Theme: Hybrids - Each two-word theme phrase is a hybrid of two car models from two different manufacturers.
23A. Chutzpah? (Chevy/Saturn): CAVALIER OUTLOOK. Chevy Cavalier. Saturn Outlook.
29A. Duffer's trip through Scotland? (Volkswagen/Honda): GOLF ODYSSEY. Volkswagen Golf. Honda Odyssey. Duffer is a bad golfer. Scotland is a mecca for hardcore golf nuts.
36A. Memorable forest caretaker? (Ford/Acura): RANGER LEGEND. Ford Ranger. Acura Legend.
50A. Speeding, e.g.? (Chevy/Ford): CITATION FOCUS. Chevy Citation. Ford Focus.
69A. The feel of Manhattan? (Honda/Saturn): CIVIC AURA. Honda Civic. Saturn Aura. I am not familiar with the Civic Center in Manhattan.
87A. Columbus gone wild? (Nissan/Ford): ROGUE EXPLORER. Nissan Rogue. Ford Explorer. This answer made me laugh.
100A. Beethoven's 32 for piano, say? (Hyundai/Subaru): SONATA LEGACY. Hyundai Sonata. Subaru Legacy. Wikipedia says Piano Sonata No. 32 is the last of Beethoven's piano sonatas.
108A. Feature of the queen's English? (Buick/Hyundai): REGAL ACCENT. Buick Regal. Hyundai Accent.
117A. Nice plot? (Buick/Oldsmobile): RIVIERA INTRIGUE. Buick Riviera. Oldsmobile Intrigue. "Nice" here is the French resort city (along the French Riviera).
And ACR (113A. Like any theme ans. in this puzzle). All of the 9 theme answers are placed in Acr(oss).
None of the 18 cars are real hybrids, are they? I am not a car person. Definitely could not name all the makers without the bracket hints in the clues.
Quite a unique concept, as it's the case with every Don "Hard G" Gagliardo's puzzle I've blogged. His themes are all rather bold, exploratory, distinctive and unforgettable. Think of his "Hard G", "Alfred Hitchcock" and "Money Talks" (symmetry "error" tied to the theme).
I just can't imagine the amount of work he did to give us such a NONESUCH puzzle. esp since he told me he made two different filled grids sans software, and ended up discarding those and even changing some theme answers during the process. He eventually completed the grid with the help of Crossword Compiler last fall.
How did you fare today? Did the bracket information help you ferret out certain theme answers? I did surprising well. Was bothered a bit by the unusual number of fill-in-partials, but they sure gave me toeholds in several places.
Across:
1. Bet: WAGER. A rather easy start.
6. Ancient sorcerer: MAGE. The ancient magician. Gave me trouble last time.
10. Concentration amt.: PPM (Parts Per Million). Not familiar with this chemical abbr.
13. 130-minute H.S. tests: PSATS
18. Notwithstanding: ASIDE. All kidding aside ...
19. Model: IDEAL. Nice to have "model" in the clue, given the amazing numbers of car models in the grid.
21. Altar constellation: ARA. Literally "altar" in Latin.
22. Find a new home for, as a plant: REPOT
26. Singer Bryant: ANITA. Not aware of this singer. What's her most famous song?
27. Cockney aspiration?: 'OPE (Hope). H is dropped in Cockney accent.
31. Pilot lead-in: AUTO. Autopilot.
33. Capa waver: TORERO. Capa is Spanish for "cape".
35. Donny and Marie, by birth: UTAHNS. I wanted OSMONDS. We also have UTE (49D. Salt Lake City college athlete).
39. Deck used for readings: TAROT
41. Continue until: END AT
42. Vast spice trade region of yore: ASIA. Esp India.
43. Miniseries, often: SAGA. True.
44. Hebrides isle: IONA. Off Scotland's west coast.
48. Formally exit: SIGN OUT
54. Proceed tediously: PLOD. What I do with LAT Saturday puzzles.
55. Kickoff aid: TEE. Alas, no tricky wordplay for a very playable word.
57. 2000s sitcom single mom: REBA
58. Hues: TINCTS. Tinct is a verb too.
59. Ancient Egyptian deity: AMEN-RA. The hybrid god. Maybe JD can tell us the differences between Amen-Ra and Aten.
62. Bit of exercise room equipment: AB TONER. I need one.
66. Microwave brand: AMANA
71. Awards since 1949: EMMYS. Easy guess.
73. Confine, with "in": HEM
74. Choose paper over plastic?: PAY CASH. Clever clue.
76. First step toward nirvana: SATORI. Literally "sudden understanding" in Japanese/Chinese.
78. Off the beaten path: AFIELD
80. Residents: Suff.: ITES. Or ESES.
82. Singing syllables: LAS
83. Local movie venue, in Variety slang: NABE. Short for "neighborhood". New to me.
91. "No prob!": SUITS ME
93. Let slide: DROP
94. Minus: LESS. Preposition.
95. Enjoy Doritos, say: NOSH
97. Tender cockerel: CAPON. Castrated chicken.
98. Like Itt: HAIRY. The hairy cousin Itt from "The Addams Family".
103. Styx ferryman: CHARON. Styx is the river in Hades.
106. Movie set structure: FACADE
107. Mensch lead-in: UBER. Übermensch. Literally "superman" in German.
111. Dill pickler: BRINE
116. Typewriter type size: ELITE
120. Hall of Fame Vikings lineman Carl: ELLER. Gimme. Detailed coverage in our local paper every time he's found to have a substance abuse.
121. With 125-Across, words before customer: ONE. And PER (125. See 121-Across). Neat answer tie-in.
122. Radio pioneer: TESLA (Nikola)
123. Peasant's meal: GRUEL. I have rice/millet gruel for breakfast occasionally.
124. Silt deposit: LOESS
126. Metrical units: FEET. Did not fall into the trap of putting S at the end first.
127. Fresh: SASSY. Just learned this new meaning of "fresh" a few weeks ago.
Down:
1. Chisholm Trail city: WACO. Was ignorant of the Chisholm Trail.
2. "I need it fast!": ASAP
3. Basketball maneuver: GIVE AND GO. One offensive player passes the ball to another, then runs toward the basket to take a return pass. New term to me.
4. "Grandparenting in a Changing World" author LeShan: EDA. Always want her name to be Ada.
5. Empathize with: RELATE TO
6. Look: MIEN. Same root as "demeanor".
7. Fees charged to sponsors: AD RATES
8. Like some historical time scales: GEOLOGIC. Adjective of geology.
9. Mer contents: EAU
10. Italian soccer great Rossi: PAOLO. Was oblivious to this guy. Equivalent of Paul in English.
11. TA's boss: PROF
12. Speedy shark: MAKO
13. Seek divine intervention from: PRAY TO
14. Hit: SENSATION. Fresh fill.
15. Imitative: APISH
16. Count from one __: TO TEN
17. Visits: STAYS
20. Three-star rank: Abbr.: LT. GEN. (Lieutenant General). Tricky abbr.
30. "Inka Dinka Doo" composer: DURANTE (Jimmy). Here is a clip.
32. Amin subject: UGANDAN. Idi Amin.
36. Survey taker: Abbr.: RESP. Respondent I suppose.
37. Shrub yielding a blue dye: ANIL. Learned from doing Xword.
38. Dormant state: LATENCY
43. Single or separated, e.g.: STATUS. Lovely clue.
45. William of __, for whom a logical "razor" was named: OCCAM. Occam's razor, law of succinctness. The simpler, the better.
46. Screwy: NUTTY
47. Carrying team: ASSES. Was thinking of the sports team.
51. Sub, perhaps: TEACHER. Not sandwich.
52. Palindromic pop group: ABBA
53. Pottery worker: FIRER. Better than the one who axes others.
56. Red explorer?: ERIC. Eric the Red.
60. Syrup source: MAPLE
61. Is of use: AVAILS
64. Pop singer Bedingfield: NATASHA. No idea. British singer.
66. "__ Day's Night": A HARD. "A Hard Day's Night". Beatles' film.
67. "What do you take __?!": ME FOR
68. Barcelona buddy: AMIGO. Alliteration in the clue again.
70. Comparison words: IS TO
72. Coin-making: MINTAGE
75. 19th century soprano __ Patti: ADELINA. Verdi called her the greatest vocalist that he ever heard. Stranger to me also.
77. Columbus sch.: OSU. The Buckeyes.
79. River to the Tigris: EUPHRATES. First time I see this river in a puzzle. Neato!
81. Medicinal plant: SENNA
84. Shoots for dinner: ASPARAGUS. Was confounded by "shoots".
85. Ivied halls swaggerer, briefly: BMOC (Big Man On Campus). This abbr. often gives me fits, regardless of how it's clued.
86. "__ ... moe": EENY. " Eeny, meeny, miney, moe"
88. Gen-__: XER. I am one.
89. Study of Freud, etc., in a coll. catalog: PSY (Psychology)
90. Asphalt layer, perhaps: ROAD BASE
92. Mostly submerged hazards: ICEBERGS
96. Germ-free: STERILE
99. Many CBS Radio listeners: AOLERS. I don't get the clue. Why CBS Radio?
100. __-Flush: SANI. Have never heard of this toilet cleaner brand.
101. Original Crayola pack, e.g.: OCTET
102. Fontanne's theater partner: LUNT. Lunt-Fontanne Theater in Broadway.
103. Fishing trap: CREEL
105. Physically flexible: AGILE. Sam Snead could kick a 8-foot ceiling even in his 70s.
106. Abnormal temperature: FEVER
109. Field yield: CROP. Nice rhyme.
110. Theater: CINE
112. __ the finish: IN AT. What does it mean?
114. Sticks with leather tips: CUES. Pool sticks.
118. Two-minute warning giver: REF. Football.
119. George's songwriting partner: IRA. The Gershwin brothers.
Answer grid.
In LA Times #19 Crosswords my husband got for me for Christmas, there are 72 daily puzzles that appeared in LA Times from July to December 2007. The leadoff puzzle is from Don Gagliardo. Actually, he has 5. There are also a few puzzles each from our regulars Dan Naddor, Stella Daily/Bruce Venzke, Donna Levin, Jack McInturff, Doug Peterson, etc. Don suggests us to try this LA Times series (probably starting from #17) for any Dan Naddor puzzles we might have missed.
C.C.
PS: Don Gagliardo has by now had at least one puzzle published by LA Times for each day of the week. This "Hybrids" completed his "Hitting for the Cycle". Congratulations, Don!
23A. Chutzpah? (Chevy/Saturn): CAVALIER OUTLOOK. Chevy Cavalier. Saturn Outlook.
29A. Duffer's trip through Scotland? (Volkswagen/Honda): GOLF ODYSSEY. Volkswagen Golf. Honda Odyssey. Duffer is a bad golfer. Scotland is a mecca for hardcore golf nuts.
36A. Memorable forest caretaker? (Ford/Acura): RANGER LEGEND. Ford Ranger. Acura Legend.
50A. Speeding, e.g.? (Chevy/Ford): CITATION FOCUS. Chevy Citation. Ford Focus.
69A. The feel of Manhattan? (Honda/Saturn): CIVIC AURA. Honda Civic. Saturn Aura. I am not familiar with the Civic Center in Manhattan.
87A. Columbus gone wild? (Nissan/Ford): ROGUE EXPLORER. Nissan Rogue. Ford Explorer. This answer made me laugh.
100A. Beethoven's 32 for piano, say? (Hyundai/Subaru): SONATA LEGACY. Hyundai Sonata. Subaru Legacy. Wikipedia says Piano Sonata No. 32 is the last of Beethoven's piano sonatas.
108A. Feature of the queen's English? (Buick/Hyundai): REGAL ACCENT. Buick Regal. Hyundai Accent.
117A. Nice plot? (Buick/Oldsmobile): RIVIERA INTRIGUE. Buick Riviera. Oldsmobile Intrigue. "Nice" here is the French resort city (along the French Riviera).
And ACR (113A. Like any theme ans. in this puzzle). All of the 9 theme answers are placed in Acr(oss).
None of the 18 cars are real hybrids, are they? I am not a car person. Definitely could not name all the makers without the bracket hints in the clues.
Quite a unique concept, as it's the case with every Don "Hard G" Gagliardo's puzzle I've blogged. His themes are all rather bold, exploratory, distinctive and unforgettable. Think of his "Hard G", "Alfred Hitchcock" and "Money Talks" (symmetry "error" tied to the theme).
I just can't imagine the amount of work he did to give us such a NONESUCH puzzle. esp since he told me he made two different filled grids sans software, and ended up discarding those and even changing some theme answers during the process. He eventually completed the grid with the help of Crossword Compiler last fall.
How did you fare today? Did the bracket information help you ferret out certain theme answers? I did surprising well. Was bothered a bit by the unusual number of fill-in-partials, but they sure gave me toeholds in several places.
Across:
1. Bet: WAGER. A rather easy start.
6. Ancient sorcerer: MAGE. The ancient magician. Gave me trouble last time.
10. Concentration amt.: PPM (Parts Per Million). Not familiar with this chemical abbr.
13. 130-minute H.S. tests: PSATS
18. Notwithstanding: ASIDE. All kidding aside ...
19. Model: IDEAL. Nice to have "model" in the clue, given the amazing numbers of car models in the grid.
21. Altar constellation: ARA. Literally "altar" in Latin.
22. Find a new home for, as a plant: REPOT
26. Singer Bryant: ANITA. Not aware of this singer. What's her most famous song?
27. Cockney aspiration?: 'OPE (Hope). H is dropped in Cockney accent.
31. Pilot lead-in: AUTO. Autopilot.
33. Capa waver: TORERO. Capa is Spanish for "cape".
35. Donny and Marie, by birth: UTAHNS. I wanted OSMONDS. We also have UTE (49D. Salt Lake City college athlete).
39. Deck used for readings: TAROT
41. Continue until: END AT
42. Vast spice trade region of yore: ASIA. Esp India.
43. Miniseries, often: SAGA. True.
44. Hebrides isle: IONA. Off Scotland's west coast.
48. Formally exit: SIGN OUT
54. Proceed tediously: PLOD. What I do with LAT Saturday puzzles.
55. Kickoff aid: TEE. Alas, no tricky wordplay for a very playable word.
57. 2000s sitcom single mom: REBA
58. Hues: TINCTS. Tinct is a verb too.
59. Ancient Egyptian deity: AMEN-RA. The hybrid god. Maybe JD can tell us the differences between Amen-Ra and Aten.
62. Bit of exercise room equipment: AB TONER. I need one.
66. Microwave brand: AMANA
71. Awards since 1949: EMMYS. Easy guess.
73. Confine, with "in": HEM
74. Choose paper over plastic?: PAY CASH. Clever clue.
76. First step toward nirvana: SATORI. Literally "sudden understanding" in Japanese/Chinese.
78. Off the beaten path: AFIELD
80. Residents: Suff.: ITES. Or ESES.
82. Singing syllables: LAS
83. Local movie venue, in Variety slang: NABE. Short for "neighborhood". New to me.
91. "No prob!": SUITS ME
93. Let slide: DROP
94. Minus: LESS. Preposition.
95. Enjoy Doritos, say: NOSH
97. Tender cockerel: CAPON. Castrated chicken.
98. Like Itt: HAIRY. The hairy cousin Itt from "The Addams Family".
103. Styx ferryman: CHARON. Styx is the river in Hades.
106. Movie set structure: FACADE
107. Mensch lead-in: UBER. Übermensch. Literally "superman" in German.
111. Dill pickler: BRINE
116. Typewriter type size: ELITE
120. Hall of Fame Vikings lineman Carl: ELLER. Gimme. Detailed coverage in our local paper every time he's found to have a substance abuse.
121. With 125-Across, words before customer: ONE. And PER (125. See 121-Across). Neat answer tie-in.
122. Radio pioneer: TESLA (Nikola)
123. Peasant's meal: GRUEL. I have rice/millet gruel for breakfast occasionally.
124. Silt deposit: LOESS
126. Metrical units: FEET. Did not fall into the trap of putting S at the end first.
127. Fresh: SASSY. Just learned this new meaning of "fresh" a few weeks ago.
Down:
1. Chisholm Trail city: WACO. Was ignorant of the Chisholm Trail.
2. "I need it fast!": ASAP
3. Basketball maneuver: GIVE AND GO. One offensive player passes the ball to another, then runs toward the basket to take a return pass. New term to me.
4. "Grandparenting in a Changing World" author LeShan: EDA. Always want her name to be Ada.
5. Empathize with: RELATE TO
6. Look: MIEN. Same root as "demeanor".
7. Fees charged to sponsors: AD RATES
8. Like some historical time scales: GEOLOGIC. Adjective of geology.
9. Mer contents: EAU
10. Italian soccer great Rossi: PAOLO. Was oblivious to this guy. Equivalent of Paul in English.
11. TA's boss: PROF
12. Speedy shark: MAKO
13. Seek divine intervention from: PRAY TO
14. Hit: SENSATION. Fresh fill.
15. Imitative: APISH
16. Count from one __: TO TEN
17. Visits: STAYS
20. Three-star rank: Abbr.: LT. GEN. (Lieutenant General). Tricky abbr.
30. "Inka Dinka Doo" composer: DURANTE (Jimmy). Here is a clip.
32. Amin subject: UGANDAN. Idi Amin.
36. Survey taker: Abbr.: RESP. Respondent I suppose.
37. Shrub yielding a blue dye: ANIL. Learned from doing Xword.
38. Dormant state: LATENCY
43. Single or separated, e.g.: STATUS. Lovely clue.
45. William of __, for whom a logical "razor" was named: OCCAM. Occam's razor, law of succinctness. The simpler, the better.
46. Screwy: NUTTY
47. Carrying team: ASSES. Was thinking of the sports team.
51. Sub, perhaps: TEACHER. Not sandwich.
52. Palindromic pop group: ABBA
53. Pottery worker: FIRER. Better than the one who axes others.
56. Red explorer?: ERIC. Eric the Red.
60. Syrup source: MAPLE
61. Is of use: AVAILS
64. Pop singer Bedingfield: NATASHA. No idea. British singer.
66. "__ Day's Night": A HARD. "A Hard Day's Night". Beatles' film.
67. "What do you take __?!": ME FOR
68. Barcelona buddy: AMIGO. Alliteration in the clue again.
70. Comparison words: IS TO
72. Coin-making: MINTAGE
75. 19th century soprano __ Patti: ADELINA. Verdi called her the greatest vocalist that he ever heard. Stranger to me also.
77. Columbus sch.: OSU. The Buckeyes.
79. River to the Tigris: EUPHRATES. First time I see this river in a puzzle. Neato!
81. Medicinal plant: SENNA
84. Shoots for dinner: ASPARAGUS. Was confounded by "shoots".
85. Ivied halls swaggerer, briefly: BMOC (Big Man On Campus). This abbr. often gives me fits, regardless of how it's clued.
86. "__ ... moe": EENY. " Eeny, meeny, miney, moe"
88. Gen-__: XER. I am one.
89. Study of Freud, etc., in a coll. catalog: PSY (Psychology)
90. Asphalt layer, perhaps: ROAD BASE
92. Mostly submerged hazards: ICEBERGS
96. Germ-free: STERILE
99. Many CBS Radio listeners: AOLERS. I don't get the clue. Why CBS Radio?
100. __-Flush: SANI. Have never heard of this toilet cleaner brand.
101. Original Crayola pack, e.g.: OCTET
102. Fontanne's theater partner: LUNT. Lunt-Fontanne Theater in Broadway.
103. Fishing trap: CREEL
105. Physically flexible: AGILE. Sam Snead could kick a 8-foot ceiling even in his 70s.
106. Abnormal temperature: FEVER
109. Field yield: CROP. Nice rhyme.
110. Theater: CINE
112. __ the finish: IN AT. What does it mean?
114. Sticks with leather tips: CUES. Pool sticks.
118. Two-minute warning giver: REF. Football.
119. George's songwriting partner: IRA. The Gershwin brothers.
Answer grid.
In LA Times #19 Crosswords my husband got for me for Christmas, there are 72 daily puzzles that appeared in LA Times from July to December 2007. The leadoff puzzle is from Don Gagliardo. Actually, he has 5. There are also a few puzzles each from our regulars Dan Naddor, Stella Daily/Bruce Venzke, Donna Levin, Jack McInturff, Doug Peterson, etc. Don suggests us to try this LA Times series (probably starting from #17) for any Dan Naddor puzzles we might have missed.
C.C.
PS: Don Gagliardo has by now had at least one puzzle published by LA Times for each day of the week. This "Hybrids" completed his "Hitting for the Cycle". Congratulations, Don!
