19A. Items in a 59-Across lit for 61-Across: CANDLES
37A. Traditional 61-Across surprise, aptly boxed, and spelled with the only four letters of the alphabet that don't appear elsewhere in this grid: GIFT
59A. 61-Across centerpiece: MENORAH
61A. Two-millennia-old tradition that begins at sunset tonight: HANUKKAH
and an added hint to the center answer. 36A. Pack in cartons: BOX UP
Argyle here. 15x16 pangram. Visual grid.
Across:
1. 1960s presidential monogram: LBJ
4. Gremlins and Pacers: AMCs. (American Motors Corporation) Cars from the seventies.
8. Lands' End rival: L.L.BEAN
14. World Cup cry: OLÉ
15. Naked: BARE
16. Cross-referencing phrase: SEE ALSO. Very apt for today's puzzle.
20. Novelist Ferber: EDNA
21. Key with four sharps: E MAJOR
23. Wife of Jacob: LEAH
24. Fervor: ZEAL
25. Rebecca of "Risky Business": DE MORNAY
27. Relaxed condition: LOOSENESS
29. "¿__ pasa?": QUE. "What's up?"
32. One lacking manners: BOOR, not 32D. Dutch South African: BOER
34. Cowboy boot attachments: SPURS
38. Range dividing Europe and Asia: URALS
39. "You gotta be kidding": "YEESH!"
40. Rx items: MEDS
41. Coffee server: URN
42. Long-finned tunas: ALBACOREs
49. Nash priest, not beast: ONE 'L' LAMA
50. Roughly: OR SO
54. Make __ dash for: A MAD
57. Expired: LAPSED
58. Contented sounds: AAHs
63. Football rushing plays: END RUNS. Offense.
64. Greek love god: EROS
65. December 24, e.g.: EVE
66. Figured (out): SUSSED
67. Suffix with ransom: WARE
68. Org. with narcs: DEA. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
Down:
1. Pop icon Jennifer: LOPEZ. J.Lo
2. Razor insert: BLADE. I barely remember.
3. Barbara Bush's twin sister: JENNA. On left.
4. Legal org.: ABA. (American Bar Association)
5. Manage somehow: MAKE DO
6. Sweet liqueurs: CRÈMES
7. Bagel seed: SESAME
8. Finds out: LEARNS
9. Actor Cariou: LEN. Wiki. Canadian actor currently playing Henry Reagan the TV series Blue Bloods.
10. In a shoddy way: BADLY
11. She, in Paree: ELLE
12. On an ocean liner: ASEA
13. Quick snack: NOSH
16. Music for a film: SCORE
18. Hardhearted: CALLOUS
22. Actor Voight: JON
26. Take for granted: ASSUME
28. Annie, notably: ORPHAN
29. Campus hangout: QUAD
30. Addresses beginning with "http://": URLs. (Uniform Resource Locator)
31. Letter before tee: ESS
33. Plow-pulling team: OXEN
35. Washing machine cycle: PRESOAK
36. Mormon sch.: BYU. (Brigham Young University)
43. University founder Stanford: LELAND. Father of Stanford University in in Stanford, CA.
44. Malaise, with "the": BLAHS
45. Swiss peak: ALP
46. Kidney-shaped nut: CASHEW
47. 1998 Masters champ Mark: O'MEARA
48. Philadelphia suburb: RADNOR. An unincorporated community I've never heard of.
Theme: "Urbanagrams"- Each theme entry is a major US city and its anagram.
23A. A few bars in the West? : SAN DIEGO SONG IDEA
37A. Ticketholder's entitlement in the Southwest? : SANTA FE FAN SEAT
51A. Stage handles in the West? : SACRAMENTO ACTOR NAMES
72A. Complex papers for a pad in the West? : LOS ANGELES LONG LEASES
86A. Do stuff in the Southeast? : RALEIGH HAIR GEL
102A. Heavyweights in the Midwest? : COLUMBUS SUMO CLUB
Puzzle titles don't always reveal the gimmick easily, but this one does, though it won't help your solving much.
You
can probably anagram lots of other cities, but your entries have to have enough surface sense and humor value. Otherwise, you won't
tickle Rich. You cities have to be big, not EDINA.
Though only 6 entries, they're all very
long and occupy a total 100 theme squares. The grid is very Bruce. Very
clean & lively. And you'll always see a few entries in his puzzles.
Across:
1. Choir voice : ALTO
5. Van Gogh setting : ARLES
10. They might be hatched : PLOTS. Three consecutive gimmes in a row.
15. Jazz trumpeter Jones : THAD. This got me last time.
19. Collectible fossil : SHARK TOOTH. We don't often see long non-themer in Across. How many teeth do you think a shark has?
33. iPad model : MINI. And50. Apple since 1998 : iMAC. Also66. Jobs in the tech industry : STEVE
34. Lumber mill fixtures : RIPSAWS. One of the flea market guys here is specialized in tools. His saws go quite quickly. He always yells at his customers.
36. Gallery works : ART
40. Helps plan a job, maybe : ABETS
43. Cry of exasperation : AARGH
44. Crushed, as a test : ACED
45. Priestly garment : ALB. Learned from doing crosswords.
46. Hot : SEXY
47. Puma competitor : AVIA
48. Place to get off: Abbr. : STA
49. Horse fathers : SIRES. Not "Horse feathers".
57. Wearer of a "Y" sweatshirt : ELI. Yale Bulldogs.
58. Feathered indoor flier : DART. I was picturing fruit flies.
59. Less contaminated : PURER
60. Nabokov novel : ADA
61. Pot cover : TEA COZY. Not on my tea pot.
63. Saturn's largest moon : TITAN
64. Media holder : DVD CASE. Four consonants in a row.
68. "I'm close to winning!" game cry : UNO
69. "__ what?": "What next?" : SO NOW
70. Capsizing deterrent : KEEL
71. Frat house "H" : ETA. We also have 15. Sorority letters : THETAs
77. First of 12 popes : PIUS I
78. Ref. updated quarterly : OED.
I brought a Chinese-English dictionary when I came to the US. Have not
needed it for ages. Google Translate solves all my problems.
79. Dress like, for the costume party : GO AS
80. "High-__!" : FIVE
81. Mtn. stat : ALT
82. Wee : ITTY
83. Matches a bet : CALLS
85. Social conventions : MORES. Not NORMS.
90. Old Prizm maker : GEO
91. Yoga move named for a pet : CAT POSE
92. Trading post wares : FURS
93. Colonist : SETTLER
97. Summer line : IT'S HOT. We just had our first snow.
108. Aardwolf relative : HYENA. Hey, are you guys relatives?
Aardwolf
Hyena
109. Daytona 500, e.g. : NASCAR RACE. Another debut.
110. Give up : CEDE
111. Test for purity : ASSAY
112. Lavished attention (on) : DOTED
113. Wasn't square with : OWED
Down:
1. Indian state bordering Bangladesh : ASSAM
2. Two-mile-high capital : LHASA. In China, we spell it La Sa. You can see the Chinese characters here. Both Shanghai and Lhasa are two-word names in Chinese.
3. Loses on purpose : TANKS
4. Chicago airport code : ORD
5. Dined at a restaurant, say : ATE OUT. In Las Vegas, many places have soy sauce on the table. Makes me so happy.My favorite.
6. "Copy that" : ROGER
7. Heads of Parliament? : LOOS
8. Sci-fi staples : ETs
9. Driving away : SHOOING
10. "Without a Trace" actor Anthony La__ : PAGLIA. His face is familiar, not the name.
11. Wilder's "The Bridge of San __ Rey" : LUIS
12. Unmatched : ODD
13. Make, as a knot : TIE
14. S.O.S, for one : SOAP PAD. I love those S.O.S. pads. They work miracles.
16. "This is our stop" : HERE WE ARE
17. Weaponry transfers : ARMS SALES. Sparkly pairs of 9's.
18. "Darn it!" : DRAT
20. Writers of bad checks : KITERS
24. Inning often not finished : NINTH. Bottom of the ninth.
30. QVC competitor : HSN
32. Mythical forest flutist : SATYR
33. Corday victim : MARAT. This was covered in our world history book also.
34. Parish head : RECTOR
35. Lead-in to bad news : I FEAR
37. Epitome of virtue : SAINT
38. Buckle or button : FASTEN. Also 56. Fleshy "buttons" : NAVELS
39. NCAA Final Four broadcaster : TBS
40. Selling point : ASSET
41. Bluesy Memphis street : BEALE
42. No longer working for The Company : EX-CIA. Notice the capitalized "The".
43. Animator Tex : AVERY
47. Online retail giant : AMAZON. I've never shopped at Walmart website. You? Their model is quite similar to Amazon's.
49. Seat at the racetrack : SADDLE
52. God, in Hebrew : ADONAI
53. Sound off : OPINE
54. Rush hour glut : AUTOS. Followed by 55. Rush hour pace : CRAWL
62. Talk a blue streak? : CUSS
63. "Ha! I was right!" : TOLD YA
64. Painter of ballerinas : DEGAS
65. Norse pantheon : AESIR. They live in Asgard.
67. Soothes : EASES
69. Boil : SEETHE
70. Round mound : KNOLL. The only one I know is that Grassy Knoll.
72. 1928 Gary Cooper romance in which a bouquet plays a vital role : LILAC TIME. Unfamiliar to me.
73. Went longer than : OUTLASTED
74. Invaders of ancient Rome : GOTHS
75. More than checks out : OGLES
76. In progress : AFOOT. And 84. Beached : AGROUND. Both solid A-words.
77. What one never is on a golf course : PAR. I was thinking you can have 1 on a par 3 or par 4 hole, if you're really lucky/good. But 1 is never a par.
82. Prankster's cry : I GOTCHA
83. Only speck of food the Grinch left in each Who's house : CRUMB
85. Shower component : METEOR. Meteor shower.
87. Flammable gas : ETHANE
88. NYSE news : IPO
89. "Let me just interject ... " : IF I MAY
90. Blow a gasket : GET MAD
93. Hooch : SAUCE
94. Old NBC legal drama : LA LAW. Also 96. Covered in court : ROBED
95. Draw forth : EDUCE
97. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC
98. Moon goddess : LUNA. Chinese Moon goddess is Chang'e, who lives in the moon. That's why we eat mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival.
99. Vocal nudge : PSST
103. Yiddish laments : OYs
104. French article : LES
105. __ Paulo : SAO
106. HUN neighbor, to the IOC : CRO (Croatia)
C.C.
Crosswords LA 2017 puzzle pack is now on sale. Click here. Only $5. The proceeds go to Reading to Kids. Alex Boisvert is the puzzle wrangler/editor this year. See here for the first-ever all-women constructor team.
Theme: Aural Plurals - repeat the last letter of each theme answer and listen to the result:
17A. Southern dish, so we hear : BLACK-EYED PP (Peas). Food! I'm happy already.
25A. World's navigable waters, so we hear : SEVEN CC (Seas) I wanted to link the OMD song from the 80's for this, but I went back to listen to it on YouTube, and, actually, it really wasn't very good. I thought that I remembered that the drum riff intro was awesome, but, in hindsight, it was - pants What happened to the bass?I must have imagined it. See what you think? Maybe I had "drink taken", as my Irish family would say. I was young. Moving on.
36A. Welcome relief, so we hear : A SIGHT FOR SORE II (Eyes)
48A. Suggestive dance, so we hear : STRIP TT (Tease)
and
57A. Warning hint, so we hear : WORD TO THE YY (Wise)
Another cracking puzzle from Bruce. I tumbled to the theme right off the bat, but that didn't spoil my amusement one bit. The fill is great, the theme entries all very much fun, and those 6's, 8's and 10's in the downs just speak to the quality of the construction.
There are a couple or more candidate theme phrases out there that spring to mind such as THE BIRDS AND THE BB, Yellow Submarine's A LIFE OF EE, TORONTO BLUE JJ, POOL QQ but probably not enough to expand this to a Sunday-size. Shame, because I'm sure Bruce could to a sterling job with a 21x21.
Anyway, great stuff, Bruce! Let's see what else jumps out - BOO! - it is Hallowe'en season after all.
Across:
1. Wing it : AD LIB
6. Doing battle : AT WAR
11. Quarterback Brady : TOM. Just this week, the New York Giant's GM at the time, Ernie Accorsi, revealed that he ignored pleas from one of his staff to draft Brady in the 6th round and regretted it ever since. Brady fell to the Patriots and look how that turned out, but Ernie shouldn't be so tough on himself. No-one else saw that coming.
14. "Fun With Dick and Jane" (2005) actress : LEONI
15. Hourglass, e.g. : SHAPE. TIMER sprung to mind first.
16. Political commentator Navarro : ANA
19. Tap site : KEG. Tried BAR first. Then I got to 33A and out it came.
20. Justice Dept. branch : A.T.F. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Sounds like a "Bring Your Own" party invitation somewhere out in West Texas.
21. Fair : EVEN
22. What "A" is for, in Sue Grafton's mystery series : ALIBI
24. Hot rod? : SPIT. Food! reference. Think rotisserie.
27. __ Friday : CASUAL. I had CA**AL and was wondering why I'd never heard of CARNAL FRIDAY nor been invited to an event.
30. Savory Chinese snack : TEA EGG Food! A boiled egg is cracked, then boiled again in tea and five-spice powder before being shelled.
31. Manufacturing facility : PLANT
32. Manhattan developer? : BAR. Manhattan as in the cocktail, not the island borough, more of which we see below.
33. #1 texting pal : BFF
41. Sevilla sun : SOL
42. Nice way to say no? : NON. Nice, en France. Sur la mer Méditerranée. I have an unpaid parking ticket from a summer trip to Nice about mumble years ago. Did they seriously expect me to pay? Je dit NON!
So,if you're now driving a 1992 red UK-registered Acura Integra, license plate F488 OLC, and reading this, contemplating a trip to Nice, be warned. You're on the hook for about 500 Francs, converted to Euros now, plus penalties, let's say about twelve billion with accrued interest. Be careful.
43. __ signs : VITAL
44. "I bet!" : OH SURE!
47. Composes, as music for a poem : SETS TO. I've been looking this one up and down for a little while. I'm OK with it, I think.
50. Put on : WORE
51. Hindu class : CASTE. We are heading into Diwali, the great Hindu "festival of light" which runs for five days, this year starting today on the 19th. I was lucky enough to be in Mumbai for Diwali one year, it was quite beautiful.
52. Works on walls : OILS. Not MURALS then? Nope, can't force six letters into four squares.
53. Nursery complaint : WAH!
56. __ Dhabi : ABU
61. "Little ol' me?" : MOI?
62. "Middlemarch" novelist : ELIOT. George Eliot, a pen-name for Mary Ann Evans. She used the nom de plume as she thought she'd have a better chance of publishers accepting her work if they thought she was a guy. Looks like it worked out for her.
63. Flowed back : EBBED
64. Soup cooker : POT
65. Criticize sharply : DECRY. I think sharply and loudly. I'm not sure you can quietly decry.
66. Butch and Sundance chasers : POSSE
Down:
1. Goya's "Duchess of __" : ALBA. He painted her a bunch of times, including the famous reclining studies of her dressed and undressed. This one is a little less risqué:
2. Muscle used to raise your hand in school, for short : DELToid. Fun clue.
3. Lollygag : LOAF
4. "Monsters, __" : INC
5. Spokesperson's route? : BIKE PATH. Very nice.
6. Till now : AS YET
7. In those days : THEN
8. Gum ball : WAD
9. Galaxy download : APP. The Galaxy smartphone.
10. Maintain, as roads : RE-PAVE
11. Bookie's work : TAKING BETS
12. Last non-AD yr. : ONE B.C. Apparently we should use BCE/CE now to avoid upsetting sensitive folk.
13. Tricks : MAGIC
18. Wicked : EVIL
23. Cut of lamb : LEG! More Food! I love leg of lamb. I either roast it bone-in for a British-style Sunday lunch, or bone it, butterfly it and grill it for a more Mediterranean-style treatment.
24. Belted out : SUNG, lustily.
25. Burn slightly : SEAR
26. They may ring or have rings : EARS
27. Calculating pros : CPA'S
28. Plus : ALSO
29. Outfit with bell-bottom trousers : SAILOR SUIT. Here's a great clip from the Broadway musical "On The Town" filmed on the streets of the city.
30. Steak named for its shape : T-BONE. Food! Flatiron (another New York landmark!) didn't fit. Tri-tip would work too, it's triangular, hence the name. Someone tried to tell me once that the New York Strip is so-called because it's the same shape as Manhattan. Not buying that one.
34. Bravo automaker : FIAT
35. Dough used in baklava : FILO
37. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT. I thought these were the same as wing nuts, but no.
38. One might be made of sheets and pillows : FORT
39. Exceed, as a boundary : OVERSTEP
40. Bris, e.g. : RITE. Crosses filled this in for me, I didn't see it until I came to the write up.
45. Flop's opposite : HIT
46. Gushed : SPEWED
47. Go it alone : SOLO
48. Rapscallion : SCAMP
49. Just not done : TABOO
50. Quick with comebacks : WITTY
52. Funk : ODOR
53. Halloween decor : WEBS
54. All in favor : AYES
55. Literary alter ego : HYDE. Dr. Jekyll's alter, and more unpleasant, ego.
58. Stadium cry : OLÉ!
59. Wrestler Flair nicknamed "The Nature Boy" : RIC. Thank you, crosses. Ric Ocasek from "The Cars" is the only Ric on my radar.
60. "Entourage" channel : HBO "Home Box Office", originally. No longer abbreviated! They make some great original programming. So great that I cancelled my subscription last year. Still trying to figure out the rationale behind that one.
Grid? Here it is! Hasta luego!
Actually, this has nothing whatever to do with the puzzle today, but I came across a recording of "La Bamba" this week (while I was doing my Spanish language homework) that I want to share. Click this link, put your screen into full size, crank up your volume and enjoy three minutes of really joyful music.The producers put together a virtual band from all around the world and recorded the result. Baby-Black-Dombe is only slightly cheating by not singing in Spanish, but the whole thing is fantastic!
Theme - HOMOPHONIA. Silly three-word phrases starting with the letter A, and having the indefinite article A in the middle constitute internal echoes. Actually, the clues themselves are also quite silly. Call me crazy, but I love the word play in this theme.
17 A. Fall in love with something at the home improvement center? : ADORE A DOOR. Furniture and appliances are OK, but seldom give you this kind of an opening.
25 A. Bring Bugs into harmony? : ATTUNE A TOON. TOONS, of course, are cartoon characters. Bugs is one of the truly great TOONs, and great TOON singers. And how could he be more ATTUNED than this?
37 A. Get voices in all ranges? : ACQUIRE A CHOIR. Sopranos, altos, tenors and basses [not to be confused with 61A.] Anyway, there are no bugs here.
52 A. Severely criticize the store special? : ASSAIL A SALE. This is a correct usage for ASSAIL - I checked. Any time you come to The Corner, you get your money's worth
61 A. Criticize the stringed instrument? : ABASE A BASS. More like degrade than criticize. But bassist Christian McBride, who I had the great pleasure of preforming with a couple years ago, is above reproach.
Hi, Gang. JazzBumpa on duty. Let's see what else Bruce has in store for us.
Across 1. Got taller : GREW. Use gruesome in a sentence. OK. I visited my grandchildren in PA last week. Since the last time I saw them, they gruesome.
5. Etching supplies : ACIDS. A mask is used to protect the rest of the surface, and ACID etches into the exposed area to create an image.
10. Ski area in Utah's Wasatch Mountains : ALTA.
14. See 66-Across : RACE. Here it is --
66. With 14-Across, event with batons : RELAY. A track and field event of a set distance in which each team has several runners [usually 4.] At the end of a runner's turn, the baton is handed off to the next runner.
15. Bad news for the waiter : NO TIP. Rude, too. We give a minimum 20%, and usually in cash.
16. Classic cars : REOS. Ransom E. Olds started the Olds Motor Vehicle Company in 1897. This later became Oldsmobile, a division of General Motors. He left the company on 1905 and started the REO Motor Car Company in 1905. It remained in operation until 1975, when assets were liquidated in a bankruptcy proceeding.
19. "Pretty please?" : MAY I. Childish begging.
20. "Frasier" role : NILES. Brother of the eponym, Frasier Crane, played by David Hyde Pierce and Kelsey Grammer, respectively.
21. Debuting on screen : NEW.
23. iPhone, e.g., briefly : PDA. Personal Data Assistant. Anyone still have a Blackberry?
24. Scooby-__ : DOO. Toon dog. I was never a fan.
30. Golf tee, e.g. : PEG.
31. "Flashdance...What a Feeling" singer Cara : IRENE.
32. Barbecue pair : TONGS. A device with two movable arms, either joined at one end or in the middle, used to pick up and hold things.
33. Solo in a spotlight : ARIA. This is the Italian word for air [not to be confused with Ned Stark's younger daughter.] An air is simply a song, but an ARIA is a dramatic solo in a opera. I'm not a fan.
35. Smallish batteries : AAs.
36. Med. condition with repetitive behavior : OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Behavior. Every time I type that, I have to go wash my hands.
42. Colony resident : ANT. Usually under ground.
43. Gallery filler : ART.
44. Went like crazy : SPED.
46. Second thought : DOUBT.
49. Get fuzzy, as vision : BLEAR.
51. Grand __ Opry : OLE. A weekly country music concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded in 1925. Not a fan of this either.
54. "Breaking Bad" org. : DEA. Drug Enforcement Agency.
55. Org. offering written and road tests : DMV. Department of Motor Vehicles.
56. Mason jar attachment : LID. That tops it off.
57. Humdrum : BANAL. Vapid, insipid, old-hat.
59. Start bubbling : BOIL. No toil, no trouble, just turn on the heat.
65. Greek peak : OSSA. Because Etna is in Sicily.
67. Site with tech reviews : c|net. Technology oriented website
68. __ end : DEAD. The termination of a road or passage with no exit. Figuratively, any kind of impasse.
69. Wild West transport : STAGE. A stagecoach was a closed, horse-drawn vehicle used to carry passengers and mail along regular routes
70. Run-of-the-mill : SO-SO. Mediocre.
Down 1. __ Joe, Charlie's companion on his tour of Wonka's chocolate factory : GRANDPA.
56. Beaujolais or Burgundy: WINE. 39-Down. 56-Across choices: REDS
57. Red __: spicy candies: HOTS
62. "The Mammoth Hunters" novelist Jean: AUEL. I transposed the E/U but almost got it first time.
63. Dictator Amin: IDI
64. Rain or snow, briefly: PRECIP. (precipitation) The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, graupel and hail. The term graupel comes from the German for soft hail or snow pellets.
Theme: Monday Jumble - The key word letter order is changed and placed in circles.
16A. High-altitude pilot's equipment: OXYGEN MASK
22A. Cellphone setting during flights: AIRPLANE MODE
35A. "Nobody's successful every time": "YOU CAN'T WIN 'EMALL"
46A. Deli supply: LUNCHEON MEAT
56A. Postnuptial alteration, and a hint to each set of puzzle circles: NAME CHANGE
Argyle here with Bruce on a Monday. I haven't looked but I don't think Bruce does these jumble puzzles much. A nice grid spanner, lower left to upper right slash. Nothing really stood out to me but, all in all, quite pleasant.
Across:
1. "Hogwash!": "PSHAW!"
6. Group selfie: USIE. (us-e)
10. Hanes competitor: BVD. Named after the three founders of the New York City firm Bradley, Voorhees & Day (thus "B.V.D.").
19. Fundraising school gp.: PTA. (parent-teacher association)
20. Country singer McCoy: NEAL
21. Tub for water: BASIN
25. Like the house in a Hawthorne classic: GABLED. "The House of the Seven Gables", published in April 1851.
28. Elevate a golf ball: TEE UP
29. Eye impertinently: OGLE
30. Beer vessel: STEIN
32. Genre with spoken lyrics: RAP
39. Cake candle count: AGE
40. Hall of Fame pitcher Ryan: NOLAN. The Ryan Express, of the New York Mets (1966, 1968–1971), California Angels (1972–1979), Houston Astros (1980–1988), and Texas Rangers (1989–1993).
41. Facts, for short: INFO
42. Help desk prompt: [ASK ME]
44. "The Wind in the Willows" character with a "Wild Ride" at Disneyland: MR. TOAD
50. Fancy burger beef: ANGUS. The all black bovine.
51. Rowing tools: OARS
52. Baseball topper: CAP. I bet Nolan has a collection.
Theme: "Share and Share Alike" - I'm afraid I'm missing the extra layer in this theme. The paired answers share the same clue numbers & starting letters, but the shared letters PTFFHBDM does not anagram anything.
1A/1D. Like many a postcard scene : PICTURE PERFECT
58A/58D. One of dozens, for millions : FACEBOOK FRIEND. What a great clue.
95A/95D. Poppycock, with "a" : BUNCH OF/ BALONEY. We have more: 83. Poppycock : ROT. Also 124. Poppycock : PAP
101A/101D. Bad person to share appetizers with? : DOUBLE DIPPER
121A/121D. Mr. Spock forte : MIND MELD
If
you solve via Across Lite, then all your Down theme entries have the
same clue: [ - ]. They're supposed to be blank, but Across Lite software
can't handle blank clues, hence the dashes.
There
has to be an extra layer of unifier to tie the gimmick today. It feels a
bit loose to me, as the theme entry choices are not very limited, as
shown by this NYT grid.
Construction-wise,
this 140-word grid is lovely, as all Bruce's grids. Big chunks of white
spaces, which are very hard to fill cleanly. Bruce is grid
wizard. One of those few constructors who keep pushing the envelope.
Across:
20. "The NFL Today" analyst : ESIASON. Boomer.
21. Transfers, as a T-shirt design : IRONS ON
22. Girl in Byron's "Don Juan" : LEILA. Wiki says she's a Muslim girl. Leila means "night" in Arabic/Hebrew.
23. Get back (to) : RESPOND
24. Company that merged with Konica : MINOLTA
25. Jason's shipbuilder : ARGUS. The 100-eyed monster. We also have 43. Biform beast : CENTAUR. Horse/man.
26. Big party : FETE. Not FEST or GALA or even BASH.
27. Gross fraction : DOZEN. Got via crosses.
29. Brews for socials : TEAS
30. Hook wigglers : WORMS.
Quite a few people were fishing along the bank of Mississippi River
when Boomer and I took our walk last week. Obviously Boomer likes Rickie
Fowler. I was stunned that he found those orange socks.
31. Artist's talent : EYE. EAR too.
32. Caribbean islander : ARUBAN
34. Not just any old : THE. I don't get this clue.
36. Trig ratio : SINE
37. Hollowed out : CORED
40. Mayo is in it : ANO. Mayo the month.
41. Behold, to Brutus : ECCE
44. Knowledge of spiritual matters : GNOSIS. New word to me.
46. North Pole feature : TUNDRA
48. [Yawn] : I'M BORED. Time to take a walk. Summer in MN is gorgeous.
50. Come together : GEL
51. City on Lake Michigan : GARY. I only know Gary in Indiana & our buddy Gary in Nebraska.
53. Casually arrive, in slang : BOP IN. Not a phrase I use.
62. Classic VW : BEETLE
64. Had the nerve : DARED
65. Tiny messenger : RNA
66. Wise ones : SAGES. Asked my sages Argyle and D-Otto, neither saw extra theme layer.
68. Way to hit? : TRAIL. Oh the real "way".
69. Timed perfectly : ON CUE
70. Lightning particles : IONS
72. Japanese noodle dish : RAMEN. This word is borrowed from Chinese La Mian, literally "hand-pulled noodles".
74. Water collectors : SUMPS
76. 1986 #1 hit for Starship : SARA. Unfamiliar with the song.
77. Gush on stage : EMOTE
79. Saw : MAXIM
81. Spanish royalty : REYES. Kings in Spanish. Or this guy.
84. West Coast NFLer : NINER
85. Musical Keys : ALICIA
87. Stock maker's flavor enhancer : SOUP BONE.
Typical Cantonese soup consists of pork bones, dried dates, goji
berries, watercress and a few traditional Chinese healing herbs,
slow-cooked for at least 3 hours. They have a bowl of soup every day and
they have a soup for every season. Do you have soup at home often,
Jayce?
89. Short-lived Mormon state : DESERET. Learned from doing crosswords.
91. Chihuahua neighbor : TEXAS
93. Manual reader : USER
94. Deli delicacy : LOX
97. Make busts, say : SCULPT
104. Copied : APED
105. Taoist force : YIN.
So in Cantonese cuisine, green mung beans are YIN and you eat the
soup/porridge in summer. Red beans are Yang, popular winter food.
107. Unsettling look : STARE
108. "Bus Stop" playwright : INGE
109. Berkeley school, familiarly : CAL
111. Sickly-looking : SALLOW
114. Rouge ou blanc : VIN. Or COULEUR.
115. Rings : PEALS
117. Like 45 records : MONO
120. Kate of "Th1rteen R3asons Why" : WALSH
122. Bridges, in Venice : PONTI. OK, plural of Ponte, as in Ponte Vecchio.
123. Up against it : IN A SPOT
125. __ cheese sandwich, popular Augusta National menu item sold for $1.50 : PIMENTO. Our Big Easy saw this menu in person. Ticket price for Masters Sunday is probably 1,000 times of the sandwich.
127. Wrapped up : ENDED
128. Product of ocean evaporation : SEA SALT
129. Pisa party? : ITALIAN
130. English novelist Charles : READE. Never read any of his books.
131. Nerve junction : SYNAPSE
132. Ones handing out cigars, stereotypically : NEW DADS. Tiny dupe with 45. Changing of the locks : NEW DO
Down:
2. Poker phrase : I SEE YOU
3. Rain storage tank : CISTERN. Another new word for me. Carolyn at our flea market used to sell big rain barrels.
4. Record, in a way : TAPE
5. GI morale booster : USO
6. Mixed martial artist Rousey : RONDA. Once unbeatable.
7. "Bewitched" character : ENDORA
9. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : IRINA. Or MASHA.
10. Fleece : CON
11. Shoestring hassle : KNOT
12. "Land ho!" prompter : ISLE
13. Wrote, as music : NOTATED
14. Grind : GNASH
16. Spray sources : AEROSOL CANS. Great fill.
17. Fertile Crescent waterway : TIGRIS
18. Grads : ALUMNI
19. Misses : LASSES
28. Pueblo people : ZUNI
33. Virtual human companion : NEOPET. Do any of you own these pets?
35. Name that might pop up during a breakfast conversation : EGGO. Cute clue.
38. Just beat : EDGE
39. Idiomatic bits : DRABS. Oh, as in dribs and drabs.
42. Old yellers : CRIERS
47. Cheering deafeningly : AROAR
49. Move up and down : BOB
52. Surface for stretching : YOGA MAT
55. Five-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey : ARCARO (Eddie). Wiki says he "has the most wins in the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes with six".
56. Impulse-conducting cell : NEURON
57. Brainstorm : IDEATE. Not a word I use.
59. Breakdown of social norms : ANOMIE
60. Fundamental rules : CANONS
61. First Turkish president __ Atatürk : KEMAL. Learning moment for me.
63. Twists in a bar : LIMES
67. Add pizazz to an ad, say : SEX IT UP. Another great fill.
71. Kind of radial tire : STEEL-BELTED. Got via crosses.
73. Christianity's __ Creed : NICENE
75. Grinch creator : SEUSS
78. "The Fog of War" director Morris : ERROL. Not many ways to clue ERROL, so you better remember this guy.
80. Personalized music media : MIX CDS
82. Contractor's details : SPECS
86. Something to say to a dentist : AAH. Our Bruce is an eye doctor.
88. Champagne choice : BRUT
90. Suit : EXEC
92. Trendy coffee order : SOY LATTE. Soy is spurned by so many. Now the latest research showed coconut oil is bad too. It's the key cooking oil of our foodie Steve.
96. Leave no room in : FILL
98. Wife of Aeneas : LAVINIA. Stumper for me.
99. Spot in a newspaper : PRINT AD
100. Muscle-to-bone connectors : TENDONS. Tiny bone dupe with the SOUP BONE.
102. Common soccer score : ONE ONE
103. Kampala is its capital : UGANDA. Their official language is English.
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