Title: Music...Opera? Sorry I did not have time to finish....
Where do I begin in discussing this most perfect example of the constructor and his humor? JL begins with a shout out to himself, as his name Lampkin is a pet form of Lambkin. Kin was added in the 12th century when taxes began being collected from individuals rather than property and they needed surnames to keep track of who paid and who did not. (Opinion, not fact, as who really know?)
He created a 15x16 puzzle to fit in all of his whimsical reboots of famous pieces of music. John is an accomplished professional musician and piano teacher who I am sure is very familiar with each of these actually finished pieces. In contrast to the adding KIN to his name, John removes the end of each of the titles of the work and clues the result for maximum humor. The themers are presented in pinwheel with a center fill. He also adds NO CLUE, CAROMED, DESPOTS, FLEABAG, GYRATOR, the mini-theme added musical fill LULLABY and SAD SONG along with SLAMMER, UP A TREE, RECRUITS and TOOK CARE. So, here we go.
18A. Unfinished Puccini work a.k.a. "Homage to a Dairy"? : MADAMA BUTTER(FLY) (12). Before anyone calls "foul" the play was Madame Butterfly. The opera Madama. LINK.
42A. Unfinished Beethoven work a.k.a. "Salute to Manning"? : FÜR ELI(SE) (6). How up to date to use Eli Manning, and our common clue/fill LINK.
66A. Unfinished Beethoven work a.k.a. "Dracula's Boy"? : MOONLIGHT SON(ATA)(12). No sun for Drac's son; the musical piece was finished before he completely lost his hearing. LINK.
12D. Unfinished Mozart work a.k.a. "A Sorcerer's Bug"? : THE MAGIC FLU(TE) (11). This opera LINKwas his last. Flu season is back, be careful.
26D. Unfinished Vivaldi work a.k.a. "Water Music for the Mathematically Challenged"? : THE FOUR SEAS(ONS) (11). He wrote these four violin concertos LINK and a poem for each. Forgetting that there are seven seas would be difficult.
Across:
1. Meat of which Australia is among the largest producers: LAMB. Shamelessly crossing 1D. Hasty flight: LAM. The self-referential beginning to this over-sized effort is wonderful.
12. Apt brew for a golfer? : TEA. A tee for two pun.
15. Healing Salve: ALOE.
16. Oral soporific? : LULLABY. More music, but not so fancy.
17. Solo with memorable lines: HAN. Very popular this week.The new Star Wars movie, without Han, opens today. It also is the 49th anniversary of my first corneal transplant and 44 years since I graduated law school.
20. Fertilization target : EGG. Ova last week. As most of you know, John Lampkin is also a world class photographer with insects his specialty. So, look at these insect eggs. The world is a fun place.
21. Cashed, as a forged check: KITED. It actually is THISwhich has nothing to do with forgery. Juxtaposed with...
22. Hoosegow: SLAMMER. Where people can end up for kiting checks.
24. Completely filled: SATED.
27. Singers do it: SEW. A fake out addition to the mini-theme. My grandfather used a Singer like this
32. It may make you 29-Across: SAD SONG.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
35. "All bets __ off": ARE.
36. Soak (up), as gravy: SOP.
38. They may be raw: RECRUITS. A new, inexperienced, or fresh recruit, such as someone just entering the army, navy, police, etc. Also, college athletes.
41. Whistle-blower: REF. Fun.
44. Cabin bed: COT.
45. Proceeded cautiously: TOOK CARE.
48. Arcing shot: LOB. Tennis.
50. Side dish piece: FRY. The "French" is being fazed out. Freedom never caught on.
51. Stuck: UP A TREE. Cats 1?
53. What the puzzled have: NO CLUE. And of course, we have lots of clues here.
55. Baseball commission? : ERROR. Tricky baseball clue/fill; not an investigative body.
57. Mex. distances: KMS. Kilometers also in Thailand.
59. Tie for cooking: TRUSS. Did you?
60. Dictators: DESPOTS. Unless they are benevolent.
63. Track bet: PLACE. Win, place, and show = 1, 2 and 3.
65. View: SEE.
71. Actress Gabor: EVA. Merv Griffin's beard and the Green Acres' wife.
72. "M*A*S*H" unit? : EPISODE. JL was an early creator of clechos.
73. "M*A*S*H" actor: ALDA.
74. Guitarist Paul: LES.
75. Held up: DELAYED.
76. Putin's refusal: NYET.
Down:
2. In the style of: À LA.
3. Stylish, '60s-style : MOD. The mods and the rockers. FLASHBACK.
4. Lab container: BEAKER.
5. Like day-old seltzer: FLAT. The bubbles burst.
6. Garage services: LUBES.
7. Dodges: ELUDES.
8. Key usually pressed and held: ALT. CTRL/ALT/DEL.
9. Takes cuts in a box: BATS. Another of the tricky baseball clues.
10. Slain brother: ABEL.
11. Belly dancer, e.g.: GYRATOR. You want to watch? LINK.
13. Gung-ho: EAGER.
14. Steamed: ANGRY. Coming out of your ears?
19. Gilt-ridden king? : MIDAS. There have been so many clues to this storied king, but this is perfect.
23. List of options: MENU. Not just food any longer.
24. Square one: START. GO?
25. Word on Spanish mail: AEREO.
28. Soft finish? : WARE.
31. Dietary watchwords: NO-FAT.
33. Farmer's habitat? : DELL. More baby stuff.
34. Boxy Toyota: SCION. They aren't anymore, but were in 2004.
37. Persian murmur: PURR. Another kitty cat for CED and the other feline fanatics.
39. Bagel shape: TORUS.
40. Eye sores: STYES.
43. Smell to high heaven: REEK.
46. "Gangnam Style" genre, for short: K-POP. LINK.
47. Ricocheted: CAROMED. A gimme to any billiard/pool player.
49. Make a mess of: BOTCH.
52. Use: EMPLOY.
54. Ancient Knossos denizen: CRETAN. Knossos is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe's oldest city. The citizens of Crete are Cretans, literally.
55. Collectible lemon: EDSEL. A fabulous CSO to yours truly!
58. One way to come home: SLIDE. A cool baseball misdirection.
61. Hit the sauce: TOPE. Archaic, literary. Drink alcohol to excess, especially on a regular basis.
‘he was toping the while from a flagon of sack.’ Or perhaps, port.
62. Get dirty: SOIL. This has so many negative implications.
64. Like port, usually: AGED. It is one of this wine's ADVANTAGES. Something else our Renaissance Man knows about.
67. DOD division: NSA. Department of Defense oversees the National Security Agency.
68. Underhanded: SLY.
69. Keats forte: ODE.
70. 2017 NLDS player: NATional. One final baseball reference for C.C.
I have such fun doing these write-ups especially when the puzzles are as whimsical as this one was. Happy Chanukah to those who light the candles and get ready for Christmas- 10 more shopping days. Thanks, John Lampkin, nice baseball stuff: and all of you who come to the corner. Lemonade out.
Another happy Friday with another of the good friends of the blog. John is such an accomplished and warm human being, it is hard not to like all of his work I assume all "got" this theme as soon as the word "Roman" appeared so often. While there are countless words which include the letters which are also the Roman numerals, John limited his selection to the V and the X, with the perfect reveal. My first thought when I saw 1 Across was that all three letters were Roman numerals. You don't see three letter theme fill often but this all worked for me, with no words longer than 8 letters. Your thoughts on this work are appreciated. Off we go....
1A. Roman jet? : DC X. (3) The DC 10 was introduced into service in 1970. This one confused me because D and C are also Roman Numerals.
23A. Roman's advice to prevent an explosion? : COUNT TO X (8). Counting to 10 was a shortcut to meditation.
39A. Roman variety store? (and a hint to 10 other puzzle answers) : V AND X (5). The 5 and 10 was
an American institution, with WOOLWORTH being the epitome.
51A. Roman Shakespearean drama? : V ACT PLAY (8). Shakespeare was dedicated to this STRUCTURE.
70A. Roman graveyard shift hour? : V AM. (3). When I used to work doubles at the rubber factory (2 PM to 6 AM) it was the last hour that was the hardest.
3D. Roman bowler's target? :X PIN (4). A CSO for Boomer!
4D. Roman musical family? : JACKSON V (8). Can you name all five?
26D. Roman bike? :X SPEED (6). Bicycles have become too complex for me. They sell some for thousands of dollars.
27D. Roman "high" request? : GIMME V (6). These days this is one of the first things parents teach their children.
40D. Roman Scrabble Q-tile, e.g.? : X POINTER (8). Ten points, and all those words that don't need a U.
57D. Roman's long golf hole? : PAR V (4). Another CSO to our golfing contingent, HG, BE, Moe and all of those I left out by accident.
Well, I am worn out just listing the 11 theme fill. So let's explore the rest.
Across:
4. Start of a rhyming Basque game: JAI. Alai. Long the fastest moving ball in SPORTS.
7. Reason to use an inhaler: ASTHMA.
13. Knock: RAP. Oh, I guess I can call it "knock" music.
14. Cry buckets: BAWL. The word had a different meaning in my youth.
15. Unexpected twist: SPRAIN. Amusing.
16. The record longest continuous ride on one is 105.57 miles: UNICYCLE. Who knew? This makes it a TRIBUTE puzzle.
18. Unlikely to ride a 16-Across well: KLUTZY. Too true.
19. Hunted Carroll critter: SNARK. More of hisIMAGINATION, beyond Alice.
33. Assistant who didn't exist in Mary Shelley's novel: IGOR. Eegore, or Eyegor?
34. Whiskey order: NEAT. A clear CSO to Tinbeni.
36. "... beneath __ blue sky": Don Henley lyric: A DEEP. Not a sea but sky. LISTEN.
38. Stubborn equine: MULE.
41. Perry's creator: ERLE.
42. Dull finish: MATTE. JL is an avid and successful photographer as well a musician, ornithologist, entomologist and cruciverbalist - the modern Renaissance man.
44. F-__: STOP. Blushing?
45. A hothead has a short one: FUSE.
46. 67.5 deg.: ENE.
47. Item before a door: MAT.
49. Sack out: GO TO BED.
54. Bargain bin abbr.: IRRegular.
55. Bete __: NOIRE.
56. Immature dragonfly: NYMPH. I think of this when I see NYMPH, not THIS. What do you call a woman who is obsessed with immature dragonflies? Answer below....
8. NutraSweet competitor: SPLENDA. Both sweetener brand names - blue/yellow.
9. Have faith in: TRUST.
10. Noodle topper? : HAT. Noodle as head, not a form of pasta.
11. "Les __" : MIZ. Broadway.
12. At least one: ANY.
14. "... truth is always strange; / Stranger than fiction" poet: BYRON. From his poem, Don Juan.
"' Tis strange - but true; for truth is always strange;
Stranger than fiction; if it could be told,
How much would novels gain by the exchange!
How differently the world would men behold!"
17. "Willkommen" musical: CABARET.
21. Words on a reward poster: LOST DOG.
24. "... there's __!": Hamlet: THE RUB. Our Friday Shakespeare, but not all 5 acts.
25. Intimidating words: OR ELSE.
28. Exotic pet: IGUANA. These are neither exotic nor pets here; they roam freely unless and until a freeze. The past two winters were warm and their population has grown. They are 'affectionately' called "dem sumbitches" by an elderly neighbor woman.
29. Pre-Aztec Mexican: TOLTEC. I do not know much about this CIVILIZATION.
30. Multi-armed ocean critter: SEASTAR. We also discussed this before. LINK.
35. Bad picnic omen: ANT. Below a JL original, in his words. "This ant is on the head of an Ambush Bug who had just killed and eaten a bee. The ant is enjoying the leftovers while grooming the bug. I actually photographed the whole sequence."
37. Gets bent out of shape: DEFORMS. A pun here if you like the word.
43. Authorize: EMPOWER.
48. Dior designs: A-LINES.
50. Secret hot date: TRYST.
52. Fed. bill: T-NOTE.
53. Simple question type: YES/NO.
58. Casual greeting: HI-YA.
59. "That stinks!" : UGH.
60. Nanki-__: POO. The Mikado.
61. Bagpiper's hat: TAM. I understand the geographic connection, but I see more like...
63. Anatomical orb: EYE.
64. Apollo lander, briefly: LEM. How cool that dear JL ends with a CSO to yours truly.
Yesterday, Harper turned two and today my baby is celebrating his 29th birthday. Tonight we start the fasting for Yom Kippur, which lasts until an hour past sundown Saturday. Party time. Thank you, John and all who read. Gamar Tov. Lemonade out.
Theme: Chill! It's Labor Day! times three (like a three-day weekend).
17A. "Chill! It's Labor Day!": "SIT BACK AND RELAX!"
38A. "Chill! It's Labor Day!": "LET YOUR HAIR DOWN!"
61A. "Chill! It's Labor Day!": "DON'T LIFT A FINGER!"
Argyle here; some of us have to work. John sent us this note:
"No pics this time. How on earth did I manage to make a puzzle with no critters in it?!
Sometimes people ask, “How long does it take to make a puzzle?” I submitted another version of this in 2013 but Rich rejected one of the 15’s and it took two years for me to find a replacement. It was supposed to run last year but there was a conflict with an August puzzle that had a similar entry in an unrelated context so it got bumped to this year. So the answer is, “Sometimes, four years!”
15. Stephen King's telekinetic high schooler: CARRIE. Sissy Spacek received a nomination for Best Actress but lost to Faye Dunaway(Network).
16. Short car trip: RIDE
20. Open, as a Chablis: UNCORK. "Chill! It's Labor Day!"
21. Toy block brand: LEGO
22. NYC airport on Flushing Bay: LGA. (LaGuardia Airport)
23. Gas for signs: NEON
25. "Actually, you're right": "WELL, YES"
27. Oared: ROWED
30. More than zero: ANY
32. Trail behind: LAG
33. Señora Perón: EVA
34. River, in Mexico: RIO
35. Kick out of office, as a dictator: DEPOSE
42. Early ball game score: ONE-ONE
43. "... at the __ ball game!": song lyric: OLD
44. Speak: SAY
45. Coax (out), as a genie: RUB
46. Letters in a certain bachelor's ad: SWM. [Single White Male]
47. "Bye!": "SEE YA!"
49. Unanalyzed info: RAW DATA
52. Came home in a cloud of dust: SLID
54. Inventor Whitney: ELI
55. Hawkeyes' home: IOWA
57. Historic cold period: ICE AGE
64. "Young Frankenstein" seductress: INGA
65. Big name in little trains: LIONEL
66. Prefix with verse: UNI
67. Yappy dog, e.g.: PEST
68. Holy female fig. in a Renaissance painting: ST. MARY
69. Lumberjack's tool: AXE
Down:
1. Son of God, in a Bach cantata title: JESU. Cantata: a medium-length narrative piece of music for voices with instrumental accompaniment, typically with solos, chorus, and orchestra. Bach - Cantate BWV 41 - Jesu, nun sei gepreiset, Full Length(27:36)
2. B __ bravo: AS IN
3. Campus mil. unit: ROTC. (Reserve Officers' Training Corps)
Theme: "Cereal Boxes"- Different grains bookend each theme entry.
25A *Lids for a fancy box? : OPERA HATS. Oats. English is strange. Oats are always plural, but not other grains.
27A. *Easy order for a mixologist : WHISKEY NEAT. Wheat.
39A. *Ceremonious choreography :RITUAL DANCE. Rice. Have any of you cumin rice?
42A. *Lothario's organ : ROVING EYE. Rye.
65. *Ring leaders : BARNUM AND BAILEY. Barley.
88A. *Joe may come from one :COFFEE URN. Corn.
91A. *Moved like a crowd : MILLED ABOUT. Millet. I just mentioned to TTP yesterday that no matter how I try, my millet porridge is never as good as my grandma's.
106A. *Significant other :MAIN SQUEEZE. Maize. Isn't it the same as corn?
Reveal:
110. Deep-rooted ... and what the uncircled letters of the answers to starred clues are? : INGRAINED
John's
set is close to complete. Sorghum is unworkable, hence its absence.
It's actually gluten-free, like oats, millet, corn & rice. I never
had it, but many of the pricey liquors in China are made of Sorghum.
John
broke with the convention and started his themers in Row 4 rather than
Row 3. I'm guessing he tried Row 3 but did not like the result.
Lots of playful clues/fill, PYROMANIAC (73D. One who remembers old flames with fondness) is my favorite. It sums up John's style perfectly.
Across:
1. Hunk : GLOB. Thought of STUD.
5. Tortilla-wrapped serving : FAJITA. You won't like this if you don't like cumin.
11. Hardly a haymaker : JAB. Boxing punch.
14. Pulled up a chair : SAT
17. Whom Samwise accompanied to Rivendell : FRODO
18. Backspace key, often : ERASER
19. One who might err on the safe side? : UMP. Nailed it.
20. __ dixit: assertion without proof : IPSE
21. Add zing to : LIVEN. 29. Zing : PEP
22. Berate : RANT AT
23. "Heavens!" : GOODNESS!
30. Donizetti aria "Regnava __ silenzio" : NEL. This is clued as [First word in Dante's "Inferno"] last Sunday.
31. Bee bunch : SWARM
33. Watergate figure with a radio talk show : LIDDY. G. Gordon Liddy.
34. Exude : OOZE. It's great to see your previous avatar, Yellowrocks!
36. Learn : HEAR OF
37. Giant __, world's largest antelope : ELAND. Learning moment for me. Hello!
46. Bearded blossom : IRIS
47. G, in the key of C : SOL. Got via crosses.
48. Adjust, as a chronometer : RESET
49. Tat misreadable as WOW : MOM. Tattoo.
50. Honey : TOOTS. Chinese are quite reserved, not many "sweet" words. "Respect" trumps all.
52. Tweaks : MODIFIES
56. "Is this some kind of __?" : A JOKE
58. New England cape : ANN
59. __ chi : TAI
61. Biting : ACID
62. "Good-bye, cruel world!," in Westerns : I'M A GONER
68. Worldwide anticrime gp. : INTERPOL. Currently headed by a Chinese.
71. Rod's partner : REEL
72. Author Deighton : LEN
73. Bench press muscle : PEC
76. Ethel on "I Love Lucy" : MERTZ. So many "I Love Lucy" collectibles at the flea market.
77. Produce a steady stream of : CHURN OUT
80. Words with remember or forget : TRY TO. We also have 48. Word with debt or guilt : RIDDEN. 56. Bond or bonding follower : AGENT. Playfulness & originality!
82. Bon __: Comet rival : AMI
83. "__ the loneliest number" : ONE IS
85. "Argo" org. : CIA
87. Fine __ : ARTS
95. Crease-resistant fabric : ORLON
96. Estefan with Grammys : GLORIA
98. Consider to be : DEEM
99. Steel, e.g. : ALLOY. Not METAL.We also have 40. Metal that's pumped : IRON
101. Form opener : LINE A
102. Key preposition : O'ER. Francis Scott Key
103. Boxer with feats of Clay? : ALI. Cute.
113. Rank people? : AMATEURS. Another great clue.
114. Swab's assent : AYE SIR. Normally with two Ayes, right?
116. Blink of an eye : TRICE
117. D.C. pros : NATS
118. Cleo's undoing : ASP
119. Fix, as a pump : RE-SOLE
120. Former Midwest territorial capital : OMAHA. Another learning moment for me, Gary!
121. Is for you : ARE
122. Steely __ : DAN
123. Airborne camera holders : DRONES. Used by quite a few YouTubers.
124. Many a competition : RACE
Down:
1. Bone to pick : GRIPE
2. Fictional turn-on : LOVE POTION. Hey, this is even organic.
3. Smelly-sounding German river? : ODER. Odor.
4. Windfall : BONANZA. Great word.
5. Wild : FERAL
6. Smell __ : A RAT
7. Fugitive portrayer before Ford : JANSSEN (David). I've only seen Harrison Ford's movie.
8. Believer's suffix : IST
9. Pots, cups, etc. : TEAWARE
10. Prefix with -pod : ARTHRO. Prefix for "Joint".
11. Handled containers : JUGS
12. Every which way : AMOK
13. Fraternal initials : BPOE
14. Leadfoot : SPEED DEMON. So what's the plural for "Leadfoot"? Leadfoots or Leadfeet?
15. Syrian president : ASSAD
16. Touchy : TESTY
17. Bomb : FLOP
20. Baseball unit with distinct halves : INNING
24. Musician with a Nobel Prize : DYLAN.
Pride of Minnesota. I had a lovely walk around Lake Harriet with Andrea
Carla Michaels last week. Another Pride of Minnesota. Then another long walk with Boomer in
our favorite trail on June 30, D-Otto, followed by buying a rice bowl like this in our
local Asian store. I think I want one more. Really like the dragon at
the bottom.
26. Bread butts : HEELS
28. The Who classic : I'M FREE. Got via crosses.
32. Female in WWII : WAC. Women's Army Corps. Do you still remember Southern Belle? She was a WAC during the Korean War. She used to comment regularly.
35. Boot from power : OUST
36. Heavenly topper : HALO
37. Original sinner : EVE
38. Fired up : LIT
39. Dexter's wife in "Dexter" : RITA. Easily obtainable,
41. __ effect : DOMINO. Not RIPPLE.
43. Alternate version, in scores : OSSIA. Unknown to me. You'd think it's related to bone.
44. Farm connection : YOKE. Farm animal.
45. ER part: Abbr. : EMER
51. HBO rival : STARZ
53. Beaver's work : DAM
54. Victim of hot wings? : ICARUS. Another great clue/fill.
55. More classy : FINER
57. Delight : JOY. I linkedAmy at Costcoclip a years ago when "Call Me Maybe" was hot. Which song do you like the best?
60. Dada daddy? : ARP (Jean). Dada co-founder.
63. "Uncle" of old TV : MILTIE
64. Flagon filler : ALE. I did not know this is called "Flagon".
65. Risk : BET
66. Peptic problem : ULCER
67. Rain-__ gum : BLO
68. Apple computer : iMAC
69. Nautilus captain : NEMO
70. Like poison ivy : TRIFOLIATE. Having three leaves. Also a new word to me.
74. Shocked accusation : ET TU
75. Outlay : COST
78. Actor Pat of Batman films : HINGLE. Never heard of him.
79. NCAA's Bruins : UCLA
81. Broccoli __ : RABE
83. LBJ's antipoverty agcy. : OEO. Office of Economic Opportunity
84. "The Sound of Music" extra : NUN
86. Calculating snake? : ADDER. Amazing clue.
89. Leads, as a band : FRONTS
90. "Family Ties" mom : ELYSE
91. Ancient Roman currency minter : MONEYER. Guessable.
92. Anger : IRE
93. Go-between : LIAISON
94. Bubbler : AERATOR
97. Gecko, for one : LIZARD.
John sent me this fun picture. He said "Costa Rica's Jesus Christ
Lizard is supposed to be able to walk on water. This one failed
miserably and can’t even open a can of soda without spilling it."
99. Dryer brand : AMANA
100. Texas university in Beaumont : LAMAR
102. Fairy tale baddies : OGRES
104. Café con __ : LECHE. Not fond of putting milk in coffee or tea.
105. Thought : IDEA
107. Campus area : QUAD
108. Heavenly bear : URSA
109. "Monday Night Football" channel : ESPN
111. Shade of green : NILE
112. Hogwarts librarian __ Pince : IRMA. Gimme for Santa.
115. That thing in Tijuana : ESO
Happy Birthday to dear Tony (AnonT), who's always been so kind and caring to everyone on our blog. He's also a foodie. This picture cracks me up.
Title: What hotel are you staying at? The one where you get two rooms for the price of one!
Wow, John has made my first attempt to blog a puzzle since I have been ill a challenge. On the one hand it seems simple with a nice progression from ECONOMY-STANDARD-PREMIUM-LUXURY but there is no reveal. And then we have the four words inserted by JL. They give us Economy/Rat Pack; Standard/Hot Time; Premium/Swamp Gas and Luxury/Eye Liner. Two themes for the price of one. I do not recall ever seeing a puzzle with this duality. All with John's wonderful wit mixed in both the theme and the cluing/fill.
19A. Doppelgänger cast for a low-budget remake of "Ocean's 11"? : ECONOMYRAT PACK (14). The original from 1960 was a vehicle for the Sinatra PACK. The real remakes have not been economy. Which of the movies did you like best?
23A. Usual night in the old town? : STANDARDHOT TIME. (15). The first of two grid-spanners.
42A. Quality marsh output? : PREMIUMSWAMP GAS (15). The silliest of the theme fill.
48A. Gold dust lid cover? :LUXURYEYE LINER (14). Made me think of Elizabeth Talyor as Cleopatra.
In addition to the 58 letters dedicated to the theme, JL includes SODA POP, BUOYANT, TEEN IDOL, LEMMINGS, ROADSIDES and ART DEALER as sparkly fill. I had a great time.
Across:
1. "L'Arlésienne" composer : BIZET. Wow, not a gimme start but lots of challenging letters. LINK.
6. Nutrients in nuts : FATS.
10. Silent signal : NOD.
13. Surface : ARISE. An unexpected definition.
14. Facetious agreement : AH SO.
15. Litter pickup spot? : NAPE. Not only humans do this.
16. Parson's home : MANSE. I learned this word reading British mysteries and watching them on PBS like THIS.
17. Some shoulders : ROADSIDES. Lovely misdirection.
21. Speck in la mer : ILE. French,
22. Sweet climber : PEA. Very important in science RESEARCH. Next to....
32. Entomological case study? : COCOON. JL loves his moths and their stages of life.He was kind enough to provide this picture from his personal stash.
33. Repeated number of curls, say : REPititions. Bicep curls.
34. Bust gp. : DEA. DrugEnforcement Administration. President Nixon consolidated the anti-drug efforts. This is not the group in charge of inspecting bras.
35. Whatever : AT ALL. Used to be one of my favorite catch phrases. Now it is DK/DC.
36. Fanny pack spot : HIP. I see them more in front or back, never on me. Cute positioning with
28D. In like an old cat? : HEP. Just ask Maynard G. Krebs.
37. Backing strips : LATHS. Not to confused with LATHE. Lath 1. a thin flat strip of wood, especially one of a series forming a foundation for the plaster of a wall or the tiles of a roof, or made into a trellis or fence.
39. Liszt's "__ Préludes" : LES. Pretty easy French to fill. This COMPOSERwas very popular.
40. Fish house freebie : BIB. Usually with a drawing of a lobster.
41. Sympathize : RELATE.
46. Mayo is in it : ANO. Spanish trick Mayo = May- ANO = Year
47. Fan noise : HUM.
56. Theo van Gogh, notably : ART DEALER. A fun STORY.
57. Orange variety : NAVEL. Seedless and very haughty.
59. Couth he is not : OGRE.
60. Khartoum's waters : NILE.
61. Birds do it between thermals : GLIDE. JL also watches and films birds.
62. Place to take a dip : SEA. And the clecho, 64A. Place to take a dip? : SALSA.
63. Hits up (for) : TAPS. In beer halls you tap your friend next to the taps.
Down:
1. "Whap!" : BAM. Comic book talk.
2. "Dies __" : IRAE.
3. #30 on a table : ZINC. I keep forgetting to not put my glass on the periodic table.
4. Canadian pump name : ESSO. Esso - Exxon.
5. "People" person, perhaps : TEEN IDOL.
6. Cain was one : FARMER. Sad, as he must have been driven mad by the methane gases.
7. Cry to a mate : AHOY.
8. Ruler that doesn't work anymore : TSAR. They all retired?
9. Gender-specific beverage? : SODA POP. Cute, you can have soda pop or white wine mom.
10. Zilch : NADA.
11. Group with many barrels : OPEC.
12. Office staple : DESK. I found this tricky, looking for an office implement..
15. Bite playfully : NIP AT. Puppies! Friends?
18. Editorial override : STET.
20. Buck heroine : O-LAN. A well decorated book about the mysterious East.O-Lan is a fictional character in Pearl S. Buck's 1931 novel The Good Earth. She is a slave of the House of Hwang who gains her freedom when she marries the novel's protagonist, Wang Lung. They start a family in their small country town, and endure grueling times, including droughts, floods, and war. Wiki, Sorry about the broken link.
23. It may be under a rug : SCALP. Rug here being a toupee- nice.
24. Bag carrier : TOTER. Yes it is! 29D. Travel bag attachment : ID TAG. More travel.
30. Maestro Zubin : MEHTA. John is a most prolific pianist, explaining all the music this week. You can learn more about John going to his blog, LINK.
31. Lightens up : EASES.
36. Gender-specific pronoun : HIM. All perps.
37. Non-suicidal migrants, contrary to myth : LEMMINGS. The MYTH?
38. Heidi got high on one : ALP. My friend Heidi lived near the Devil's Millhopper no mountains..
40. Cheerful : BUOYANT. Maybe if you are a sponge....
41. Julia of film : RAUL. He died much too young. LINK.
43. "All in the Family" spin-off : MAUDE. Bea Arthur as a feminist.
44. About : IN RE.
45. Waldo forerunner? : WHERE'S? I think he is lost forever. Just words that come before Waldo.
48. Cambodia neighbor : LAOS. Both near Thailand.
49. Itch : URGE.
50. Bonus, in ads : XTRA.
51. Lamb's alias : ELIA. And a JL clecho 58D. Lamb's place : LEA. Not the writer but the baby that Mary had.
52. Sharp bark : YELP. Doggies.
53. Simba's love : NALA.
54. Far from harmless : EVIL.
55. Cabs, say : REDS. Not yellow taxis, but Cabernet wines.
Well it was fun to blog but still not 100%. 7 hospitals and 10 doctors so far this year. Glad to be back and to have a JL special was great. Lemonade out. Thank you John.
117A. Miscreant handling letters? : MAIL IN REPROBATE. Mail- in rebate. The only entry where PRO is inserted inside a word.
16D. Quality control job at a maraschino factory? : PROBING CHERRIES. Bing cherries.
42D. Feature of Charlie Brown's head? : CIRCULAR PROFILE. Circular file.
We
have total 120 theme squares in a 138-word grid. The average themage
for LAT is about 94-100. Average word count is between 142 and 144.
Doesn't look like a lot to non-pros, but it's very hard to reduce word
count on Sundays.
I mentioned before that this
addition/deletion type works best when the new word is not related to
the old word etymologically. John did just like that.
He also
intersected two long themers. And of course, John's trademark cluing
style: clue echoes, wordplay, fun & vivid clue images.
Across:
1. Worker on the floor : TILER
6. Second-rarest blood type, briefly : B NEG. Any B- or AB- on our blog?
10. Really big : VAST
14. Worked at home : UMPED. Great clue.
19. "Lordy me!" : I DO DECLARE. Never used "Lordy me!"
21. "Hamilton" accolade : OBIE. You wanted TONY?
22. "Ici on __ français" : PARLE. Speaks. Also 37D. Famille member : PERE
25. Spirits strength : PROOF. Drinks.
26. Seven Wonders lighthouse : PHAROS. Got via crosses. Could only think of Alexandria.
27. They often have runners : SLEDS. Another great clue.
28. Mite : WEE BIT
29. "Round __ virgin ... " : YON. "Silent Night".
30. "My turn" : I'M UP
33. "Guys and Dolls" composer : LOESSER (Frank)
36. Archipelago part: Abbr. : ISL (Island)
40. Marshal at Waterloo : NEY (Michel). Learned this guy from doing crosswords. HadBob Neynot been involved in the Jack Abramoff scandal, he would be a power player today and we would have had a great clue for NEY.
41. Pre-A.D. : BCE
43. "So long" : SEE YA
44. Vexing : IRKING
46. Ballerina Shearer : MOIRA
48. Like some out-of-favor suffixes : FEMININE. Like ETTE. Got me.
52. Lats relatives : PECS
58. You, at one time : THEE
60. "In a __" : SEC
61. Burkini wearer, perhaps : ARAB
62. Saltimbocca herb : SAGE. Never had Saltimbocca,
63. Acquiesce : ASSENT
65. Moo __ pork : SHU. Never heard of this dish until I came to the US.
66. "'Scuse Me While __ This Guy: and Other Misheard Lyrics": Gavin Edwards book : I KISS
86. Spanish 101 word : ERES. You are.We also have 75. Spanish pronoun : ESA.
88. Gorilla, for example : GREAT APE
90. Actress __ Sue Martin : PAMELA
92. Do fair work : GET A C
95. Mule's father : ASS
96. Cabinet dept. : AGR
103. Also : TOO
104. "Probably ... " : ODDS ARE
105. River past Logroño : EBRO. Not familiar with Logroño. Northern Spain. We also have 4. River of Germany : EDER
106. Sun or moon : ORB
109. Obliterate : EFFACE. I've only used "self-effacing".
111. Outfit again : RE-RIG
114. Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto : ALOMAR. When I first came here (2001), he was with the Indians. So was CC Sabathia.
116. "If I Were __ Man" : A RICH
121. Fracas : MELEE
122. Chow : EATS
123. Overhear : LISTEN IN ON. Have you used a bug detector, Anon- TTP?
124. Ranked tournament players : SEEDS
125. "Let's Get It On" singer : GAYE
126. Many 99-cent purchases : APPS. Might stump those who are not into tablets/smartphones.
127. Stretch : STINT
Down:
1. Unstable : TIPPY
2. Snake state : IDAHO
3. New England touchdown site : LOGAN. Not Gillette Stadium.
5. "The Bathers" artist : RENOIR. Saw it at Musée d'Orsay.
6. Short lunch order? : BLT
7. Midday refresher : NAP. Not TEA.
8. Writes ths clue, say : ERRS. Self-referential.
9. Rock sci. : GEOL. Field of Misty's husband.
10. __ doll : VOODOO
11. One overstepping bounds : ABUSER. And 12. Seriously overstepped bounds : SIN
13. Brother of Jack and Bobby : TED. The Kennedys.
14. What may be stiff when trouble arises? : UPPER LIP. Fun clue.
15. Farm girl : MARE. This clue makes me smile also.
17. Plaza Hotel imp : ELOISE
18. With skill : DEFTLY
20. Sagan series : COSMOS
24. Touched : FELT
28. Bandleader Lawrence : WELK
31. Sport-__ : UTE
32. Modular homes : PREFABS
34. Holder of disks : SPINE
35. More steady : SURER
38. British philosopher A.J. : AYER. No idea. Wiki says he's known for "logical positivism".
39. Sides sharing views : CAMPS. Oh as in Sanders Camp/Clinton Camp.
41. Mining passage : BOREHOLE. Also a learning moment for me. I sure don't want to go in.
45. Migratory bird banding equipment : NETS. What is "banding", D-Otto?
46. Homecoming query : MISS ME?
47. "Encore!" : AGAIN
49. Lyricist Gershwin : IRA
50. Eggy quaff : NOG
51. Composer Charles : IVES
53. Hill hundred : SENATORS
55. Classic TV nerd : URKEL. "Family Matters".
56. Chou En-__ : LAI. Probably the best loved politician in China. He protected many good people from being prosecuted during Cultural Revolution.
57. Denudes : BARES
59. Fruit-ripening gas : ETHENE.
I tried to put bananas & apples in a brown bag to hasten the
ripening. Never seemed to help much. Unlike Bill G, I prefer bananas
with plenty of brown spots
64. Prim and proper : STAID
67. Revolve on an axis : SLUE
69. Lab dispenser : PIPETTE.. Another learning moment for me.
70. Prefix with meter : ODO
73. Intestinal divisions : ILEA
76. Suitable : APT
77. "Rocky IV" boxer Ivan __ : DRAGO. This stumped me last time.
82. Watched at the beach, maybe : OGLED
83. Hems in : TRAPS
84. Transparent : OPEN
85. Deck wood : TEAK
87. Osculates : SMOOCHES. Do you osculate in real life? It's a new word to me. I actually read it as "oscillate".
