Theme: (Golf) Course Humor - Common phrases containing a golf term is humorously reinterpreted and clued from a golfer's point of view.
23A. Golfer's excuse for a bad chip shot?: IRON DEFICIENCY. Iron is often used for chip shot.
29A. Golfer's shot into a water hazard?: STROKE OF MISFORTUNE. Any hit in golf is counted as a stroke, regardless of the club you use.
49A. Golfer's lament about failing to recognize different ball positions?: I CANNOT TELL A LIE. Said George Washington. Lie is where your ball sits after the hit.
65A. What a golfer who's not playing well doesn't do?: GET IN THE SWING OF THINGS. Swing refers to golfers' body movement when hitting a club. An unfortunate clue/answer duplication with GYRATE (25A. Swing one's hips).
84A. Mind-set for a golfer wary of sand?: BUNKER MENTALITY. Bunker is the sand trap. Our crossword stalwart Ernie Els is pretty good at bunker shots.
97A. Golfer's slicing tee shot?: DRIVE AROUND THE BEND. Drive is the starting tee shot, often hit with a driver.
109A.Golfer's admission after missing fairways? I HAD A ROUGH TIME. Rough is the area bordering the fairway where the grass are higher and thicker. If your ball lands in the rough or bunker, you are having a "bad lie".
And the ultimate green can be found in the clues for NOD (53A. Green light) & RESOD (116A. Fix, as a green).
Fantastic theme! I am amused. So appropriate for the US Open & Father's Day. Great theme title too. Nice play on "Coarse Humor".
The theme answers are all quite long. Guess that's why we only have 136 words instead of our normal 144. I actually don't remember we have a grid-spanner 21 in a Sunday puzzle before.
Very smooth solving. Not many obscure words to stymie me (Hey, stymie, another golf term). No letter J, Q and Z is to be found in the whole grid, another reason for an easier solve I suppose. I was in the fairway most of the time. But still a bogey round. Cheated a few times.
Across:
1. Some bars: BREW PUBS. Was picturing candy bars.
9. Benjamin: C-SPOT. Might be tough for syndicate solvers outside US. Slang for a hundred-dollar-bill.
14. Political fugitive: EMIGRE. They have a special form for citizenship application.
20. Communications collectible: RADIO SET. Alliteration.
21. Overgrown tract: HEATH
22. Intolerant: NARROW. We also have ALLOW (46D. Tolerate).
26. It's multifaceted: GEM
27. Bridge opening, for short: ONE NO. I can never remember this term.
28. Checking line: REIN. It's used for "checking" indeed. Great clue.
38. Naval officer: ADMIRAL
41. Volume-control devices, in recording: FADERS. Fade/Draw is a golf term too.
42. Scads: A LOT
43. Stared salaciously: LEERED. Alliteration.
44. Where to get off: Abbr.: STA (Station)
47. Categories: TYPES
48. Like Key lime pie: TART. I've never had Key Lime pie.
52. Digs up?: AERIE. High "Digs" for the eagles. Awesome clue too.
54. Baseball great Combs: EARLE. I bet it's a gimme for Argyle & Dennis. He Played his entire career with the Yankees. Hall of Famer.
55. Fills with cargo: LADES
57. Dols. and cts.: AMTS
59. Start of a 1961 inaugural quote: ASK NOT. ''Ask not what your country can do for you . . .'' JFK inaugural quote.
60. Religious rift: SCHISM. Alliteration.
71. Greek marketplaces: AGORAE. Plural of agora, the Greek mall.
72. Got watery, in a way: TEARED
73. Thugs' pieces: GATS. Pistols.
74. Friendship bracelet items: BEADS. Obtained via crossing.
78. Drawn fawn: BAMBI. Because it's often drawn by kids?
79. "Kung Fu" actor: AHN (Philip). I've mentioned him a few times. Ahn = Ang (as in Ang Lee).
80. Indian nurses: AMAHS
89. __ of Silence: "Get Smart" security device: CONE. Not in my memory shelf.
90. Long bones: ULNAE. Plural of ulna.
91. Melancholic: SAD
92. Mike user, maybe: ORATOR
93. Minuscule amount: IOTA
94. Brad of "Deuces Wild": RENFRO. Googled the name, then realized Lemonade commented on this guy before. He died on heroin overdose.
96. Noms de guerre: ANONYMS. Pseudonyms.
102.Describe in drawing: LIMN
103.Ties: EVENS
104.Crowd around, as a celebrity: MOB
107.Pope who met with Attila the Hun: ST. LEO I. Not fond of the answer. To me, he's Pope Leo I.
115.1974 Mocedades hit: ERES TU
117.Ford 1925 "Tin Goose" aircraft, e.g.: TRIMOTOR. Uh-uh. Nope. Waiting for Dennis/Dudley for more information.
118.Vegas strategy: SYSTEM. What system?
119.Neural impulse carriers: AXONS. I don't think I have many. Are you an impulsive person?
120.Sitcom sewer worker: ED NORTON. In "The Honeymooners".
Down:
1. Sea cell: BRIG
2. Hard to come by: RARE
3. Kingdom south of Moab: EDOM. In today's Jordan.
4. Prevail: WIN
5. Cast intro?: POD. Intro to the word Podcast. Felt silly not nailing it.
6. "__ the force ...": USE
7. Hoodwink: BEFOOL. Wow, it's a real word.
8. Play terribly: STINK
9. Trouser material: CHINO
10. Yell "Bon voyage!" to: SEE OFF
11. Searing utensil: PAN
12. Non-Rx: OTC
13. Your, of yore: THY
14. Rivet: ENGROSS
15. "Waiting on the World to Change" singer John: MAYER. And TESH (50. New Ager John). two Johns.
16. Chafe: IRRITATE
17. Like salt: GRANULAR. I like mixing raw honey & granular sea salt to IRRITATE my face.
18. Baloney: ROT
19. One in a flock: EWE. Ha ha, not LAIC.
24. Start to cry?: CEE. Starting letter of the word "cry".
29. Soldier's barked denial: SIR! NO SIR! Nice entry.
30. General heading: TREND
31. Maker of the V10K, the world's hardest watch: RADO. The Swiss watch brand.
32. __ Hari: MATA
33. Tennyson work: IDYLL
34. Old photo tint: SEPIA
35. Unfettered: FREED
36. Sushi seaweed: NORI. I put nori in soup/salad too.
37. Luncheon end?: ETTE. End to the word luncheonette.
38. Husband of Fatima: ALI. Don't know Fatima, Muhammad's daughter.
39. Fourth-qtr. month: DEC
40. Predestined, with "be": MEANT TO
44. Gambler's fund: STAKE
45. Ocean fliers: TERNS
51. Beatles' last album: LET IT BE
52. Writer Sholem: ASCH. Yiddish writer. Hahtool provided us some information about him last time.
56. Abbr. pertaining to origin: ESTD (Established)
57. Muslim general: AGA. I am used to the "Turkish title" clue. Somehow I don't consider Turkey to be a Muslim country.
58. Gig fraction: MEG. I am often confused by this computer storage unit. Meg is smaller than gig?
59. To __: exactly: A TEE. I don't mind this TEE and 97A "tee" duplication. Different meaning.
61. Plateau: HIGHLAND
62. Foolishness: INANITY
63. Snorkel, e.g.: Abbr.: SGT. Sergeant Snorkel (Beetle Bailey).
64. Ed.'s workload: MSS (Manuscripts). Editors.
66. Apprehends: NABS
67. Gets close to: NEARS
68. Harmful ray type: GAMMA
69. Spherical: ORBED. Ha ha, now I see the answer as OR BED.
70. Sinn __: FEIN. The Irish Party. Left wing.
75. More likely to get hired: ABLER
76. "I'm stumped!": DUNNO
77. Big mess: SNAFU. Apropos of nothing, is this chart true for you? Too little attention span, too much sex for men. No wonder oil spill is still not curbed. What a SNAFU!
79. Claire's baby, on "Lost": AARON. Dunno. Have never watched "Lost".
80. Battery fluid: ACID
81. Peaty wasteland: MOOR
82. Curaçao's chain: ANTILLES. Chain of islands in West Indies.
83. Most weighty: HEAVIEST
85. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" composer: KERN (Jerome). Did not know this factoid.
86. Vocal quality: TONE
87. Mix in oaters: TOM. Tom Mix.
88. Hist. class data: YRS
90. Coffinite element: URANIUM. Coffinite is the ore of uranium. New word to me also.
95. Had way too much: OD' ED ON
96. Preposterous: ABSURD
98. Ham it up: EMOTE
99. Super Bowl highlights?: TV ADS
100."Talk to __": 2002 Almodóvar film: HER. Not in my radar. Maybe Clear Ayes has seen it.
101.Online reminder: E NOTE. I don't use this word in my daily life. You?
104.Chef's protection: MITT
105.1847 novel set on Tahiti: OMOO
106.Alpine capital: BERN
107.Paris possessive: SES. His/Her. Singular pronoun.
108.Effort: TRY
109.Tax-deferral vehicle, for short: IRA
110.Bewitch: HEX
111. Japanese prime minister who succeeded Fukuda in 2008: ASO. Taro Aso. Was defeated in the 2009 election.
112.Gimlet choice: GIN. Or vodka.
113.Insurance gp.: HMO
114.Craggy crest: TOR. Learned from doing Xword. Alliteration.
Answer grid.
Congratulations to Chickie and her husband Bill, who are celebrating their 56th Wedding Anniversary today. And Happy Father's Day to all the dads there!
C.C.
23A. Golfer's excuse for a bad chip shot?: IRON DEFICIENCY. Iron is often used for chip shot.
29A. Golfer's shot into a water hazard?: STROKE OF MISFORTUNE. Any hit in golf is counted as a stroke, regardless of the club you use.
49A. Golfer's lament about failing to recognize different ball positions?: I CANNOT TELL A LIE. Said George Washington. Lie is where your ball sits after the hit.
65A. What a golfer who's not playing well doesn't do?: GET IN THE SWING OF THINGS. Swing refers to golfers' body movement when hitting a club. An unfortunate clue/answer duplication with GYRATE (25A. Swing one's hips).
84A. Mind-set for a golfer wary of sand?: BUNKER MENTALITY. Bunker is the sand trap. Our crossword stalwart Ernie Els is pretty good at bunker shots.
97A. Golfer's slicing tee shot?: DRIVE AROUND THE BEND. Drive is the starting tee shot, often hit with a driver.
109A.Golfer's admission after missing fairways? I HAD A ROUGH TIME. Rough is the area bordering the fairway where the grass are higher and thicker. If your ball lands in the rough or bunker, you are having a "bad lie".
And the ultimate green can be found in the clues for NOD (53A. Green light) & RESOD (116A. Fix, as a green).
Fantastic theme! I am amused. So appropriate for the US Open & Father's Day. Great theme title too. Nice play on "Coarse Humor".
The theme answers are all quite long. Guess that's why we only have 136 words instead of our normal 144. I actually don't remember we have a grid-spanner 21 in a Sunday puzzle before.
Very smooth solving. Not many obscure words to stymie me (Hey, stymie, another golf term). No letter J, Q and Z is to be found in the whole grid, another reason for an easier solve I suppose. I was in the fairway most of the time. But still a bogey round. Cheated a few times.
Across:
1. Some bars: BREW PUBS. Was picturing candy bars.
9. Benjamin: C-SPOT. Might be tough for syndicate solvers outside US. Slang for a hundred-dollar-bill.
14. Political fugitive: EMIGRE. They have a special form for citizenship application.
20. Communications collectible: RADIO SET. Alliteration.
21. Overgrown tract: HEATH
22. Intolerant: NARROW. We also have ALLOW (46D. Tolerate).
26. It's multifaceted: GEM
27. Bridge opening, for short: ONE NO. I can never remember this term.
28. Checking line: REIN. It's used for "checking" indeed. Great clue.
38. Naval officer: ADMIRAL
41. Volume-control devices, in recording: FADERS. Fade/Draw is a golf term too.
42. Scads: A LOT
43. Stared salaciously: LEERED. Alliteration.
44. Where to get off: Abbr.: STA (Station)
47. Categories: TYPES
48. Like Key lime pie: TART. I've never had Key Lime pie.
52. Digs up?: AERIE. High "Digs" for the eagles. Awesome clue too.
54. Baseball great Combs: EARLE. I bet it's a gimme for Argyle & Dennis. He Played his entire career with the Yankees. Hall of Famer.
55. Fills with cargo: LADES
57. Dols. and cts.: AMTS
59. Start of a 1961 inaugural quote: ASK NOT. ''Ask not what your country can do for you . . .'' JFK inaugural quote.
60. Religious rift: SCHISM. Alliteration.
71. Greek marketplaces: AGORAE. Plural of agora, the Greek mall.
72. Got watery, in a way: TEARED
73. Thugs' pieces: GATS. Pistols.
74. Friendship bracelet items: BEADS. Obtained via crossing.
78. Drawn fawn: BAMBI. Because it's often drawn by kids?
79. "Kung Fu" actor: AHN (Philip). I've mentioned him a few times. Ahn = Ang (as in Ang Lee).
80. Indian nurses: AMAHS
89. __ of Silence: "Get Smart" security device: CONE. Not in my memory shelf.
90. Long bones: ULNAE. Plural of ulna.
91. Melancholic: SAD
92. Mike user, maybe: ORATOR
93. Minuscule amount: IOTA
94. Brad of "Deuces Wild": RENFRO. Googled the name, then realized Lemonade commented on this guy before. He died on heroin overdose.
96. Noms de guerre: ANONYMS. Pseudonyms.
102.Describe in drawing: LIMN
103.Ties: EVENS
104.Crowd around, as a celebrity: MOB
107.Pope who met with Attila the Hun: ST. LEO I. Not fond of the answer. To me, he's Pope Leo I.
115.1974 Mocedades hit: ERES TU
117.Ford 1925 "Tin Goose" aircraft, e.g.: TRIMOTOR. Uh-uh. Nope. Waiting for Dennis/Dudley for more information.
118.Vegas strategy: SYSTEM. What system?
119.Neural impulse carriers: AXONS. I don't think I have many. Are you an impulsive person?
120.Sitcom sewer worker: ED NORTON. In "The Honeymooners".
Down:
1. Sea cell: BRIG
2. Hard to come by: RARE
3. Kingdom south of Moab: EDOM. In today's Jordan.
4. Prevail: WIN
5. Cast intro?: POD. Intro to the word Podcast. Felt silly not nailing it.
6. "__ the force ...": USE
7. Hoodwink: BEFOOL. Wow, it's a real word.
8. Play terribly: STINK
9. Trouser material: CHINO
10. Yell "Bon voyage!" to: SEE OFF
11. Searing utensil: PAN
12. Non-Rx: OTC
13. Your, of yore: THY
14. Rivet: ENGROSS
15. "Waiting on the World to Change" singer John: MAYER. And TESH (50. New Ager John). two Johns.
16. Chafe: IRRITATE
17. Like salt: GRANULAR. I like mixing raw honey & granular sea salt to IRRITATE my face.
18. Baloney: ROT
19. One in a flock: EWE. Ha ha, not LAIC.
24. Start to cry?: CEE. Starting letter of the word "cry".
29. Soldier's barked denial: SIR! NO SIR! Nice entry.
30. General heading: TREND
31. Maker of the V10K, the world's hardest watch: RADO. The Swiss watch brand.
32. __ Hari: MATA
33. Tennyson work: IDYLL
34. Old photo tint: SEPIA
35. Unfettered: FREED
36. Sushi seaweed: NORI. I put nori in soup/salad too.
37. Luncheon end?: ETTE. End to the word luncheonette.
38. Husband of Fatima: ALI. Don't know Fatima, Muhammad's daughter.
39. Fourth-qtr. month: DEC
40. Predestined, with "be": MEANT TO
44. Gambler's fund: STAKE
45. Ocean fliers: TERNS
51. Beatles' last album: LET IT BE
52. Writer Sholem: ASCH. Yiddish writer. Hahtool provided us some information about him last time.
56. Abbr. pertaining to origin: ESTD (Established)
57. Muslim general: AGA. I am used to the "Turkish title" clue. Somehow I don't consider Turkey to be a Muslim country.
58. Gig fraction: MEG. I am often confused by this computer storage unit. Meg is smaller than gig?
59. To __: exactly: A TEE. I don't mind this TEE and 97A "tee" duplication. Different meaning.
61. Plateau: HIGHLAND
62. Foolishness: INANITY
63. Snorkel, e.g.: Abbr.: SGT. Sergeant Snorkel (Beetle Bailey).
64. Ed.'s workload: MSS (Manuscripts). Editors.
66. Apprehends: NABS
67. Gets close to: NEARS
68. Harmful ray type: GAMMA
69. Spherical: ORBED. Ha ha, now I see the answer as OR BED.
70. Sinn __: FEIN. The Irish Party. Left wing.
75. More likely to get hired: ABLER
76. "I'm stumped!": DUNNO
77. Big mess: SNAFU. Apropos of nothing, is this chart true for you? Too little attention span, too much sex for men. No wonder oil spill is still not curbed. What a SNAFU!
79. Claire's baby, on "Lost": AARON. Dunno. Have never watched "Lost".
80. Battery fluid: ACID
81. Peaty wasteland: MOOR
82. Curaçao's chain: ANTILLES. Chain of islands in West Indies.
83. Most weighty: HEAVIEST
85. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" composer: KERN (Jerome). Did not know this factoid.
86. Vocal quality: TONE
87. Mix in oaters: TOM. Tom Mix.
88. Hist. class data: YRS
90. Coffinite element: URANIUM. Coffinite is the ore of uranium. New word to me also.
95. Had way too much: OD' ED ON
96. Preposterous: ABSURD
98. Ham it up: EMOTE
99. Super Bowl highlights?: TV ADS
100."Talk to __": 2002 Almodóvar film: HER. Not in my radar. Maybe Clear Ayes has seen it.
101.Online reminder: E NOTE. I don't use this word in my daily life. You?
104.Chef's protection: MITT
105.1847 novel set on Tahiti: OMOO
106.Alpine capital: BERN
107.Paris possessive: SES. His/Her. Singular pronoun.
108.Effort: TRY
109.Tax-deferral vehicle, for short: IRA
110.Bewitch: HEX
111. Japanese prime minister who succeeded Fukuda in 2008: ASO. Taro Aso. Was defeated in the 2009 election.
112.Gimlet choice: GIN. Or vodka.
113.Insurance gp.: HMO
114.Craggy crest: TOR. Learned from doing Xword. Alliteration.
Answer grid.
Congratulations to Chickie and her husband Bill, who are celebrating their 56th Wedding Anniversary today. And Happy Father's Day to all the dads there!
C.C.
