Theme: Joyous Monday - The first word of each two-word (all ten letters) theme answers are what you might be after solving this puzzle. Additionally, each "joyous" synonym contains 2- syllables, with second containing a long E sound.
17A. "Have a nice day" emoticon : SMILEY FACE. If any one has been lucky enough to have missed seeing the ubiquitous smiley face, your luck ends here.
60A. Blackbeard's flag : JOLLY ROGER. The Skull & Bones.
11D. Shakespeare's women of Windsor : MERRY WIVES. "The Merry Wives of Windsor" is a comedy and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life.
28D. Bar discount times : HAPPY HOURS. Typically, it is in the late afternoon and lasts longer than a single hour. Bars that are near mills with a third shift often have a morning happy hour.
Argyle here. Not much to say. Happy Hour is a euphemistic term and usually isn't all that joyous of a time.
Across:
1. Salty drop : TEAR
5. Game for little sluggers : T-BALL
10. Gathering clouds, to some : OMEN
14. "In that range" : OR SO
15. Elephant gone amok : ROGUE
16. Nevada gambling haven : RENO
19. Ear-to-ear expression : GRIN. Like a smiley face.
20. Not as risky : SAFER
21. Archaic "For shame!" : FIE. It's a general sound of disgust that seems to have developed independently in most languages. Online Etymology Dictionary. "Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard?" Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth.
22. Avant-__ : GARDE. French. Literally "advance guard" in a military sense; borrowed as an artistic term for "pioneers or innovators of a particular period." The advance group in any field.
23. Perry with a phenomenal success rate : MASON. Erle Stanley Gardner's fictional lawyer and crime-solver.
25. Like Tim Cratchit : TINY. The fictional character in the classic story "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.
26. Kelly, to Regis : CO-HOST
29. Feature of a bad air day : SMOG
31. Needing a diaper change : WET
34. Dump truck filler : LOADER. Clip. If you wonder what he is doing, the operator of the loader is trying to flip the material to the far side of the dump box.
35. Pull, as a water-skier : TOW
36. Home with hexagonal cells : HIVE (Bee hive.)
37. Andersen character with "new clothes" : EMPEROR. "The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two conniving weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes invisible to those unfit for their positions or incompetent. No one wants to admit that they can't see the clothes(including the Emperor) but when the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"
39. Lifelong residents : NATIVES
41. Washer or dryer: Abbr. : APPL. (appliance)
42. Frat party buy : KEG
44. Hamster or gerbil : RODENT
45. Commandment word : THY
46. Promo recording : DEMO
47. Like a top hat and tails : DRESSY
48. Sibilant boo : HISS
50. Like Satchmo's voice : RASPY. I had forgotten about this gem. Hee, he..., I mean "Ho, Ho, Ho!"
52. Leading edge of a weather system : FRONT
54. Tupperware topper : LID
55. "Gone With the Wind" family name : O'HARA
59. Gomez Addams portrayer __ Julia : RAUL. From TV's "The Addams Family". Update: Per L-714, it was John Astin on TV and Raul Julia in the movies.
62. Fairy tale villain : OGRE
63. Kukla's puppet pal : OLLIE. "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" was an early American television show using puppets and Fran was Fran Allison.
64. Period before Easter : LENT
65. Wind increase : GUST
66. Spills the beans : BLABS
67. Swirling current : EDDY
Down:
1. Pregame coin flip : TOSS
2. Witty Bombeck : ERMA
3. "__ I care!" : AS IF
4. One to look up to : ROLE MODEL
5. Take a stab at : TRY
6. Huge, at the box office : BOFFO
7. Opposed to : AGAINST
8. Time co-founder Henry : LUCE. Henry Robinson Luce (April 3, 1898 – February 28, 1967)
9. Spike or Ang : LEE. Spike Lee, African-American movie director, or Ang Lee, Oscar winning Chinese film director.
10. Broadway Phantom's instrument : ORGAN. Erik, The Phantom of the Opera.
12. Geraint's lady : ENID. Geraint is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, Enid and Geraint.
13. Poor dog's portion, in rhyme : NONE. From Mother Goose.
18. Solver's "undo" implement : ERASER
22. Date for a jazz cat : GIG
24. The 4 in "par 4" : STROKES. (golf)
25. Facing : TOWARDS
26. Golf shoe gripper : CLEAT. Argued before it should be SPIKE. (but we had SPIKE Lee)
27. Get-up-and-go : OOMPH
30. "__ Dieu!" : MON. French
32. Levels off : EVENS
33. Easily irritated : TESTY
36. Secret place : HIDEY HOLE. Where they found Saddam. Image.
38. Dream letters : REM. (rapid eye movement, when a person is dreaming.)
40. Extreme sluggishness : TORPOR
43. Greatest of the great apes : GORILLA
46. "Spring ahead" abbr. : DST. (daylight saving time)
49. Shoreline nook : INLET
51. Wing it on stage : AD LIB
52. Croaking critter : FROG
53. Pasta sauce brand : RAGU
54. Act like a couch potato : LOLL
56. Matured, as cheese : AGED
57. Rip apart : REND
58. Superficially cultured : ARTY
60. To-do list item : JOB
61. "I'd be delighted!" : YES
Answer grid.
Here are two fun pictures with funny captions from today's constructor John Lampkin. Click each one for enlargement.
Happy 80th Birthday to our blog grammar teacher Sallie!
Argyle
17A. "Have a nice day" emoticon : SMILEY FACE. If any one has been lucky enough to have missed seeing the ubiquitous smiley face, your luck ends here.
60A. Blackbeard's flag : JOLLY ROGER. The Skull & Bones.
11D. Shakespeare's women of Windsor : MERRY WIVES. "The Merry Wives of Windsor" is a comedy and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life.
28D. Bar discount times : HAPPY HOURS. Typically, it is in the late afternoon and lasts longer than a single hour. Bars that are near mills with a third shift often have a morning happy hour.
Argyle here. Not much to say. Happy Hour is a euphemistic term and usually isn't all that joyous of a time.
Across:
1. Salty drop : TEAR
5. Game for little sluggers : T-BALL
10. Gathering clouds, to some : OMEN
14. "In that range" : OR SO
15. Elephant gone amok : ROGUE
16. Nevada gambling haven : RENO
19. Ear-to-ear expression : GRIN. Like a smiley face.
20. Not as risky : SAFER
21. Archaic "For shame!" : FIE. It's a general sound of disgust that seems to have developed independently in most languages. Online Etymology Dictionary. "Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard?" Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth.
22. Avant-__ : GARDE. French. Literally "advance guard" in a military sense; borrowed as an artistic term for "pioneers or innovators of a particular period." The advance group in any field.
23. Perry with a phenomenal success rate : MASON. Erle Stanley Gardner's fictional lawyer and crime-solver.
25. Like Tim Cratchit : TINY. The fictional character in the classic story "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.
26. Kelly, to Regis : CO-HOST
29. Feature of a bad air day : SMOG
31. Needing a diaper change : WET
34. Dump truck filler : LOADER. Clip. If you wonder what he is doing, the operator of the loader is trying to flip the material to the far side of the dump box.
35. Pull, as a water-skier : TOW
36. Home with hexagonal cells : HIVE (Bee hive.)
37. Andersen character with "new clothes" : EMPEROR. "The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two conniving weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes invisible to those unfit for their positions or incompetent. No one wants to admit that they can't see the clothes(including the Emperor) but when the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"
39. Lifelong residents : NATIVES
41. Washer or dryer: Abbr. : APPL. (appliance)
42. Frat party buy : KEG
44. Hamster or gerbil : RODENT
45. Commandment word : THY
46. Promo recording : DEMO
47. Like a top hat and tails : DRESSY
48. Sibilant boo : HISS
50. Like Satchmo's voice : RASPY. I had forgotten about this gem. Hee, he..., I mean "Ho, Ho, Ho!"
52. Leading edge of a weather system : FRONT
54. Tupperware topper : LID
55. "Gone With the Wind" family name : O'HARA
59. Gomez Addams portrayer __ Julia : RAUL. From TV's "The Addams Family". Update: Per L-714, it was John Astin on TV and Raul Julia in the movies.
62. Fairy tale villain : OGRE
63. Kukla's puppet pal : OLLIE. "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" was an early American television show using puppets and Fran was Fran Allison.
64. Period before Easter : LENT
65. Wind increase : GUST
66. Spills the beans : BLABS
67. Swirling current : EDDY
Down:
1. Pregame coin flip : TOSS
2. Witty Bombeck : ERMA
3. "__ I care!" : AS IF
4. One to look up to : ROLE MODEL
5. Take a stab at : TRY
6. Huge, at the box office : BOFFO
7. Opposed to : AGAINST
8. Time co-founder Henry : LUCE. Henry Robinson Luce (April 3, 1898 – February 28, 1967)
9. Spike or Ang : LEE. Spike Lee, African-American movie director, or Ang Lee, Oscar winning Chinese film director.
10. Broadway Phantom's instrument : ORGAN. Erik, The Phantom of the Opera.
12. Geraint's lady : ENID. Geraint is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, Enid and Geraint.
13. Poor dog's portion, in rhyme : NONE. From Mother Goose.
18. Solver's "undo" implement : ERASER
22. Date for a jazz cat : GIG
24. The 4 in "par 4" : STROKES. (golf)
25. Facing : TOWARDS
26. Golf shoe gripper : CLEAT. Argued before it should be SPIKE. (but we had SPIKE Lee)
27. Get-up-and-go : OOMPH
30. "__ Dieu!" : MON. French
32. Levels off : EVENS
33. Easily irritated : TESTY
36. Secret place : HIDEY HOLE. Where they found Saddam. Image.
38. Dream letters : REM. (rapid eye movement, when a person is dreaming.)
40. Extreme sluggishness : TORPOR
43. Greatest of the great apes : GORILLA
46. "Spring ahead" abbr. : DST. (daylight saving time)
49. Shoreline nook : INLET
51. Wing it on stage : AD LIB
52. Croaking critter : FROG
53. Pasta sauce brand : RAGU
54. Act like a couch potato : LOLL
56. Matured, as cheese : AGED
57. Rip apart : REND
58. Superficially cultured : ARTY
60. To-do list item : JOB
61. "I'd be delighted!" : YES
Answer grid.
Here are two fun pictures with funny captions from today's constructor John Lampkin. Click each one for enlargement.
Happy 80th Birthday to our blog grammar teacher Sallie!
Argyle
