Theme: "THE MATH AIN'T MATHING" - Each math term is rephrased as a non-math concept.
22. Allocation of royal flags before the King's speech?: STANDARD DISTRIBUTION.
33. Consideration when switching religions?: CONVERSION FACTOR. Mardia was baptized at 16 in a river back in Liberia. She's now preparing to convert to Catholicism. My classmate Mary grew up Catholic but explored other faiths as an adult. Both of them have to do their confessions before they’re confirmed next Easter. I don't. Yay!
58. San Andreas Fault?: LONG DIVISION.
67. Lab surface for a geneticist?: MULTIPLICATION TABLE.
78. Birth announcement?: ADDITION SIGN.
99. Show tune that makes no sense?: IRRATIONAL NUMBER.
118. FOMO, for "Fear of Missing Out," e.g.?: SIMPLIFIED EXPRESSION.
I like this playful turn of phrase throughout the set. A broad range of math vocabulary. The clues are key to this type of rephrasing theme, and they all land humorously.
Heavy themage. Total 115 squares.
Can you read this page? It says Adam is Canadian living in San Francisco. Video game designer. And you'll know Katie, assistant to Patti and generous mentor to many newbies.
Across:
1. Sermon giver: PASTOR. Sigh, my Pastor Mark sounds like Pasta Mark.
7. Cold water entry, maybe: PLUNGE.
13. Part of a Sheets or Slides username: GMAIL.
18. "Gimme, gimme!": I NEED IT.
20. No-handed cartwheel: AERIAL. Aerial cartwheel.
21. PD rank: SARGE.
25. "Curses": DAMN.
26. Stripes partners: STARS.
27. Ending for sub-: URB.
28. Units of pop: LITERS.
29. __ first-name basis: ON A.
30. Auto repair chain: MAACO.
31. MacGraw of "The Winds of War": ALI.
32. Like puppies: CUTE.
37. Laotian pork salad: LARB. Our local Asia store has freshly-made larb.
41. Beer merchant selection: ALE.
42. Light touch: PAT.
43. Overnight __: OATS.
45. Big cat in the sky: LEO.
46. "If You __ Been There": Dolly Parton track: HADN'T.
49. Comedian Lydic: DESI. New DESI angle!
51. Popcorn seasoning: SALT.
53. Boat bodies: HULLS.
55. Sushi-grade tuna: AHI.
56. Part of a bedding bundle: SHAM.
61. Brand name derived from the Danish for "play well": LEGO.
63. Gulf State leader: EMIR.
65. Small waterway: RIA.
66. St. __: English surf town: IVES.
73. Beseeched: PLED.
74. Nice negation: NON. Nice the city.
75. Rose Bowl org.: NCAA.
76. Days of __: YORE.
83. "Go no farther": HALT.
85. Chivalrous title: SIR.
86. Old news source: CRIER.
87. Facial treatment: PEEL.
88. Pokémon that evolves into Lairon: ARON. Another new cluing angle.
90. Total: UTTER.
92. Damage: MAR.
93. On a transatlantic crossing: ASEA.
95. African grazer: GNU.
96. "U almost here?": ETA.
97. CPR experts: EMTS.
107. Forearm bone: ULNA.
109. Beseech: BEG.
110. Treacherous schemes: SCAMS.
111. "__ got to hand it to you": I'VE.
112. Fictional island paradise: UTOPIA.
115. Early AOL rival: MSN.
116. "Ya fell for it!": SUCKA. Sucker.
117. "Bring on the weekend!" letters: TGIF.
122. Stink: SMELL.
123. Dark horse and sitting duck: IDIOMS.
124. Element with atomic number 33: ARSENIC.
125. Actress Rapp: RENEE.
126. Up to this point: TIL NOW.
127. Come to terms, in a way: SETTLE.
Down:
1. Italian sculptor Nicola: PISANO. Learning moment for me. Wikipedia says "Pisano is sometimes considered to be the founder of modern sculpture."
2. Diminutive Marvel hero: ANTMAN.
3. "Temperature" rapper __ Paul: SEAN.
4. Q tile score in Scrabble: TEN.
5. "If I had to guess ... ": ODDS ARE.
6. Rawhide ropes: RIATAS.
7. Rollerblading gear: PADS.
8. Luau adornment: LEI.
9. Disney villain with a garden of trapped merpeople: URSULA. Scary.
10. __ acid: NITRIC.
11. Apparel: GARB.
12. "Hostel" director Roth: ELI.
13. Aviator's outfit: G SUIT.
14. Toymaking giant: MATTEL.
15. Singer India.__: ARIE.
16. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.
17. Binoculars part: LENS.
19. "Last Call" singer Braxton: TRACI. Toni's sister.
23. Turns down?: DROOPS.
24. Say impulsively, with "out": BLURT.
25. __ Hopper: "The Muppet Movie" villain: DOC. Another learning moment.
30. Gooey sammies: MELTS.
31. Toward the stern: AFT.
32. South American kin of a raccoon: COATI.
34. The Mystery Machine, e.g.: VAN. "Scooby Doo!".
35. __ polish: NAIL.
36. "__ you so!": TOLD.
38. "We can't come back from this!": ALL IS LOST.
39. Change ZIP codes: RELO.
40. Chief on deck: BOSN.
44. Deity of destruction: SHIVA. "The Destroyer".
46. A.I. of 1960s cinema: HAL.
47. "Beg pardon": AHEM.
48. Look for a scandal: DIG UP DIRT.
49. Like a wrung-out cloth: DAMP.
50. Expressionist painter Nolde: EMIL.
51. Tantrum: SNIT.
52. Over: AGAIN.
54. Groceries date: USE BY.
57. Supermodel Klum: HEIDI.
59. Red-haired ape: ORANG.
60. Like major organs: VITAL.
62. Jump on board?: OLLIE. Skateboard. I also like the clue for 95. Stand-up job?: GIG.
64. Step on a shampoo bottle: RINSE.
68. Neon-striped fish: TETRA.
69. Loopy shape: COIL.
70. Uno m s siete: OCHO.
71. Tikka masala side: NAAN.
72. Cedar Point expanse: ERIE.
77. Fail to hit save before closing, e.g.: ERR.
78. Fictional company with wacky products: ACME.
79. Wee drink: DRAM.
80. Verdi's realm: OPERA.
81. On one's doorstep: NEAR.
82. Second intro?: NANO.
84. "Black Swan" costumes: TUTUS.
89. Accumulates: RUNS UP.
91. Aberdeen topper: TAM.
94. Biblical mount: SINAI.
96. As a group: EN MASSE.
98. Pliant: SUPPLE.
100. Rappel, in British parlance: ABSEIL. Descend by rope. One more learning moment.
101. Achilles __: TENDON.
102. West African capital: ACCRA.
103. Los Angeles cagers: LAKERS.
104. Shell industry: BIG OIL.
105. Reveal clearly: EVINCE.
106. Call maker: REF.
108. French city that sounds small: LILLE.
112. Cold War rival, initially: USSR.
113. Proctor's call: TIME.
114. Harbinger: OMEN.
115. Skirt that falls around the shin: MIDI.
116. Austin, TX, festival: SXSW. South by Southwest.
117. Add a bit of color: TINT.
119. Go together well: FIT.
120. Angsty genre: EMO.
121. Ready to go: SET.
C.C.
17 comments:
There were a number of
obscurities in this puzzle, too many to mention but you know who you are (“larb”? “abseil”?,etc.) Nevertheless, I got through it.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
D-o struggled with the current culture references, but finally succeeded. The top center took the longest; LACTIC acid didn't help. ABSEIL made me think of Frank Abagnale. Don't know why. All the math terms were familiar, and that really helped with the solve. Still, it took 20+ minutes to put this one to bed. Thanx Adam, Katie, and C.C.
DNS (did not start.) Wary when I saw Katie's byline, I scanned the first line of down clues. Seven of the seventeen are A&E, revealing that this one's not for me. I'll save this one for when I have absolutely nothing to do.
Aside to CC: I just finished reading Hunting Time by Jeffrey Deaver. A minor character for the good guys was named Tom Pepper.
Once again, solving the first themer made the subsequent themers child's play with minimal perp help.
Way too many quoted/paraphrased clues for my liking, bringing this puzzle from a 6/10 to a 5/10.
FIR. The only thing I liked about this puzzle was the theme. It was very clever and fun. But beyond that this puzzle was a giant waste of time and energy.
There were so many proper names, too many to mention. Even some crossing like Desi and Emil. That is so wrong!
Add to that words like larb and abseil, and i came close to throwing in the towel. A few WAG's got me through.
Overall not an enjoyable puzzle at all.
Seeing Katie’s name in the byline always casts a little doubt that I will be successful in the solve, I know what she’s offered in the past, but I’d rather see her on a Sunday than a Saturday. Today was a challenge but I managed to work top to bottom and come out on top w/out help in 32:47. Total unknowns included LARB, ABSEIL, and PISANO as clued, I thought it was Italian for “friend”. Also DNK DESI or EMIL, but what else could it be other than the E? I know nothing about Pokémon, but I do know ARON was Elvis’ middle name, that A being a WAG for my last fill. Thank you Adam and Katie for the morning mental workout, and to C.C. for the recap!
ITIT. When I started running into all those proper names and paraphrases, I knew this would be a waste of my time. Too bad, as someone said the theme was clever, but the rest not so much. Also I was turned off by the title of this puzzle.
Thank you CC for the recap and info.
TIT. Really hated it. What others have said, but stronger. The top half was distinctly “Saturday-ish” for me. I made some progress by working from the bottom, but I continually found myself saying “Wow, that’s a stupid way to clue that.” I won’t go to the trouble of listing each and every eye-roller but BOSN stuck in my craw in particular, especially with its crossing with LARB. Shouldn’t that have been clued “for short” or some other way to alert us it was a non-word or contraction? And in what part of the educated world is LILLE (properly pronounced “leel” for l’isle) pronounced like little? Have to stop now as my comments are decidedly non-Sunday morning.
I didn't find it all that hard, most of it perped in, with a lot of going back and fixing misdirections. Satan b/4 shiva etc...
Can somebody please explain: 13. Part of a Sheets or Slides username: GMAIL.
(I don't even know how to ask goggle...?)
Also, I dunno: uno mas siete, taken literally, is not Ocho, but should be catorce... something just doesn't add up here...
I did FIR but where did ABSEIL come from? I got it from easy perps but will never remember if it ever shows up again. The NW was very hard for me with four side-by-side unknown DOWNS - DOC, PISANO, ANTMAN, SEAN- and tow other unknown downs - URSULA & TRACI. And I thought RIATA was just a Spanish word for LASSO or LARIAT. Didn't know it was made of rawhide. I really started in the NE, worked my way down, and figured out the them at LONG DIVISON.
DESI, ARON, VAN, and EMIL join the list of other unknowns.
'Sheets' is the spreadsheets' name if you use Google Drive. Same as Microsoft's Excel. "Docs' is the name for their word processor. "Slides" is their version of Power Point. They are more user friendly than the Microsoft programs.
Musings
-What a fun puzzle for this math teacher!
-I was a little surprised when members of Nebraska’s undefeated VB team referred to their coach by her first name in press conferences
-As Omaha has grown to over half a million in population, our little town of thirty thousand is considered a SUBURB
-I had a whole different take on unknown-to-me OVERNIGHT OATS as I thought of “feeling your oats”.
-Which is more likely to draw you in, the smell of hot buttered popcorn or the aroma of a bakery?
-I would think bachelor’s beds would have much fewer shams and pillows
-We all know the silly riddle that starts, “As I was going to St. IVES…”
-On one’s doorstep? Some delivery drivers have begun putting our packages out on the driveway
-My 60-yr-old colleague decided to play in a 9th-grade-girls vs. faculty VB game. His Achilles TENDON rolled up behind his knee.
-It always clanges on my ear when the British say “maths” instead of “math”
DNS. Like Jinx, after seeing the constructor and looking through all the paraphrase non-clues, I went directly to CC for the expo. Whew! That was a good call on my part. That would have been precious time that I could have never gotten back! Can we get any more obscure A&E into a puzzle? And if you can't find a real word, why not just make one up? (Lookin' at you, SUCKA) Sheesh. What an exercise in "look how clever I am!"
Decent puzzle. 12:28. Nothing really great but nothing really bad. I always laugh at the people who don't do puzzles because of the constructor. You people are very weird.
Good Morning:
The theme and execution were fine but the fill and cluing were less solver friendly than a typical Sunday puzzle should be, IMO. What I find most annoying is the unwillingness of a constructor to recognize how unfair it is to not clue every potential “Natick” crossing using helpful not more difficult cluing. For example, the Pisano/AntMan/Sean cluster could have had one or two tweaks to aid the solver, such as, Native of famous troubled Tower city/Marvel’s cinematic insect/Bond’s Connery. This lack of giving the solver a helping leg up is all too prevalent and contributes greatly, IMO, to many unhappy solvers. In other words, use your talents wisely, constructors, and please the solver at the same time.
Thanks, CC, for your insider’s take and opinions. Good luck on your continued spiritual endeavors.
FLN
Anon T, glad you’re enjoying A Man On The Inside. Did you see Season 1?
Have a great day.
It’s the same in French: Les maths, probably because it’s an abbreviation for mathematicS.
I know Pokémon evolution lines by heart and even I thought that ARON as clued was so dumb. See also SEEL and ABRA for Pokémon names that have crosswordese-y letter patterns but really shouldn't be in a grid.
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