L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Julian Lim

Showing posts with label Julian Lim. Show all posts

Sep 18, 2014

Thursday, September 18, 2014 Julian Lim

Theme:

18-Across. "Take your time" : NICE AND EASY. I immediately thought of this.

24-Across. 1993 film loosely based on the Jamaican bobsled team : COOL RUNNINGS. I never saw the film, but who doesn't know the team?!?

46-Across. NCAA regional semifinals, familiarly : SWEET SIXTEEN. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Basketball.

55-Across. Green-skinned movie villain : WICKED WITCH. From "The Wizard of Oz."

In this puzzle, the reveal is placed smack in the middle of the grid:
37-Across. Beginning auspiciously ... like 18-, 24-, 46- and 55-Across? : OFF TO A GOOD START. The theme refers to synonyms, or slang terms, for "GOOD." NICE is easily substituted for GOOD. COOL and SWEET are relatively modern slang terms. But I was surprised to find out that WICKED as a synonym for "good" is regional to Boston! (OK, I confess - I have used the term.)

Across

1. Scavenging seabird : ERN.

4. "You gotta be kidding me!" : AW, MAN!

9. "Cast Away" star : HANKS. Other than "Wilson," his ~~basketball~~ volleyball sidekick, Tom HANKS was basically a one-man show in that movie. [Correction - thanks to Anon. @ 11:24]

14. With 12-Down, Rodin sculpture : THE. and 12-Down. See 14-Across : KISS.

"The Kiss"

15. "__ the big deal?" : WHAT'S.

16. Bustling : ABOIL.

17. Sound that may be averted by holding one's breath : HIC. Or not drinking the whole bottle...

20. Machu Picchu dweller : INCA.

22. Mashed taro, mostly : POI. The only other ingredient is water!

23. Promising words : OATHS.

27. Cry : WEEP.

28. Graphic beginning? : GEO.graphic.

29. Sass : LIP.

32. Watch carefully : GUARD.

34. Equipped : ABLE.

36. __ wave : SINE.

40. Works on, as homework : DOES.

41. Vocalist Vannelli : GINO. Never heard of him.

42. Heavy reading? : TOMES. Literally!

43. Ukr., once : SSR. Soviet Socialist Republic. Ukraine ceased to be one with the dissolution in 1991.

44. Disney World visitor's airport, on bag tags : ORL.ando.

45. Bluish hue : CYAN. RGB = 0, 255, 255.

51. Acadia National Park locale : MAINE. Gimme!

53. Word with game or room : WAR.

54. Like lingerie models : SEXY. I would have added the word "most" before "lingerie models."

58. __City: computer game : SIM.

59. Bull on a glue container : ELMER. Borden's originally made ELMER's glue. Elmer was so named because he was supposedly the mate of "Elsie" the cow, another Borden's logo.

60. Beaufort __ : SCALE. Measurement of wind force.

61. World Cup cheer : OLÉ.

62. Anoint : BLESS.

63. Celebrated 2014 sports retiree : JETER. Derek is playing his 20th (and final) season with the New York Yankees, winning many awards during his stint.

64. Site site : NET.

Down

1. Moral code : ETHIC.

2. Safari sight : RHINO.

3. Colorful candy since 1847 : NECCO WAFER. NECCO = New England Confectionary Company. Their plant in Revere, MA is unmistakeable.

4. Grass bristle : AWN.

5. Throw together : WHIP UP. I like to WHIP UP a frittata every so often, throwing together whatever I have in the 'fridg.

6. Georgia's __-Bibb County : MACON. Bibb county just merged with MACON this year, after the referendum was approved in 2012.

7. Enjoyed some home cooking : ATE IN.

8. Codebreaker's org. : NSA. National Security Agency.

9. Tried one's hand : HAD A GO.

10. Provides inside information for, say : ABETS.

11. 2014 Russell Crowe title role : NOAH. Have not seen this latest epic from director Aronofsky.

13. Foxy : SLY.

19. "You don't have to" : NO NEED.

21. They may be red : ALERTS.

25. More than modify : REDO. Would that be a "mulligan," Husker G.?

26. Dome-shaped abode : IGLOO.

29. "Love Actually" co-star : LIAM NEESON. It's all about love...actually.

30. Memo words : IN RE.

31. Chinchillas, at times : PETS.

32. "American __": Neil Gaiman novel : GODS. Hugo and Nebula award-winning fantasy novel. Anyone read it?

33. Sci-fi staples : UFOS.

34. Like acrobats : AGILE. I would have added the word "most" before "acrobats."

35. "__ appétit!" : BON.

36. Weasel kin : STOATS.

38. "It's a deal!" : AGREED.

39. Charon's river : STYX.

44. Title holders : OWNERS.

45. Group with a common bond : CIRCLE.

46. "Oliver Twist" bad guy : SIKES. Despicable "friend" of Fagan's, who beat his dog until the dog needed stitches. He got his just desserts in the end, though.

47. Double : TWICE.

48. Grabbed a stool next to : SAT AT.

49. Banishment : EXILE.

50. Queens athlete, for short : NY MET.

51. Flour producer : MILL.

52. Peak : ACME. It's always an apex/ACME dilemma for me.

55. Site site : WEB.

56. Paper with NYSE news : WSJ. New York Stock Exchange news is covered in the Wall Street Journal.

57. Part of HRH : HER. Royal Highness.

That's all for now!
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Marti's husband Allen! Hope you can take a day off working on the next door house and enjoy this special day.

Allen (Ole Miss alum) mentioned he yelled this when he was 8 years old:

Hotty Toddy
Are you ready?
Hell yea!
Damn right!
Hotty Toddy, gosh almighty,
Who the hell are we?
HEY!
Flim Flam, Bim Bam, OLE MISS GOD DAMN!

Sep 7, 2014

Sunday September 7, 2014 Julian Lim

Theme: "I Owe You One" - I O is added to each theme entry, changing spellings when needed.

23A. Outdoor dining area with no chairs? : STANDING PATIO. Standing pat.

32A. Become adept at aerobic exercise? : MASTER CARDIO. MasterCard

55A. Spanish neighborhood known for its kisses? : CHOCOLATE BARRIO. chocolate bar.

80A. Contest to win an objet d'art? : RACE FOR THE CURIO. Race for the Cure.

101A. Brit's New York signoff? : BRONX CHEERIO. Bronx cheer.

112A. TV station mascot? : STUDIO CHICKEN. Stewed chicken. Is it a southern dish? I never had it. I was wondering what a "stud chicken" is. It's Argyle, who has been using this avatar for a long time.

16D. Contact a provisions room on a shortwave? : RADIO THE PANTRY. Raid the pantry.

50D. Buyer of "Gangsta's Paradise"? : COOLIO CUSTOMER. Cool customer. Coolio wrote "Gangsta's Paradise".

So, 3 IO's are added to the end of the first word, 5 to the end of the last word. Very consistent.

I love grids where theme entries intersect. Julian is very very good at it. Luck & skill. We wouldn't see chunky corners today had Julian put all his theme entries in Across.

Aug 1, 2014

Friday, August 1, 2014, Julian Lim

Theme: Flights of fancy, or just plane pun!

White rabbit, white rabbit. In a reversal theme, the four in the language phrases are clued to make them related to air travel. The first word of each phrase can be used in the context of a scheduled flight, and what you may see if you look at the arrival/departure board at an airport. If you Google, even with quotation marks, the four phrases you see they are all common, though obviously some more easily sussed. Boarding School tipped me to the theme and it made getting the others much easier. Julian, a prolific constructor living in Singapore always gives me a work out, but this one seemed a tad easier. Not easy, just doable. In addition to two 13s and two 14s in the theme (TEMA for our Italian friends) there were some gems CASIOS, SPATES, CROATIA, DATA SET, PAY CASH, RASHERS, LOLL AROUND and my favorite TOOTSIE POP. Well, while I suck on my candy, let's get to work.

20A. Consequence of a late flight? : DELAYED EFFECT. (13). For me this was the hardest because it is such a vague, all encompassing phrase. Flight delays are less of problem now that the airlines deliberately factor them into their estimates.

33A. Where to learn how to be on time for a flight? : BOARDING SCHOOL.(14). I went to boarding school, one run after the tradition of Eton (see below).

39A. Luggage on a recently-arrived flight? : LANDED PROPERTY.(14). This TERM may be more prevalent in Singapore, but I am sure you have heard of the landed gentry and their ESTATES. (see below).

52A. Mark showing the status of a stormy-day flight? : CANCELED CHECK.(13). Remember when you used to get your canceled checks from the bank with your monthly statement? Theme complete? Check!

Across:

1. Bottom application : TALC. Cute way to start the day with a baby's bottom.

5. Crystallizes : JELLS. Are they the same? Certainly when it comes to an idea, but does the science work?

10. Hemingway sobriquet : PAPA. I get called Papa, because my beard is all white but I do not look like these guys:

14. New car feature : ODOR. You can buy the smell in a can now.

15. "Stop kidding around!" : OH YOU. I get this often.

16. Claire's younger daughter on "Modern Family" : ALEX. The smart one. CLIP. (0:23).

17. First name at Woodstock : ARLO. He gave the absolute worst performance and refused to sing even a few bars of Alice's Restaurant. Had 400,000 people angry.

18. Harold's film partner : KUMAR. The modern version.

19. "Eek!" : YIPE.

23. Outpourings : SPATES. Spate to me is even more dramatic then just an outpouring.

24. Day __ : SPA. Very popular here.

25. Narrow inlet : RIA. A word I know only from crosswords. We just do not teach geography in the US.

26. 2014 U.S. Women's Open champ : WIE. This 6' Hawaiian, Michelle, is finally harnessing her TALENT. (0:32) You may not know that her mother was a beauty queen.

29. Immature retort : IS TOO. IS NOT!

36. Premier __: wine designation : CRU.

37. Patek Philippe competitor : OMEGA. You have to watch out for Julian's trickery.

38. Ratified : OK'D. Is this a real abbreviation?

44. Stop by : END AT. Not to visit, but to cease.

45. Getting-off pt. : STN. Station.

46. Some hosps. : VAS. Veteran Administrations. Hard to comment and not get political.

47. Talking-__ (lectures) : TOS. Ah, the old parental good "talking to."

49. Privia digital pianos, e.g. : CASIOS. The FACTS.

56. Media concern : BIAS. Really? It hardly seems anyone cares about bias in the media as all sides have their slanted presentations.

58. Bellowing : AROAR. Oh my, I have not had an "A" word in months; they used to be the bane of Fridays.

59. Sport with touches : EPEE.

60. Boxer's reward : BONE. Woof woof.

61. Tool in Excel : MACRO. I know how to use macros in word perfect...

62. It's played on Broadway : ROLE.

63. Stop : QUIT.

64. Church reading : PSALM. I get confused, as the Psalms are all part of the Old Testament, how are they used in the Church?

65. Hit the __ : SPOT. For me it is that first sip of coffee.

Down:

1. Natterjacks : TOADS. No idea. A very Friday CLUE.

2. Pitcher? : AD REP. Back to my Monday references to Mad Men and Crazy People.

3. Hang out : LOLL AROUND. This required building from the perps, just not a phrase that jumped to mind.

4. Montenegro neighbor : CROATIA. The Black Mountain is a very entertaining book in the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout where he explores the characters Montenegrin background. An CSO for Tinbeni and his work.

5. Routine elements : JOKES. Really great Friday clue, as jokes are part of a comedian's routine, not part of everyday life.

6. Israeli statesman Barak : EHUD. This past prime minister of Israel perhaps is best known for his involvement in successful RAIDS. A Friday name for certain.

7. __ disease: tick-transmitted affliction : LYME. This was named after a town in Connecticut, not far from where I grew up.

8. Word with meat or sugar : LOAF. Your choice, MEAT (7:18) or SUGAR.(4:00).

9. Sees the sites : SURFS. Sights, sites word play.

10. Exchange notes : PAY CASH. Bank notes. Tricky as you fall into the school note passing trap.

11. Disembarked : ALIT.

12. Zip or drive : PEP.

13. Big name in men's grooming : AXE. This does appear in many forms in so many of my puzzles to blog.

21. Wine datum : YEAR.

22. Expansive : EPIC. Four letters but not that easy.

26. Chickens : WIMPS. I perceive wimps as even more afraid than chickens.

27. Nonreactive : INERT. The clue is often a gas. How noble.

28. Goad : EGG ON. According to Answers.com the use of egg as the verb to 'urge' as in egg on is from Old Norse eggja 'incite, encourage, urge on' - and is not related to the eggs laid by birds. Egg as a verb is recorded in print in 1200, but not until 1566 in the phrase egg on.

30. Lickable candy since 1931 : TOOTSIE POP. I bet many a tooth was lost to the impatient ones wanting the to get to the center. HISTORY.

31. "The Addams Family" adjective : OOKY. The theme SONG.(0:54). What would you rhyme with spooky?

32. Clichéd : OLD. Hmm, maybe I am only cliched now.

33. Cereal box word : BRAN.

34. Chuck Hagel's gp. : DOD. Department of Defense.

35. Enervate : SAP. The opposite of the similar sounding energize.

36. Browns, on scoreboards : CLEveland, Johnny Manziel and Lebron; and the PGA at Firestone in Akron; how much excitment can Ohio take?

40. Mining target : DATA SET. The next step in the Bif Brother world predicted. LEARN.

41. "The most private of private schools": Hugh Laurie : ETON. You need to know this four letter school in England for kings and princes and actors.

42. Copter rescue, perhaps : EVACuation.

43. Bacon units : RASHERS.

48. Rogue : SCAMP.

49. Storage medium : CD-ROM. Why are all CDs gypsies?

50. 3M sponge brand : OCELO. Actually, O-CEL-O.

51. Sport with shotguns : SKEET. I never heard of a word which was born in a CONTEST.

52. "Is it allowed?" : CAN I? I was raised to ask May I.

53. Chunks of history : ERAS.

54. "Livin' La Vida __": Ricky Martin hit : LOCA.

55. Well-manored individual? : EARL. Another fun play on words, as Downton Abbey is Lord Grantham's manor. A reference to the Landed Property above.

56. Chip flavor : BBQ.

57. Slip for chips, maybe : IOU. A chip double...When you win keep betting, when you lose quit before you lose big. Never gamble on IOU's.

Well we embark on a new month, the Bachelorette got called out, we are down to the semi-finals in AGT and the Last Comic and there are more and more original programs on TV during the summer. Well hoping you all still find time for the puzzle and the Corner. Lemonade out.

Mar 29, 2014

Saturday, Mar 29th, 2014, Julian Lim

Theme: None

Words: 64* (missing J,X,Z)

Blocks: 36

In a word, this one was 'brutal'. Period. Feels like someone used a 15a. on me.... three-fifths of the grid filled, but the NE and SE corners were still blank when I reached my personal allotted time, so I caved and turned on red-letter; still had to play the letter-at-a-time guessing game. Took the fun out of doing the puzzle, for me. I like the challenge, but if you get nothing, then you have nothing to work with. There were answers that were utterly unknown (e.g. 56a.), and others that were vague, but mostly, I just wasn't on Mr. Lim's wavelength - and he is probably the only constructor who has consistently stymied me. Chunky corners of QUAD 8's, which I think led to the very short word count(*) for today, along with a staggered triple 11-letter stack in the middle;

31a. Real time news source : TWITTER FEED - I don't "tweet"

34a. Many a Saudi : SUNNI MUSLIM

35a. Quickly cooked cut : MINUTE STEAK - started with RIB EYE, which was not working with my downs

dOwN ward ;7(

ACROSS:

1. Lunch To-Go maker : STARKIST - Stuck on "Lunchables" from Oscar Mayer for the longest time, and that didn't fit; so I took a total (but sensible, considering recent puzzles) W.A.G. at "KITH", which gave me the "K", and an 'a-ha' moment

9. Espresso feature : CREMA

14. Inherit : COME INTO

15. Boring tool : TREPAN - the pressure-on-the-brain type - not auger or drill, both too short; more on the process here - if you dare~!

16. A vacation often involves one : ROAD TRIP

17. State birds of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin : ROBINs

18. Tony Soprano, for one : ANTI-HERO

19. Navajo relative : APACHE

20. Super Smash Bros. Brawl console : Wii

21. Pole, for one : SLAV - followed up with -->

23. Party person : POL - although this is päl, as in politician

24. Building owner, often : LESSOR - I may be a new "building" owner, if all goes well this summer - my first house~!

28. Air traveler's concern : LEG ROOM - Started with "LAG TIME", but that's not jet-lag; it's the difference between lightning and thunder; primary and secondary earthquake waves, etc.

36. Seawater evaporation site : SALT PIT

37. Brand no one wants : STIGMA - branded as in labeled, not 'name-brand' or 'store-brand'

41. Time of existence : AGE - so my time of existence is 43yrs....

42. "__ chance!" : "NOT A"

45. Poppycock : ROT

46. Prevails in : WINS AT

49. Listing : AT A SLANT - I knew where this was going, but could not get past AT A TILT, which was too short

53. Ocean floor dwellers : OCTOPI - if I had a large aquarium, I'd have me an octopus

54. Payback : REQUITAL - Long "I" sound

55. Like some angels : FALLEN - Blue Öyster Cult has a song by this name

56. Slow-cooking method involving plastic bags : SOUS-VIDE - Here's the Wiki; never heard this Frawnche term for "under vacuum"; I was stuck on "Bag N' Season", and even Shake N' Bake - can you tell I'm a bachelor?

57. Circular : FLYER - ah, not ROUND

58. Not entirely : IN A SENSE - ugh, I get it, but....

DOWN:

1. Rough writer's output : SCRAWL - I've asked this before, I think; who here is LEFT-handed~!??

2. Multimetallic Canadian coin : TOONIE - tried LOONIE, so good - 86% good

3. Guarneri relatives : AMATIs - two families of luthiers

4. Insta- relative : REDI-

5. Cultural group : KITH - OK, who's the person who decided this was the word-of-the-month?

6. Words before a subject : IN RE - Latin, for "in the matter (of)"

7. Arouses : STIRS

8. One-named Tevye portrayer : TOPOL

9. Frame in a photo lab : CROP - frame as a verb here

10. 2000s sitcom set in Houston : REBA - I have seen it in syndication

11. Spenser's "The Faerie Queene," for one : EPIC POEM

12. Its arrival is often celebrated in ritual : MANHOOD - know what I got for my arrival into manhood? Acne.

13. 11th-century Benedictine philosopher : ANSELM - dredged up from the depths of my mind, only after the "----LM" appeared

15. Crosses : TRAVERSES - like an ocean

22. Pribilof Islands native : ALEUT - a W.A.G. that really helped me in the middle

25. Action movie staple : STUNT - I had BOMBS, which worked with my RIB EYE

26. Cop (to) : OWN UP - had ADMIT, worked well with my RIB EYE

27. Shepherd memorably rescued during WWI : RIN-TIN-TIN - ate my RIB EYE

29. F neighbor : G FLAT - music; the "kith" here is D sharp, E, F, G flat

30. Japanese hands-on healing practice : REIKI - there are some classes I know about in my "kith"

32. Pair with : TIE TO

33. Reg. symbols : TMs - registered TradeMarks

34. Without a peep : SILENTLY

35. Like love potions : MAGICAL

36. Shorten, in a way : SAW OFF - Like a shotgun

38. Cooking crust : GRATIN - learning moment; I thought 'au gratin' meant topped with cheese....you could say I was right, 58a-ish

39. One-celled organisms : MONADs - so tempted to go with AMEBAs, but I was too happy with STIGMA to change it

40. Truman's U.K. counterpart : ATTLEE - right name, but I spelled it with a "Y" at the end, which didn't help

43. Tibia neighbors : TARSI (tarsals in the image)

44. Used to hold food : ATE ON

47. Only : SOLE

48. Many an "SNL" performer : APER

50. Color slightly darker than electric blue : AQUA - I found one chart with both colors listed -->

51. Work (out) : SUSS - I did not "SUSS" out enough of this puzzle

52. "To travel is to __": Hans Christian Andersen : LIVE

Splynter

Jan 31, 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014, Julian Lim

Theme: Before and after

Our Singapore scribe, Julian Lim, has given us 4 grid spanning theme answers, where two phrases which share a common word are put together into a single answer. ABC, the single response is made up of both AB C and A BC. The A's are all coins (Penny, Nickel, Quarter & Dime).

Julian usually gives me fits and this was no exception, the theme jumped out at me, so that helped, but some of the hard ones were really hard. The puzzle was also heavy on initialisms. Some interesting fill like EMERITI, EXECUTE, IN A SUIT, LET'S SEE, MIXTAPE, RIP OPEN, SENECAN, STETTED and TONE LOC and some very up to date fill like DROPBOX and KINECT. The corners with their side by side 7 letter down fill gave this kind of a themeless feel for me, and I know Mr. Lim does those well. But the DAYO and TONE LOC and even ST. BEDE were very challenging; ah well let's get to it.

17A. Snap of part of one's portfolio? : PENNY STOCK PHOTO. You have Penny Stock followed Stock Photo.

32A. What a Canadian band owes annually? : NICKELBACK TAXES. Nickleback is a successful Canadian family band that makes lots of money and must pay taxes, and if they are late they will owe Back Taxes.

38A. Cheap Valentine's Day gift? : DIME-A-DOZEN ROSES. I do not think there is much left for a dime a dozen, but a dozen roses generally still does the trick.

57A. Injury sustained before the semis? : QUARTER-FINAL CUT. Did anyone watch the Australian Open Tennis with all the upsets?

Across:

1. Out of the rat race, maybe: Abbr. : RETired. A nice gentle beginning.

4. Country inflection : DRAWL.

9. Discombobulate : ADDLE. If you make it Discombobulated, it is 15 letters and a prime crossword fill.

14. Chatter's caveat : IMO. In My Opinion.

15. Family nickname : AUNTY. She is the most popular of relatives, for crosswords it seems, she is also always at reunions. The AU I guess.

16. Prized mushroom : MOREL. A real shout out to C.C. and the Corner, as along with the Loon (our blog bird) we have this as our fun phallic fungus.

20. Chocolatey, circular cereal brand : OREO O'S. Great letter combination but I have never seen this LINK.

21. Gerrymanders, say : REMAPS. No way to explain without politics, but it comes from Elbridge Thomas Gerry, the 5th Vice-president who also was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. from Marblehead, Mass.

22. Medication unit : PILL.

23. Brawl : FRAY. Comes from the same Latin stem as Friction.

25. Org. with den mothers : BSA. Boy Scouts of America.

27. Zone for DDE : ETO. European Theater of Operations.

28. Big name in 30-Across : MCAN. Thom McAn, a once leader in retail shoe sales, now just a name at Sears and K-Mart. Founded in Worcester, Mass.

30. Flats, e.g. : SHOES. Yes they did not make heels.

36. "Gun Hill Road" star Morales : ESAI. Great CW vowel name, who I know better from NYPD Blue.

37. Recover : HEAL. I meant heel.

45. Sassy ones : SNIPS. All perps.

46. Indian intern in "Dilbert" : ASOK.

47. Business card abbr. : EXTension. Mine is 11, if you call.

48. Far from draconian : LAX.

49. Smartphone downloads : APPS. 11D. Big name in cloud storage : DROPBOX. Speaking of APPS.

51. Giants lineman Chris : SNEE. His father- in-law is the coach, Tom Coughlin. Chris played his college ball at Boston College.

52. "Venerable" Eng. monk : ST. BEDE. An 8th century monk who was canonized while still alive. LINK.

55. Motion-sensitive Xbox accessory : KINECT. The Microsoft answer to the Wii.

60. Two-footer : BIPED. Cute.

61. High-muck-a-muck : MR BIG. Or a recurring character in Sex and the City.

62. Had a taco : ATE. Or you could have....

63. Makes tender, in a way : STEWS.

64. "We __ please" : AIM TO. The rest of the sign in the Men's room reads, "so please aim, too."

65. Composer Rorem : NED. Getting to be a regular.

Down:

1. Unwrap in a hurry : RIP OPEN. How to slow them down. LINK.

2. Retired professors : EMERITI. Plural of Emiritus, Latin E = "from" and meritus = "merit." Those who have earned the right to retire.

3. "Funky Cold Medina" rapper : TONE LOC. No clue. Listen? (4:28).

4. Ballpark rallying cry based on a 1950s hit : DAY O. More music; I have no idea about the ball park reference, but I do remember Harry Belafonte and this Banana Boat SONG. (3:02).

5. "Twin Peaks" actor Tamblyn : RUSS. A wonderful performer who was the lead Jet in West Side Story, the psychiatrist in the cult classic Twin Peaks and even worked with his daughter Amber in Joan of Arcadia.

6. Barbecue buttinsky : ANT.

7. Commerce gp. headed by Roberto Azevêdo : WTO. World Trade Organization.

8. Girdle material : LYCRA. A brand name for Spandex. IMAGE.

9. Letters on some faces : AM/PM. Clock faces.

10. Capital west of Dubai : DOHA. A too late shout out to our River Doc.

12. "Well, now ..." : LET'S SEE.

13. "Turn to Stone" band : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

18. Exiled Cambodian Lon __ : NOL. The palindromic despot.

19. Critical : KEY.

23. One-named Milanese model : FABIO. He was (is?) cute.

24. Protein producer : RNA.

26. Mule kin : ASS. A shout out to...oh never mind.

28. Arizona landscape features : MESAS. A shout out to our desert dwelling dears.

29. Sporting, with "in" : CLAD. Just a loincloth.

30. Desolate : STARK. Also the family name from Winterfell in Game of Thrones.

31. Symbolic ring : HALO. Trickery.

33. Put in storage : KEEP.

34. It may include a checking account : CHESS. Oh, a punny clue; last Friday's Chess themed episode of Bones was wonderful. IMO.

35. Atlantic City game : KENO. There is a great scene with Sid Caesar and Keno in what movie?

38. High-tech connection letters : DSL. Digital Subscriber Line

39. Formally attired : IN A SUIT. In the old days my daily attire, but still a nice long fill.

40. Homemade collection of songs : MIXTAPE. Lots of great movie plots around this form of musical compilation. How many of you have ever made one for a loved one?

41. Shock : ZAP.

42. Like some Lake Erie residents : SENECAN. Native American tribe.

43. Fulfill : EXECUTE. Like the game plan Denver and Seattle each hope to..... in the Super Bowl.

44. Undid a dele : STETTED. Never seen STET as a verb.

49. Fruity quencher : ADE. A nice Friday shout and the subject of a big debate at the Fiend a few days ago, as this may not be a word!

50. Prefix with frost : PERMA. A portmanteau of permanent and frost to represent under 0 degrees C. for two or more years.

51. Hit with skits and bits : SNL. Saturday Night Live.

53. Cook up : BREW. Not beer this time Tin, or is it?

54. DFW schedule data : ETDS. Estimated Time of Departures.

55. Use needles : KNIT. My youngest is dating a knitter; interesting to see a 20 something take it up.

56. "Othello" schemer : IAGO.

57. Brees and Brady: Abbr. : QBS. QuarterBacks. Our Super Bowl shout out.

58. T.G.I. time : FRIday.

59. ThinkPad maker : IBM. International Business Machine. The Apple of my childhood.

Well the puzzle, like the month went quickly. I hope you all have a Super Sunday (with Football, Downton Abbey , and BBC's Sherlock there is much going on) and we will see how Floyd Mayweather Jr. does in his $10,000,000.00 bet on Denver. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Bill G! Love your lunch & bike ride reports. Love your animal tracks.

Bill G & Grandson Jordon, Oct 18, 2012

Nov 30, 2013

Saturday, Nov 30th, 2013, Julian Lim

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,K,Q,X)

Blocks: 32

There was a point during this solve that I started thinking there might also a steady increase in the difficulty of these Saturday puzzles as the year progresses, too - I struggled last week, and there was way too much white this week, as well. But, little by slowly, by digging into the depths of my brain, and with a few crossword educated WAGs, I was able to close this one out - with one goof-up on my end. Deceptive looking grid, with paired 10's hiding inside the edges, crossing two more:

33A. Setting for the 2001 film "No Man's Land" : BOSNIAN WAR - IMDb - I have not heard of this film

42A. Inexplicable, in a way : PARANORMAL - I learned this word in my "ute" from Ghostbusters, and 'paranormal activity'

11D. Sneaker inserts : ODOR-EATERS - old commercial, I originally went with "---GELS"

12D. Short-term residence, usually : FOSTER HOME - Pretty sure we were looking for a "---HOME", but had to wait for the kind of home

27D. "Song based on a letter," per McCartney : P.S.I LOVE YOU - Also a movie

28D. Bigoted : INTOLERANT - straight up definition, and for me the hardest part of late-week puzzles; the one-word clue/answer

O N W a R D ~!

ACROSS:

1. Leafhopper relative : CICADA - Well, I was pretty sure a leafhopper was a kind of bug, and once the "C-C" appeared....

7. 2002 Man Booker Prize-winning novel : LIFE OF PI - also a movie; never heard of this prize

15. Oath : AVOWAL

16. Show of confidence : "I CAN DO IT~!" - I think I would have preferred "Shout" over 'Show'

17. Evict : REMOVE

18. Accounting concerns : NET COSTS

19. Ad infinitum? : PR BLITZ - my only goof; for some reason, a P.A. Blitz made sense (see this clip); plus, crossing the totally unknown 2D....

21. Having a dark complexion : SWARTHY

22. Clipper target : NAIL - started with HAIR - 50% right - I think I have my math right this time~!

24. "Permit Me Voyage" poet : AGEE - I like our Corner poet, Owen - and his handicapped points reminds me of "Death Race"

25. Dish prepared hot and served cold : ASPIC - dug up from the dredges

29. Ones, e.g.: Abbr. : NOs - remember when this "#" meant number???

31. Fonda's "My Darling Clementine" role : EARP

36. Like Singha beer : THAI

38. Correction : EDIT

39. Astronomical scales : LIBRA

40. Tremendous spans : EONS - Time spans

41. Olympic hurdler Jones : LOLO - her website

44. Stop wearing down? : MOLT - Har-Har~! Down, the under plumage of a bird, that is

46. Fa follower : SOL - Do, re, me, fa, SOL?, la, ti, do - why does this one get three letters? Speaking of two-letters, see below

47. "I don't care if you __ again": The Cars lyric : USE ME - from "You're All I've Got Tonight"

48. Coal container : VEIN - I tried MINE - 75% right, but in the completely wrong squares

50. Showed grief : WEPT

52. Mr. Peabody's boy : SHERMAN - before my time; Rocky & Bullwinkle

55. Conic section : ELLIPSE - I wanted PARABOLA, but it didn't fit

60. Balance sheet items : PAYABLES

62. Make less musty : AIR OUT

63. Like some decals : IRONED ON - Ah, the past tense

64. Easier to see, perhaps : NEARER

65. It's not charged : NEUTRINO - subatomic particle

66. Cakewalk : BREEZE

DOWN:

1. Kvetch : CARP - Started with CRAB - again, 75% right, but only 25% in the right squares

2. 2011 Best New Artist Grammy winner Bon __ : IVER - I think I am getting to that age where the music of today makes me feel like my father did as I was growing up, when I thought Iron Maiden was the best band ever - he preferred Dean Martin, so you can see the discrepancy - I suppose it could be worse - I could have kids that actually listen to this stuff

3. Parting aid : COMB - I liked this, but it took a moment to 'get it'

4. Taps absentee, possibly : AWOL

5. Renaissance standout : DA VINCI

6. Hal Foster's Queen of the Misty Isles : ALETA

7. Author Yutang : LIN

8. Refreshing treats : ICES

9. Islamic ruling : FATWA - another one I dredged up

10. Put behind bars : ENCAGE

13. Substance : PITH

14. Far from substantial : ITSY

20. Hummingbird attractors : ZINNIAS - went with PISTILS - can you tell I skipped Biology?

23. Like some humor : LOWBROW - according to one source, phrenologists of the late 19th century claimed that the height of one's brow was a clear indicator of intelligence

25. Genesis son : ABEL - and a slight clecho;

26. Genesis city : SODOM

30. Ball Park Franks owner : SARA LEE

32. 2011 ABC show with multiple pilots : PAN AM - subtle misdirection, as a 'pilot' of a show is the first one the producers make

34. The tallest one is nearly 16,000 feet high : ALP - If this were Jeopardy!, the response would be "What is Mont Blanc?"

35. Took off : RAN

37. Emerald __ : ISLE

43. Statistical anomaly : OUTLIER

45. Building material : TIMBER - Ha-HA~! I had LUMBER, and that's 67% right, and in the proper squares~!!!

49. Nita of early filmdom : NALDI

51. Backup : PLAN B

52. __ doctor : SPIN - I had EXPENSES at 60A, and this answer made me change it

53. Hopping game? : HARE - Game as in hunter's prey

54. __ Carrot: Crayola color : NEON - well, I can see that

56. Requiem title word : IRAE - "Dies Irae", crossword staple

57. Plant's stoma, e.g. : PORE - yeah, see 20D.

58. 1956 crisis site : SUEZ

59. French 101 word : ÊTRE

61. __-Cat : SNO

This week's discussion on M & Ms (@9:15am) reminded me of a similar game I came up with back in my bar days. I will give two letters, and I'm looking for two words that start with those letters, but having opposite meanings. Some easy ones to start;
L - R
H - C
U - D
and some maybe a little more difficult - and there's more than one answer in some cases
S - S
B - E
B - F
Have fun - let me see what you come up with

Splynter

Oct 17, 2013

Thursday, October 17, 2013 Julian Lim

Theme: "Master of None"

17A. *Victor at Little Bighorn : CHIEF CRAZY HORSE.

24A. *2006 "Survivor" setting : COOK ISLANDS.

"&"

36A. *Nursed, in a way : BOTTLE FED.

50A. *All-in-one appliance : WASHER DRYER.

And the unifier:

58. Handy person suggested by the starts of the answers to starred clues : JACK OF ALL TRADES.

Nice wide open grid, and a fun theme. In spite of my inauspicious start, I flew through in just over my typical Monday speed. Did you all find it easier than most Thursdays? With 61 theme squares, you might expect to find some iffy fill. But Julian manages to more or less avoid that minefield.

Marti reporting in, to offer my experiences with the solve.

Across:

1. Fur tycoon : ASTOR. Uh-oh. When 1-A doesn't fill automatically for me, I get a bad feeling.

6. "Due Date" co-star Galifianakis : ZACH. Uh-oh, when the second across clue doesn't fill automatically for me, I get a bad feeling.

10. Rock blasters : AMPS. Uh-oh, when the third across answer doesn't fill, I punt and go directly to the downs. Ahhh...10-D "Cookie shop enticement" - AROMA (whew!) ...and, it's off to the races!

14. Conveyed : BORNE. As in "air-borne virus."

15. Bassoon cousin : OBOE.

16. Wreak havoc in the streets : RIOT.

20. Zilch : NADA.

21. Fantasy game brute : ORC. From "Lord of the Rings" video games.

22. Latin lesson word : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.

"Latin is a language,

Dead as dead can be.

It killed off all the Romans,

And now it's killing me!"

23. New Year's ___: EVE. This is a Thursday clue? I would have gone with "Plumb in a famous bunch." (Eve Plumb, who played Jan in "The Brady Bunch.") (But then, I am devious that way!!)

28. Attacked : WENT AT.

30. November honoree : VET.eran. (Not the one in the gp. that houses strays.)

31. "I'm an idiot!" : D'OH.

32. Abs strengthener : SIT UP.

33. Leave port : SAIL.

35. Apportioning word : EACH.

39. Gp. that houses strays : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

42. Bowlers and trilbies : HATS.

"Man in a Bowler Hat" by Rene Magritte

Olly Murs in a trilby

43. Millionaire's retreat : VILLA.

47. Strudel ___ mode : ALA.

48. Jon Hamm's "Mad Men" role __ Draper : DON.

49. Vocation : METIER. Not your common everyday word, and I love the sound of it. I'm going to make it my WOTD (word of the day.) "CrossEyedDave, what is your METIER? You seem to be an entertainer at heart..."

54. Dye holder : VAT. Almost wanted "wig."

55. Classy : CHIC.

56. Fish you can smoke : EEL. Do you ever smoke it, C.C.? (I should think more people would prefer to smoke Marlboros or Winstons, than eel...) (From C.C.: I never smoked eels. I did buy my Dad a carton of Marlboro after I got my first month's salary. He did not really like them better than his cheap Chinese cigarettes.)

57. Ricky portrayer : DESI. Arnez on "I Love Lucy." Has anyone seen the Broadway play?

62. Nebraska native : OTOE.

63. Like Iago, say : EVIL.

64. Rice/Lloyd Webber musical : EVITA.

65. Trees used to make longbows : YEWS.

66. Attends to one's whistle? : WETS. One WETS one's whistle, but whets one's appetite.

67. Unreactive gas : XENON.

Down:

1. Sawyer employer : ABC NEWS. "Huck Finn" wouldn't fit.

2. "Same here!" : SO HAVE I.

3. Poseidon's staff : TRIDENT.

4. __ Day vitamins : ONE A. We more often see this clued in relation to the military draft. The partial of a vitamin brand seemed awkward.

5. Authority on a field : REF.eree.

6. Masked hero who debuted in the 1919 story "The Curse of Capistrano" : ZORRO.

7. Stunned way to be taken : ABACK.

8. Member of the fam : COZ. Short for "cousin."

9. Casual greeting : HEY. "Hey, coz!"

10. Cookie shop enticement : AROMA.

11. Ferdinand's love in "The Tempest" : MIRANDA.

12. Ph.D.'s further studies : POST DOC. Like Julian Lim.

13. Jeanne d'Arc, for one: Abbr. : STE. French abbr. for female "saint."

18. Old geezer : COOT.

19. "Come no closer!" : HALT.

24. Consiglieri's boss : CAPO. Literally, "head" in Italian.

25. Penn et al. : IVIES. Univ. of Penn. is one of the Ivy league schools.

26. Contained opening? : SELF. Self-contained, as an RV.

27. "Too noisy!" : SHH.

29. Big band instrument : TUBA. I thought of Abejo. Is your true METIER to be a musician? For our newcomers, here is a video of him playing last Christmas. I think he is just below and slightly to the left of the pink tuba. His is not as shiny, and has a front-facing bell (...his tuba, that is!!!)

33. Defensive effort : STAND.

34. Ctrl-__-Delete : ALT. It's a PC thing.

35. Correct : EDIT.

37. Superhero with a hammer : THOR.

38. Even once : EVER.

39. Chain __ : SAW.

40. Give a sop to : PLACATE.

41. Moneymaker : CASH COW.

44. Not vacant : LIVED IN. The house we bought next door has not been LIVED IN for over three years.

45. Charge for using, as an apartment : LEASE TO. We hope to fix it up quickly and LEASE TO a suitable tenant...

46. Potter or jeweler, e.g. : ARTISAN.

48. Style of a historic Miami Beach district : DECO. Art DECO is the signature architectural style of South Beach.

49. Get gooey : MELT.

51. Outdoor outings : HIKES.

52. Bright again : RELIT.

53. Argues ineffectively : YELLS. (LIKE THIS, IN AN EMAIL!!)

57. Comic Chappelle : DAVE. No clue. It was filled by perps.

58. Almond __ : JOY.

59. Select group? : FEW. "Many are called, but FEW are chosen..."

60. Roman salutation : AVE. More Latin.

61. T. __ : REX. I'll leave you with this, since there weren't very many other musical opportunities...

Til next week, amigos!
Marti

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