellent!
I struggled in the NE a little, as I couldn't remember the long named LIDO SHUFFLE until the end. I guessed MON and QUART before MTL and NO FAT made it onto the grid. After seeing shuffle, I looked over and noticed the FAN, CUT, DEAL and PLY that made up poker (or any card game). I've never heard of 'fan' as a card term but I'm not a poker player.
I really didn't know the band leader, emoji, jewelry person, actor, actress, novelist, or writer but the perps took care of the fills. I did get RAJ but have never seen TBBT, Seinfeld, CHEERS or The Simpsons. I know the characters from crosswords.
Whenever I see BONAMI, I think of Paul Harvey advertising it when I was a kid.
Felt like a Monday puzzle to this solver. No absurdities, obscurities, or cutesies.
It was nice to see Boz Scaggs make an appearance. I just about wore out my stylus with repeated playings of his album "Slow Dancer" way back when.
Good Morning:
After I completed the grid, it took me a minute or two to decipher the very well hidden theme. Then, at second glance, as KS noted, it was obvious. The ladies were my only stumbling blocks, Hana, Irene, and Ann, oh, and I forgot, Lido Shuffle was an unknown, as well. Bon Ami was popular years ago, but I haven’t heard of it lately and the only Tubular reference I know of is describing certain pastas.
Thanks, Emma, for a fun solve and thanks, Splynter, for the overview and commentary. Condolences on the loss of your friend, Greg.
Have a great day.
I don’t know why my post appears to be replying to KS, but I must have goofed somewhere. Apologies.
Thanks. This is the first of his I've read, but I've added his books to my list of titles to look for when I visit my favorite used bookstore.
Took 4:21 today to ante-up.
I didn't know the Actress of the Day (Hana), nor the writers (Dennis & Ann) or the singer (Irene). I agree with the prior comments about the clunkiness of the intersections of Lido & Ani and Ann & Irene (I willing to give a pass to Obamas & Hana).
Seemed like a lot of 3LWs, and a themeless puzzler (to me).
One letter determined the win. LIDO crossed with ANI
Where’s the card theme? I musta missed something
Inkover: must go/MUST DO, leg/LAP,
We had a discussion a while back about how INAPT the word INAPT is.
“What kind of wind turbine are you?”…. “I’M A HUGE FAN”
What Larry and Curly did to get their back pay…. SUMO
Tousled hair style….. MUST DO.
Royal hair style ….. PRINCESS CUT
Sorry about your friend. Splynt
Musings
-I’ll take obscure names of a thousand, Emma!
-Gotta admit, MANTLE as a cloak was new to me but I’ve heard of a MANTLE of snow
- A very nice musical interlude: TIL Then
-ERIC was famously fired from Back To The Future when he wasn’t working as Marty McFly
-The premise of Big Bang Theory grew tiresome but I loved the early stuff
-Our school had 100% NEA membership until that group got too much into politics
-Green Screen CGI can place this vehicle anywhere.
-Sorry for the loss of your poker buddy, Splynter.
Boz is indeed a true musician--and a wonderful guy. His son was a student of mine when I was Academic Dean at a high school near Santa Barbara, so I knew Boz as a parent. He consistently had the best interests of his son at heart.
After finishing the grid, my first thought for a unifying theme was iPods: SHUFFLE, PLAY a CUT, RECORD a song you're a FAN of. The last one sounded like a stretch, so I dug a little deeper and arrived at cards.
Splynter, entertained by your review but saddened by your loss.
A fairly easy puzzle.
I listened to Lido Shuffle back in the day so it was a gimme.
Thanks for the detailed and entertaining recap Splynter.
I'm with Ray-O on this one, I think it needs some sort of reveal...
testing link
Curious, I have been trying to find a way to link an image without its associated page and ads. It used to be simple on my old iPad, but nearly impossible on the new one with the updated IOS.
I have found a cumbersome way, but it takes many more steps, it's like they
shuffled the furniture in Helen Kellers House.
Still doesn't work when creating a Blog though...
But I refuse to give up, there's gotta be a way...
Does this end the italics left by Jinx?
Does this end the italics left by Jinx?
Hola! Fairly easy midweek puzzle. Thank you, Emma Oxford. And thank you, Splynter. I'm sorry for your loss.
CSO to my niece, IRENE and another one to my brother, DENNIS.
Some SUMO wrestlers were featured on TV this weekend. They are big! 600 lbs big!
My daughter has a large GNOME collection.
Many years ago, during a burglary thieves stole UNDIES and a dress, nothing else.
I had another sleepless night, so I am really tired right now. Have a great day, everyone!
Splynter, my condolences on the loss of Greg...beautiful tribute.
A good puzzle from Emma, but thank goodness for perps with the obscure names. The theme was too obscure for me as well -- I'm glad Splynter found it. I guess all that poker playing helped. Sorry for the loss of your friend, Splynter.
Jinx, also Mystic River.
Sorry for the wiggly typeface everyone. Wonder why they took away our preview mode?
This was a fun CW to work, but I was surprised I managed to FIR in 12, given all the names (again!). Splynter you commented "Only a few names"! By my count 22: Across=1,18, 22, 34, 52, 56, 66, 70; Down=1, 2, 5, 12, 19, 26, 28, 29, 35, 46, 47, 53, 59, 62. To me, that is not "a few", it is a namefest. Sure, some are "gimme" names like ABE and OREO, but too many DNKs in there among the rest. As I said, I am surprised I FIR at all, let alone so fast. (Fast, for me, on a Wednesday). I never saw the theme, which is no surprise, as I as usual forgot to look, after the fill. WSOS, MON before MTL. I knew it was Montreal, but couldn't remember how it is abbreviated on scoreboards. Bon Ami "Hasn't scratched yet". Not much else to say about this CW. Thanx EO, I had fun, but please try to construct with fewer names. Splynter, great write-up, complete with some truly lovely tarsi, thanx for all your work putting it together. So very sorry to hear about your losing a friend. I've lost several over the last few years, including one of my very best friends. Yep, getting old sucks. But beats the alternative. Anyway, condolences, Splynter.
Maybe his (crossword favorite) frat staged a panty raid.
ROTFL!
Winning hand Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Emma and Splynter (sorry for the loss of your friend).
Officially a DNF since I required two Google helps to clear up my messes. But I did go looking for the theme when I realized we had no reveal. I found the card theme, and then noticed the sequence. Now I see that ACE was the Easter Egg.
I stuck with TAlii (talia is a bone in the ankle, but plural is tali) until forced to TARSI after Googling to confirm ANI (vs ANa) which gave me LIDO. (Tarsus refers to the whole area of the ankle and heel bones. TARSI references both feet.)
I also had problems in the deep south. My relay segment was a Lap (how INAPT). I Googled to find the last two letters in DENNIS, and immediately saw my error, and filled in SIGNS and IRENE.
Even this Canadian waited for perps to decide between MON or MTL. The start of the hockey season has been overshadowed by the Blue Jays success in advancing to the World Series. Times for Maple Leafs and Raptors games have been adjusted earlier for four games that conflicted with Jays game times. Fans can stay to watch the Jays on the Jumbotron.
Wishing you all a great day.
Depends...legit LOL!
IM@8:26. I occasionally use a little BON AMI to clean the inside of my Le Creuset pots. I'm not sure if that is OK to do because I do not want to scratch the ceramic but BON AMI is supposed to be gentler than other brands. I know you like those pots, too. Do you think BON AMI is OK for them?
Delightful Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Emma. And your commentary and pictures are always a helpful pleasure, thanks for those too, Splynter.
Well, I'M A HUGE FAN of crossword and Jumble puzzles, so these are always a pleasure for me, even if I didn't get ABE, or TARSI, this morning (oh POTUS, President Of The United States, like ABE LINCOLN, now I get it. I even remembered that OBAMA was once one of those). Then on to other things, like a bit of religion at the bottom of the page. I grew up a Catholic so I must have seen a PASSION PLAY at one time in my youth during Lent, even if I don't remember it exactly. Well, time to get an OREO or two and make myself another cup of coffee. Thank goodness, I don't have to go to an EATERY to do that.
Have a delightful and good day, everybody.
My condolences to Splynter for the loss of his friend, Greg. Brain cancer is an especially tough one. Thanks for your write-up despite your busy week. I looked for the theme but could not find it so I appreciate you being here.
It was fun to watch ACE Freely from a 2025 perspective.
About your game...the Planet Money PODCAST is doing a multi-part series on producing a board game. You might want to check that out. Lots of good gouge.
Thanks to Emma for today's fun. FAV was PODCASTS.
So sorry for your loss. Nice tribute.
I'm almost 80 yrs. old. Losing friends / classmates/ neighbors so often these days. I totally understand.
( P.S. - Men don't say " undies ". )
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I saw the end of game 5 and it "shock(ed) me" to see that the Blue Jays were in - good for them, and Thank you.
Thank you all for your comments - if I missed a response, I apologize.
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