5.10.2009

SUNDAY, May 10, 2009 (calendar puzzle) — Sylvia Bursztyn


Theme: Bloom Mood — Theme answers all contain the word rose.

Theme answers:
  • 25A: Piaf's signature ("LA VIE EN ROSE").
  • 37A: Matriarch of note (ROSE KENNEDY).
  • 48A: Williams work (THE ROSE TATTOO).
  • 63A: Pasadena landmark (ROSE BOWL STADIUM).
  • 79A/35A: Farrow-Daniels fantasy ("THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO").
  • 91A: PBS personality (CHARLIE ROSE).
  • 105A: Nat King Cole hit ("RAMBLIN' ROSE").
  • 24D: Picasso era (ROSE PERIOD).
  • 62D: Anthony Hopkins thriller ("AUDREY ROSE").
Well, the blogging team here at LACC has decided not to spend a whole lot of time on this puzzle each week. This decision was based primarily on the puzzle's unpredictable timing. It's just too stressful to sit around waiting for the puzzle to become available and then feeling the pressure to solve it and write it up quickly. Especially if we're only going to get a couple comments on it each week. I'll also say that, frankly, I don't love this puzzle. Maybe the typos wouldn't bother me so much if the puzzle was available at the same time each week, but it's not. So when I start it, I'm already cranky and the typos just make me crankier.

Therefore, from here on out, you'll get a grid, a theme summary, and a list of clues and answers. Of course you can feel free to gab all you want in the comments!

Everything Else — 1A: Lemmon or London (JACK); 5A: Bruins' home (UCLA); 9A: Pollock flock (SCHOOL); 15A: "Fame" singer (CARA); 19A: Thicke or Rickman (ALAN); 20A: Yuletide (NOEL); 21A: By mouth (ORALLY); 22A: Seed cover (ARIL); 23A: Launch, for one (MOTORBOAT); 27A: Casino client (BETTOR); 28A: Doc of the bay (VET); 30A: Logical lead-in (GEO); 31A: Secret (INNER); 32A: Autonomous (SOVEREIGN); 40A: Heiss on the ice (CAROL); 41A: Hors d'oeuvres (CANAPES); 42A: Off-rd. wheels (ATV); 43A: Rhine River city (BASEL); 44A: Thus (SIC); 47A: August (EMINENT); 51A: Cruise ship (LINER); 52A: A Turner (IKE); 54A: Cries of surprise (OOHS); 55A: Memorization (ROTE); 56A: Mao --- -tung (TSE); 57A: "Young Frankenstein" role (INGA); 59A: Yertle's creator (SEUSS); 61A: South China Sea island (TAIWAN); 66A: Fleet defeated in 1588 (ARMADA); 69A: Ovine whine (BLEAT); 70A: Impart (LEND); 71A: Latin I conjugation (AMO); 74A: Litigates (SUES); 75A: Thompson of "Family" (SADA); 76A: "Isn't --- bit like ...?" (HEA); 77A: Construction rod (REBAR); 84A: Giving lewd looks (LEERING); 86A: Rankle (IRK); 87A: Encomium (PAEAN); 88A: Tax pro (CPA); 89A: Guile (SLYNESS); 90A: "... for --- it stands ..." (WHICH); 93A: Does a bad turn? (SPRAINS); 96A: Brando title phrase (LASTTANGO); 97A: Steinbeck title sphere (PEARL); 98A: Theater's McAnuff (DES); 99A: Put into words (SAY); 100A: Umbria town (ASSISI); 109A: Wired to wise guys (CONNECTED); 111A: Genesis son (ABEL); 112A: Like Jaime Sommers (BIONIC); 113A: Old Red Scare grp. (HUAC); 114A: Sonja Henie's hometown (OSLO); 115A: Firm up (TONE); 116A: Marty Robbins' signature (ELPASO); 117A: Major add-on (ETTE); 118A: Statuesque (TALL); 1D: Door part (JAMB); 2D: Natural balm (ALOE); 3D: Suffragist Carrie (CATT); 4D: Pretzel shape (KNOT); 5D: Whole (UNBROKEN); 6D: Dove call (COO); 7D: It can raise dough (LEAVEN); 8D: Take turns (ALTERNATE); 9D: Scale part (SOL); 10D: Rugged (CRAGGY); 11D: Asylum (HAVEN); 12D: Hodgepodge (OLIO); 13D: "Corrida" accolade (OLE); 14D: Caustic cleaner (LYE); 15D: Fleshly (CARNAL); 16D: Rice- --- (ARONI); 17D: Flight section (RISER); 18D: Old Olds (ALERO); 26D: Sacco of controversy (NICOLA); 29D: Canines, etc. (TEETH); 33D: Trace (VESTIGE); 34D: "... --- Baked a Cake" (IDVE); 35D: Desert rest stops (OASES); 36D: Stew (FRET); 37D: "Groundhog Day" director (RAMIS); 38D: Cat- --- -tails (ONINE); 39D: All there (SANE); 40D: Certain securities transaction (CASHSALE); 41D: Highlander (CELT); 43D: Promote (BOOST); 44D: Pack away (STOW); 45D: Bit (IOTA); 46D: "Blood Simple" director (COEN); 49D: Get out of bed (ROUST); 50D: Quick cut (TRIM); 53D: Judaic mysticism (KABBALAH); 58D: Ft. Meade's "Crypto City" (NSA); 59D: Promise (SWEAR); 60D: She, in Ipanema (ELA); 61D: Brit's can (TIN); 63D: Rough file (RASP); 64D: Bygone (OLDEN); 65D: Gives a hand (DEALSIN); 66D: Italian wine center (ASTI); 67D: Essen's valley (RUHR); 68D: Docile (MEEK); 71D: --- "Irish Rose" (ABIES); 72D: Parsonage (MANSE); 73D: Assns. (ORGS); 75D: Contractor's info (SPECS); 76D: Anguish (HEARTACHE); 78D: Cubic Rubik (ERNO); 80D: Strenuous (UPHILL); 81D: Come down (RAIN); 82D: Folk singer Ochs (OCHS); 83D: Tiffs (SPATS); 85D: Classy quality (ELEGANCE); 90D: Sing like a bird (WARBLE); 91D: Black currant cordial (CASSIS); 92D: Schematic (LAYOUT); 93D: Herring type (SPRAT); 94D: R&B's Bryson (PEABO); 95D: Noodle dish (RAMEN); 96D: Hotelier Helmsley (LEONA); 98D: Word with lemon or letter (DROP); 101D: Highlander (SCOT); 102D: "--- miracle!" (ITSA); 103D: Hawk (SELL); 104D: "Rebel Yell" rocker (IDOL); 106D: "How Can --- Sure" (IBE); 107D: Nada (NIL); 108D: Green prefix (ECO); 110D: A Turner (NAT).

8 comments:

*David* said...

Theme was so-so but liked some of the fill including CASSIS, CANAPES, and SPRAT. Got a good group of movie fill as well.

Carol said...

I agree with the typos! How could 82D folksinger Ochs be answered Ochs! Should have been clued folksinger Phil.

Burner10 said...

I actually ove sb's sunday puzzle because I can do them which, by default, makes them too easy for the puzzle universe on this blog. Don't need the commentary though - and its nice of you to explain the game plan going forward.

Burner10 said...

I actually love sb's sunday puzzle because I can do them which, by default, makes them too easy for the puzzle universe on this blog. Don't need the commentary though - and its nice of you to explain the game plan going forward.

Mike said...

@Burner10,

I can only speak for myself, but it's not the difficulty level of Bursztyn'a puzzles that makes me not like her work; most Sunday puzzles have a mixture of easy and hard fill. Also, this blog covers Monday and Tuesday puzzles, which tend to be incredibly easy. There can be a lot of enjoyment to be had from easy puzzles, even for experienced solvers.

With Bursztyn, the problem is a combination of her themes, which don't tend to be nearly as interesting as most other Sunday puzzles, and her typos/inconsistencies. Typos and factual mistakes just have no place in a xword published in a publication like the LAT, and if you count the online version of this puzzle, she's had three of them in her last two puzzles.

Also, from a technical standpoint, her puzzle is usually unavailable online until very late in the day for some reason, which would make the fine bloggers here go crazy in terms of trying to solve it and write it up late on a Sunday night.

Anonymous said...

Sylvia darling, it really doesn't
matter what your critic's say, I find your puzzle equally easy and
difficult to work so its an enjoyable workout, besides it helps
me with my vocabulary, I've forgotten so much from lack of use!

hadley said...

I personally have never liked Sylvia's puzzles. Am so sorry that the LA Times lost Barry - he was the best! I no longer look forward to the Sunday paper and working the puzzle.

Ellen said...

I normally proofread the LAT, but due to production problems, I haven't seen any puzzles since 4/26 (I'll be back on the job soon). Did you find any errors in the puzzles prior to 4/26?