Theme: "Bugs at 7" — Note from Merl: This week's puzzle was inspired by a certain wong-eared wascal who first uttered "What's up, doc?" in a cartoon 70 years ago this month (July 27, 1940, to be exact).
[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 today's syndicated puzzle.]
Theme answers:
- 22A: Bugs's successor? (HARE TO THE THRONE).
- 31A: Comment to Elmer upon his retirement? (YOU'RE NO FUDD ANYMORE).
- 50A: Operation for Bugs? (RADIAL CARROTOTOMY).
- 60A: Where lawsuits against Bugs usually end up? (A PELLET COURT).
- 77A: Bugs's favorite footwear? (HUTCH PUPPIES).
- 87A: Where Bugs invests his retirement money? (HOPPINHEIMER FUNDS).
- 105A: Bugs's most famous British ancestor? (BUNNY PRINCE CHARLIE).
- 120A: Bugs's favorite author? (RABBIT PEN WARREN).
Everything Else — 1A: A gem of a name? (OPAL); 5A: Some have tolls: abbr. (RDS.); 8A: "Boy, is that good!" ("WOW!"); 11A: Ex-Paramount chief Robert (EVANS); 16A: Takes on (HIRES); 18A: FDR's mom (SARA); 19A: Diet brand, Smart ___ (ONES); 21A: From here (LOCAL); 25A: Garden guardian, perhaps (GNOME); 26A: Spanish queen till '31 (ENA); 27A: Blow a call, e.g. (ERR); 28A: In need of punching up (WEAK); 29A: Way beyond wacky (DERANGED); 35A: Japanese mushroom (ENOKI); 36A: "Start over" button (RESET); 37A: Confabulates (GABS); 41A: Avon had one (BARD); 44A: Fourth word of a Doors classic (END); 46A: Sickness setting (SEA); 47A: It works like a charm (AMULET); 49A: Mania start (EGO); 55A: ___ upon (find by accident) (HAPPEN); 57A: Airport monitor? (FAA); 58A: Tom and Nicole, e.g. (EXES); 59A: Rodeo nickname (TEX); 64A: Birch family tree (ALDER); 66A: Shoot over, as a scene (REDO); 67A: Jackie's designer (OLEG); 68A: Spore sacs that are almost a computer acronym (ASCI); 70A: Tinseltown terrier (ASTA); 74A: "I don't mean ___, but ..." (TO PRY); 81A: Calypso cousin (SKA); 84A: Monkees movie co-written by Jack Nicholson (HEAD); 85A: Sigma follower (TAU); 86A: "Forget it!" ("NO SOAP!"); 93A: "Here, ___ mine" (USE); 94A: Merle of movies (OBERON); 95A: Book after Danl. (HOS.); 96A: Where "Scarface" was shot: abbr. (FLA.); 97A: Plow pullers (OXEN); 98A: Bit of bread in Baja? (PESO); 99A: "Dodsworth" co-star Mary (ASTOR); 102A: "N'___ pas?" (EST-CE); 113A: Donatello, for one (SCULPTOR); 116A: "For the Fallen" et al. (ODES); 117A: Corny bit? (EAR); 118A: Hockey's Bobby (ORR); 119A: Gets the booby prize (LOSES); 124A: Bio by Priscilla, "Elvis ___" (AND ME); 125A: Ireland's best-selling solo artist (ENYA); 126A: Drift gently (WAFT); 127A: Chess players take them (TURNS); 128A: Brutish sort (BEAST); 129A: Mystery writer Josephine (TEY); 130A: Rubble creator (TNT); 131A: Sugar source (BEET); 1D: "Oops, almost forgot ..." ("OH HEY …"); 2D: 3 Down's instrument (PIANO); 3D: Chilean virtuoso Claudio (ARRAU); 4D: Tommy Jones interrupter (LEE); 5D: Yay's college cousin (RAH); 6D: Madison, N.J., school, for short (DREW U); 7D: Full up (SATED); 8D: Office or operating room, e.g. (WORK AREA); 9D: Rock star's 1969 bride (ONO); 10D: Fast-food giant (WENDY'S); 11D: He wrote "Pomp and Circumstance" (ELGAR); 12D: He wrote "Cat's Cradle" (VONNEGUT); 13D: Slip ___ (blunder) (A COG); 14D: Identify (NAME); 15D: No-wheels vehicle (SLED); 17D: Dutch artist Jan (STEEN); 18D: Flattered (STROKED); 20D: "___ after class" (SEE ME); 23D: Little ___ (hardly any) (OR NO); 24D: Duped (HAD); 30D: Took 127 Across (ROTATED); 32D: Roulette bet (RED); 33D: Kaputski (FINI); 34D: Like some misses (NEAR); 38D: Tons (A LOT); 39D: Everlys hit, "Let It ___" (BE ME); 40D: River of no return (STYX); 41D: Joy in the morning? (BEHAR); 42D: Visibly stunned (AGAPE); 43D: Caught, as a dogie (ROPED); 45D: Actor Willem (DAFOE); 46D: Surgery souvenir (SCAR); 48D: Jazzman Allison (MOSE); 50D: Akin: abbr. (REL.); 51D: Request to Sajak (AN E); 52D: Giggle (LAUGH); 53D: Get through to (REACH); 54D: Flower with a bovine name (OXLIP); 56D: Schemer's thing (PLOT); 61D: Synagogue scroll (TORAH); 62D: Glasgow's river (CLYDE); 63D: 13th-century invader (TATAR); 65D: Ludacris efforts (RAPS); 69D: Shoe mark (SCUFF); 71D: Sitting Bull, e.g. (SIOUX); 72D: Have fun with (TEASE); 73D: Fluttery tree (ASPEN); 75D: Taft's birthplace (OHIO); 76D: Ball club's prize (PENNANT); 78D: Shoshone speakers (UTES); 79D: Cologne conjunction (UND); 80D: Terminal abbr. (POS.); 81D: Hit the mall (SHOP); 82D: Big name in beef or basketball (KOBE); 83D: Tarzan's adopters (APES); 88D: Today they're called issues (PROBLEMS); 89D: Flapjack eatery (IHOP); 90D: City near San Luis Obispo (MORRO BAY); 91D: Fonda's beekeeper (ULEE); 92D: Beginning to grow (NASCENT); 97D: Above, poetically (O'ER); 100D: [How boring!] (SNORE); 101D: Tough boss (TYRANT); 103D: Defrost (THAW); 104D: Diamond unit (CARAT); 106D: Sports surprise (UPSET); 107D: Dictator's first name (IDI); 108D: Cereal box abbr. (NET. WT.); 109D: Hearings airer (CSPAN); 110D: "Mad Love" star Peter (LORRE); 111D: "Fame" star Cara (IRENE); 112D: Dadaist Max (ERNST); 113D: Concrete piece (SLAB); 114D: Volcano top (CONE); 115D: Meat-stamp letters (USDA); 121D: "Toodles" ("BYE"); 122D: Young salamander (EFT); 123D: Massage (RUB).
6 comments:
Ugh and ouch, Reagle at his worst or for some his best. Top NW was the toughest part for me with DREW U, ARRAU, OH HEY and SARA.
Didn't know ENA, ARRAU, EVANS,or TEY, which slowed things down, as did the Dodger's game. But funny and fun.
Thanks, PG.
Couldn't help but thinking: "Ewww, you skwewy wabbit!," as I plugged away at this cw. Got DREWU right away, as I used to live directly across the street from the "Home of the New Jersey Shakespeare Theater!"
As a child, who grew up on Bugs and pals, I found this puzzle enjoyable. Loved the sly other references to Bugs-analia: IHOP, 59 A-TEX (as in his creator TEX Avery); Play on words-104 D:CARAT; I supposed there were more that I missed--but I do remember one of the cartoons having a "Peter Lorre" character, along with an "Edward G. Robinson" character. Bugs was doing his best to "bug" the bad guys! According to Wiki, Bugs or Bugsy was an oldfashioned name for some one who was crazy or DERANGED. Of course, Rubble creator TNT, was used in many of the Looney Toons. 117A Corny bit? EAR. The cartoons had plenty of corny bits, along with rabbit EARS....
As a lover of Bugs and WB cartoons, this loony mess of a puzzle certainly didn't honor the wittiness of his classics. Reagle again offers up a hodgepodge of celebrity drivel (i.e. BEHAR and EXES) and esoteric , obscure words. His puns pale in comparison with WB's great writers and their clever use of words. Give it up,Merle, or start educating yourself in the proper use of English. The Times should fire the editors of this abomination. Anyone wasting more than an hour on this crap needs to get a life!
Heh. The Saturday NYT theme was Elmer Fudd. I swear these guys get together and compare notes.
Mr. Reagle really has a weird sense of humor (at least I think it's humor he's trying for!)
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