Theme: TV Shows I'd Like (To those who solved Dan Naddor's "Put a Lid on It!" puzzle, please scroll down the screen).
26A: TV reality show about owners willing to do anything to sell their domiciles?: DESPERATE HOUSE WISE (Desperate Housewives)
33A: TV comedy about a guy who keeps losing his patients?: DENTIST THE MENACE (Dennis the Menace)
57A: TV drama set in a deli?: SLAW AND ORDERS (Law and Order)
65A: With 76 Across, TV game show that requires no knowledge whatsoever?: ARE YOU SMARTER THAN
76A: See 65 Across: A CHEESE GRATER (Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?)
93A: TV comedy about being in a foreclosure?: MORTGAGE AND MINDY (Mork & Mindy)
104A: TV cartoon about a guy who's poor and not much of a dresser?: SLUMDOG SQUAREPANTS (SpongeBob SquarePants)
Ah, my first Merl Reagle LAT puzzle.
Have you seen "Wordplay"? Merl is featured prominently in the movie. I learned a few months ago that his name Merl/Merle is a kind of blackbird. His syndicated puzzle appears in Dennis's Philadelphia Inquirer every Sunday. They are always punny and funny, though the humor often escapes me. He does not use computer to construct puzzle, always pencil and paper. A natural. A genius.
Unfortunately I did not have enough time to really enjoy this puzzle. Hope you liked it. Lots of clever clues. I solved and blogged Dan Naddor's "Put a Lid on It!" earlier.
Across:
1A: Type of adapter: AC/DC
5A: Kevin's Oscar-winning role" in "A Fish Called Wanda": OTTO. Have never seen this Kevin Klein movie.
18A: Dragon's abode: LAIR. I have no idea where dragon lives.
19A: Random payoff: DROP
21A: Show your face? SHAVE. Good clue.
22A: Instant: IMMEDIATE
24A: Sister of Clio: ERATO. The Poetic Muse. Clio is the History Muse.
25A: Facts-of-life course, briefly: SEX ED. I stared at SEXED for a long time.
29A: Floor or ceiling support: JOIST
42A: Bobby Darin's label until 1963: ATCO (ATlantic COporation). Now owned by Warner Music Group. I was unware of that.
43A: Volga feeder: OKA. See this map.
44A: Drink with tempura: SAKE. Japanese rice wine. Mirin is also rice wine, used in cooking.
49A: Cadets' org: ROTC
53A: Tale-with-a point guy: AESOP. All his tales have a point, a moral point.
55A: Stinking: NOISOME. New word to me. It looks noisy rather than "Stinking".
60A: Spike TV, before: TNN
64A: Added bit of news: UPDATE
69A: Cellphones started one: NEW ERA
71A: Avid and then some: RABID
72A: Timber wolf: LOBO. I've never seen a LOBO wolf before.
73A: Classic British war film, "The __ Busters": DAM. See this poster. Not a familiar film to me.
79A: Ming, for one: DYNASTY. Ming DYNASTY ruled from 1368 to 1644. It's followed by Qing, the last DYNASTY in China. In Chinese , Ming is 明, the left 日 means sun, the right 月 means moon, so literally 明 (Ming) means "shining"/"bright".
82A: Goodman's instrument: abbr.: CLAR (Clarinet)
85A: Set of values: ETHOS
89A: 4.0 is a great one: GPA.
91A: Phony alibis, e.g.: LIES. I like this clue too.
100A: Skye cap: TAM. Skye is an island in Scotland. Good clue.
103A: Fox News chief Roger: AILES. Here is a picture. I know him, but don't know how to spell his name.
111A: 1969 Hitchcock film: TOPAZ. Did you see this movie? What's it about?
112D: City E of Le Havre: ROUEN. No idea. It's to the west of Paris. Joan of Arc was burned here.
113A: They often hang around a kitchen: SAUCEPANS
118A: Last Oldmobile model: ALERO. Discontinued in 2004.
119A: Memo starter: INRE
120A: "No harm done": I'M OK
121A: Slippery arenas: RINKS
123A: Global septet: SEAS. Nice clue.
124A: Letters on a Manhattan letters: NY NY
Down:
1D: Memorable Cosell interviewee: ALI
2D: Web or min follower: CAM
3D: Soften, as lighting: DIM
4D: Payment expectors: CREDITORS
5D: Paean penners: ODISTS
6D: Sucker bet: TRAP
7D: Bag or board preceder: TOTE
8D: Met wear: OPERA HATS. Do people really wear OPERA HAT when they go to the Met?
9D: Placid: SERENE
10D: Bird's less showy mate: PEAHEN. The showy peacock and the plain PEAHEN.
11D: Intro to pi?: OCTO. Octopi, the plural of octpus. Tricky clue.
12D: Intro to art?: THOU. THOU art.
13D: Your house, e.g.: ASSET. Good clue.
14D: "Won't Get Fooled Again" group: THE WHO. Here is the clip.
15D: The quicker picker-upper: TAXI
16D: Currier's partner: IVES
20D: Gershwin's "__ Eat Cake": LET 'EM. Unknown to me. It's opened in 1933. I only know Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat the cake".
23D: One of Fred's tenants: DESI (Arnaz). From "I Love Lucy".
29D: George of the future: JETSON. No idea. Whom does George refer to here?
30D: Occasionally: ONCE IN A WHILE
34D: Matador: TORERO
35D: Bout stopper, briefly: TKO
36D: Slippery __: AS EEL. Do you know EELS are caught in pots?
37D: King or queen: CARD. Another great clue.
39D: "Let's go, sleepyheads": RISE AND SHINE
40D: Of __ (so to speak): A SORT
41D: Run out, as a policy: LAPSE
45D: Headset piece: EARPHONE
50D: Eatery with steamers: CLAM BAR. Is it New England eatery?
54D: Icelandic epic: EDDA. Literally "poetry". It inclueds the Poetic EDDA and the Prose EDDA.
56D: Uxmal residents: MAYAS. I don't know where Uxmal is. It's "an ancient ruined city in SE Mexico, in Yucatán: a center of later Mayan civilization". That pyramid looks very familiar.
59D: "You were __ a mile!": OUT BY
62D: Thief who breaks in: BURGLAR. What about those thief who does not break in?
66D: Pond plant: REED
67D: Sister in an Eastwood film: SARA
68D: Dennis of NBA fame: RODMAN. The guy with the weird hair.
69D: Fleet-related: NAVAL. Not "Ship-related"?
70D: 2006 spinach invader: E. COLI. How is diffent from salmonella?
74D: In conflict: AT ODDS
75D: "I'm not leaving till I've had __!": MY SAY
77D: Plasm preceder: ECTO. Sometimes it' clued as "Prefix for outer".
78D: New beginning: REGENESIS. I only knew GENESIS.
80D: In _ (spiraling downward): A TAILSPIN
84D: Emissions org: EPA
88D: Reloading need: AMMO
92D: "The Evangelist" of the Bible: ST. MARK
94D: Chefs' toppers: TOQUES
95D: Stickum appliers: GLUERS
96D: Hersey's bell town: ADANO. Here is the book cover of "A Bell for ADANO".
97D: Like Mr. Diesel: abbr.: GER. I don't understand this clue. Is Mr. Diesel a German? Who is he? (Note: It's Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of Diesel Engine.)
98D: Gets down on the floor?: DANCES
99D: Tick's cousin: MITE
101D: Wood-shaping tools: ADZES. ADZE can also be spelled as ADZ.
104D: Hollywood honcho: STAR
105D: City N of Stockton, Calif: LODI. Oh, it's indeed to the north of Stockton.
106D: Brush __ (study): UPON
107D: Get a grip: GRAB
108D: Play by yourself: SOLO. Verb.
109D: Unit of glass: PANE
114D: Humorist Sedaris: AMY. David Sedaris' sister. I love "Me Talk Pretty One Day".
115D: Prefix for profit: NON
116D: Blue puzzle piece, often: SKY. Jigsaw puzzle.
Answer grid.
C.C.
26A: TV reality show about owners willing to do anything to sell their domiciles?: DESPERATE HOUSE WISE (Desperate Housewives)
33A: TV comedy about a guy who keeps losing his patients?: DENTIST THE MENACE (Dennis the Menace)
57A: TV drama set in a deli?: SLAW AND ORDERS (Law and Order)
65A: With 76 Across, TV game show that requires no knowledge whatsoever?: ARE YOU SMARTER THAN
76A: See 65 Across: A CHEESE GRATER (Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?)
93A: TV comedy about being in a foreclosure?: MORTGAGE AND MINDY (Mork & Mindy)
104A: TV cartoon about a guy who's poor and not much of a dresser?: SLUMDOG SQUAREPANTS (SpongeBob SquarePants)
Ah, my first Merl Reagle LAT puzzle.
Have you seen "Wordplay"? Merl is featured prominently in the movie. I learned a few months ago that his name Merl/Merle is a kind of blackbird. His syndicated puzzle appears in Dennis's Philadelphia Inquirer every Sunday. They are always punny and funny, though the humor often escapes me. He does not use computer to construct puzzle, always pencil and paper. A natural. A genius.
Unfortunately I did not have enough time to really enjoy this puzzle. Hope you liked it. Lots of clever clues. I solved and blogged Dan Naddor's "Put a Lid on It!" earlier.
Across:
1A: Type of adapter: AC/DC
5A: Kevin's Oscar-winning role" in "A Fish Called Wanda": OTTO. Have never seen this Kevin Klein movie.
18A: Dragon's abode: LAIR. I have no idea where dragon lives.
19A: Random payoff: DROP
21A: Show your face? SHAVE. Good clue.
22A: Instant: IMMEDIATE
24A: Sister of Clio: ERATO. The Poetic Muse. Clio is the History Muse.
25A: Facts-of-life course, briefly: SEX ED. I stared at SEXED for a long time.
29A: Floor or ceiling support: JOIST
42A: Bobby Darin's label until 1963: ATCO (ATlantic COporation). Now owned by Warner Music Group. I was unware of that.
43A: Volga feeder: OKA. See this map.
44A: Drink with tempura: SAKE. Japanese rice wine. Mirin is also rice wine, used in cooking.
49A: Cadets' org: ROTC
53A: Tale-with-a point guy: AESOP. All his tales have a point, a moral point.
55A: Stinking: NOISOME. New word to me. It looks noisy rather than "Stinking".
60A: Spike TV, before: TNN
64A: Added bit of news: UPDATE
69A: Cellphones started one: NEW ERA
71A: Avid and then some: RABID
72A: Timber wolf: LOBO. I've never seen a LOBO wolf before.
73A: Classic British war film, "The __ Busters": DAM. See this poster. Not a familiar film to me.
79A: Ming, for one: DYNASTY. Ming DYNASTY ruled from 1368 to 1644. It's followed by Qing, the last DYNASTY in China. In Chinese , Ming is 明, the left 日 means sun, the right 月 means moon, so literally 明 (Ming) means "shining"/"bright".
82A: Goodman's instrument: abbr.: CLAR (Clarinet)
85A: Set of values: ETHOS
89A: 4.0 is a great one: GPA.
91A: Phony alibis, e.g.: LIES. I like this clue too.
100A: Skye cap: TAM. Skye is an island in Scotland. Good clue.
103A: Fox News chief Roger: AILES. Here is a picture. I know him, but don't know how to spell his name.
111A: 1969 Hitchcock film: TOPAZ. Did you see this movie? What's it about?
112D: City E of Le Havre: ROUEN. No idea. It's to the west of Paris. Joan of Arc was burned here.
113A: They often hang around a kitchen: SAUCEPANS
118A: Last Oldmobile model: ALERO. Discontinued in 2004.
119A: Memo starter: INRE
120A: "No harm done": I'M OK
121A: Slippery arenas: RINKS
123A: Global septet: SEAS. Nice clue.
124A: Letters on a Manhattan letters: NY NY
Down:
1D: Memorable Cosell interviewee: ALI
2D: Web or min follower: CAM
3D: Soften, as lighting: DIM
4D: Payment expectors: CREDITORS
5D: Paean penners: ODISTS
6D: Sucker bet: TRAP
7D: Bag or board preceder: TOTE
8D: Met wear: OPERA HATS. Do people really wear OPERA HAT when they go to the Met?
9D: Placid: SERENE
10D: Bird's less showy mate: PEAHEN. The showy peacock and the plain PEAHEN.
11D: Intro to pi?: OCTO. Octopi, the plural of octpus. Tricky clue.
12D: Intro to art?: THOU. THOU art.
13D: Your house, e.g.: ASSET. Good clue.
14D: "Won't Get Fooled Again" group: THE WHO. Here is the clip.
15D: The quicker picker-upper: TAXI
16D: Currier's partner: IVES
20D: Gershwin's "__ Eat Cake": LET 'EM. Unknown to me. It's opened in 1933. I only know Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat the cake".
23D: One of Fred's tenants: DESI (Arnaz). From "I Love Lucy".
29D: George of the future: JETSON. No idea. Whom does George refer to here?
30D: Occasionally: ONCE IN A WHILE
34D: Matador: TORERO
35D: Bout stopper, briefly: TKO
36D: Slippery __: AS EEL. Do you know EELS are caught in pots?
37D: King or queen: CARD. Another great clue.
39D: "Let's go, sleepyheads": RISE AND SHINE
40D: Of __ (so to speak): A SORT
41D: Run out, as a policy: LAPSE
45D: Headset piece: EARPHONE
50D: Eatery with steamers: CLAM BAR. Is it New England eatery?
54D: Icelandic epic: EDDA. Literally "poetry". It inclueds the Poetic EDDA and the Prose EDDA.
56D: Uxmal residents: MAYAS. I don't know where Uxmal is. It's "an ancient ruined city in SE Mexico, in Yucatán: a center of later Mayan civilization". That pyramid looks very familiar.
59D: "You were __ a mile!": OUT BY
62D: Thief who breaks in: BURGLAR. What about those thief who does not break in?
66D: Pond plant: REED
67D: Sister in an Eastwood film: SARA
68D: Dennis of NBA fame: RODMAN. The guy with the weird hair.
69D: Fleet-related: NAVAL. Not "Ship-related"?
70D: 2006 spinach invader: E. COLI. How is diffent from salmonella?
74D: In conflict: AT ODDS
75D: "I'm not leaving till I've had __!": MY SAY
77D: Plasm preceder: ECTO. Sometimes it' clued as "Prefix for outer".
78D: New beginning: REGENESIS. I only knew GENESIS.
80D: In _ (spiraling downward): A TAILSPIN
84D: Emissions org: EPA
88D: Reloading need: AMMO
92D: "The Evangelist" of the Bible: ST. MARK
94D: Chefs' toppers: TOQUES
95D: Stickum appliers: GLUERS
96D: Hersey's bell town: ADANO. Here is the book cover of "A Bell for ADANO".
97D: Like Mr. Diesel: abbr.: GER. I don't understand this clue. Is Mr. Diesel a German? Who is he? (Note: It's Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of Diesel Engine.)
98D: Gets down on the floor?: DANCES
99D: Tick's cousin: MITE
101D: Wood-shaping tools: ADZES. ADZE can also be spelled as ADZ.
104D: Hollywood honcho: STAR
105D: City N of Stockton, Calif: LODI. Oh, it's indeed to the north of Stockton.
106D: Brush __ (study): UPON
107D: Get a grip: GRAB
108D: Play by yourself: SOLO. Verb.
109D: Unit of glass: PANE
114D: Humorist Sedaris: AMY. David Sedaris' sister. I love "Me Talk Pretty One Day".
115D: Prefix for profit: NON
116D: Blue puzzle piece, often: SKY. Jigsaw puzzle.
Answer grid.
C.C.
