Theme: "WE DID IT!" - We is added to each theme entry.
22. Motto of an intrepid cotton farmer?: I WILL FEAR NO WEEVIL. I will fear no evil.
33. Presentation on professorial fashion trends?: TWEED TALK. Ted talk.
38. Light lunch in a haunted cafe?: COBWEB SALAD. Cobb salad.
66. Like text anyone is allowed to edit?: YOURS FOR THE TWEAKING. Yours for the taking.
96. Data from a middle school track meet?: TWEEN SPEEDS. Ten-speeds.
100. "I like the cut of your jib!"?: SWEET SAIL. Set sail.
117. Take new profile pics at the gym?: SWEAT FOR A PORTRAIT. Sat for a portrait.
So happy to see the great Jeffrey back! It's been over two years since we saw his byline.
Jeffrey
is a master in this type of letter addition/deletion/swapping theme.
Today is another strong example of his craftsmanship.
Across:
1. Some neutral tones in a designer's palette: GRAYS.
6. Jokers: WITS.
10. The "B" of RBG: BADER. The Notorious RBG.
15. "Dear old" family member: DAD.
18. Shakespeare hero in the lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Love Story": ROMEO. 49. Last words of 18-Across: I DIE. Then he died.
19. French cap: BERET.
20. Nimble: AGILE.
21. Patterned after: A LA.
25. "Fresh Air" broadcaster: NPR.
26. Abandons all hope: DESPAIRS.
27. Stuns: AMAZES.
28. Feathery, perhaps: AVIAN.
30. Hardly encountered: RARE.
31. Apple product: MAC.
32. For one: A PIECE.
42. Small crowns: TIARAS.
43. "Or so": ISH.
45. Gulliver of "Gulliver's Travels": LEMUEL. Don't think we had him before.
46. Paris's Paris's Musée d'__: ORSAY. Home to many Impressionist masterpieces.
47. Thing that may be open and shut: CASE.
49. Things: ITEMS.
50. Adages: SAWS.
54. Some guinea pigs: PETS.
55. Component of some firm-textured fabrics: WORSTED.
57. Turns red, say: DYES.
59. Sportage maker: KIA.
60. Matthew of "Stranger Things": MODINE. He played Dr. Martin Brenner.
62. First word of "Simple Gifts": TIS.
64. Winemaker's concern: AGING.
72. Thicket: COPSE.
73. __ milk: SOY.
74. Fencing sword: RAPIER. 70. Fencing sword: EPEE.
75. Assent asea: AYE.
76. Wise one: SAGE.
80. Harvested: GLEANED.
82. Accomplishes: DOES.
86. __ salt: ROCK. Lots of Chinese desserts feature rock sugar.
88. "Great performance!": BRAVO.
90. Lyft service: RIDE.
91. Concentrated: DENSE.
92. Act as an intermediary: LIAISE.
94. Big flower pot: URN.
95. Life, for one: CEREAL.
103. Bring back: REVIVE.
104. Grocery payment sys.: EBT. Electronic Benefits Transfer.
106. "What __ is new?": ELSE.
107. Goddess of peace: IRENE.
108. Angelic being: SERAPH.
111. With 116-Across, useful tool for some crossword solvers: ERASABLE. And116. See 111-Across: PEN.
120. __ Alamos, New Mexico: LOS.
121. Yankee manager between Showalter and Girardi: TORRE (Joe) 1996-2007. We also have 19. Yogi in the Hall of Fame: BERRA. That's Whitey Ford in the middle.
122. Transmit: RELAY.
123. Marsh wader: EGRET.
124. Brian of Roxy Music: ENO.
125. One-for-one deals: SWAPS.
126. Silly sort: TWIT.
127. Summer of disco: DONNA.
Down:
1. Crossword component: GRID.
2. Mike of "Dirty Jobs": ROWE. Some dirty jobs pay very well.
3. French friends: AMIS.
4. Site for maligning poor dining: YELP.
5. Basis for standard timekeeping: SOLAR DAY.
6. Ferret kin: WEASEL.
7. Not perfect, as mdse.: IRR. Irregular.
8. Midmorning hr.: TEN AM.
9. Tolerate: STOMACH.
10. Folk legend Joan: BAEZ.
11. "The African Queen" screenwriter James: AGEE. The original novel is written by C. S. Forester.
12. Pts. of sports leagues: DIVS. Divisions.
13. Yale grad: ELI.
14. Setback: RELAPSE.
15. Webster who had a way with words: DANIEL.
16. Andes grazer: ALPACA.
17. "Well, I'll be __!": DARNED.
23. Authoritative orders: FIATS.
24. Baylor University city: WACO.
29. Little bottles: VIALS.
32. Treat quite poorly: ABUSE.
33. Former Corvette option: T-TOP.
34. Send a telegram: WIRE.
35. Memphis-to-Chattanooga direction: EAST.
36. "In Praise of Folly" writer: ERASMUS. Google says Erasmus wrote the work in about a week while staying at Sir Thomas More's estate in England.
37. Mugs: KISSERS.
39. Alphabetical order?: BLT.
40. Garden invader: WEED.
41. "The Bear" award: EMMY. "Yes, Chef!"
44. Good to go: SET.
47. Do: COIF.
48. River of Florence: ARNO.
51. Similar (to): AKIN.
52. Improvise, with "it": WING.
53. Submit to gravity: SAG.
55. Dict. entries: WDS.
56. __ alcohol: ETHYL.
58. Sushi pairing: SAKE. We've also seen SOJU in the gird. It's the Korean liquor.
61. Useful minerals: ORES.
63. Uses a colander: STRAINS.
65. Skyscraper beams: GIRDERS.
66. Cellist Ma: YO-YO. Yo means "friend" in Chinese. Ma means "Horse".
67. Cartel founded in Baghdad in 1960: OPEC.
68. Like food truck orders: TO GO.
69. Lip gloss applicator: WAND.
71. Help: AID.
72. Saturn or Mercury: CAR.
77. Demean: ABASE.
78. Climber's asset: GRIP.
79. Fluency: EASE.
81. "To __ is human ... ": ERR.
83. Draft status: ONE A.
84. Actor Morales: ESAI.
85. Hawk: SELL.
87. Vox co-founder Ezra: KLEIN. He has a popular podcast.
89. Capital of Vietnam?: VEE. Vietnam.
91. Couldn't stand: DETESTED.
93. Takes stock?: INVESTS. Literally.
94. Basic interface for a PC: USB PORT.
95. Civil rights activist Chavez: CESAR.
96. Big hit: TRIPLE.
97. "It's time, everyone! Break a leg!": WE'RE ON.
98. "Despite that ... ": EVEN SO.
99. Part of CODA: DEAF. Child Of Deaf Adult.
101. Shed tears over: WEEP AT.
102. Judy Jetson's brother: ELROY.
105. Lost on purpose: THREW.
108. Organic fluids: SERA.
109. Wyatt of Tombstone: EARP.
110. GPS offerings: RTES.
112. Golden Fleece ship: ARGO.
113. Rural structure: BARN.
114. Bank claim: LIEN.
115. "Tell Mama" singer James: ETTA.
118. "Incredible!": WOW.
119. Journalist Velshi of MS NOW: ALI.
C.C.
24 comments:
I failed to notice the
“title” but the gimmick became clear pretty early on. Fun puzzle. Very “witty.”
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Well I am much happier than SubG to have the return of JefWex to the LA Times puzzle. I am really looking forward to the response from all of the solvers who have coming to the Corner for many years, I will be back for more words after comments start coming in. Welcome home Jeffrey
Good morning!
Long time, no see, Mr. Wechsler. Welcome back!
Failed to read the title, (Natch), but caught the theme early on. Laughed out loud at COBWEB SALAD and YOURS FOR THE TWEAKING. Loved the puzzle, and finished in almost record time for a Sunday grid. EPEE crossing RAPIER was classic. The only unknowns were EBT and CODA (not in the musical sense). Thanx, Jeffrey and C.C.
ROCK salt -- Growing up in the frozen northland, we always kept a bag of ROCK salt to strew on the sidewalks after shoveling.
FIR, but fixed I WILL sEeR NO WEVIL. Got my WAG @ ORSAY x ERASBUS. (Guess ERAS BUS could have been clued as "how Taylor Swift's roadies got between tour cities.")
I remember ROCK salt from making ice cream as a kid.
Mike ROWE is an interesting man. Although he now bills himself as champion of the common man (and woman,) he is an accomplished opera singer. He started a foundation (MikeRoweWorks.org) to provide scholarships for people looking for the skills required for jobs in the trades. His current series, How America Works, is an interesting peek inside the world that most of us take for granted. The current season is available on Fox Business Network.
I don't know what VOX is other than "Voice Operated Relay" in ham radio, but my favorite brand of hand tools is KLEIN.
Thanks to JeffWech for a delightful Sunday puzzle. I hope we see your work here much more frequently. You have been sorely missed. And thanks to CC for the fun tour.
After inquiring for the last couple years, “wherefore art thou Jefferey”?, it’s nice to see his return with a Sunday puzzle! I remembered to look at the title and it did aid in the solve, which I scored a FIR in 28:28. Lots of clever fill with the addition of “WE”. It helped that I knew most of the names, and friendly perps took care of the unknowns LEMUEL, MODINE, ALI, and KLEIN. Thank you Jefferey for the very enjoyable solve, hope to see more of your fine work! And thanks to C.C. for your expo!
I thought Jeffrey’s name sounded familiar. Great puzzle, right up my alley.
I felt as if I were in familiar territory. For one thing I own a BERET, I’ve been to the musée d’ORSAY, and I used to teach ERASMUS’ “In Praise of Folly”. In spite of its age, this essay is still relevant, hilarious, and full of truths.
As to be expected, I encountered some unknown names, but just a few and perps were kind.
The CODA clue was the last to fill and I didn’t know why DEAF was the answer.
We also had ABASE and ABUSE, I DIE and DYES.
Fun puzzle.
Thank you CC for the recap.
FIR. Pretty smooth sailing this AM. I thought this was a good one. Perps helped me assure that Mathew was not kin to Jethro. I have to wonder why my first thought at seeing _ _ _ EAL was ordEAL but happy when CEREAL emerged. Only questionable crossing IMO was pairing BLT (as clued) with LEMUEL. LIAISE gave me pause, but maybe because in a former life, being made a “liaison” was considered the last stop before the door.
Good Morning:
What a lovely surprise to see JW’s byline after such a long absence, particularly on a Sunday grid. Friday’s were his specialties and the symbiosis shared by JW and Lemonade, his blogger, was very special. Jeffrey was the master of word play and Lemony was the master interpreter. No wonder why we miss those exciting and challenging Fridays of long ago!
Today’s offering is pretty straightforward, theme wise, and clueing and fill wise. Of course, the title was an early hint to the theme, as well. My favorite themer was Cobweb Salad, which made me laugh out loud. Because of the last few days of comments critical of too cutesy or too devious clueing, I couldn’t help but notice how simple and direct JW’s clues were throughout the grid. I always said that JW was one of my favorite constructors and that is still true. I just wish he wasn’t such a stranger.
Thank you, Jeffrey, for this surprise appearance and an enjoyable solve and thanks, CC, for reminding us of JW’s talents and strengths, and for your always appreciated inside observations. As a Yankee fan, thanks for highlighting Joe and Yogi!
Have a great day.
FIR. Could we possibly have more proper names? There were even some crossing, Erasmus and Modine, and also Orsay, which took a WAG for me to fill. All those names really ruin an otherwise great Sunday puzzle.
I got the theme immediately with the first long answer and that helped a lot with the solve. The theme was the fun part of the puzzle.
But overall, given all the proper names, a so-so puzzle.
Musings
-What a treat to work a Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle again. He has been sorely missed.
-Ah, high school barbershop quartet days: “I want a girl just like the girl who married Dear Old DAD”
-Jeffrey is a well-versed in Shakespeare and I wonder if using a Taylor Swift reference in the clue was his choice?
-A lot of kids today are opting not to go to college but are taking up some very highly paid jobs, dirty or otherwise
-An actual SOLAR DAY takes 23 hrs 56 min and 4 seconds, so adjustments have to be made with leap seconds
-MLB’s World Series was a much bigger deal before baseball started using interleague play instead of strict divisions/leagues
-Ralph Kramden often threatened his wife Alice with, “One these days, POW, right in the KISSER!”
-We were SET to do some yardwork today but yesterday’s 96F day has turned into a 47F with strong north winds
-I didn’t notice my new MacBook Pro of a few years ago had only USB-C ports and had removed the HDMI port is used a lot. I now have to use a dongle (I can hear the comments already :-)
Addendum
FLN - TTP’s comments about the incredible Husker Men’s basketball game last night were so right.
-The Huskers won by two in the closing seconds of an incredibly tense game
-The winning baskets were made by two boys who grew up in Lincoln
-The game was played in Oklahoma City but it felt like it was a Nebraska home game as over 10,000 Husker fans packed the Paycom arena which is six hours south of Lincoln
-The best player on the court was Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner whose 65’ desperation shot hit the rim and bounced out as the buzzer rang
I haven’t been reading the blog long enough to have seen Jeffrey’s work before. What a treat!
For once, I remembered to look at the title, which helped to make the delightful theme clear from the start.
In the fill, I greatly enjoyed the clean clueing (with some fun mild misdirections like DYES), and the wide-ranging cultural references (e.g. ERASMUS, YOYO, BAEZ).
Thank you Jeffrey for the wonderful Sunday outing, and I hope that this puzzle marks the start of a new construction era for you! And thanks to CC for an informative recap!
Children of deaf adults
My heart sang when I saw Jeffrey Wechsler’s name! More puzzles from JW please and thank you.
JW always has a fine puzzle and this is no exception. It was just easier than others, with only four proper name unknowns- ERASMUS, MODINE, ALI, KLEIN (and Vox)- and TIS. I guessed EMMY after E was in place for the unknown show "The Bear". I noticed the added WE at NO WEEVIL for NO EVIL.
CESAR Chavez isn't getting good press lately. Seems like he had a few 'woman problems'.
I didn't know a PEN was ERASABLE. Just the INK.
LEMEUL- I've seen it before, mainly because DW taught at Lemuel W. Higgins HS her entire career.
I saw an episode of "Dirty Jobs" where Mike ROWE helped change a pump in a sewage lift station. You can't get much dirtier than that.
Of all the people in the world with the name ALI , leave it to Patti to come up with one for a person very few people have heard of on a network very few people ever watch.
Jethro's dad (Max Baer) was in an earlier puzzle. MODINE was all perps for me and I've heard the name Erasmus before. M was the only logical fill.
Hola! Welcome back, Jeffrey! BRAVO! My heart leaped when I saw his byline and I enthusiastically started solving. JW is certainly the master of crosswords and this one proves it. I truly hope we see more of his work.
LEMUEL Gulliver surprised me as it has been decades since I read it as a college freshman. There was much to like in this GRID and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks again, Jeffrey and thank you. C.C.
ALI Velshi is an exceptional broadcaster at MSNOW which I regularly watch and I'm sure there are many others. Please don't dismiss it because you and your friends don't watch it.
Thank you Jeffrey and C.C.
Slept late, made a great breakfast, and then solved. FIR in 26:50. Not too bad for me on a Sunday sized grid. For my tastes, I think the cluing was a tad too easy. But no matter, it's good to see Jeffrey submitting puzzles again.
At 32d, I considered both ABASE and ABUSE for "Treat quite poorly." The unknown cross with the Gulliver clue did not help. Got the appropriate help at 77d "Demean" which also could have been ABASE or ABUSE, but this time the perp LIASE made both answers clear.
3 more Sunday sized grids to get through. The Sunday UC, the NYT, and Evan's WaPo. Plus the regular crosswords. With the temperature drop overnight, today will be a relaxing day of staying inside, watching the NCAA games, and solving.
Ordeal came to my mind first too🙀
As Subgenius said right at the top, and as others have echoed, very enjoyable themed-answers today. Thanks, Jeffrey,
WOW! Crazy weather! Sad to hear of it. I’m just a hot Little Old Lady from Pasadena, wishing for a downturn…. But not wishing for one that far….
Loved this puzzle - theme and clues and fills. They all got eyerolls, and some got LOLs. JW is one of only a few names I recognize easily, tho I hadn’t noticed his being AWOL…. Thanks for the puzzle and the recap. And thanks to all for puzzling community - I enjoy this place to “connect” on a shared delight of a hobby. Stay well❣️
Puzzling thoughts:
TTP @ 11:46 => regarding the easiness of Sunday clues, the "guide" for puzzle submission @ LATimes indicates that "Sunday puzzles should be of moderate (midweek) difficulty regardless of theme type". To me, that would imply that clues are moderately easy - and that makes sense as Sunday puzzles have a lot of space to fill. The NYTimes, OTOH, wants their Sunday puzzles to be ball breakers
Jason @ 4:34 => I knew that you would be one of the first to appear on the Corner to give accolades to JW. How coincidental that my last blog (March 4) made mention of the JW-style of puzzles, and now, a couple weeks later, here he is. I too, as other said, missed both the challenge of solving one of his puzzles as well as the ease at which he makes a grid come to life
Husker Gary @ 10:46 => I watched that game last night. What a crazy finish. An earlier game (Kentucky vs Santa Clara) had a similar event where a Kentucky player heaved a half-court shot at the buzzer that landed, and the game went to OT. It's March Madness ...
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