(If your paper does not carry the puzzle we're blogging on Sundays, click here to solve on line or print out a copy.)
Theme: "Merge Ahead" - Each theme entry is a merge of two road signs.
Theme: "Merge Ahead" - Each theme entry is a merge of two road signs.
27A. "Just ignore landslide warnings" : OVERLOOK + FALLING ROCKS
42A. "Approaching Alaskan landmark" : DEAD END + BRIDGE AHEAD. This refers to the Bridge to Nowhere, right?
60A. "Sorry, you can't avoid strip mall traffic" : NO OUTLET + DETOUR
73A. "Road under construction ... still" : SLOW + MEN WORKING
88. "Napping mandatory for sleepy drivers" : REST AREA + NO STANDING
107. "Animals jaywalking, use caution" : DEER CROSSING + WRONG WAY
Only
6 theme entries, but 4 are very long. Total 104 theme squares. I find
that gridding and filling get tricky once the number exceeds 100.
But Ed is one of the best. Very smooth grid and the four corners are great. Loved the overall clues today, esp these few:
31A. Forty-niners' score : ORE.
103A. Joe for DiMaggio? : CAFFE. Look, the Rebates sign is autographed.
89D. Stock owner : RANCHER
And a few more.
Across:
1. Kerfuffles : FLAPS
6. Quaint shoppe word : OLDE
10. Former Facebook marketing director Zuckerberg : RANDI. No idea. Sister of Mark Zuckerberg.
15. Basic lessons : ABCs
19. Forum attire : TOGAE
20. Cork objections : NAEs
21. Add baubles and bangles to : ADORN. Have you heard of CC Skye? Their bracelets are all the rage nowadays.
22. West Point mascot : MULE
23. Beyond the burbs : RURAL
24. Bric-a-__ : BRAC
25. "That's it for me" : I'M OUT
26. Object of devotion : ICON
32. "__ Boot": 1981 film : DAS
33. Covenants : PACTS
34. Together : UNITED
36. Triathlete, at times : PEDALER
39. Lisbon's Vasco da __ Bridge : GAMA
40. Ga. summer hours : EDT
41. Big time : ERA
47. French actor Delon : ALAIN. He's huge in China in the late '80s.
50. Have regrets about : RUE. Poor Petraeus! Who would you like to write your biography?
51. Drop-line link : ME A. This is for regular posters: Email me your recent photo (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you want to be included in our Blog Photo archive. I'd love to "see" you.
52. Store that welcomes dogs : PETCO
53. Posies : NOSEGAYS
56. Horrifies : APPALS. Mine is always "Appall".
59. "__ Always a Woman": Billy Joel song : SHE'S
63. Work in a play : ACT
65. Fed. arson-investigating org. : ATF
66. Homer, for one : HIT. Was thinking of the "The Simpsons" DAD.
67. Change : ALTER
68. GP's gp. : AMA. Hope Bob is doing better, JD.
69. Bhutto's overthrower : ZIA. No memory of him.
72. PC port : USB (Universal Serial Bus)
76. Sugar unit : LUMP
79. Ab __: from the beginning : INITIO. Learned from doing Xwords.
81. Carousing : ON A BINGE. 105. One 81-Across, perhaps : SOT
82. Former Piston Thomas : ISIAH. He's in the Hall of Fame.
84. Green prefix : ECO
85. Mr. Nahasapeemapetilon of "The Simpsons" : APU. Indians have very long names. Same with Thais.
87. Machu Picchu dwellers : INCAS
94. Co. once led by Baryshnikov : ABT (American Ballet Theatre)
95. Gallivant : GAD
96. Play around (with) : FUTZ. Yiddish.
97. Important person to believe in : ONESELF. Quite true.
101. Wooded : SYLVAN
106. Real estate giant Webb : DEL. Another stranger to me.
112. Swinging entrance : GATE
113. Poker Flat creator : HARTE (Bret)
114. Carpe __ : DIEM
115. "Family Ties" mother : ELYSE
116. Lying over : ATOP
117. Turn inside out : EVERT
118. Old Icelandic literary work : EDDA
119. Pitch fork? : TUNER. Awesome clue. I know "Awesome" is overused.
120. Buzzers : BEES
121. Second tries : REDOS. "Try, try again" does not work in many occasions.
122. Insect repellent compound : DEET
123. Excites : SENDS
Down:
1. '60s sitcom set at Fort Courage : F TROOP. Stumped me last time.
2. Right Bank attraction : LOUVRE
3. "It's a deal" : AGREED
4. Carson followed him : PAAR (Jack)
5. Follow the bears : SELL. Stock market bears.
6. Ready to ship out : ON BOARD. Spitzboov sent me a very interesting article about a few US Navy midshipmen on board a Chinese Navy ship this summer. Unimaginable in the old days.
7. Spirited adventures : LARKS. And 9. Spirited adventure : ESCAPADE. Sexual escapade, that's a phrase I'm familiar with.
8. Unwilling to listen : DEAF
10. Transport on tracks : RAIL CAR
11. Fess up : ADMIT. Wish Petraeus's escapades were handled privately.
12. High times? : NOONS
13. It may be generic : DRUG
14. Trespass : INTRUDE
15. Parma pals : AMICI. Plural of "Amico".
16. SpongeBob SquarePants feature : BUCK TEETH
17. It might be decided by a nose : CLOSE RACE. Man oh Man (a la Jayce), that Nate Silver is truly a genius.
18. Kerry or Snowe: Abbr. : SEN. Alas, Olympia Snowe is not returning.
28. Old music halls : ODEA
29. Follower of Mary : LAMB
30. Ready for use : ON TAP
35. Carpentry grooves : DADOS. We have three carpenters on the blog: Jerome, Splynter and Marti. Avg Joe must know carpentry work also. Same as Windhover.
37. "Ta ta," to Tati : ADIEU. I know only one Tati: Jacques Tati.
38. Derby margins : LENGTHS
39. Bearded beast : GNU
40. Étienne's equal : EGAL. Étienne is English Stephen.
43. Formerly, in former times : ERST
44. Contaminated : IMPURE
45. Letter opener? : DEAR
46. Command, to the bard : HEST. Also new to me.
47. Oscar winner Paquin : ANNA. She won for "The Piano". Very passionate movie.
48. Plunder : LOOT
49. Starting from : AS OF
54. Cover of a kind : ALIBI
55. Thus far : YET
56. When an afternoon meeting might start : AT TWO
57. Hardy work : POEM. Oh, Thomas Hardy.
58. Margaret Mead's milieu : SAMOA. Alliteration all the way.
61. Old West gang family name : DALTON. The Dalton Gang. No Bond reference. OK with me, Daniel Craig is the best anyway.
62. Weena's people, in a Wells novel : ELOI. Weena is the girl in "The Time Machine".
64. Cavalry rifle : CARBINE
68. Grain bristle : AWN
69. .975 cents? : ZINC. Great clue. The remaining is copper.
70. Teri's "Young Frankenstein" role : INGA
71. Mellows, maybe : AGES. D-Otto, were you hot-tempered when you were young?
72. "Remember to look __ the stars and not down at your feet": Hawking : UP AT
73. Director Vittorio De __ : SICA. Wiki shows he directed "Two Women", which I mistakenly thought was directed by Carlo Ponti.
74. Grammar class subject : NOUN
75. Scepter wielders : KINGS
76. Turkish coins : LIRAs
77. Food label recommendation : USE-BY DATE. I tend to have problem finishing my salsas in time.
78. Bussing overseer? : MISTLETOE. Kissing bussing. Sweet clue.
80. Requirement : NEED
83. "Horrible" Viking of comics : HAGAR
85. Ministered to : ATTENDED
86. Guerra's opposite : PAZ. Paz = "Peace". Guerra = "War". Spanish. Got me.
90. Counterbalances : OFFSETS
91. Muslim mystic : SUFI
92. Humble pie eater : DOORMAT
93. Really digging : INTO
98. He played Uncle Albert in "Mary Poppins" : ED WYNN. Saw the movie long time ago. Don't remember this guy at all.
99. Like many company cars : LEASED
100. Two-time '70s Stanley Cup champs : FLYERS. Philadelphia Flyers. Dennis knows. The Saturday Stud might too.
102. Mondale and Quayle, once : VEEPS. Walter Mondale is still very active here in MN.
103. Hollowed out : CORED
104. Logical prefix : ASTRO. Astrological. Is there a prefix simply meaning "Logical"?
105. Garbo, for one : SWEDE
108. Kind of review : RAVE
109. "L'immoraliste" author : GIDE (André). No idea. He won Nobel Literature in 1947. Rather abstract cover.
110. Brings home : NETS
111. Collage application : GLUE. I read it as "College application".
112. Yakety-yak : GAB. Don't you want to gab with PK in person? Fascinating person.
Happy Veterans Day to all the veterans on the blog! "We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude...". Thank you for the sacrifice.
C.C.
