Theme: "APPENDIX" - Ix sound is added to the end of each theme entry, changing spellings as needed.
22. Compensation for those expecting bad outcomes?: THE WAGES OF CYNICS. The wages of sin.
32. Gem that's been photoshopped?: BRUSHED UP ONYX. Brushed up on.
50. Class that teaches the science behind flair bartending?: SLOE GIN PHYSICS. Sloe gin fizz.
70. Paper jam?: PRINTERS REMIX. Printer's ream.
90. Well-worn long tops?: FAMILIAR TUNICS. Familiar tune.
105. Genetic makeup of a Trojan war hero?: ACHILLES HELIX. Achilles' heel.
117. Message to a graduating class at an occult school?: YOU WILL BE MYSTICS. You will be missed.
When I read the title, I figured IX is added to each theme entry, like Pie/Pixie, Par/Pixar, etc. John's approach is more creative. Consistent too.
Lots of fun clues in this puzzle.
Across:
1. "The Count of Monte Cristo" novelist: DUMAS. The former French president Sarkozy said he would bring this book to prison to read.
6. Gallagher of Oasis: LIAM.
10. Sour taste: TANG.
14. Queue before Q: LGBT.
18. "Didn't we just see this?": AGAIN.
19. Meat dish topped with mashed potatoes: COTTAGE PIE. Have some.
21. Ohio border lake: ERIE.
24. Like some parks: Abbr.: NATL. National.
25. Coat flaps: LAPELS.
26. Receipt fig.: AMT.
27. This evenin': TONITE.
29. Quick chats?: IMS. Instant messaged.
31. Iguana, to some: PET.
36. LuPone of "Agatha All Along": PATTI.
38. Croc, but not gator: SHOE.
40. Jalapeño kin: SERRANO.
41. Front covers?: APRONS. More clever clues: 10. Column that's beside the point?: TENTHS. 81. Hairstyles that many pick?: AFROS. And 89. Turner once big in the music industry?: CD PLAYER.
43. Cartography collection: ATLAS.
46. Poetic contraction: NE'ER.
47. Browning's "__ Lippo Lippi": FRA.
53. Periods of inactivity: STASES. Plural of stasis.
55. Kinda-sorta: SEMI.
56. Rep. group: GOP.
57. Pottery supplies: CLAYS.
59. Went down: SANK.
60. Dramamine target: NAUSEA.
63. Yale grad: ELI.
64. Shoulder ornament: EPAULET.
67. Vegan sammie: PBJ.
73. Pair: TWO.
74. Stuffed meat dish: ROULADE. Never had this either.
76. Tattle (on): RAT.
77. Tiltrotor military aircraft: OSPREY. Tiltrotor is a new word to me. Tilt-rotor.
79. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.
80. Boondi __: spiced yogurt dish: RAITA.
82. Dead __ Scrolls: SEA.
83. Alleviate: EASE.
87. With all judges present: EN BANC.
94. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.
95. Smell: ODOR.
97. Glinda, to Elphaba, at first: ENEMY.
98. Snare: ENTRAP.
99. Secondary thread: SUBPLOT.
102. Ikebana vessel: VASE.
104. Gleefully spiteful: CATTY.
109. Lentil dish: DAL.
111. Pack animal: ASS.
112. LASIK target: CORNEA.
113. Lennox of R&B: ARI.
114. Hindu god with the head of an elephant: GANESH. God of wisdom.
116. Create a narrative out of reality show footage, e.g.: EDIT.
124. Tibetan monk: LAMA.
125. Sine qua nons: ESSENTIALS.
126. Kevin McHale's "Glee" role: ARTIE.
127. Serpents on sarcophagi: ASPS.
128. Frost's "The __ Not Taken": ROAD.
129. Race goal, sometimes: SEAT. Senate race, e.g.
130. Damp: MOIST.
Down:
1. Who __ Nation: Saints fans: DAT.
2. Disgusted sound: UGH.
3. Turbulent situation: MAELSTROM. Terrific entry.
4. Japanese consumer electronics brand: AIWA.
5. __ turtle: SNAPPING.
6. Source of grief: LOSS.
7. Skater Midori: ITO.
8. Org. with bomb-sniffing dogs: ATF.
9. One spelling of an Asian gambling hub: MACAU. Carmen has been there a few times. She just loves the real jade there.
11. Bee fore?: API. Prefix for "bee".
12. Actor Cage, casually: NIC.
13. Hand motions: GESTURES.
14. McCartney's songwriting partner: LENNON.
15. Application for dubious advice: GRAIN OF SALT. Partnered with 69. Cocktail ingredient: JUMBO SHRIMP. Love both.
16. Wee: BITTY.
17. Email ancestor: TELEX.
19. Irish speakers, e.g.: CELTS.
20. Press rooms?: GYMS. Bench press, etc.
23. "Isn't that something": GEE.
28. Visual style that tricks the eye: OP-ART.
29. Card table declaration: I PASS.
30. __ syrup: MAPLE.
32. Greedy choice: BOTH.
33. Depend (on): RELY. Thanks for saving me last Sunday, Brian! Got the precious infusion on Tuesday, now I'm good
for another 8 weeks. Grateful for the good days and the people who help me get to them.
34. Wee: EENSY.
35. Rapper Dr. __: DRE.
37. Front-wheel alignment: TOE IN.
39. Occur: HAPPEN.
42. Brynhild's beloved, in Norse myth: SIGURD. Learning moment
for me also. Google AI says Sigurd is the beloved of Brynhild. Their
love story is a tragic one, marked by a love potion that caused Sigurd
to forget Brynhild, leading him to marry another woman and indirectly
causing Brynhild to orchestrate his death. Ultimately, Brynhild takes
her own life to be reunited with Sigurd in the afterlife
44. Find out: ASCERTAIN.
45. Places for small herb gardens: SILLS.
48. Option for a library book: RENEW.
49. Invite for: ASK TO.
51. More meddlesome: NOSIER.
52. African capital: CAIRO.
54. Tempe sch.: ASU. They still have a good swimming team after Bob Bowman left for Texas. This guy is their star Ilya Kharun.
58. Start of the Marine Corps motto: SEMPER. Fidelis.
61. Therapists' org.: APA.
62. Bright spots?: ATRIA.
65. Unlicensed radio broadcaster: PIRATE.
66. Body spray brand: AXE.
67. Fuss in the mirror: PREEN.
68. Carried: BORNE.
71. Wonderland cake words: EAT ME.
72. Contents of college blue books: ESSAYS.
75. Trout's team, on scoreboards: LAA. Mike Trout. LA Angels.
78. Gossipy person: YENTA.
84. Carrier in French Polynesia: AIR TAHITI.
85. Performs like Ella: SCATS.
86. Awards for excellent plays and players: ESPYS.
88. Aristocratic: NOBLE.
91. __ Strauss & Co.: LEVI.
92. Big-screen movie format: IMAX.
93. 119-Down figure: UNCLE SAM. 119. Country that turns 250 years old in 2026: Abbr.: USA.
96. Spanish cheer: OLE.
100. Range that includes Utah's Kings Peak: UINTAS.
101. Sat on the kitchen counter, perhaps: THAWED.
103. Cheeses from the Netherlands: EDAMS.
105. Fast Amtrak train: ACELA.
106. Musical conclusions: CODAS.
107. Pam's successor on "The Office": ERIN.
108. Cheerful ditties: LILTS.
110. Whichever: ANY.
114. Coins in a game of dreidel: GELT.
115. Houston MLBer: STRO.
118. Spanish bear: OSO.
120. Whopper: LIE.
121. [Stop shearing me!]: BAA.
122. Not trans: CIS.
123. Fixed: SET.
Happy 80th birthday to Windhover (Larry), who used to comment on our blog years ago. I still think of you often, Larry. Hope all's well with you and Irish. Here's a picture of Windhover with Lucina.
| Windhover & Lucina, July 24, 2015 |












9 comments:
Good morning!
Interesting theme, well executed. I'm not familiar with John's byline, but hope to see more of his work. Thanx, John and C.C.
Odd not seeing Subgenius as the first poster, but I guess all is well. Back soon with actual puzzle comments
FIW, missing my WAG @ ROULAnE x SIGURn. Lots of other stuff I didn't know, but perps took care of them.
The OSPREY is a bird seen frequently around these parts, since we have a large USMC presence. Last week i saw one hovering over the waters of Willoughby Bay, making a lot of racket and stirring huge plumes of water. I'm still not too sure those things are safe to fly.
I thought the worst thing about this puzzle was the nine-word clue for EDIT. Somewhere Rich Norris is shaking his head in disappointment. My favorite was the clue and fill for CD PLAYER.
Thanks to John for the Sunday morning workout, and to CC for the tour. Glad your infusions are working as expected.
As Jinx said, there are many unknowns, for me the Browning poem FRA LIGGO LIPPI, IKEBANA flower arranging and UINTAS being the best examples. I never watched GLEE so all clues relating to that troubled show are also beyond me, but the perps were fair so the puzzle was done. This is John’s second Sunday to go along with a Saturday and a Friday. It inspired me to read all about the troubled military TILTROTOR, the Osprey which didn’t explain what the benefit of this creation might be especially with all of its problems and $110 million for each.
The theme was well done combining sounds to make a nice group.
I guess my time away had me miss the fact of CC’s infusion therapy but it is good to hear it is helping.
Thanks John and always CC
Took 22:38 today to find the fix.
I had a similar experience as Lemondade 714 did today with many unknowns (but most of the crosses were fair), and not knowing about CC's infusion.
I hope all is well.
I'm a huge fan of 24A - Natl Parks.
Where, oh where, is our SubG?
It took a lot of thought and a couple breaks before I managed a FIR in 55:56 on this harder than usual Sunday (at least for me). It may have helped a bit if I had looked at the puzzle title 🤦🏼♂️. Needed perps for LIAM and DAL. the D in ROULADE/SIGURD, the R in ARI/ERIN, and the G in GANESH/GELT were all correct WAGs. I think I’ve finally committed RAITA to memory! Thank you John for your cleverly themed and challenging puzzle and to C.C. for the enlightenment!
Currently holed up in a hotel room in Chicago awaiting an 8:45 flight tonight, DW and I heading to London for a whirlwind week. Got about 5” of ❄️ here last night, hope it doesn’t affect our schedule. 🤞
FIW. The cross of ROULADE/SIGURD was a natick/"learning moment" for me. The unknown APA in close proximity didn't help. (Turned out to be Assn, but Org and even Soc needed to be considered considering I was in the City of Natick.) Sorting out that the theme was a sound and not just an added X took a while. Come back SubGenius! Need somebody to be reliably happy.
An FIW for me. Close, but no cigar. Done in by the SIGMUND crossing ROULADE. That said, I really enjoyed the challenge this morning. Lots of clever fill, well-known names, and fair perps for the obscurities. (Except ol' Siggy!) Fun start to the day.
The OSPREY is designed to carry Marines and their gear to and from areas with very little area that can be used as a runway. It carries a bigger load and is much faster than helicopters. When teaching a five-day project management certification test preparation course, I made a mildly disparaging remark in class, something like "great plane if it doesn't crash." Several of my (retired Navy and Marine) students took exception to that, and explained why it was a great plane, period. If you say so.
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