18A. Governor's pet projects? : STATE PORK. We all know about pork barrel politics. State park.
29A. Utensil that gives you ideas? : CREATIVE SPORK. When you need to backpack light, but creatively. Creative spark.
43A. Bully's secret shame? : FEAR OF THE DORK. Biff's private stigma? Fear of the dark.
56A. Say "Come in, Orson!" e.g.? : QUOTE MORK. Nanu nanu! Quote mark.
OK, so this has to be one of my all-time favorite theme types, with a simple letter change. Other than stork/stark, can you come up with any other solid themers? I think Gareth has covered them all!
This was a speed run for me, and seemed more Tuesday than Thursday-ish. Your experience may vary.
Across:
1. One who's always on the go? : NOMAD.
6. Pear that's good for poaching : BOSC. What a pair!
10. Glass sheet : PANE.
14. Superior to : ABOVE.
15. Member of the opposition : ANTI.
16. One on a pedestal : IDOL.
17. Pick-me-up : TONIC.
20. Like one who forgot the Dramamine : SEASICK.
22. Exposed : BARE. Stork naked?
23. Nutritionist's recommendation : DIET.
25. Causes to quail : DAUNTS. Funny word, "quail." A small, migratory gallinaceous game bird.
32. Take to task : SCOLD.
34. Cock or bull : MALE.
35. Blues-rocker Chris : REA. Probably my favorite of his is this one. 2:37
36. Clothes : TOGS.
37. Alex Haley classic : ROOTS.
39. Abarth automaker : FIAT.
40. Coffee hour item : URN.
41. Talent : GIFT.
42. Precipitation : HASTE.
47. Day spa offering : FACIAL. My face is beyond help...
48. First name in fashion : YVES. St. Laurent.
49. Pundit's piece : OP ED.
51. Olympic Airways founder : ONASSIS.
60. Empty room population? : NO ONE.
61. Poetic lowland : VALE.
62. Iroquoian people : ERIE.
63. Compass dirección : NORTE.
64. Rep on the street : CRED.
65. "Law & Order" org. : NYPD. New York Police Department.
66. Composer Bruckner : ANTON. He was described by Mahler as "half simpleton, half god." Listen to some of his best here.
Down:
1. Expos, since 2005 : NATS. Washington D.C. baseball team.
2. High wind : OBOE. Nice misdirection.
3. Pulitzer poet Van Duyn : MONA. Her "Near Changes" won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1991. Maybe YR can share something from the collection.
4. Budget alternative : AVIS. I sooooo wanted "spree."
5. Ruled : DECIDED.
6. Hoops score : BASKET.
7. London's prov. : ONT.ario
8. Shot in the dark : STAB.
9. Fortresses : CITADELS.
10. Find one's voice : PIPE UP.
11. Stir : ADO.
12. Eur. kingdom : NOR.way
13. Antlered bugler : ELK.
19. Take out : ERASE.
21. "Charlie Wilson's War" org. : CIA. Great movie.
24. Recipient of two New Testament epistles : TIMOTHY. First and second epistle to Timothy in the New Testament.
26. Without a downside : NO RISK.
27. Pet's reward : TREAT. My cats love Greenies.
28. Use the rink : SKATE.
29. After-dinner drink : COGNAC. For Tin, it is at sunset.
30. Jekyll creator's initials : RLS. Robert Lewis Stevenson.
31. Distillery vessel : VAT.
32. Things : STUFF. My favorite routine by George Carlin. 5:09
(Note from C.C.: It's Jazzbumpa's turn today, but Steve blogged today's puzzle also. So a rare double treat for us! Jazzbumpa first, then Steve.)
Theme: My mom is one - TWINS. Each starred clue is answered by one of a brace of famous real or mythical twins. The crossing theme answer
is the other twin of the pair. Further, one of these twins is
indicated by a two-word answer in which the second word is a red
herring, while the other is a simple one-word name, clued in a way that should specifically identify the set of TWINS in question.
17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK. I haven't watched this series, so it took a lot of perp help.
2D. *Biblical birthright seller : ESAU. JACOB's TWIN. Isaac's non-identical twin sons are both frequent crossword denizens. You know the story.
23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" : MARY-KATE. Tricky, since the roll was shared by both of these TWINS.
11. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD.
As this point, having only half sussed the theme, I'm thinking - wait!
The Judd sisters aren't twins! But MARY KATE and ASHLEY Olsen are.
They have since grown up, or at least gotten older.
45 A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say : POLLUX. I did not know that.
28 D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN.
CASTOR OIL, of course. I don't recall ever being subjected to this
cure. CASTOR and POLLUX in Greek mythology, present a confusing case. Per Wikipedia: "Their
mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king
of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who seduced or raped Leda
in the guise of a swan (Greek myths concerning divine sex are often
vague on the issue of female consent)." That's more than I can
comprehend. Better still, Helen also had a TWIN, the unfortunately
named Clytemnestra. CASTOR and POLLUX are also the brightest stars in
the constellation Gemini, and a pet products brand.
59 A. *Beach Boys title girl : BARBARA ANN.
This takes me back to my ute. But back in the day [1961] this was a
hit recording for the Regents. The Beach Boys cover came later.
44 D. *"Today" correspondent __ Bush Hager : JENNA.
BARBARA and JENNA are the daughters of former President George W. Bush,
and clearly non-identical TWINS. They also got older. Here they are
with their mom, former first lady Laura Bush.
And the unifier: 64 A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues : TWINS. C.C.'s home baseball team is not having a good year. They play three games against the Tigers next Mon.- Wed.
It took me quite a while to find C.C.'s wavelength. But wow - eight paired, crossing theme entries, with the long theme entries in perfect symmetry, plus a unifier stacked below
the last horizontal theme fill. Also, two TWIN sets are male and two are
female. I don't even want to think about what it took to put this
together.
Hi gang, a very impressed JazzBumpa here. Let's see what else C.C. has in store for us the rest of the way.
Across:
1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN. Along the west coast of Africa where it takes a big sweep to the east.
6. "Look over here!" : PSST. Sibilant attention getter.
10.
CSNY member : NASH. Of course I should know what CSNY is, and of
course, I didn't. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, famous for their
tight harmonies. Back to my ute again.
14. Private line? : ASIDE. A stage line spoken to the audience, not the other players.
15.
Elevator man : OTIS. In 1853, Elisha Otis invented the elevator safety
brake. Now, 160 years later, his company's products are used in over
200 countries around the world.
16. "It's clear now" : I SEE
19. Genghis __ : KHAN. No relation to Madelaine.
20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL. Jane
21. Former SSR : UKR. The Ukraine.
22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS.
26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP
31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS
33. Some crowns : TIARAS
34. Desert tableland : MESA. Spanish for "table."
35. Blue bird : JAY
37. Looking for a fight : TESTY
38. Suffix with infer : IOR This, I believe, is pushing it.
47.
Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. This took some thought. It means
omitting a sound or syllable in a spoken word. I heard it in my ute.
48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN
51. Drifters : HOBOS
53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN
54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI
58. Short race, briefly : ONE K. One kilometer, about .6 miles.
62. Ruse : SCAM. Phoney business.
63. Duel tool : EPEE. The most common crossword weapon.
65. Funny Dame : EDNA. Dame EDNA Everage is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries. That's all I know.
66.
Bombs : DUDS. Funny how language twists. "A bomb" is a failure, but
"THE bomb" is something really cool, while a "bomb" can blow you away.
67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP. Other definitions are possible.
Down:
1. __ California : BAJA. Spanish for "lower." The peninsula extending south from CA is part of Mexico.
3. "Great shot!" : NICE. Well done
4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL. Today's star, tomorrow's has-been.
5. Lincoln's st. : NEB. Nebraska. Gary can tell us all about it.
6. Beer garden music : POLKA. Oom-pah!
7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. Bart, QB for the Packers.
8. [Not my error] : SIC. Short for sic erat scriptum, "thus was it written." Used when something in a quote looks not quite right.
9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK. Comic book admonition.
10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA. Famous shoe banger. Or maybe not.
12. Corporate emblem : SEAL. I wanted LOGO.
13. Egg sources : HENS.
18. Bruises partner : BUMPS. They go together.
22. Shade provider : PARASOL. I wanted ELM TREE.
24. North Sea feeder : YSER. I didn't know what I wanted.
25. Naut. speed units : KTS. Knots. Wikipedia again: The knot (pronounced not) is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile (1.852 km) per hour, approximately 1.151 mph
26. Env. router : ATTN. Abrv. for attention, often used on inter-office communication envelopes.
27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP. Or deliberately leave your golf shot short of a hazard.
29. Part of MOMA : ART. The Museum of Modern ART.
30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS. Big scandal back in my ute.
32. Composer Erik : SATIE. French.
34. Cattle call : MOO. Of the cattle, not to the cattle.
36. Hankerings : YENS. I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the YEN to travel.
38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS
40. First name in shipping : ARI. Onassis.
43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD. Family strife, sexual tension and diseased cattle on a Texas ranch.
46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA. Followed by "No hands!" and CRASH!
49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED. Why not? It's a festive color.
50. Taunts : GIBES
51. Garden waterer : HOSE
52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD. Probably the next music presentation format to become obsolete.
54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT. A puddy tat. Tweety Bird
55. It may have highlights : HAIR.
56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.
57.
Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP. Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the
bumbling police detective played by Peter Sellers. A portrayal by any
other actor is a SCAM and a fraud.
59. Place to sleep : BED. Or plant flowers
60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU. He runs the Kwik-E-Mart on the Simpson's TV show.
61. ACLU concerns : RTS. Rights, not routes, except for the one to the court house.
There you have it. This puzzle did not BOMB. In fact, I'd say it was THE bomb.
Cool regards!
JzB
****************
Theme: Double Vision: Squint a little further and there's another solve right there!
17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK
23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" :MARYKATE
11D. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD.
And a very expensive backpack - $55,000 anyone? To be fair, Ms. Judd
had nothing to do with this. A reference to the Olsen twins.
45A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say :POLLUX
28D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN: You really should look these two up. Not appropriate for family viewing.
64A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues :TWINS
Just because I love saying "Miiiinesodda" - here's POTUS 40 announcing a Twins game back in 1935:
Hi
everyone - Steve again. Was this just me or was this a really tough
Wednesday? I was picking around the corners, I couldn't see a theme,
there were names, names, names .. these are the puzzles I love - I know I
can ....... just ...... get ...... there ..... if ....... I .... keep
...... at ......it. Oh, then I see it's a C.C teaser. Thanks, I swear
she does it just to keep all the regulars honest!
Across:
1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN. I know that, I drive that road every day. Ummm.
6. "Look over here!" : PSST
10. CSNY member : NASH.
Now this was thoroughly obscure for me. I was thinking "C whatever
State New York" University- Nash College? Oh no, wildly wrong. Crosby,
Stills, Nash and Young. My bad.
14. Private line? : ASIDE
15. Elevator man : OTIS
16. "It's clear now" : I SEE
19. Genghis __ : KHAN
20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL. A thoroughly opportune vowel combination to guarantee crossword immortality! The book isn't bad, either.
21. Former SSR : UKR. My
swim coach Dmitri is from the Ukraine, and coached for the Soviet
Socialist Republics before he realized is was better to move to sunny
SoCal and coach me.
22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS
26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP
31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS They strut, those stray cats ....
33. Some crowns : TIARAS
34. Desert tableland : MESA
35. Blue bird : JAY
37. Looking for a fight : TESTY
38. Suffix with infer : IOR, Hmmmmmm , not a fan of this one - it's not really a suffix infer/inferior - ah not the same thing
39. Cook, in a way : SAUTE Food! Yay! I sautéd some shrimp for dinner tonight
41. Bar bowl item : NUT.
Don't eat the nuts on the bar unless you've seen them poured and you've
had the only hands in them. I won't gross you out by explaining.
42. "Don't tell me!" : OH NO. After you find out about the nuts on the bar.
47. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. I finally got this one after YEARS of telling myself to remember it. And I needed it for a whole bunch of crosses
48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN
The ones in my native Ireland are not always too helpful as Irish Miss and Mari can affirm:
51. Drifters : HOBOS
53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN
54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI
58. Short race, briefly : ONE K,
I'm running a 5K in November in November as a prelude to a triathlon in
San Diego in January. It's been mmmmnmmnmm years since I've run to the
store, so it'll be interesting.
62. Ruse : SCAM
63. Duel tool : EPEE
65. Funny Dame : EDNA. Dame Edna Everage. Here she is in all her glory:
66. Bombs : DUDS. There's a lot of folks wished the bombs they heard were duds.
67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP
Down:
1. __ California : BAJA. Just south of me, and a wonderful place to go. Don't believe everything you read in the papers.
3. "Great shot!" : NICE
4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL
5. Lincoln's st. : NEB. Lincoln the town, not the President - he was born in Kentucky, not Nebraska.
6. Beer garden music : POLKA. It's
Oktoberfest very soon - get ready to polka! Which is odd, as the polka
is Polish, but what the hey! Drink beer and dance with a green hat and a
feather!
7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. This Green Bay Quarterback also goes by BART, which fits nicely into a puzzle grid when the Simpsons are getting tired.
8. [Not my error] : SIC. Ooops
9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK. [Sorry, not my error]
10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA
12. Corporate emblem : SEAL
13. Egg sources : HENS
18. Bruises partner : BUMPS
22. Shade provider : PARASOL
24. North Sea feeder : YSER. Not a fish, the Belgian river. Look, here's an Argyle-style explanation:
Oh wait, that's London - never mind
25. Naut. speed units : KTS. A
knot is one nautical mile, and it is a precise division of the earth's
circumference at it's equator. Lots of nice theme words and a bit of
Scrabble in there!
26. Env. router : ATTN. Yeah, you lost me here.
27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP. Nope. I stay up. When I can can't get up I lie in. Sorry!
29. Part of MOMA : ART. The wonderful Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I spent a day there lost in everything.
30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS
32. Composer Erik : SATIE. You've probably heard this but it's wonderful
34. Cattle call : MOO
36. Hankerings : YENS
38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS. I'd post a link but I'm still listening to Gymnopédie No.1
40. First name in shipping : ARI. Jackie's friend
43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD
46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA. Ends up in the ER.
49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED. C.C? We'd love to see you in red! (From C.C. I have a picture of Boomer dressed IN RED traditional Chinese coat.)
May 2003, Boomer Retirement Lunch
50. Taunts : GIBES
51. Garden waterer : HOSE
52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD
54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT
I
worked for Warner Bros. for a while - I learned that Warner Bros. is
not Warner Brothers! Oh No! It is Warner Bros.(period) - as I hope I
have adequately proven. Also, this this yellow annoyance is called
Tweety. Not Tweety Bird. No bird - simply Tweety. Call this thing
"Tweety Bird" and it's close to a hanging offense. I escaped - just.
55. It may have highlights : HAIR
56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.
57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP. The clumsy Inspector of the Pink Panther movies.
59. Place to sleep : BED
60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU
61. ACLU concerns : RTS. Hmmm - Rights? I get the American Civil Liberties Union but ..
That's
it from me - a great Wednesday from C.C. - had me guessing and picking
all the way. Take care out here and have a wonderful rest of the week!
Steve
More from C.C.:
Some of you solved the "Crosswords with Friends" puzzle I put on the blog last Sunday. George Barany & Friends specially made it for the Will Shortz event. I chucked (Edited later: I meant "chuckled", D-Otto, :-), I'm amazing like that!) reading his comments on the TWINS clue change. See here (almost the bottom).
I submitted this puzzle in February and it was accepted in May, long before the Twins traded Morneau. Sigh. Go Pirates!
Theme: Hometown, USA - The last word of the unifier (VILLAGE) can precede the first word of the theme entries.
37A. 1996 Hillary Clinton best-seller, and what might be said about the start of 17-, 24-, 48- or 59-Across : "IT TAKES A VILLAGE"
17A. "American Idiot" punk band : GREEN DAY. Video(4:48) - (village green, the open square in many NE towns.)
24A. Performer who is heard but not seen : VOICE ACTOR. They give voice to cartoon characters, i.e. - (Village Voice, an alternative weekly paper in NYC)
48A. Table scraps, to the dog : PEOPLE FOOD. (Village People gave us YMCA)
59A. Boob tube : IDIOT BOX. TV - (village idiot, some get elected)
Argyle here. The strong theme must be why IDIOT was allowed in a clue and an answer. Other than that, nothing jumps out at me. A nit nibbles at me on 67-Across.
Across:
1. Terrible grade : EFF
4. Don of radio : IMUS. He has generated many controversies.
8. Got smart with : SASSED
14. Not feel well : AIL
15. "Brave New World" drug : SOMA. Brave New World is a novel written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley and published in 1932. Still relevant?
16. Developed a liking for : TOOK TO
19. James of "Gunsmoke" : ARNESS. There is lots of trivia about him.
20. Most insignificant : LEAST
21. Hopefully helpful track info : HOT TIP
23. Once, formerly : ERST
28. Thames school : ETON
30. QB's successes : TDs
31. "__ were you ..." : IF I
32. Meat-and-potatoes bowlful : BEEF STEW. If it is really good, I would 65A. Patronize, as a restaurant : DINE AT
36. Mil. school : ACAD. (academy)
41. "High Hopes" lyricist Sammy : CAHN
42. One printing defamatory text, in England : LIBELLER. Two "L's"
43. Prefix with gram : EPI. A smart remark.
44. Bars to scan, briefly : UPC. (Universal Product Code)
47. Boy of la casa : NINO. 49D. Father of la casa : PADRE Spanish
51. Zero-calorie protest : FAST
55. War hero played by George C. Scott : PATTON
56. Sitcom sergeant : BILKO
57. Like citrus juices : ACIDIC
62. TV's "__ & Greg" : DHARMA
63. Remove from power : OUST
64. Sch. in the smallest state : URI. (University of Rhode Island)
66. Source of some psychiatry grants: Abbr. : NIMH. (National Institute of Mental Health)
67. Whitney or Washington: Abbr. : MTN. My nit is these are both called Mount and that is abbreviated MT. Geographically they are mountains, I suppose.
Down:
1. Apollo 11 moon lander : EAGLE
2. Pink-slip issuer : FIRER
3. Bugs with bounce : FLEAS
4. Fails to be : ISN'T. Devilishly simple.
5. Stylish, '60s-style : MOD
6. Hollywood's Thurman : UMA
7. Greet someone casually : SAY HI
8. Uttered : STATED
9. Major heart vessels : AORTAs
10. Former Seattle NBAer : SONIC
11. Doubtful : SKEPTICAL
12. UFO pilots, in theory : ETs
13. Hair styles : DOs
18. Grammy winner Gloria : ESTEFAN
22. Halloween mo. : OCT.
24. Cast a ballot : VOTE
25. Dollar bills : ONES
26. Old enough : OF AGE
27. Bill attachment : RIDER
29. Sound of disdain : [TSK!]
32. __ tendonitis: arm muscle ailment : BICEP
33. Daylong military march : ÉTAPE. from French.
34. Addis Ababa native : ETHIOPIAN
35. Mart opening : WAL
36. The whole thing : ALL OF IT
38. Ristorante carafe contents : VINO. "A bottle of white, a bottle of red / Perhaps a bottle of rose instead" - Billy Joel
39. Footnoter's "ditto," briefly : IBID. (Latin, short for ibidem, meaning "the same place")
40. Deighton of spy-fi : LEN
44. Final syllable : ULTIMA
45. Scratcher on a post : PET CAT. If only it was just the post!
60. MADD concern : DUI. (driving under the influence)
61. Doctrinal word ending : ISM
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Below are two beautiful photos
from our Corner Northeast Contingent & Montana (Darlene) gathering
yesterday. Please click herefor more. So nice to finally "see" Hondo, who met
with Irish Miss at a card show before. Irish Miss met with Santa Argyle a
couple times.
This one has the clearest image when enlarged.
Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana
Everyone smiles in this one, lovely!
Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana
2) For those who had trouble getting
D-Otto's birthday puzzle yesterday, please click here for direct download of the PDF file; (Thanks, Erik Agard, for teaching me how).
He is one of the very few who read every word my
blogging team write. He's also been unfailingly kind and caring to our blog
posters, always responsive to those who need help or post a great
link/comment.
I
made this crossword to celebrate his birthday. The clues are about
mid-week difficulty. You don't need to know him to solve this grid.
This puzzle comes in two versions (same Answer Grid, but a handful clues differ):
1) If you are a blog regular, please click here for PDF file (click on Download at the top right), here for puz file; (Thanks, Erik Agard for teaching me how!)
2) If you are just a blog reader & not familiar with some blog insider talk, please click here for PDF, and here for puz file.
Thanks
to Marti & Argyle for editing my clues & catching my various goofs. Thanks also to
Splynter for test-solving Version 2 and giving me great feedback.
I hope you enjoy the puzzle and I look forward to your comments.
Argyle here. No disrespect intended. This appears to be an ambitious debut by our constructor so a few hard nuggets can be accepted and the high number of "esses".
Across:
1. Manages (for oneself) : FENDS
6. Snuck : CREPT. Sneaked or snuck, ok? See the usage note here.
11. __ Moines, Iowa : DES
14. Native Alaskan : ALEUT
15. Cowboy singer Gene : AUTRY. No discouraging word here(2:43).
16. "That's nasty!" : "ICK!"
19. The Beatles' "__ Loves You" : SHE. Yeah, Yeah.
20. Sunrise direction : EAST
21. One of a D.C. 100 : SEN. (senators)
22. Russian capital : MOSCOW
24. Roy G __: rainbow mnemonic : BIV
26. Piebald horse : PINTO. Like what Little Joe rode on the Ponderosa.
30. It replaced the French franc : EURO
33. Pass out : FAINT
35. Mudville number : NINE. The poem on YouTube LINK
36. Complete, as a scene : WRAP
37. Tropicana and Minute Maid, briefly : OJs
38. Cheesy sandwiches : MELTS
39. Grounded jet : SST
40. Sworn statement : OATH
42. Isaac's eldest : ESAU
43. Wranglers with wheels : JEEPS
45. Folk music's Kingston __ : TRIO
48. Former Bears head coach Smith : LOVIE. Chicago Bears Head coach, 2004–2012
50. Be in debt : OWE
51. Sea near Stockholm : BALTIC
53. Prefix with pass : SUR. (surpass)
55. Become enraged : FUME
59. World Cup cheer : "¡OLÉ!"
63. Gen-__: boomer's kid, probably : Xer
64. Invalidate : ANNUL
65. On one's toes : ALERT
66. Fist pumper's word : "YES!"
67. Trotsky and Uris : LEONs
68. Pack animals : ASSes
Down:
1. Lose color in the wash : FADE
2. "On the Waterfront" director Kazan : ELIA
3. Loch with a monster : NESS
4. Brit's trash can : DUSTBIN
5. Sault __ Marie : STE.
6. Batman's hideout : CAVE. "Quick, to the Batmobile!" 12D. Bounce in a 6-Down : ECHO. "Quick, to the Batmobile!"
7. Wreck completely : RUIN
8. And so on: Abbr. : ETC.
9. Vacate the __: eviction notice phrase : PREMISES
10. Big name in chicken : TYSON. Perdue's competition.
13. Depict unfairly : SKEW
18. Invitation letters : RSVP
23. Bouillabaisse, e.g. : STEW. Traditional fish stew.
25. Practitioner: Suff. : IST
26. Kept in, as hostility : PENT-UP
28. Bodysuit for a tiny tot : ONESIE
29. "__ Marner": Eliot work : SILAS
31. Speak with a grating voice : RASP
32. Chooses : OPTs
33. 12 inches : FOOT
34. Open a bit : AJAR
38. Doctor's profession : MEDICINE
41. Owl's cry : [HOOT!][
43. A boxer may have a glass one : JAW
44. They're attractive to look at : EYEFULs
47. "Footloose" co-star Singer : LORI. Did you catch that Singer was capitalized?
49. "Myra Breckinridge" author Gore : VIDAL
51. Like the Honda Element : BOXY. Probably want to keep it like the following...
52. Away from the wind : ALEE
53. Really surprise : STUN
54. Web addresses, briefly : URLs
56. Beehive State natives : UTEs. Not Utahn today.
Theme: "No-win Situations" - All possible combinations of letters XXO (except XXX & OOO) are hidden in each theme entry.
23A. Wonka's starting hockey team? : SIX OOMPA LOOMPAS. Oompa-Loompas work for Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Six player on ice during a hockey game.
37A. Much "Sanford and Son" banter? : REDD FOXX ONE- LINERS
66A. Rockport knockoffs? : FAUX OXFORDS. Maybe Famous Footwear has Rockport. Never paid attention to that brand before.
96A. Rusty, the Iron Man? : SUPERHERO OXYMORON. Funny clue.
16D. Artistic place for tiny letters? : MAILBOX ORIGAMI
116A. Three-letter combinations hidden in this puzzle's six other longest answers : TIC TAC TOE LOSERS
Amy covers all the possible 6 arrangements, correct? X'es are tricky to deal with in filling, she had 10 of them!
Across:
1. Casserole holders : MITTS
6. Flood barrier : DIKE
10. Santa __, aka "devil winds" : ANAs
14. Tut's home, now : TOMB
18. Online payment : E-CASH
19. OS X basis : UNIX. Mac OS X.
20. Guns : REVs
21. At full throttle : AMAIN
26. Say "I do" : UNITE
27. 2006 Verizon acquisition : MCI
28. Dutch pottery city : DELFT
29. Nonstick cookware brand : T-FAL. Great quality.
30. Clown's props : STILTS
31. Early philosophical hot spot : ELEA.
I know this place only as Zeno of Elea. He's a philosopher, so it
could be a hot spot. MN is a hot spot for crosswords. George Barany told
me that "...Will said that besides New York and California, there is
no other state
with such a concentration of constructing talent (maybe he forgot about
Maryland?)".
53. Org. with Pirates and Sharks : AHL. No idea. American Hockey League.
54. Black hues, to Chaucer : EBONs
55. Traditional fourth-anniversary gift : LINEN. Seehere. Boomer and I will celebrate our 13th year next May.
56. Fed. workplace monitor : OSHA
57. Hot state : IRE
58. Bob or bowl : HAIRDO
59. Game with Skip cards : UNO
60. Hawaii's coffee capital : KONA
62. Half the taijitu symbol : YANG
64. "__ Went Mad": Riley poem : ERE I
65. Cellists' sect. : STR (String)
70. Styling stuff : GEL
73. Us opponents : THEM
76. Certain slip-on : MULE. Shoes.
77. Catch some rays : BASK
79. Crest letters : ADA
80. Like sailors on leave : ASHORE. I wanted something drunk related. Sorry, Spitzboov/D-Otto!
82. Lucrative : FAT. OK, a fat year.
83. Epitome of thinness : RAIL
85. High points : ACMES
87. Polynesian language : MAORI. I think Steve used this image last time. Stick your tongue out. How low can you go?
88. ABO designation : POS (Positive)
89. High : TIPSY
90. Venerated one : SAINT
91. Skating on thin ice : IN DANGER
93. Holiday chuckles : HOs. Santa!
94. 21st, e.g.: Abbr. : CEN
95. Tokugawa shogunate seat of power : EDO
104. Scripts that may be hard to read : RXS
106. Part of ASAP : AS SOON. One6-letter partial is OK.
107. Old-fashioned show of affection: Abbr. : LTR. My sister-in-law Barbara always writes us letters.
108. Project Mercury org. : NASA
109. Actress Meredith __-Birney : BAXTER
111. Coll. major involving an observatory : ASTR (Astronomy)
112. Calligrapher's line : SERIF
114. Rotation meas. : RPS (Revolutions per Second)
115. Skilled pitchers : ADMEN. Not baseball.
119. Hardly certain : LEERY
120. Natural soother : ALOE
121. Bengay, e.g. : BALM. This might work if you have mild arthritis pain or muscle pain. You local Asian store should have them. The stuff stinks though.
122. "Have a look!" : GO SEE
123. Lombardy Castle city : ENNA. In Sicily. Splynter might know Lombardy Castle. Not me.
124. Surfer, perhaps : USER. Internet surfer.
125. Old dagger : SNEE
126. Mythical lover of wine and women : SATYR
Down:
1. "Animal magnetism" coiner : MESMER. He gave us "Mesmerize".
2. Frozen drip : ICICLE
3. Rolled on a runway : TAXIED
4. Menu general : TSO. Chicken.
5. Sporting heels : SHOD
6. Two-floor apartment : DUPLEX
7. Up the creek : IN A FIX
8. Highland wear : KILT
9. Skeletal prefix : EXO. "Outer".
10. Carrying limit : ARMFUL
11. Himalayan native : NEPALI. Sherpa's life is actually very hard.
12. Ski area concern : AVALANCHE. Sherpas encounter this often.
13. Snake's "Back off!" : SSS
14. Ready to snap : TAUT
15. __ vincit amor : OMNIA. Do you believe in "Love conquers all"?
17. What some fight to, with "the" : BITTER END
22. Video game console : NES
24. Cantaloupe, e.g. : MELON
25. Aquatic rompers : OTTERS
30. Pak of the LPGA : SE RI. She opened the door for all those Korean LPGA players.
32. Mr. Rochester's ward : ADELE. Jane Eyre.
35. "Gimme a Break!" star Carter : NELL. And 49. "__ Misbehavin'" : AIN'T
38. Ballpark buy : FRANK
39. "This could be a problem" : OH OH
40. Trouble for the hopelessly trapped : NO WAY OUT
41. Nasty race tactic : SMEAR
43. Manitoba pump sign : ESSO
47. Irish Rose's guy : ABIE. Learned from doing Xwords.
48. Grade refinement : PLUS
51. "__ Lisa" : MONA
52. Biblical barterer : ESAU
53. Ship protected by Hera : ARGO. Otherwise, no woman on that ship.
57. Lower-ranking : INFERIOR
58. Company with toy trucks : HESS
61. "All __": 1984 film : OF ME
63. Rocker Rose : AXL
67. Adman's yuletide : XMAS
68. Aaron's MLB record 2,297 : RBIs
69. Longtime "What's My Line?" host : DALY (John). I should borrow Splynter's BMT (Before My Time).
71. Original sin site : EDEN
72. __ resort : LAST
74. Israeli folk dance : HORA
75. Actress Moran et al. : ERINs
78. "Casey's Top 40" host : KASEM
80. French girlfriend : AMIE
81. 1959 Gidget player : SANDRA DEE. Hey, a full name.
82. Jibs, e.g. : FORESAILS
84. Lhasa __ : APSO
86. Church law : CANON
88. Spices (up) : PEPS
89. Powerful D.C. lobby : THE NRA
92. __ gum: thickening agent : GUAR
94. Ritchard who played Hook on Broadway : CYRIL. Stranger to me. Captain Hook. Wiki said he was born in Australia. Not Russia as I thought.
97. Gun, in old slang : ROSCOE. I forgot. But we had this clue before.
98. More spicy : HOTTER
99. Soccer stadium shout : OLE OLE
100. Limit-pushing, in adspeak : XTREME. The bowling center in Treasure Island is called Island Xtreme Bowl.
101. Most limited : RAREST
102. Fish-eating hawk : OSPREY
103. 1952 Egyptian Revolution leader : NASSER.
The guy who's in control now is General Sisi. No government can survive
in Egypt without the military backing. Morsi is a good example.
105. Tough : STERN
109. Statement no. : BAL (Balance)
110. Mononymous New Ager : ENYA
112. Asian country suffix : STAN. Meaning "Land".
113. London forecasts : FOGS
116. Sigma follower : TAU
117. Letters next to an eye : CBS. Great clue.
118. "__ man walks into ..." : SO A
I
mentioned last week that George Barany (The genius behind the Alan
Turingtribute puzzle) & Friends made the fun puzzle inside the
program for "An Evening with the Puzzle Master". Everyone was busy
solving the grid while waiting for Will to start the presentation.
George
kindly provided me with the puz file. I thought you might enjoy it. You
don't have to be an Minnesotan to solve the grid.
Click here for the PDF file. Click here for the puz file.
Spoiler alert:
Clickhere to read how the puzzle was created & George's thoughts on several
entries. I bet TTP & PA Don enjoyed reading his remark on 51-Down.
There is also a great picture of the MN constructors with Will Shortz at
the bottom.
