Theme: Winning Wrestling Moves - One.., Two.., Three! and one more makes the four different types of PINS in today's puzzle.
18A. Where to get cash : ATM MACHINE. No PIN(personal identification number), no moola.
26A. Where to see splits and strikes : BOWLING ALLEY. Shout out to Boomer.
47A. Where to keep needles and thread : SEWING BASKET. And lots of straight pins.
61A. Where to find valuables : JEWELRY BOX. Yesterday's brooch is a fancy safety pin.
69A. Things associated with 18-, 26-, 47- and 61-Across : PINS
Argyle here. Maybe. I blindly down loaded a Java update and acquired a malware named Vosteran. Now I can't get a connection to the internet. Cable was out!
You notice the whole entry is the the theme answer. Our constructor used the same device in the spring. Except for a couple of words, an easy Monday.
Across:
1. Cup of joe : JAVA. And 20. Foamy brew : BEER
5. Slow-moving critter : SNAIL
10. British sports cars, for short : JAGs. 68A. __ Martin: British sports car : ASTON
14. "Woe is me!" : "ALAS!"
15. Neigh sayer : HORSE
16. Clarinet cousin : OBOE
17. Flat-topped landform : MESA
21. Korean cars : KIAs
22. Put in a chip for a hand : ANTED
23. Turn topsy-turvy : UP-END
25. Meaner than a junkyard dog : ORNERY. Great fill for a 6-letter word.
30. Sci-fi subject : ALIEN
31. Replacement grass, perhaps : SOD
32. Dollop : GOB
35. Under the weather : ILL
36. Highlander's hat : TAM
39. Part of a journey : LEG
41. Id controller : EGO
42. Young man : LAD
43. See 38-Down : TAI. 38D. With 43-Across, umbrella drink : MAI
45. La Scala production : OPERA
51. Theater district : RIALTO
54. Like San Francisco's terrain : HILLY
55. On the ocean : AT SEA
56. Leslie Caron title role : GIGI
57. Cleft site : CHIN
63. Bring on board : HIRE
64. Latin 101 word : AMAT
65. Photographer's request : SMILE
66. Sci-fi subjects : UFOs
67. IRS IDs : SSNs
Down:
1. Doorframe part : JAMB
2. On the sheltered side : ALEE
3. Bouquet holder : VASE
4. More often than not : AS A RULE
5. How Bond likes martinis : SHAKEN
6. Making mention of : NOTING
7. Warship fleets : ARMADAs
8. Beliefs: Suff. : ISMs
9. Rural area : LEA
10. "Heeeere's __!": Carson intro : JOHNNY
11. Grab __: eat : A BITE
12. One beyond hope : GONER
13. Shabby : SEEDY
19. Give a hoot : CARE
24. 20-Across serving : PINT
25. Shoppe adjective : OLDE
26. Get-out-of-jail cash : BAIL
27. Earthenware pot : OLLA
28. Out of control : WILD
29. IM chuckle : LOL
32. __ Squad: Best Buy tech support : GEEK
33. Fairy tale baddie : OGRE
34. Gravy vessel : BOAT
37. Part of Lawrence Welk's cadence : A-TWO
40. Soccer score : GOAL
44. Repress : INHIBIT
46. Inspire with a pregame pep talk, say : PSYCH UP
47. Comes down as ice pellets : SLEETS
48. And others, briefly : ET AL.
49. Male escort : GIGOLO
50. Karen who wrote as Isak Dinesen : BLIXEN
51. Indian princes : RAJAs
52. Lines on a list : ITEMS
53. Dam on the Nile : ASWAN
56. Workout centers : GYMS
58. Old record player : HI-FI
59. Remove creases from : IRON
60. Storied loch : NESS
62. Cape Town's country: Abbr. : RSA
Argyle
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Nov 24, 2014
Nov 23, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014 Patti Varol
Theme: "'Tis the Season" - Giving can precede 5 of the theme entries.
23A. Event that kicks off shopping for 119-Across : BLACK FRIDAY
39A. *Space mission team : GROUND CONTROL. Giving ground.
51A. *2003 romantic comedy with multiple story lines : LOVE ACTUALLY. Bill G's favorite movie. Giving love.
67A. *Amy Dickinson, for one : ADVICE COLUMNIST.
Giving advice. Her column "Ask Amy" appears in our Star Tribune, and I
read it often. Also like her in "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me".
86A. *Botticelli on display in the Uffizi : BIRTH OF VENUS. With "The". Giving birth.
96A. *Friends for life : BLOOD BROTHERS. Giving blood.
119. Festive time : THE HOLIDAYS
Reveal entry:
101D. Important theme for 119-Across, and a word that can be used with the starts of the answers to the starred clues : GIVING. Great placement, crossing the last theme entry.
Sweet puzzle to kick off our Thanksgiving celebrations.
This
puzzle is very clean, Patti's hallmark, no obscure abbrs. or weird
words. She's another constructor who won't dazzle you hot debut entries. Just solid entries one after another.
Across:
1. Unnerving sound on a hiking trail : RATTLE. And 66. Nile cobras : ASPS. My grandma told me to turn my shirt inside out after seeing a snake to avoid bad luck.
7. GI on the run : AWOL
11. Saturate : SOAK. I put in SATE first. Nuts.
15. Passé players, briefly : VCRs. I was thinking has-been ballplayers.
19. On __ basis : A TRIAL. A rare 6-letter partial. Rich allows it occasionally.
20. "Flashdance... What a Feeling" lyricist : CARA
21. Year in Italy : ANNO. And 49. Sicily, to Sicilians : ISOLA. And 11D. City near the Amalfi Coast : SALERNO
22. "Not so fast!" : WHOA!
25. Bygone Fords : LTDs
26. Island east of Java : BALI. There are girls who go to Bali to find love. "Eat, Pray, Love" style.
27. Low voice : BASSO
28. Polish writing : EDIT
29. Verbal shrug : MEH
30. "Desire Under the Elms" playwright : O'NEILL (Eugene)
32. Qualifying suffix : ISH
33. They're often grad students : TAs
35. "Stop" : NO MORE. And 119D. 35-Across, briefly : TMI
37. Fight (for) : VIE
38. Iron-rich cabbage : KALE. How do you normally prepare kale?
44. Tight-knit group : CLAN
47. End-of-letter letters : ENC
50. Colleague of Ruth and Sonia : ELENA
55. Folks : PARENTS
57. Less cordial : ICIER
58. Cycle beginning : TRI. So is UNI.
59. Goblet parts : STEMS
61. Art in a parlor : TAT (Tattoo)
62. Giraffe kin : OKAPI
63. Unlikely lawyer in a 1992 film title : VINNY. I bet many of you nailed it. "My Cousin Vinny".
65. "Ta ta!" : CIAO
71. Calendar list, briefly : SKED (Schedule)
74. Blowups: Abbr. : ENLS
75. Pink hue : MELON
76. Potala Palace city : LHASA. Gimme for me. Dalai Lama used to live in the Potala Palace, which sounds very romantic in Chinese.
80. Christiane Amanpour's network : CNN
81. Super Bowl XLIV MVP : BREES. I have BR??? in place, so BRADY went in first.
82. Well-chosen : APT
83. Knock for __ : A LOOP
84. Danger sign : RED FLAG
90. Michelob beer : ULTRA
91. Strength : ASSET
94. Fashion monogram : YSL. I know who this girl is just by looking at her bag and cutout shirt.
95. Start to commute? : TELE. Telecommute.
100. Carry on : WAGE. As a war.
102. Large body of eau : MER
103. Keep mum : CLAM UP. Snazzy 6-letter entry.
104. Prefix with gram : EPI
105. Big initials in nutritional supplements : GNC
108. Westernmost Texas county : EL PASO
111. "__-Tiki" : KON
112. Layered cut : SHAG. Hard to pull it off.
114. Vice __ : VERSA
116. Fertilizer ingredient : PEAT
117. Interstate H-1 locale : OAHU
121. Emilia's husband : IAGO
122. 2012 U.S. Women's Open winner Na Yeon __ : CHOI. I forgot her name completely.
K. J. Choi is more familiar. CHOI is the same as Cui in Chinese.
123. Nothing but : MERE
124. Driving force? : ENGINE. Nice clue.
125. Stylish eatery word : CHEZ. Don't you want to be in Chez Lucina's?
126. Spots for holsters : HIPS
127. Footnote word : IDEM
128. Insurance __ : AGENCY
Down:
1. Hebrew for "my master" : RABBI. ADONAI is "my Lord".
2. Map collection : ATLAS
3. Refuse : TRASH. Noun "Refuse"
4. Personal quirks : TICs
5. Sioux language featured in "Dances With Wolves" : LAKOTA
6. Seasonal worker? : ELF
7. Sharp : ACID
8. Getting one's feet wet : WADING
9. Loud speaker : ORATOR. Loud indeed.
10. Nonexpert : LAY
12. Temporarily out, in baseball lingo : ON THE DL. And 42. Coming up soon : ON TAP. Patti normally does not allow these little "On", "Up", "The" dupes.
13. Far-away connection? : AND. Far and away.
14. State that declared its independence in 2008 : KOSOVO. From Serbia.
15. "Punch buggy" in a car trip game : VW BEETLE. And 85. Skipping nothing : FROM A TO Z. Two nice 8's.
16. Indian tea : CHAI
17. Bakery purchase : ROLL
18. Put out to sea : SAIL
24. Harbor a grudge against : RESENT
29. Unlikely to speak up : MOUSY
31. Frisco squad : NINERS. Never heard my sisters-in-law call their city "Friso".
34. Novelist Waugh : ALEC
36. Work hard : MOIL. Did you try TOIL again?
38. Bit of inline skating gear : KNEE PAD
40. Massachusetts resort : CAPE ANN
41. Pays to stay : RENTS
43. Stands the test of time : LASTS. Like my Shanghai Tang skirt. I bought it in 1998. I've been wearing that pair of shoes to death too. Lovers come and go, my taste in clothes stays the same, thankfully.
44. Ad writer's award : CLIO
45. Sure bet : LOCK
46. Sports shoe with a Cantilever heel : AVIA
48. Manicurist's concern : CUTICLE. My heart sank after reading Gary's pedi venture.
52. Drought-prone : ARID
53. "Gunsmoke" star : ARNESS (James)
54. "The Mod Squad" role : LINC
56. Not yours, in Tours : A MOI
59. Work on a bust : SCULPT
60. Addressee of two New Testament epistles : TIMOTHY. Got via crosses.
63. Salad dressing ingredient : VINEGAR
64. __ Kippur : YOM
66. Player : ATHLETE
68. Designer Wang : VERA
69. "O, that way madness lies" speaker : LEAR
70. Many a Balkan : SLAV
71. Hit the dirt? : SCRUB. Great clue.
72. Funereal ring : KNELL
73. Put an __: terminate : END TO
77. Super : A-ONE
78. Focus of some searching? : SOUL. Nice clue also.
79. Basilica area : APSE
81. Grass units : BLADES
86. "Borstal Boy" author Brendan : BEHAN. Unknown to me.
87. Particular : ITEM. Not en easy clue.
88. SUNY city on Lake Ontario : OSWEGO. Famous for what?
89. Book jacket part : FLAP
92. Rock 'n' roll era dance : SOCK HOP
93. Rams' home : ST. LOUIS
97. Scarf securer : BROOCH. So pretty.
98. Acted hastily : RUSHED
99. __ of influence : SPHERE
105. Wood pattern : GRAIN
106. Timberlake's old band : NSYNC. I like Justin Timberlake. Extremely talented and down to earth.
107. Jones of song : CASEY
108. Grand-scale tale : EPIC
109. Genesis wife : LEAH. Shout out to our Chickie!
110. Leaf : PAGE
113. "Beg pardon ..." : AHEM
115. Fringe : EDGE
118. Sushi-grade tuna : AHI
120. Pasture : LEA
Indie 500 crossword tournament will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2015 in Washington D.C. The constructors are all indie crossword constructors: Andy Kravis, Evan Birnholz, Peter Broda, Neville Fogarty & Erik Agard, who made two of my favorite LAT Mondays last year. They're holding a contest for the sixth constructor spot. The payment is $500 and the deadline is January 15th, 2015. Click here for the rules and submission details. Good luck!
C.C.
Nov 22, 2014
Saturday, Nov 22nd, 2014, Brad Wilber
Theme: BW
Words: 70 (missing Q,W,X)
Blocks: 27
45a. Gig at the brig : GUARD DUTY - I was thinking Jailhouse Rock
10d. Five-time A.L. home run champ : RODRIGUEZ - oh, him
OИMVЯD~!
ACROSS:
1. Jeweler's concerns : SETTINGS
9. Coke product : FRESCA - Coca-cola, that is
18. Is wild about : ADORES
22. Toon shopkeeper : APU - The Simpsons
23. Signals one's presence, in a way : RAPS
28. Piquancy : TANG
29. Silly sorts : GEESE - "Silly Goose~!"
30. Jump back into the fray : RE-ENGAGE
32. Clingy husk : BUR - seems short a letter....
34. Flips : GOES APE
39. Almond confection : MARZIPAN
43. Engine once known as Live Search : BING - WAG
44. Abbey section : APSE - APSE~? NAVE~? wait on perps
47. Your alternative, at times : ONE'S - seen often in crossword clues
48. Taper off : EBB - ah - that's where it goes....
49. 1974 top ten hit for Carole King : JAZZ MAN - Link away~!
51. Kenyan export : TEA - had the "A", WAGed the "T-E-"
53. Green Giant morsel : NIBLET - toyed with CARROT first
55. Dietary practice : VEGANISM - it may be a practice, but I'm not in the game; I had this for dinner here at A Lure last night
57. Efface : DELETE
58. Sea along the Balkan peninsula : ADRIATIC - with the first "A", and "C" in place, this dawned on me
59. Letter closing : AS EVER
60. Buoys up : HEARTENS
DOWN:
1. Underwhelming : SO-SO
2. She played Principal McGee in "Grease" : EVE ARDEN
3. View providers : TERRACES
4. Prefix with athlete : TRI - TRIathlete
5. Right-leaning type?: Abbr. : ITALicS - see above
8. Broad view : SKYLINE
11. A BMOC may have a big one : EGO - speaking of EGOs, see above
12. Colorful cover-up : SERAPE - total WAG, total win~!
13. Brunch order : CREPES - anyone try OMELET~?
14. Guarantee : ASSURE
21. Whisking target : EGG - and, uh, see above
28. "I'm off!" : "TA-TA~!"
32. Wimbledon five-peater : BORG - Bjorn
35. Fondness : APPETITE - for Destruction? Great album cover, which was, of course, banned
37. Topeka-to-Peoria dir. : ENE - I threw in NNE
39. Bar __ : MITZVAH - this should have come easier than it did
42. Unintelligible talk : GABBLE - I had GARBLE in place; EBB fixed that
43. Sawyer of old comics : BUZ - the other "missing a letter" answer
46. "Antiques Roadshow" expert : DATER - carbon dater? Now that's an antique~!
47. Booth warning sign : ON AIR
50. Onetime capital of the Mughal Empire : AGRA - seems sensible, now that I look at it
52. Pacers and Ramblers : AMCs - nailed it - but then again, I owned a Concord Sportabout
54. Bk. of the Torah : LEV
Splynter
Words: 70 (missing Q,W,X)
Blocks: 27
Mr.
Wilber's prolific solo Saturday work is starting to rival that of Mr.
Silk~! We last had a visit from Brad in September. Lots of vagueness
on the first pass, but the Downs gave me a lot of letters to work with,
and I ended up smoking through the puzzle in about half time. Not an
intimidating grid at all, yet a block count that is only one more than
last week's. How deceiving - and just four 9-letter fills comprised the
whole of the 'long' answers;
25a. Highly visible septet : BIG DIPPER - The Big Dipper consists of these seven stars, yet part of the larger constellation Ursa Major
45a. Gig at the brig : GUARD DUTY - I was thinking Jailhouse Rock
10d. Five-time A.L. home run champ : RODRIGUEZ - oh, him
31d. Baryshnikov move : GRAND JETÉ
- Hello~! I couldn't link a male in the pose, it looked too painful;
yet this past Wednesday I played hockey, and the other goalie asked how I
could get so low - I must be almost as flexible....my buddy Bob sent me
this pic from a few years ago
OИMVЯD~!
ACROSS:
1. Jeweler's concerns : SETTINGS
9. Coke product : FRESCA - Coca-cola, that is
15. Passed : OVERTOOK - the kind of passing drivers of cars do; see 7d.
16. "Top Hat" dancer : ROGERS - Ginger - because ASTAIRE did not fit ( the only other dancer I know of that regularly appears in crosswords )
17. How Dickens' novels were first published : SERIALLY - I had S---IALLY, and I thought, SOCIALLY~? Naw, they didn't have Facebook back then....
19. Backwash creator : OAR - I went with "EBB", but it fit better at 48a.
20. Montreal Canadiens' all-time leading point scorer : LaFLEUR
- Guy; I went with Maurice "Rocket" RICHARD first; he scored 50 goals
in 50 games in the '44-45 season, but LaFleur scored 50 goals a season
for 6 straight seasons decades later
22. Toon shopkeeper : APU - The Simpsons
23. Signals one's presence, in a way : RAPS
27. Year in Clement VIII's papacy : MDCI - well, just had to wait on perps, but after the "M" and "I" appeared, I tried the other Roman numerals ( C, D, X, V ) that would work with the "down" answer
28. Piquancy : TANG
29. Silly sorts : GEESE - "Silly Goose~!"
30. Jump back into the fray : RE-ENGAGE
32. Clingy husk : BUR - seems short a letter....
33. Paper fatteners : INSERTS - ah, Newspaper; I
did not get this until I came to do the write-up; our Sunday paper is
about to gain some weight with the holiday season upon us
34. Flips : GOES APE
38. Hot air ballooning watchdog: Abbr. : FAA - we have a drone problem developing over here; they're interfering with JFK airspace
39. Almond confection : MARZIPAN
40. About 1% of the Earth's atmosphere : ARGON - I did not go with RADON; just linked this two weeks ago
43. Engine once known as Live Search : BING - WAG
44. Abbey section : APSE - APSE~? NAVE~? wait on perps
47. Your alternative, at times : ONE'S - seen often in crossword clues
48. Taper off : EBB - ah - that's where it goes....
49. 1974 top ten hit for Carole King : JAZZ MAN - Link away~!
51. Kenyan export : TEA - had the "A", WAGed the "T-E-"
53. Green Giant morsel : NIBLET - toyed with CARROT first
55. Dietary practice : VEGANISM - it may be a practice, but I'm not in the game; I had this for dinner here at A Lure last night
58. Sea along the Balkan peninsula : ADRIATIC - with the first "A", and "C" in place, this dawned on me
59. Letter closing : AS EVER
60. Buoys up : HEARTENS
DOWN:
1. Underwhelming : SO-SO
2. She played Principal McGee in "Grease" : EVE ARDEN
3. View providers : TERRACES
4. Prefix with athlete : TRI - TRIathlete
5. Right-leaning type?: Abbr. : ITALicS - see above
6. Bourbon Street city, informally : NOLA - New Orleans, LousianA
7. Drivers can be seen in them : GOLF BAGS - nailed it; did not confuse the 'club' with the 'car controller'
8. Broad view : SKYLINE
9. Mountebank : FRAUD - filled via perps; did not have any clue (except to consider the Alp, Mont Blanc ); a swindler
11. A BMOC may have a big one : EGO - speaking of EGOs, see above
12. Colorful cover-up : SERAPE - total WAG, total win~!
13. Brunch order : CREPES - anyone try OMELET~?
14. Guarantee : ASSURE
21. Whisking target : EGG - and, uh, see above
24. Miss badly : PINE FOR - I went with LONG at first; I am holding out hope for my blue-eyed girl still
26. Blofeld's cat, in Bond films : PERSIAN - I think Mr. Bigglesworth was a great way to satire the whole thing
27. Picture of health? : MRI - we've seen this before; the "?" denotes the slight mis-direction
28. "I'm off!" : "TA-TA~!"
34. Largest moon of Jupiter : GANYMEDE - I love watching shows on the probes we've sent out to explore the solar system; this one took 6 years to get there, but had some great moments
35. Fondness : APPETITE - for Destruction? Great album cover, which was, of course, banned
36. Submits, as an exam paper : PASSES IN
- HANDS IN was not enough; but then again, I remember we used to "pass
in" exams by handing them to the person at the desk in front of us
37. Topeka-to-Peoria dir. : ENE - I threw in NNE
39. Bar __ : MITZVAH - this should have come easier than it did
40. Handout from a chair : AGENDA - I knew what direction this was pointing, but I spent Tuesday helping my buddy Adam move, and he has a 13 month-old son, so there was this image of baby food flying....
41. 40th anniversary symbols : RUBIES - an educated WAG after the "R" showed; I knew it was not Diamond, but a little further on than, say, "wood"; here's the list
42. Unintelligible talk : GABBLE - I had GARBLE in place; EBB fixed that
43. Sawyer of old comics : BUZ - the other "missing a letter" answer
46. "Antiques Roadshow" expert : DATER - carbon dater? Now that's an antique~!
47. Booth warning sign : ON AIR
50. Onetime capital of the Mughal Empire : AGRA - seems sensible, now that I look at it
52. Pacers and Ramblers : AMCs - nailed it - but then again, I owned a Concord Sportabout
54. Bk. of the Torah : LEV
56. Baseball's Ryan Zimmerman or Jordan Zimmermann, briefly : NAT - I defer to our baseball-starved but fearless leader, C.C. on these answers (From C.C.: Here is a good old article about them. The former is a little (2 millions?) behind Derek Jeter in this 2013 list.
There's always room for dessert~!
Nov 21, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014, Mark Feldman
Theme: I am on the woof, maa, don't get hissterical.
Sounds like time to have some fun with Mark F. In the language phrases are reimagined with the first word of the phrase replaced with a sound-a-like animal sound clued using the animal. Mark seems obsessed with animal sounds if you recall his AUGUST puzzle blogged by marti. I last blogged his work on Black Friday last November. Five themers, including a gridspanner and a tricky use of sound make this a Friday effort. I was all in with BARK and BRAY, but the NEIGH/DAY slowed me down. 1,2 and 5 are pretty easy to suss, with a single letter change (ignoring the different spellings of GREY) with 3,4 requiring more imagination. The bird is the only non-mammal non-4 legged creature. Once you get the theme idea, the transition is quick. With some 8 letter fill in the theme, it is hard to include much long fill but CHEESIEST, IN ESSENCE , EAGLETS, LOCATOR, PANACHE, SPANISH are all nice. I left out BEGRIME, as to me it is a BE word like the A words, used in desperation. I do like that he does not rely on just the animal speaking, but uses a different set up for each sound. Well time to get to work.
17A. Where dogs chat? : BARK PLACE (9). Park Place emerges with a simple P to B switch. Is this Monopoly or just people in the park?
24A. Where donkeys make noise? : BRAY AREA (8). Grey Area also a simple.
37A. Where horses are treated for laryngitis? : NEIGH CARE CENTER (15).Day Care Center
45A. Where lions practice intimidation? : ROAR ZONE (8). War Zone. War is intimidating.
58A. Where birds sing? : TWEET SPOT (9). Sweet Spot. Golf?
Across:
1. One may be under a jacket : VEST. A literal beginning.
5. Drift on the breeze : WAFT. A fun word; her perfume wafted in the room and brought back all those memories.
9. Military group : BRASS.
14. Basically : IN ESSENCE.
16. Storyteller of a sort : YENTA. Really an old gossip, so the clue was tricky.
18. Sobriety symbol : WAGON. The derivation of 'on the wagon' meaning not drinking alcohol is unresolved. LINK.
19. Hosp. test : ECG. ElectroCardioGram. No need to renew the nit.
20. Pilot's stat. : ALTitude.
21. Manifest : PATENT. The answer was obvious.
22. Harsh : STERN. Howard Harsh has such good alliteration.
26. Fight a cold, say : AIL.
28. Ages and ages : EONS.
29. King of Naples in "The Tempest" : ALONSO. You remember the PLAY.
32. Fed. property overseer : GSA. General Services Administration.
33. Traveling, in a way : ASEA. An accepted A word.
40. Scrabble piece : TILE.
41. Singer DiFranco : ANI. We have not seen her in a while.
42. Alias : HANDLE. The CBers made this famous.
43. Small matter? : ATOM. I really like this cluing, and of course it reminds me of Sheldon and Dark Matter.
44. Freudian topic : EGO.
49. Not upfront : LYING.
53. Show : APPEAR.
54. Historic opening? : PRE. Prehistoric. Simple, classic crossword cluing.
56. Guernsey sound : MOO. A bonus animal sound.
57. Savage : FERAL. More animal related
61. Drivel : TRIPE. Didn't we discuss ways to say this...applesauce, codswallop (my favorite), folderol, rubbish, trash, trumpery, wish-wash. Right next to its cousin...
62. Most tacky : CHEESIEST. I think of cheesy as someone like Herb Tarlek.
63. Pace product : SALSA.
64. Coltrane collaborator : MONK. Thelonious. LISTEN (7:01) if you want.
65. Entreaty : PLEA.
Down:
1. Feelings : VIBES. A word from my youth.
2. Make official : ENACT.
3. Suit material : SERGE. Hard to see the fabric, but...
4. "Shame on you!" : TSK. Only one?
5. Excellently : WELL.
6. Vet sch. course : ANATomy.
7. TV monitor : FCC. Federal Communications Commission. Perhaps most famous for the reaction to Janet Jackson 'wardrobe malfunction' at the Super Bowl.
8. Rectangular links area, usually : TEE. (Tee box). Golf area where you begin each hole, which are generally rectangular.
9. Minor roads : BYWAYS. As opposed to the highways....
10. Lasso : REATA.
11. Steam : ANGER. The cartoons always show steam coming out of the ears.
12. Curling slider : STONE. The sport of curling; this what you slide to score in frozen shuffleboard. An Olympic sport.
13. Legendary guy traditionally wearing black boots : SANTA. Hey Argyle.
15. What mayo might be : SPANISH. I did not realize they do not capitalize the month.
21. Grand style : PANACHE. Fun word.
23. Gamut : RANGE.
24. Make dirty : BEGRIME. Of course this is accurate but when have you ever used this in a sentence.
25. Wine choice : ROSE. Where is my accent?
27. Kind of map : LOCATOR.
29. Social worker? : ANT. Another nice Friday clue.
30. Island garland : LEI. Me wan we are getting LEI'd so many ways these days.
31. Cook's supply : OIL.
33. Pester : ANNOY.
34. Norm: Abbr. : STD. A standard abbreviation.
35. It might be electric : EEL.
36. "__ you happy now?" : ARE. Usually said after doing something your spouse wanted done, which you did not want to do.
38. Any day now : ANON. A fun Shakespearian favorite word.
39. Young raptors : EAGLETS.
43. Spring bloomer : AZALEA.47D. Spring time : APRIL.
45. Loads : RAFTS.
46. Renée Fleming's field : OPERA. Perhaps most famous for this performance.
48. Brings in : REAPS.
50. Drive forward : IMPEL. This took longer than it seems in retrospect.
51. Western omen : NOOSE. Not a good omen at that.
52. "__ go!" : GOTTA. Not yet, a few more to unravel.
54. Rounded tool part : PEEN. I hope I do not have hammer home this clue/fill.
55. Smell : REEK. My image:
58. Old films channel : TCM. Turner Classic Movies, not to be confused with anagram TMC.
59. "The __ Sell Out": 1967 rock album : WHO.
60. Nurse : SIP. Tin when you are enjoying your neat Pinch, do you sip?
Time to move on out, and remind everyone who reads this blog how grateful I am for C.C. and the amazing work she has done to create this little Corner where people come to talk puzzle, and family and life. As Thanksgiving approaches I once again ask all who read and enjoy to take a moment to write in; lurkers, regulars, now and thenners, MIAs each and everyone of you. Take time on Sunday or sometime this upcoming week to check in and say hello. We would not be here without C.C., and we would not still be here without you all.
Thanks Mark.
Lemonade out
Note from C.C.:
Our own Steve Marron is today's author (setter) of Guardian's Daily Quiz. Please click here to solve. Congratulations, Steve!
Sounds like time to have some fun with Mark F. In the language phrases are reimagined with the first word of the phrase replaced with a sound-a-like animal sound clued using the animal. Mark seems obsessed with animal sounds if you recall his AUGUST puzzle blogged by marti. I last blogged his work on Black Friday last November. Five themers, including a gridspanner and a tricky use of sound make this a Friday effort. I was all in with BARK and BRAY, but the NEIGH/DAY slowed me down. 1,2 and 5 are pretty easy to suss, with a single letter change (ignoring the different spellings of GREY) with 3,4 requiring more imagination. The bird is the only non-mammal non-4 legged creature. Once you get the theme idea, the transition is quick. With some 8 letter fill in the theme, it is hard to include much long fill but CHEESIEST, IN ESSENCE , EAGLETS, LOCATOR, PANACHE, SPANISH are all nice. I left out BEGRIME, as to me it is a BE word like the A words, used in desperation. I do like that he does not rely on just the animal speaking, but uses a different set up for each sound. Well time to get to work.
17A. Where dogs chat? : BARK PLACE (9). Park Place emerges with a simple P to B switch. Is this Monopoly or just people in the park?
24A. Where donkeys make noise? : BRAY AREA (8). Grey Area also a simple.
37A. Where horses are treated for laryngitis? : NEIGH CARE CENTER (15).Day Care Center
45A. Where lions practice intimidation? : ROAR ZONE (8). War Zone. War is intimidating.
58A. Where birds sing? : TWEET SPOT (9). Sweet Spot. Golf?
Across:
1. One may be under a jacket : VEST. A literal beginning.
5. Drift on the breeze : WAFT. A fun word; her perfume wafted in the room and brought back all those memories.
9. Military group : BRASS.
14. Basically : IN ESSENCE.
16. Storyteller of a sort : YENTA. Really an old gossip, so the clue was tricky.
18. Sobriety symbol : WAGON. The derivation of 'on the wagon' meaning not drinking alcohol is unresolved. LINK.
19. Hosp. test : ECG. ElectroCardioGram. No need to renew the nit.
20. Pilot's stat. : ALTitude.
21. Manifest : PATENT. The answer was obvious.
22. Harsh : STERN. Howard Harsh has such good alliteration.
26. Fight a cold, say : AIL.
28. Ages and ages : EONS.
29. King of Naples in "The Tempest" : ALONSO. You remember the PLAY.
32. Fed. property overseer : GSA. General Services Administration.
33. Traveling, in a way : ASEA. An accepted A word.
40. Scrabble piece : TILE.
41. Singer DiFranco : ANI. We have not seen her in a while.
42. Alias : HANDLE. The CBers made this famous.
43. Small matter? : ATOM. I really like this cluing, and of course it reminds me of Sheldon and Dark Matter.
44. Freudian topic : EGO.
49. Not upfront : LYING.
53. Show : APPEAR.
54. Historic opening? : PRE. Prehistoric. Simple, classic crossword cluing.
56. Guernsey sound : MOO. A bonus animal sound.
57. Savage : FERAL. More animal related
61. Drivel : TRIPE. Didn't we discuss ways to say this...applesauce, codswallop (my favorite), folderol, rubbish, trash, trumpery, wish-wash. Right next to its cousin...
62. Most tacky : CHEESIEST. I think of cheesy as someone like Herb Tarlek.
63. Pace product : SALSA.
64. Coltrane collaborator : MONK. Thelonious. LISTEN (7:01) if you want.
65. Entreaty : PLEA.
Down:
1. Feelings : VIBES. A word from my youth.
2. Make official : ENACT.
3. Suit material : SERGE. Hard to see the fabric, but...
4. "Shame on you!" : TSK. Only one?
5. Excellently : WELL.
6. Vet sch. course : ANATomy.
7. TV monitor : FCC. Federal Communications Commission. Perhaps most famous for the reaction to Janet Jackson 'wardrobe malfunction' at the Super Bowl.
8. Rectangular links area, usually : TEE. (Tee box). Golf area where you begin each hole, which are generally rectangular.
9. Minor roads : BYWAYS. As opposed to the highways....
10. Lasso : REATA.
11. Steam : ANGER. The cartoons always show steam coming out of the ears.
12. Curling slider : STONE. The sport of curling; this what you slide to score in frozen shuffleboard. An Olympic sport.
13. Legendary guy traditionally wearing black boots : SANTA. Hey Argyle.
15. What mayo might be : SPANISH. I did not realize they do not capitalize the month.
21. Grand style : PANACHE. Fun word.
23. Gamut : RANGE.
24. Make dirty : BEGRIME. Of course this is accurate but when have you ever used this in a sentence.
25. Wine choice : ROSE. Where is my accent?
27. Kind of map : LOCATOR.
29. Social worker? : ANT. Another nice Friday clue.
30. Island garland : LEI. Me wan we are getting LEI'd so many ways these days.
31. Cook's supply : OIL.
33. Pester : ANNOY.
34. Norm: Abbr. : STD. A standard abbreviation.
35. It might be electric : EEL.
36. "__ you happy now?" : ARE. Usually said after doing something your spouse wanted done, which you did not want to do.
38. Any day now : ANON. A fun Shakespearian favorite word.
39. Young raptors : EAGLETS.
43. Spring bloomer : AZALEA.47D. Spring time : APRIL.
45. Loads : RAFTS.
46. Renée Fleming's field : OPERA. Perhaps most famous for this performance.
48. Brings in : REAPS.
50. Drive forward : IMPEL. This took longer than it seems in retrospect.
51. Western omen : NOOSE. Not a good omen at that.
52. "__ go!" : GOTTA. Not yet, a few more to unravel.
54. Rounded tool part : PEEN. I hope I do not have hammer home this clue/fill.
55. Smell : REEK. My image:
58. Old films channel : TCM. Turner Classic Movies, not to be confused with anagram TMC.
59. "The __ Sell Out": 1967 rock album : WHO.
60. Nurse : SIP. Tin when you are enjoying your neat Pinch, do you sip?
Time to move on out, and remind everyone who reads this blog how grateful I am for C.C. and the amazing work she has done to create this little Corner where people come to talk puzzle, and family and life. As Thanksgiving approaches I once again ask all who read and enjoy to take a moment to write in; lurkers, regulars, now and thenners, MIAs each and everyone of you. Take time on Sunday or sometime this upcoming week to check in and say hello. We would not be here without C.C., and we would not still be here without you all.
Thanks Mark.
Lemonade out
Note from C.C.:
Our own Steve Marron is today's author (setter) of Guardian's Daily Quiz. Please click here to solve. Congratulations, Steve!
Nov 20, 2014
Thursday, November 20, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler
Theme: "Little Rascals"
17. Office evaluations : JOB RATINGS.
23. Posh Riviera residence : SEASIDE VILLA.
46. "That's my general impression" : I'M PRETTY SURE.
58. Summer venue where kids can clown around? : CIRCUS CAMP.
And the reveal, sitting smack in the middle of the grid:
37. Mischievous ones hiding in plain sight in 17-, 23-, 46- and 58-Across : TROUBLEMAKERS.
BRAT, DEVIL, IMP and SCAMP all span more than one word.
My Thursday friend JW is back. 78 words and 42 blocks is a lot for an end-of-week puzzle, but theme entries of 10, 12, 13, 12, 10 make it tough to create a simple grid design. This one includes long 9- and 10-letter down entries to add to the mix. None of those down entries came immediately to mind, so this seemed tougher than a typical Thursday for me.
Across
1. 122-square-mile republic : MALTA. Oh good grief, who has memorized the acreage of every republic? Tough start.
6. Three or four, say : A FEW.
10. Incise with acid : ETCH.
14. Voiced : ALOUD. Not "spoke."
15. Racing sled : LUGE.
16. Mozart's "__ fan tutte" : COSI. Gimme. "Thus do all (women)."
19. Industrialist who's had his ups and downs? : OTIS. HaHa - the elevator inventor.
20. Plenty : A TON.
21. Syncopated work : RAG.
22. Fla. neighbor : ALA.bama
29. Peaceful harmony : AMITY.
31. "Bravo!" relative : OLE.
32. Tied (to) : WED.
33. Riga native : LETT. If they are from Latvia, why aren't they called "Lats"?
34. Bamboozle : FOOL.
36. Damage, so to speak : COST. When you ask your mechanic, "What are the damages?" be prepared for even more - to your wallet.
40. Acute : KEEN.
41. Troubadour's offerings : AIRS.
42. Sinus docs : ENTs. Not to be confused with Tolkien tree folk.
43. Western treaty gp. : OAS. Organization of American States. Originally just the US and South American states, it later included Canada and the nations of the Caribbean.
44. One in a sports page column : WIN. I don't get it. "One" as in the #1 team? Or just a win that gets written up? [Update: The "columns" would be WINs-Losses-Ties. Thanks for enlightening me, TTP!]
45. Art print, briefly : LITHO. I toyed with "repro" at first, but that wasn't going to work very well.
50. Wear (through) : EAT. Such a small word, but it gave me lots of trouble.
51. Huffington Post parent co. : AOL.
52. Whiskey choices : RYES.
56. "Sea Change" musician : BECK. "Lost Cause" is one of the best songs on the album, IMO.
61. Seize : TAKE.
62. Pen sound : OINK.
63. Part of a TV signal : AUDIO.
64. Milquetoast : WUSS.
65. Pine for : MISS.
66. False __ : START.
Down
1. Subject of clothed and nude Goya portraits : MAJA. We have had her...
2. Frequently : ALOT.
3. Gray wolf : LOBO.
4. Becomes even more charming, say : TURNS IT ON. This is one of the long down answers that wasn't at the tip of my tongue.
5. Org. promoting water fluoridization : ADA. American Dental Association.
6. Police profile datum : ALIAS.
7. Spore producers : FUNGI.
8. Custard component : EGG.
9. Broncos wide receiver Welker : WES. Formerly of the New England Patriots...who are doing just fine without him, thank you very much!
10. USDA inspector's concern : E COLI.
11. Gross figure : TOTAL WORTH. TOTAL (sales?), (costs?), (value?)...
12. CBS series set in a lab : CSI. Crime Scene Investigation.
13. Presley's "(Marie's the Name) __ Latest Flame" : HIS.
18. Serving aid : TRAY.
22. Street sign abbr. : AVE.
24. Words to a traitor : ET TU. Another one of those little entries that gave me fits.
25. Seals the fate of : DOOMS.
26. First name in jazz : ELLA.
27. On a smaller scale : LESS SO.
28. Home security letters : ADT. American District Telegraph. I have Discount Alarm, and pay half the price of ADT.
29. Orioles, e.g., briefly : AL TEAM.
30. Buildings from a plane, metaphorically : MERE SPECKS. Another long down answer that wasn't on the tip of my tongue.
34. City northwest of Detroit : FLINT.
35. "A hot temper leaps __ a cold decree": Shakespeare : O'ER.
36. Butcher's offering : CENTER CUT. Not my first thought.
38. Worms, perhaps : BAIT.
39. Actor Dullea : KEIR. You may remember him as Dr. David Bowman in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Or not...
40. Showy carp : KOI.
44. Moisten : WET.
45. Ripsnorter : LULU.
47. Does some gardening : RAKES. Been doing plenty of that the last couple weeks. We finally hired a crew to come in and help, and they ended up taking out seven pickup trucks full of leaves!!
48. Incredible stories : YARNS.
49. '90s White House cat : SOCKS. The "First Cat" of the Clinton era.
53. When tripled, a story shortener : YADA...yada...yada.
54. Muslim dignitary : EMIR.
55. Pal of Rover : SPOT.
56. Incidentally, in textspeak : BTW. "By the way..."
57. __ de parfum : EAU.
58. Kin of org : COM. Both url endings.
59. Trio on Big Ben : III. Nit: "Big Ben" is the name of the bell in the clock of Elizabeth Tower, not the clock itself.
60. Sweden-based carrier : SAS. Scandinavian Airlines System.
I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can stir up now...
Marti
17. Office evaluations : JOB RATINGS.
23. Posh Riviera residence : SEASIDE VILLA.
46. "That's my general impression" : I'M PRETTY SURE.
58. Summer venue where kids can clown around? : CIRCUS CAMP.
And the reveal, sitting smack in the middle of the grid:
37. Mischievous ones hiding in plain sight in 17-, 23-, 46- and 58-Across : TROUBLEMAKERS.
BRAT, DEVIL, IMP and SCAMP all span more than one word.
My Thursday friend JW is back. 78 words and 42 blocks is a lot for an end-of-week puzzle, but theme entries of 10, 12, 13, 12, 10 make it tough to create a simple grid design. This one includes long 9- and 10-letter down entries to add to the mix. None of those down entries came immediately to mind, so this seemed tougher than a typical Thursday for me.
Across
1. 122-square-mile republic : MALTA. Oh good grief, who has memorized the acreage of every republic? Tough start.
6. Three or four, say : A FEW.
10. Incise with acid : ETCH.
14. Voiced : ALOUD. Not "spoke."
15. Racing sled : LUGE.
16. Mozart's "__ fan tutte" : COSI. Gimme. "Thus do all (women)."
19. Industrialist who's had his ups and downs? : OTIS. HaHa - the elevator inventor.
20. Plenty : A TON.
21. Syncopated work : RAG.
22. Fla. neighbor : ALA.bama
29. Peaceful harmony : AMITY.
31. "Bravo!" relative : OLE.
32. Tied (to) : WED.
33. Riga native : LETT. If they are from Latvia, why aren't they called "Lats"?
34. Bamboozle : FOOL.
36. Damage, so to speak : COST. When you ask your mechanic, "What are the damages?" be prepared for even more - to your wallet.
40. Acute : KEEN.
41. Troubadour's offerings : AIRS.
42. Sinus docs : ENTs. Not to be confused with Tolkien tree folk.
43. Western treaty gp. : OAS. Organization of American States. Originally just the US and South American states, it later included Canada and the nations of the Caribbean.
44. One in a sports page column : WIN. I don't get it. "One" as in the #1 team? Or just a win that gets written up? [Update: The "columns" would be WINs-Losses-Ties. Thanks for enlightening me, TTP!]
45. Art print, briefly : LITHO. I toyed with "repro" at first, but that wasn't going to work very well.
50. Wear (through) : EAT. Such a small word, but it gave me lots of trouble.
51. Huffington Post parent co. : AOL.
52. Whiskey choices : RYES.
56. "Sea Change" musician : BECK. "Lost Cause" is one of the best songs on the album, IMO.
61. Seize : TAKE.
62. Pen sound : OINK.
63. Part of a TV signal : AUDIO.
64. Milquetoast : WUSS.
65. Pine for : MISS.
66. False __ : START.
Down
1. Subject of clothed and nude Goya portraits : MAJA. We have had her...
2. Frequently : ALOT.
3. Gray wolf : LOBO.
4. Becomes even more charming, say : TURNS IT ON. This is one of the long down answers that wasn't at the tip of my tongue.
5. Org. promoting water fluoridization : ADA. American Dental Association.
6. Police profile datum : ALIAS.
7. Spore producers : FUNGI.
8. Custard component : EGG.
9. Broncos wide receiver Welker : WES. Formerly of the New England Patriots...who are doing just fine without him, thank you very much!
10. USDA inspector's concern : E COLI.
11. Gross figure : TOTAL WORTH. TOTAL (sales?), (costs?), (value?)...
12. CBS series set in a lab : CSI. Crime Scene Investigation.
13. Presley's "(Marie's the Name) __ Latest Flame" : HIS.
18. Serving aid : TRAY.
22. Street sign abbr. : AVE.
24. Words to a traitor : ET TU. Another one of those little entries that gave me fits.
25. Seals the fate of : DOOMS.
26. First name in jazz : ELLA.
27. On a smaller scale : LESS SO.
28. Home security letters : ADT. American District Telegraph. I have Discount Alarm, and pay half the price of ADT.
29. Orioles, e.g., briefly : AL TEAM.
30. Buildings from a plane, metaphorically : MERE SPECKS. Another long down answer that wasn't on the tip of my tongue.
34. City northwest of Detroit : FLINT.
35. "A hot temper leaps __ a cold decree": Shakespeare : O'ER.
36. Butcher's offering : CENTER CUT. Not my first thought.
38. Worms, perhaps : BAIT.
39. Actor Dullea : KEIR. You may remember him as Dr. David Bowman in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Or not...
40. Showy carp : KOI.
44. Moisten : WET.
45. Ripsnorter : LULU.
47. Does some gardening : RAKES. Been doing plenty of that the last couple weeks. We finally hired a crew to come in and help, and they ended up taking out seven pickup trucks full of leaves!!
48. Incredible stories : YARNS.
49. '90s White House cat : SOCKS. The "First Cat" of the Clinton era.
53. When tripled, a story shortener : YADA...yada...yada.
54. Muslim dignitary : EMIR.
55. Pal of Rover : SPOT.
56. Incidentally, in textspeak : BTW. "By the way..."
57. __ de parfum : EAU.
58. Kin of org : COM. Both url endings.
59. Trio on Big Ben : III. Nit: "Big Ben" is the name of the bell in the clock of Elizabeth Tower, not the clock itself.
60. Sweden-based carrier : SAS. Scandinavian Airlines System.
I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can stir up now...
Marti
Nov 19, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 C.C Burnikel
Theme: Cumulus cumulatives - or serious cirruses?
17A. Leave in a huff : STORM OUT. Storm cloud. Not something you'd want to be flying into.
25A. Book keeper? : DUST JACKET. Dust cloud. Not something you'd want to be flying into.
34A. Steak topper : MUSHROOM SAUCE. Mushroom cloud. Not something ... you get the idea.
48A. Deep-fried carnival treat : FUNNEL CAKE. Funnel cloud. Not some .. OK, OK, enough already. Yikes!
58A. Virtual storage area, and a hint to words that start 17-, 25-, 34- and 48-Across : THE CLOUD
G'day everyone! Steve here with a C.C. Wednesday special. No baseball unless I missed something glaringly obvious, but plenty of food (!), technology and frilly things to ratchet up my interest level. The theme might have been written for me today - I'm looking down at the cloud tops on my way to Detroit to discuss one of my companies' cloud offerings with a customer.
Et alia:
Across:
1. Amin portrayed in "The Last King of Scotland" : IDI. Exiled Ugandan despot.
4. Arabic "son of" : IBN
7. Took out : ERASED
13. __ race : RAT
14. Lingerie tops : BRAS. Frills!
16. Turkey feature : WATTLE. Not the most attractive of birds.
19. Necessitate : ENTAIL
20. "Evil Woman" rock gp. : E.L.O. Founder member Roy Wood went on to odder things with Wizzard. If anyone cares to explain the bass guitarist's outfit of angel wings, cricket pads and roller skates I'd be interested to hear it.
21. Lode loads : ORES. Clue-tactic
23. Jalapeño topper : TILDE. The squiggly diacritical on the "n".
24. Chignon, e.g. : UPDO I learned this from crosswords. I've never heard it used otherwise, but then again I don't hang out in hair salons on the eve of special occasions.
27. Ultimate authorities : SAY-SOS
29. "Have some!" : EAT
30. Seattle-to-Reno dir. : S.S.E.
31. Stains on a record : BLOTS
32. One who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, say : CRAB. Marti sometimes confesses to wrong-side awakening, but I'd hesitate to ever describe her as crabby.
40. Neighborhood sale caveat : AS IS
41. Dishonorable fellow : KNAVE
43. Blissful sounds : AHS
46. Cherry core : PIT
47. Damaged : HARMED
52. One, to Goethe : EINS. This threw me - I confidently had EINE until EDE at 42D made no sense, as you can see from my final fill in the grid at the bottom.
53. Deceit : FRAUD
54. "Are we __ not?": "Is it a date?" : ON OR. Not exactly the most polite way to start out, in my ever-so-humble opinion.
55. Puerto Rico hrs. : A.S.T. The famous Atlantic Standard Time. Easterly bits of Canada (eh!) also use it.
56. TaylorMade parent : ADIDAS. I used to pronounce it "Addy-dass", as did the entire continent of Europe. I now pronounce it "Add-eee-das" due to the hilarity and mirth which ensued when I moved to the USA and my friends heard me say it. I use TaylorMade golf clubs, although similar hilarity and mirth often follows the witnessing of a shot played with them.
61. "Fighting" college team : ILLINI. Pah. Second-rate fighters. Irish first.
62. "Born Free" lioness : ELSA
63. Word after common or case : LAW
64. Starts over : RESETS
65. Pink Floyd guitarist Barrett : SYD. Or Roger Keith to his mom. If you've got 10 minutes to spare, here's "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" - the band's tribute to their former "madcap" member.
66. New Haven student : ELI
Down:
1. Govt. org. that may freeze assets : I.R.S. Not the warmest of agencies, that's for sure.
2. Desert fruit tree : DATE PALM
3. "See?!" : I TOLD YOU
4. "Big Blue" : IBM My first programming job was working on an IBM/370 mainframe using punch cards. Many years later, I had a meeting at the IBM offices in Frankfurt and was alarmed to see that the model of punch card machine I used every day was reverently displayed, under glass, in the building's lobby. Feel old, much?
5. Coop groups : BROODS
6. Tiny Pacific republic : NAURU. Small indeed - 9,200 people on 8.1 square miles.
7. Ma that baas : EWE
8. Go off on : RANT AT
9. Place to stick rarely used stuff : ATTIC. Basements and garages for the overflow. Then to the neighborhood sales.
10. Celery pieces : STALKS. STICKS first.
11. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. I still shudder when I read "gonna" in print. I don't think I'll ever get used to that one.
12. Knock out, as a character : DELETE
15. Fr. holy women : STES
18. Dove bars? : ROOSTS. Cute! I had a couple of Dove squares last night, I like the little "fortune cookie" messages inside the foil wrappers.
22. Cooks, as dim sum dumplings : STEAMS. Oh boy!
24. iPad-to-PC port : USB. Universal Serial Bus, in case you wondered.
26. Ring punches : JABS
28. __Kosh B'Gosh : OSH. From Wuscaahnsun.
32. Store with a Kirkland Signature brand : COSTCO
33. Many a Louis : ROI. Many indeed. Louis dix-huit was the last. Neither English kings nor Popes come close in the XVIII stakes.
35. One way to travel : RAIL
36. Letters in an APB : AKA
37. Beyond belief : UNREAL
38. Lingerie top : CAMISOLE. More frills! No links from me, I'll leave that to others.
39. Ultimate : EVENTUAL
42. Vogue VIPs : EDS
43. Intense romance : AFFAIR
44. Steeplechase feature : HURDLE. The obstacles in the Grand National steeplechase, which is run annually at Aintree racecourse near Liverpool, England, might feel insulted to be called "hurdles". The fences are around 5 feet high and some are almost 12 feet wide.
45. Escargots : SNAILS. Garlicky deliciousness.
46. One fussy about minor details : PEDANT. Crossword constructors, editors and solvers? I hope not ...
47. Charge against Galileo : HERESY. Not public endangerment by dropping lumps of lead from the top of the Tower of Pisa? Odd.
49. Film with a minimal costume budget? : NUDIE. No-frills production!
50. Put in a chip : ANTE
51. JCPenney rival : KOHL'S. I thought JCP had disappeared with the Macy*s takeover, but apparently still going strong.
57. Paris, to Nicky : SIS. Ahhhh - the Hilton sisters. Things have been quiet with those two recently, thank goodness.
59. Dishonorable fellow : CAD. Egad!
60. MADD focus : DWI
Just enough time for the grid before my blog-meter time expires.
Steve
17A. Leave in a huff : STORM OUT. Storm cloud. Not something you'd want to be flying into.
25A. Book keeper? : DUST JACKET. Dust cloud. Not something you'd want to be flying into.
34A. Steak topper : MUSHROOM SAUCE. Mushroom cloud. Not something ... you get the idea.
48A. Deep-fried carnival treat : FUNNEL CAKE. Funnel cloud. Not some .. OK, OK, enough already. Yikes!
58A. Virtual storage area, and a hint to words that start 17-, 25-, 34- and 48-Across : THE CLOUD
G'day everyone! Steve here with a C.C. Wednesday special. No baseball unless I missed something glaringly obvious, but plenty of food (!), technology and frilly things to ratchet up my interest level. The theme might have been written for me today - I'm looking down at the cloud tops on my way to Detroit to discuss one of my companies' cloud offerings with a customer.
Et alia:
Across:
1. Amin portrayed in "The Last King of Scotland" : IDI. Exiled Ugandan despot.
4. Arabic "son of" : IBN
7. Took out : ERASED
13. __ race : RAT
14. Lingerie tops : BRAS. Frills!
16. Turkey feature : WATTLE. Not the most attractive of birds.
19. Necessitate : ENTAIL
20. "Evil Woman" rock gp. : E.L.O. Founder member Roy Wood went on to odder things with Wizzard. If anyone cares to explain the bass guitarist's outfit of angel wings, cricket pads and roller skates I'd be interested to hear it.
21. Lode loads : ORES. Clue-tactic
23. Jalapeño topper : TILDE. The squiggly diacritical on the "n".
24. Chignon, e.g. : UPDO I learned this from crosswords. I've never heard it used otherwise, but then again I don't hang out in hair salons on the eve of special occasions.
27. Ultimate authorities : SAY-SOS
29. "Have some!" : EAT
30. Seattle-to-Reno dir. : S.S.E.
31. Stains on a record : BLOTS
32. One who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, say : CRAB. Marti sometimes confesses to wrong-side awakening, but I'd hesitate to ever describe her as crabby.
40. Neighborhood sale caveat : AS IS
41. Dishonorable fellow : KNAVE
43. Blissful sounds : AHS
46. Cherry core : PIT
47. Damaged : HARMED
52. One, to Goethe : EINS. This threw me - I confidently had EINE until EDE at 42D made no sense, as you can see from my final fill in the grid at the bottom.
53. Deceit : FRAUD
54. "Are we __ not?": "Is it a date?" : ON OR. Not exactly the most polite way to start out, in my ever-so-humble opinion.
55. Puerto Rico hrs. : A.S.T. The famous Atlantic Standard Time. Easterly bits of Canada (eh!) also use it.
56. TaylorMade parent : ADIDAS. I used to pronounce it "Addy-dass", as did the entire continent of Europe. I now pronounce it "Add-eee-das" due to the hilarity and mirth which ensued when I moved to the USA and my friends heard me say it. I use TaylorMade golf clubs, although similar hilarity and mirth often follows the witnessing of a shot played with them.
61. "Fighting" college team : ILLINI. Pah. Second-rate fighters. Irish first.
62. "Born Free" lioness : ELSA
63. Word after common or case : LAW
64. Starts over : RESETS
65. Pink Floyd guitarist Barrett : SYD. Or Roger Keith to his mom. If you've got 10 minutes to spare, here's "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" - the band's tribute to their former "madcap" member.
66. New Haven student : ELI
Down:
1. Govt. org. that may freeze assets : I.R.S. Not the warmest of agencies, that's for sure.
2. Desert fruit tree : DATE PALM
3. "See?!" : I TOLD YOU
4. "Big Blue" : IBM My first programming job was working on an IBM/370 mainframe using punch cards. Many years later, I had a meeting at the IBM offices in Frankfurt and was alarmed to see that the model of punch card machine I used every day was reverently displayed, under glass, in the building's lobby. Feel old, much?
5. Coop groups : BROODS
6. Tiny Pacific republic : NAURU. Small indeed - 9,200 people on 8.1 square miles.
7. Ma that baas : EWE
8. Go off on : RANT AT
9. Place to stick rarely used stuff : ATTIC. Basements and garages for the overflow. Then to the neighborhood sales.
10. Celery pieces : STALKS. STICKS first.
11. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. I still shudder when I read "gonna" in print. I don't think I'll ever get used to that one.
12. Knock out, as a character : DELETE
15. Fr. holy women : STES
18. Dove bars? : ROOSTS. Cute! I had a couple of Dove squares last night, I like the little "fortune cookie" messages inside the foil wrappers.
22. Cooks, as dim sum dumplings : STEAMS. Oh boy!
24. iPad-to-PC port : USB. Universal Serial Bus, in case you wondered.
26. Ring punches : JABS
28. __Kosh B'Gosh : OSH. From Wuscaahnsun.
32. Store with a Kirkland Signature brand : COSTCO
33. Many a Louis : ROI. Many indeed. Louis dix-huit was the last. Neither English kings nor Popes come close in the XVIII stakes.
35. One way to travel : RAIL
36. Letters in an APB : AKA
37. Beyond belief : UNREAL
38. Lingerie top : CAMISOLE. More frills! No links from me, I'll leave that to others.
39. Ultimate : EVENTUAL
42. Vogue VIPs : EDS
43. Intense romance : AFFAIR
44. Steeplechase feature : HURDLE. The obstacles in the Grand National steeplechase, which is run annually at Aintree racecourse near Liverpool, England, might feel insulted to be called "hurdles". The fences are around 5 feet high and some are almost 12 feet wide.
45. Escargots : SNAILS. Garlicky deliciousness.
46. One fussy about minor details : PEDANT. Crossword constructors, editors and solvers? I hope not ...
47. Charge against Galileo : HERESY. Not public endangerment by dropping lumps of lead from the top of the Tower of Pisa? Odd.
49. Film with a minimal costume budget? : NUDIE. No-frills production!
50. Put in a chip : ANTE
51. JCPenney rival : KOHL'S. I thought JCP had disappeared with the Macy*s takeover, but apparently still going strong.
57. Paris, to Nicky : SIS. Ahhhh - the Hilton sisters. Things have been quiet with those two recently, thank goodness.
59. Dishonorable fellow : CAD. Egad!
60. MADD focus : DWI
Just enough time for the grid before my blog-meter time expires.
Steve
Note from C.C.:
Happy
Birthday to dear Creature, a very active member of our blog until an
accident took away her husband on her birthday three years ago. I hope
you've sold the farm and settled down on your city life. Leave us a note when you drop by, Creature. You're in my thought often, so is
Chickie, who's taking a leave from the blog to take care of her husband
Bill. Our best wishes also go to Misty, Dave and their loved ones.
I feel incredibly lucky that I have you guys to turn to when I need advice and guidance, and I hope this blog can be of some help and comfort when you are in need as well.
I feel incredibly lucky that I have you guys to turn to when I need advice and guidance, and I hope this blog can be of some help and comfort when you are in need as well.
Creature |
Nov 18, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter
Theme: Sinkers - A reference to the weights a fisherman uses on his line, split-shots, and that's what Marti's puzzle has, split-shots.
17. Like a fajita pan : SIZZLING HOT
27. Daisy-plucking words : SHE LOVES ME NOT
43. To the point : SHORT AND SWEET
57. Not a likely chance, and, literally, a hidden feature of 17-, 27- and 43-Across : OUTSIDE SHOT
Argyle here. Marti has a certain "je ne sais quoi", European flair today, mardi. Coincidence? I think not.
Across:
1. Italian scooter : VESPA. I can just see her zipping around Roma on her put-put.
6. Weird : EERIE. and 2D. Weird-sounding lake : ERIE
11. "This is so frustrating!" : "GRR!"
14. Sharon of Israel : ARIEL. Abba Eban yesterday sets up Ariel Sharon today.
15. Old-timey "Yikes!" : "EGADS!"
16. Coventry bathroom : LOO. Now to England...
19. Perrier, to Pierre : EAU. on to France.
20. Casual Friday top : TEE
21. FAO Schwarz specialty : TOYS. Just in time for Christmas.
22. Turn away : AVERT
24. __ vivant : BON. Our constructor.
25. Tiny bit : IOTA
33. Farm or home ending : STEAD
34. Troubles : ILLS
35. "Now __ me down to sleep ..." : I LAY
37. James of "The Godfather" : CAAN
38. Count Chocula wear : CLOAK. The Count is European?
39. Turn on a pivot : SLUE
40. Start of many Internet addresses : HTTP. Adding an S (https) makes it more secure.
41. Actor Thicke : ALAN. Born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.
42. "I can take __!" : A HINT
46. Bonny girl : LASS. A short hop from Canada to Scotland.
47. Owned : HAD
48. Hangout for some 38-Down : ALLEY. 38D. Some strays : CATS
L.C.
51. Word spoken while pointing : LOOK
53. Short change? : CTs. (cents)
56. Month after avril : MAI
61. Pre-holiday time : EVE
62. Part of USNA : NAVAL. (United States Naval Academy)(pop quiz: another name for navel is __?)
63. "Keen!" : "NEATO!"
64. Twin of Bert Bobbsey : NAN. The Bobbsey Twins was a long-running series of children's novels published from 1904 to 1979, with a separate series of 30 books published from 1987 through 1992.
65. Picket fence parts : SLATS
66. Barbershop band? : STROP. The leather strap used to keep a sharp edge on a straight razor.
Down:
1. Like outer space : VAST
3. Clothing label number : SIZE
4. Candy in a collectible dispenser : PEZ
5. With everything accounted for : ALL TOLD
6. Choosing word : EENY, meeny, miny, moe. CSO
7. Omelet base : EGGS
8. Cheering syllable : "RAH!"
9. Binding words : "I DO"
10. Real __ : ESTATE
11. Delight : GLEE
12. Crowd cacophony : ROAR
13. Defeat decisively : ROUT
18. Prefix with sphere : IONO
23. Disappeared : VANISHED
24. Skinny sort : BEANPOLE
25. Hawaii component : ISLAND
26. Siberian city : OMSK
27. Box score numbers : STATS
28. Moor : HEATH
29. Luxurious homes : VILLAS. Perhaps overlooking the Mediterranean.
30. Online finance company : E-LOAN. Curious? Link
31. Stan's partner : OLLIE. Laurel and Hardy.
32. Gibe : TAUNT
33. UCLA or USC : SCHool
36. To this point : YET
42. Rouses from bed : AWAKENS
44. Synthetic fibers : RAYONS
45. In pumps, say : SHOD. In shoes.
48. "So be it!" : "AMEN!"
49. Volcano output : LAVA
50. Burden for some debtors : LIEN
51. Future atty.'s exam : LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)
52. Many Manets : OILS. Effect of Snow on Petit-Montrouge.
53. Blacken on the grill : CHAR
54. Four-legged Emerald City visitor : TOTO. Not in Kansas.
55. Halt : STOP
58. "Friendly Skies" co. : UAL. (United Airlines)
59. New Deal energy prog. : TVA. (Tennessee Valley Authority)
60. Put in rollers : SET
Argyle
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