google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Jayne and Alex Boisvert

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Showing posts with label Jayne and Alex Boisvert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jayne and Alex Boisvert. Show all posts

Dec 11, 2011

Sunday December 11, 2011 Jayne and Alex Boisvert

Theme: "Give B's a Chance" - The starting letters P's are replaced by B's in each two-word P*P* theme entry.

25A. Jaded ballplayer? : BITTER BATTER. Pitter-Patter. Fun clue/answer.

27A. Grain of sand? : BEACH BIT. Peach pit.

105A. Sound of Crosby's doorbell? : BING BONG. Ping pong.

109A. Collection of yokels? : BUMPKIN BATCH. Pumpkin patch.

47. Coal receptacle building blocks? : BIN BRICKS. Pinpricks. The only entry where the base phrase is one-word.

51. Steer groups? : BULL BUNCHES. Pull punches.

80. Fish with a bad cold? : BARKING BASS. Parking pass. Dogs bark. Fish?

83. Pointed front of a two-wheeler? : BIKE'S BEAK. Pike's Peak.

Lovely theme. So neat that the 8 theme entries can be placed in 4 rows.

Lots of effort went into this theme. First, the constructors had to first find common P* P* phrases, then picked out the ones that could be converted to B's, making sure no straying P's in the middle/end of the word. Sometimes new phrases have to be discarded as they don't make much surface sense when cluing.

I had a few email exchanges with Alex in the past. He's a computer genius.

Across:

1. Corrupt, in a way : BRIBE. Bribery is quite common in Indian politics, I hear.

6. Ignore : PASS BY

12. Sleeping : AT REST

18. Ayes : YESES

19. "Lady Marmalade" group : LABELLE. I like Christina Aguilera & Pink's version.

20. Caesar salad topper : CROUTON

22. Unpleasant pair to choose from : EVILS. The lesser of two evils.

23. "To reiterate ..." : I REPEAT

24. Deep-fried Japanese dish : TEMPURA. Tasty. All deep-fried foods are.

28. Mocha native : YEMENI. Mocha is the Yemeni port famous for its coffee.

29. Fantastic : SUPERB

31. As well : TOO

32. Vase-shaped pitcher : EWER

33. Drama with two spin-offs : CSI

36. Scarlett, to Rhett, ultimately : MY DEAR. In the end, he said: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".

38. 1983 Keaton title role : MR MOM

42. Tweet : CHIRP

44. Alka-Seltzer sound : PLOP

46. New York college whose team is the Gaels : IONA

54. 2001 French film nominated for five Academy Awards : AMELIE. Very whimsy,

55. One reason to work : SALARY

57. Energy meas. : BTU. I was thinking of calorie.

58. Tell : RAT

59. Stain-removal brand : SHOUT

60. Turning parts : ROTORS

61. Grasps : GETS

62. Sharpen : HONE

63. Family name in Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" : SAMSA. No idea. Gregor Samsa.

64. Shark's practice : USURY

66. Tell : BLAB

70. Field division : ACRE

71. They get tipped in lots : VALETS. Parking lots.

73. 1971 Clapton classic : LAYLA

74. Psyche part, to Freud : EGO

77. General at Antietam : LEE

78. White Label Scotch maker : DEWAR'S. For Tinbeni & EddyB. Argyle too. Is the bus story true?

79. Roaches, e.g. : VERMIN

85. Jai __ : ALAI

86. Deserve : EARN

87. Browns : SEARS. And 90. Slightly burned : SINGED

88. Cheers : YELLS

94. Was in charge of : RAN

95. Insect stage after larva : PUPA

99. Morning morsel : OAT. Not for me.

101. "Got me" : NO IDEA

103. Ear problem : OTITIS

112. Kuwait, for one : EMIRATE

113. How a team should work : AS A UNIT. Had trouble parsing my answer.

114. "Love Story" co-star : O'NEAL (Ryan)

115. Timeline divisions : DECADES

116. Reddish-brown horses : SORRELS. Sorrel is also an herb. A bit tangy.

117. Like some mythology : NORSE.

118. Malevolent beings : DEMONS

119. From Aconcagua, say : ANDEAN. Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas.

120. Lamb piece : ESSAY. Charles Lamb the Elia.

Down:

1. Parting words : BYE BYE

2. Look over : REVIEW

3. "Am I crazy?" : IS IT ME? My new computer is pretty good. But it drives me crazy at times. Still can't make the Solve/Print buttons of Chicago Tribune's crossword website work in Firefox. Don't think it's the Java problem. I uninstalled it. The puzzle still works fine in Internet Explorer, but not Firefox.

4. Merman, notably : BELTER

5. Museum Folkwang city : ESSEN. Museum about what?

6. Normal opening? : PARA. Paranormal.

7. Stands guard, perhaps : ABETS

8. One may be deviated : SEPTUM. New word to me.

9. Disney dwarf : SLEEPY

10. Played loudly : BLARED. Thought of Ant.

11. Although : YET

12. Entr'__ : ACTE

13. Costumed kid's hope : TREAT. More fun when kids come costumed.

14. "Pretty Woman" genre, briefly : ROMCOM (Romantic comedy)

15. Blissful : EUPHORIC. Sounds sweet.

16. Broadway souvenir : STUB

17. Songwriter Amos : TORI

19. Bldg. with stacks : LIB. OK, Library.

21. Rebellious Turner : NAT

26. Singer Lionel : RICHIE

27. NBAers' game : B-BALL

30. RSVP : REPLY

34. Word seen in brackets : SIC

35. Trying : IRKSOME

37. See 69-Down : ROBBERS. 69. With 37-Down, Bonnie and Clyde : BANK., They were better than those who steal others' ID on line.

39. Comedian Jay : MOHR. LAHR is another name ending in HR.

40. Draft status : ONE A

41. Sail support : MAST

42. Short review? : CRIT. Criticism then. (From Grumpy: It's critique.)

43. H.S. exams : PSATs

45. Crack filler : PUTTY

47. Gala : BASH

48. Letters before an online view : IMHO

49. Krypton relative : NEON. And 60. 49-Down, for example : RARE GAS

50. Word after sky or powder : BLUE

51. Grill partner : BAR

52. Sea witch in "The Little Mermaid" : URSULA (Sorry for the error earlier.)

53. Frat letters : NUs

56. Bakery array : LOAVES

61. Braver : GUTSIER

63. Part of an act : SCENE

65. Southern Slavs : SERBS

66. Zinger : BARB

67. Connecticut town for which a disease is named : LYME. The dreadful Lime disease.

68. Et __ : ALIA

70. Ex-boxer Laila : ALI. LAILA often appears as an answer.

72. Litter reactions : AWs

73. Reduced : LESS

74. Auction site : EBAY

75. __ warning : GALE

76. Like much history : ORAL

78. Steve's sidekick in "Hawaii Five-O" : DANNO. I've seen DANO in crosswords also.

79. Washington's mount? : VERNON. Mount Vernon.

81. About 2.2 pounds : KILOGRAM. Had trouble accepting pounds when I first arrived here.

82. "__ it on!" : BRING

84. Kipling python : KAA. From "The Jungle Book". Unknown to me.

89. Domingo preceder : SABADO. What's this? I don't get this clue/answer.

91. Martini with an onion : GIBSON

92. Einstein's second son : EDUARD. Another no idea. Miserable life.

93. Reserved : DEMURE. JD always appears so.

95. Some uprights : PIANOS

96. Says : UTTERS

97. Web image-viewing software : PICASA. You can create your own Picasa album.

98. Scarlett's love : ASHLEY. Love is so irrational. I don't find Ashley attractive at all.

100. On a scale of one __ : TO TEN

102. Sleep problem : APNEA

104. Beef cut : T-BONE

105. Flower place : BED

106. Wrote online, briefly : IM'ED

107. Pleasing : NICE

108. Storied loch : NESS

110. Potter's oven : KILN

111. "__ a Wonderful Life" : IT'S. Timely.

113. Botanist Gray : ASA

Answer grid.

Here is a photo of our hockey nut eddyB, taken at the game yesterday I think. Great jersey!

C.C.