Theme: "Urbanagrams"- Each theme entry is a major US city and its anagram.
23A. A few bars in the West? : SAN DIEGO SONG IDEA
37A. Ticketholder's entitlement in the Southwest? : SANTA FE FAN SEAT
51A. Stage handles in the West? : SACRAMENTO ACTOR NAMES
72A. Complex papers for a pad in the West? : LOS ANGELES LONG LEASES
86A. Do stuff in the Southeast? : RALEIGH HAIR GEL
102A. Heavyweights in the Midwest? : COLUMBUS SUMO CLUB
Puzzle titles don't always reveal the gimmick easily, but this one does, though it won't help your solving much.
You can probably anagram lots of other cities, but your entries have to have enough surface sense and humor value. Otherwise, you won't tickle Rich. You cities have to be big, not EDINA.
Though only 6 entries, they're all very long and occupy a total 100 theme squares. The grid is very Bruce. Very clean & lively. And you'll always see a few entries in his puzzles.
Across:
1. Choir voice : ALTO
5. Van Gogh setting : ARLES
10. They might be hatched : PLOTS. Three consecutive gimmes in a row.
15. Jazz trumpeter Jones : THAD. This got me last time.
19. Collectible fossil : SHARK TOOTH. We don't often see long non-themer in Across. How many teeth do you think a shark has?
21. Sound : AUDIO
22. Hamburger man : HERR
25. First name in household humor : ERMA
26. "Don't __" : ASK
27. Twinkle __: Skechers brand : TOES. Guessable. Cute.
28. The palm and olive of Palmolive : OILS
29. Reason to use litmus paper : PH TEST
31. Rubber? : MASSEUR. Nice clue.
33. iPad model : MINI. And 50. Apple since 1998 : iMAC. Also 66. Jobs in the tech industry : STEVE
34. Lumber mill fixtures : RIPSAWS. One of the flea market guys here is specialized in tools. His saws go quite quickly. He always yells at his customers.
36. Gallery works : ART
40. Helps plan a job, maybe : ABETS
43. Cry of exasperation : AARGH
44. Crushed, as a test : ACED
45. Priestly garment : ALB. Learned from doing crosswords.
46. Hot : SEXY
47. Puma competitor : AVIA
48. Place to get off: Abbr. : STA
49. Horse fathers : SIRES. Not "Horse feathers".
57. Wearer of a "Y" sweatshirt : ELI. Yale Bulldogs.
58. Feathered indoor flier : DART. I was picturing fruit flies.
59. Less contaminated : PURER
60. Nabokov novel : ADA
61. Pot cover : TEA COZY. Not on my tea pot.
63. Saturn's largest moon : TITAN
64. Media holder : DVD CASE. Four consonants in a row.
68. "I'm close to winning!" game cry : UNO
69. "__ what?": "What next?" : SO NOW
70. Capsizing deterrent : KEEL
71. Frat house "H" : ETA. We also have 15. Sorority letters : THETAs
77. First of 12 popes : PIUS I
78. Ref. updated quarterly : OED. I brought a Chinese-English dictionary when I came to the US. Have not needed it for ages. Google Translate solves all my problems.
79. Dress like, for the costume party : GO AS
80. "High-__!" : FIVE
81. Mtn. stat : ALT
82. Wee : ITTY
83. Matches a bet : CALLS
85. Social conventions : MORES. Not NORMS.
90. Old Prizm maker : GEO
91. Yoga move named for a pet : CAT POSE
92. Trading post wares : FURS
93. Colonist : SETTLER
97. Summer line : IT'S HOT. We just had our first snow.
98. Extended rental? : LIMO. Another great clue.
99. Fancy cracker spread : PATE. Try the spread on Aldi's crackers.
100. Flurry : ADO
101. Actress Moreno : RITA
107. Eclipse, maybe : OMEN
108. Aardwolf relative : HYENA. Hey, are you guys relatives?
109. Daytona 500, e.g. : NASCAR RACE. Another debut.
110. Give up : CEDE
111. Test for purity : ASSAY
112. Lavished attention (on) : DOTED
113. Wasn't square with : OWED
Down:
1. Indian state bordering Bangladesh : ASSAM
2. Two-mile-high capital : LHASA. In China, we spell it La Sa. You can see the Chinese characters here. Both Shanghai and Lhasa are two-word names in Chinese.
3. Loses on purpose : TANKS
4. Chicago airport code : ORD
5. Dined at a restaurant, say : ATE OUT. In Las Vegas, many places have soy sauce on the table. Makes me so happy. My favorite.
6. "Copy that" : ROGER
7. Heads of Parliament? : LOOS
8. Sci-fi staples : ETs
9. Driving away : SHOOING
10. "Without a Trace" actor Anthony La__ : PAGLIA. His face is familiar, not the name.
11. Wilder's "The Bridge of San __ Rey" : LUIS
12. Unmatched : ODD
13. Make, as a knot : TIE
14. S.O.S, for one : SOAP PAD. I love those S.O.S. pads. They work miracles.
16. "This is our stop" : HERE WE ARE
17. Weaponry transfers : ARMS SALES. Sparkly pairs of 9's.
18. "Darn it!" : DRAT
20. Writers of bad checks : KITERS
24. Inning often not finished : NINTH. Bottom of the ninth.
30. QVC competitor : HSN
32. Mythical forest flutist : SATYR
33. Corday victim : MARAT. This was covered in our world history book also.
34. Parish head : RECTOR
35. Lead-in to bad news : I FEAR
37. Epitome of virtue : SAINT
38. Buckle or button : FASTEN. Also 56. Fleshy "buttons" : NAVELS
39. NCAA Final Four broadcaster : TBS
40. Selling point : ASSET
41. Bluesy Memphis street : BEALE
42. No longer working for The Company : EX-CIA. Notice the capitalized "The".
43. Animator Tex : AVERY
47. Online retail giant : AMAZON. I've never shopped at Walmart website. You? Their model is quite similar to Amazon's.
49. Seat at the racetrack : SADDLE
52. God, in Hebrew : ADONAI
53. Sound off : OPINE
54. Rush hour glut : AUTOS. Followed by 55. Rush hour pace : CRAWL
62. Talk a blue streak? : CUSS
63. "Ha! I was right!" : TOLD YA
64. Painter of ballerinas : DEGAS
65. Norse pantheon : AESIR. They live in Asgard.
67. Soothes : EASES
69. Boil : SEETHE
70. Round mound : KNOLL. The only one I know is that Grassy Knoll.
72. 1928 Gary Cooper romance in which a bouquet plays a vital role : LILAC TIME. Unfamiliar to me.
73. Went longer than : OUTLASTED
74. Invaders of ancient Rome : GOTHS
75. More than checks out : OGLES
76. In progress : AFOOT. And 84. Beached : AGROUND. Both solid A-words.
77. What one never is on a golf course : PAR. I was thinking you can have 1 on a par 3 or par 4 hole, if you're really lucky/good. But 1 is never a par.
82. Prankster's cry : I GOTCHA
83. Only speck of food the Grinch left in each Who's house : CRUMB
85. Shower component : METEOR. Meteor shower.
87. Flammable gas : ETHANE
88. NYSE news : IPO
89. "Let me just interject ... " : IF I MAY
90. Blow a gasket : GET MAD
93. Hooch : SAUCE
94. Old NBC legal drama : LA LAW. Also 96. Covered in court : ROBED
95. Draw forth : EDUCE
97. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC
98. Moon goddess : LUNA. Chinese Moon goddess is Chang'e, who lives in the moon. That's why we eat mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival.
99. Vocal nudge : PSST
103. Yiddish laments : OYs
104. French article : LES
105. __ Paulo : SAO
106. HUN neighbor, to the IOC : CRO (Croatia)
23A. A few bars in the West? : SAN DIEGO SONG IDEA
37A. Ticketholder's entitlement in the Southwest? : SANTA FE FAN SEAT
51A. Stage handles in the West? : SACRAMENTO ACTOR NAMES
72A. Complex papers for a pad in the West? : LOS ANGELES LONG LEASES
86A. Do stuff in the Southeast? : RALEIGH HAIR GEL
102A. Heavyweights in the Midwest? : COLUMBUS SUMO CLUB
Puzzle titles don't always reveal the gimmick easily, but this one does, though it won't help your solving much.
You can probably anagram lots of other cities, but your entries have to have enough surface sense and humor value. Otherwise, you won't tickle Rich. You cities have to be big, not EDINA.
Though only 6 entries, they're all very long and occupy a total 100 theme squares. The grid is very Bruce. Very clean & lively. And you'll always see a few entries in his puzzles.
Across:
1. Choir voice : ALTO
5. Van Gogh setting : ARLES
10. They might be hatched : PLOTS. Three consecutive gimmes in a row.
15. Jazz trumpeter Jones : THAD. This got me last time.
19. Collectible fossil : SHARK TOOTH. We don't often see long non-themer in Across. How many teeth do you think a shark has?
21. Sound : AUDIO
22. Hamburger man : HERR
25. First name in household humor : ERMA
26. "Don't __" : ASK
27. Twinkle __: Skechers brand : TOES. Guessable. Cute.
28. The palm and olive of Palmolive : OILS
29. Reason to use litmus paper : PH TEST
31. Rubber? : MASSEUR. Nice clue.
33. iPad model : MINI. And 50. Apple since 1998 : iMAC. Also 66. Jobs in the tech industry : STEVE
34. Lumber mill fixtures : RIPSAWS. One of the flea market guys here is specialized in tools. His saws go quite quickly. He always yells at his customers.
36. Gallery works : ART
40. Helps plan a job, maybe : ABETS
43. Cry of exasperation : AARGH
44. Crushed, as a test : ACED
45. Priestly garment : ALB. Learned from doing crosswords.
46. Hot : SEXY
47. Puma competitor : AVIA
48. Place to get off: Abbr. : STA
49. Horse fathers : SIRES. Not "Horse feathers".
57. Wearer of a "Y" sweatshirt : ELI. Yale Bulldogs.
58. Feathered indoor flier : DART. I was picturing fruit flies.
59. Less contaminated : PURER
60. Nabokov novel : ADA
61. Pot cover : TEA COZY. Not on my tea pot.
63. Saturn's largest moon : TITAN
64. Media holder : DVD CASE. Four consonants in a row.
68. "I'm close to winning!" game cry : UNO
69. "__ what?": "What next?" : SO NOW
70. Capsizing deterrent : KEEL
71. Frat house "H" : ETA. We also have 15. Sorority letters : THETAs
77. First of 12 popes : PIUS I
78. Ref. updated quarterly : OED. I brought a Chinese-English dictionary when I came to the US. Have not needed it for ages. Google Translate solves all my problems.
79. Dress like, for the costume party : GO AS
80. "High-__!" : FIVE
81. Mtn. stat : ALT
82. Wee : ITTY
83. Matches a bet : CALLS
85. Social conventions : MORES. Not NORMS.
90. Old Prizm maker : GEO
91. Yoga move named for a pet : CAT POSE
93. Colonist : SETTLER
97. Summer line : IT'S HOT. We just had our first snow.
98. Extended rental? : LIMO. Another great clue.
99. Fancy cracker spread : PATE. Try the spread on Aldi's crackers.
101. Actress Moreno : RITA
107. Eclipse, maybe : OMEN
108. Aardwolf relative : HYENA. Hey, are you guys relatives?
 |
| Aardwolf |
 |
| Hyena |
110. Give up : CEDE
111. Test for purity : ASSAY
112. Lavished attention (on) : DOTED
113. Wasn't square with : OWED
Down:
1. Indian state bordering Bangladesh : ASSAM
2. Two-mile-high capital : LHASA. In China, we spell it La Sa. You can see the Chinese characters here. Both Shanghai and Lhasa are two-word names in Chinese.
3. Loses on purpose : TANKS
4. Chicago airport code : ORD
5. Dined at a restaurant, say : ATE OUT. In Las Vegas, many places have soy sauce on the table. Makes me so happy. My favorite.
6. "Copy that" : ROGER
7. Heads of Parliament? : LOOS
8. Sci-fi staples : ETs
9. Driving away : SHOOING
10. "Without a Trace" actor Anthony La__ : PAGLIA. His face is familiar, not the name.
11. Wilder's "The Bridge of San __ Rey" : LUIS
12. Unmatched : ODD
13. Make, as a knot : TIE
14. S.O.S, for one : SOAP PAD. I love those S.O.S. pads. They work miracles.
16. "This is our stop" : HERE WE ARE
17. Weaponry transfers : ARMS SALES. Sparkly pairs of 9's.
18. "Darn it!" : DRAT
20. Writers of bad checks : KITERS
24. Inning often not finished : NINTH. Bottom of the ninth.
30. QVC competitor : HSN
32. Mythical forest flutist : SATYR
33. Corday victim : MARAT. This was covered in our world history book also.
34. Parish head : RECTOR
35. Lead-in to bad news : I FEAR
37. Epitome of virtue : SAINT
38. Buckle or button : FASTEN. Also 56. Fleshy "buttons" : NAVELS
39. NCAA Final Four broadcaster : TBS
40. Selling point : ASSET
41. Bluesy Memphis street : BEALE
42. No longer working for The Company : EX-CIA. Notice the capitalized "The".
43. Animator Tex : AVERY
47. Online retail giant : AMAZON. I've never shopped at Walmart website. You? Their model is quite similar to Amazon's.
49. Seat at the racetrack : SADDLE
52. God, in Hebrew : ADONAI
53. Sound off : OPINE
54. Rush hour glut : AUTOS. Followed by 55. Rush hour pace : CRAWL
62. Talk a blue streak? : CUSS
63. "Ha! I was right!" : TOLD YA
64. Painter of ballerinas : DEGAS
65. Norse pantheon : AESIR. They live in Asgard.
67. Soothes : EASES
69. Boil : SEETHE
70. Round mound : KNOLL. The only one I know is that Grassy Knoll.
72. 1928 Gary Cooper romance in which a bouquet plays a vital role : LILAC TIME. Unfamiliar to me.
73. Went longer than : OUTLASTED
74. Invaders of ancient Rome : GOTHS
75. More than checks out : OGLES
76. In progress : AFOOT. And 84. Beached : AGROUND. Both solid A-words.
77. What one never is on a golf course : PAR. I was thinking you can have 1 on a par 3 or par 4 hole, if you're really lucky/good. But 1 is never a par.
82. Prankster's cry : I GOTCHA
83. Only speck of food the Grinch left in each Who's house : CRUMB
85. Shower component : METEOR. Meteor shower.
87. Flammable gas : ETHANE
88. NYSE news : IPO
89. "Let me just interject ... " : IF I MAY
90. Blow a gasket : GET MAD
93. Hooch : SAUCE
94. Old NBC legal drama : LA LAW. Also 96. Covered in court : ROBED
95. Draw forth : EDUCE
97. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC
98. Moon goddess : LUNA. Chinese Moon goddess is Chang'e, who lives in the moon. That's why we eat mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival.
99. Vocal nudge : PSST
103. Yiddish laments : OYs
104. French article : LES
105. __ Paulo : SAO
106. HUN neighbor, to the IOC : CRO (Croatia)
C.C.
