9.27.2009

SUNDAY, September 27, 2009
Sylvia Bursztyn

[Note: This is the puzzle that appears in the Sunday L.A. Times newspaper. If you don't get the paper, you can find the puzzle here. Scroll down to see the write-up of today's syndicated puzzle.]

Theme: "MY Trade" — Theme answers are familiar phrases with with an M changed to a Y or a Y changed to an M.


Theme answers:
  • 23A: Extraordinary snack cakes? (SUPER YODELS).
  • 34A: Easygoing gofers? (MELLOW PAGES).
  • 53A: Biased Ivy Leaguer? (YALE CHAUVINIST).
  • 76A: Colt days? (THE HORSE'S YOUTH).
  • 99A: Ali's reticent persona? (CASSIUS CLAM).
  • 112A: Cautious in love? (WARY HEARTED).
  • 16D: Chicle, in a nutshell? (IT'S A GUM THING).
  • 61D: Tale of Thor? (THUNDER STORY).
Everything Else — 1A: Wheel of Fortune? (LUCE); 5A: Opening word (SESAME); 11A: Saw (ADAGE); 16A: It's like -like (-ISH); 19A: Key lead-in (O SAY); 20A: Pushkin protagonist (ONEGIN); 21A: Matter (TOPIC); 22A: Water tester (TOE); 25A: Draw a line in the water (TROLL); 26A: Big --- (SUR); 27A: Cherokee or Cree (TRIBE); 28A: Clark's colleague (LOIS); 29A: Ivory rival (DIAL); 30A: Infuriated (IRATE); 32A: Naples natives (ITALIANS); 36A: Simmered down (COOLED); 37A: Minute creature (AMOEBA); 39A: --- Park, NJ (ASBURY); 40A: They do heavy lifting (PULLEYS); 42A: Went unused (SAT); 43A: First name in basketball (KAREEM); 45A: Quick-wink link (AS A); 46A: Percolate (LEACH); 49A: Cosmos legend (PELE); 50A: CNN's parent (TBS); 58A: With it (HIP); 59A: Get back (RETALIATE); 62A: Ranchero's rope (RIATA); 63A: "Sweet Child ---" (O' MINE); 65A: Cuisine category (ETHNIC); 66A: Animal product shunner (VEGAN); 68A: Pang (TWINGE); 69A: Guzzles (CHUGS); 70A: Melissa Hayden's handrail (BARRE); 72A: Violated, as a copyright (INFRINGED); 75A: Top score, or half a score (TEN); 79A: Familiar (OLD); 80A: Directly (ANON); 81A: "SNL" alum Cheri (OTERI); 82A: Blubber (SOB); 85A: Being (ENTITY); 88A: Box (BIN); 90A: "Silk Stockings" star (ASTAIRE); 93A: Scary movie sound effect (SHRIEK); 95A: Audacious (BRASSY); 98A: It's for the birds (MILLET); 102A: Beats (PULSATES); 104A: Prank (ANTIC); 105A: Lacking slack (TAUT); 106A: Nursery rhyme? (MAMA); 107A: Words before cop or car (RENT A); 109A: 6 letters (MNO); 110A: Mezzo Marilyn (HORNE); 114A: Golf goal (PAR); 115A: "Help!" dedicatee Howe (ELIAS); 116A: Perceptive (ASTUTE); 117A: Nobelist Wiesel (ELIE); 118A: Not forward (SHY); 119A: Comeback (REPLY); 120A: Begin successor (SHAMIR); 121A: Cannon of film (DYAN); 1D: Series about survivors with secrets (LOST); 2D: Taking too much interest (USURIOUS); 3D: Santa Cruz neighbor (CAPITOLA); 4D: Scrutinize (EYEBALL); 5D: Cantonese cuisine condiment (SOY); 6D: Name that's the reverse of alone (ENOLA); 7D: Arizona tourist spot (SEDONA); 8D: AARP concern (AGEISM); 9D: Big bucks, briefly (MILS); 10D: USN rank (ENS.); 11D: Top Hun (ATTILA); 12D: Florida golf resort (DORAL); 13D: Olympian --- Anton Ohno (APOLO); 14D: Baseball's Hodges (GIL); 15D: Overshadow (ECLIPSE); 17D: Sotomayor's predecessor (SOUTER); 18D: Charge against Galileo (HERESY); 24D: U.S. Grant foe (R. E. LEE); 29D: Obligation (DEBT); 31D: "Streamers" playwright (RABE); 33D: Heavenly (IDYLLIC); 34D: "Peel --- grape" (ME A); 35D: Goods (WARES); 36D: No. expert (CPA); 38D: Labor Dept. div. (OSHA); 41D: "Did You Ever --- Dream Walking" (SEE A); 43D: Earl devoted to Lear (KENT); 44D: Suffix with Saturn (ALIA); 47D: Do something (ACT); 48D: Sergeant's insignia (CHEVRON); 49D: Upright player (PIANIST); 51D: Spree (BINGE); 52D: Celerity (SPEED); 53D: Golf champ Y.E. (YANG); 54D: Best guests (A-LIST); 55D: Incites (URGES); 56D: Through (VIA); 57D: That is (TO WIT); 59D: Verso's opposite (RECTO); 60D: Barrymore or Merman (ETHEL); 64D: Ho Chi --- (MINH); 67D: Slip (ERR); 68D: Platitudes (TRUISMS); 70D: Propensity (BENT); 71D: Shipboard shout (AHOY); 73D: Memorable funnyman Louis (NYE); 74D: Knock-loop link (FOR A); 77D: Terse verse (HAIKU); 78D: Eternities (EONS); 82D: Without a sound (SILENTLY); 83D: Aeschylus trilogy (ORESTEIA); 84D: Stake (BET); 86D: Latin "unless" (NISI); 87D: Ferrante's partner (TEICHER); 88D: Rotten tot (BRAT); 89D: "--- woman, hear me ..." (I AM); 91D: Pageant prop (TIARA); 92D: Made modifications (ALTERED); 93D: Rapscallions (SCAMPS); 94D: "Splash"'s Daryl (HANNAH); 95D: Like Ma Rainey's music (BLUESY); 96D: Peloponnesian power (SPARTA); 97D: "The Mikado" maiden (YUMYUM); 100D: Kind of mall or mine (STRIP); 101D: Cut through Panama (CANAL); 103D: Christine of "Jack & Bobby" (LAHTI); 106D: Pound potatoes (MASH); 108D: Yemeni seaport (ADEN); 111D: Corrida hurrah (OLÉ); 112D: "That --- then, this ..." (WAS); 113D: Puppet ending (-EER).

9 comments:

JN said...

I've never been the first, especially on a Sunday puzzle. Does that say anything about the puzzle itself?

Once I figured out the M Y thing, I was able to almost complete it but the NW corner had me boggled. I don't eat sweets and was totally stuck on superyodels. I would have had an easier time if I just looked at a California map to figure out Capitola.

Some of the clues were giveaways such as "Name that is the reverse of alone" and the "Knock-loop link" clues. Others were difficult because I don't follow golf, etc.

Marco said...

I do play golf, follow sports etc, so I had an easy time with that. But I gotta say the Aeschylus trilogy and the answer eluded me. I can barely pronounce these things, much less know them.

shrub5 said...

It took me a while to get the theme because I had a hard time finishing any of the theme answers. First one was CASSIUS CLAM after I'd moved here and there around the puzzle. Had a hard time with Melissa Hayden's handrail (BARRE). I thought Wheel of Fortune? might be MERV but quickly got LUCE. I guess Merv would have been Wheel of Wheel of Fortune.

ddbmc said...

Slowly got the theme answers, but had not a clue to the "M-Y" exchange until I got to the blog. Wheel of Fortune? clue ans. "Luce." escapes me completely. Does this have anything to do with Henry Luce (Time Magizne scion, etc?) Is there a Luce tire magnate? You picked a fine time to leave me, Luce Wheel?

Love this puzzle,as I really had to work at it! Lots of new words and intros to writers and works I've not come across before. This was a chicken pot pie of a puzzle with lots to dig into and left me lickin' my fork for more. Thank you, Ms. Bursztyn

Carol said...

Nice challenging puzzle. Like the folks above, I really had to work at it. Had problems right away with the top half of the puzzle, so worked from the bottom up. Thanks for a good puzzle - much more exciting than the LAT syndicated!

shrub5 said...

@ddbmc: Luce founded Fortune magazine.

Anonymous said...

What a pleasure! I enjoy ambiguity in clues such as 82a. Blubber which could have been FAT, CRY or SOB early in the game and TRAWL or TROLL for 25a. I missed the commentary/tutorial for this puzzle. Do our experts take Sunday off usually?

Charles Bogle said...

Drat! I wrestled much of the afternoon and successfully finished today's Sunday puzzle "Surprise Endings" by Robert H. Wolfe, only to come to the friendly blog and find--other puzzles. Surprise ending indeed1

anyone know anything about this Wolfe puzzle?

Djinn said...

Yikes! I tried to add a picture to my identity and somehow erased myself from the list of followers. Maybe I can reinstate by commenting again.. So please ignore this post.