Theme: "That Hurts!" — Theme answers are familiar phrases with the word OW inserted into them creating new wacky phrases clued "?" style.
[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]
Theme answers:
- 23A: Distinctive Farrah Fawcett feature? (SHOWY LOCKS).
- 29A: Candlemaker's monthly receipt? (TALLOW ORDER).
- 41A: Rollerblading partner of movie camera pioneer Bell? (HOWELL ON WHEELS).
- 67A: Methods of separating chaff from grain? (WINNOWING WAYS).
- 90A: People afraid of playing the stock market? (TRADING COWARDS).
- 108A: Borders for oval paintings? (BOWED FRAMES).
- 115A: Including Monopoly money in a trousseau? (DOWRY HUMOR).
I caught onto the theme right away which helped with the remaining theme answers. The only place I had any trouble was in the BOWED FRAMES area, where I couldn't parse the theme answer, STEADIES (85D: Regular guys) just wasn't coming to me, and I really really didn't want SEEMER (97D: Pretender) to be right. All in all, a cute theme nicely executed. I think my biggest problem today is going to be getting through this write-up in spite of all the chocolate on my keyboard.Bullets:
- 1A: Illinois-based brewery (PABST). I believe this is a favorite of a certain puzzle constructor we all know and love. (Hi, BEQ.)
- 27A: "The Banger Sisters" costar (HAWN). I never saw this movie, but I knew that Susan Sarandon was one of the sisters. Couldn't come up with the other one without crosses though.
- 33A: Coinage (SPECIE). I don't know what this means.
- 60A: Jalapeño feature (TILDE). That's the little squiggly line over the N.
- 62A: Returning lover's question (MISS ME?). Oh, I had a little trouble here too. I initially entered kiss me which, of course, isn't a question at all. Plus I had yips for YAPS (54A: Sharp barks). Both of those errors combined to make AMNESIAS (55D: Identity crises?) hard to see.
- 66A: __ Karate: old aftershave (HAI). Never heard of it so I looked it up in Wikipedia. There I learned that the brand had an offensive ad campaign that I just knew I'd want to share with you.
- 77A: Ted Williams wore it (NINE). So did Roger Maris.
- 98A: Copter's forerunner (GIRO). I don't know what this means either.
- 124A: Whimpered (PULED). I don't think I've ever seen this word before. But it means just what it says.
- 7D: __ homo (ECCE). A Latin phrases commonly translated as "Behold the man."
- 9D: "Wild Bill" Donovan's WWII org. (OSS). Office of Strategic Services. This comes up from time to time so try to remember it!
- 63D: Houlihan portrayer (SWIT). Loretta Swit played Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the television series M.A.S.H.
- 69D: Former "SNL" character Father __ Sarducci (GUIDO). Funny guy. He has a book that's a series of letters he wrote to famous people and companies and the responses he received. The one I remember off the top of my head is where he wrote to McDonald's to ask why they pictured a packet of jelly in their Egg McMuffin ad when, clearly, no one would put jelly on their Egg McMuffin. Stuff like that.
- 91D: Massage deeply (ROLF). Massage deeply sounds good. Rolf sounds bad.
- 104D: Become a pair without an affair (ELOPE). Cute clue!
Crosswordese 101: Surprised we haven't covered ASTA yet. This is one I learned from crosswords. Today he's clued as 122A: Nick and Nora's pooch. Nick and Nora Charles are the "flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they solve crimes with ease" in the 1934 film The Thin Man. ASTA is their wire-haired terrier (a schnauzer in the Dashiell Hammett book upon which the film is based). With all that information, you should be able to spot the ASTA clues. The only tricky thing you have to look out for is a clue that refers to either Nick or Nora as simply "Charles." You're likely to think that's a reference to someone with the first name Charles and you'll be confused about who that might be and what that person's dog is named. But now you're ready for that too!Roundup of Past CW101:
- RCAS (20A: Some antique radios).
- ENOS (39A: Son of Seth).
- SRI (71A: Hindu honorific).
- ÉPÉE (119A: Heaviest modern fencing weapon).
- PASHA (1D: Former Turkish title).
- ST.-LÔ (13D: Normandy battle site).
- EDAM (89D: Mild Dutch cheese).
- RARA (109D: __ avis).
Everything Else — 6A: Chilean cash (PESO); 10A: Crones (HAGS); 14A: Magna __ (CARTA); 19A: Correspond (AGREE); 21A: Share a border with (ABUT); 22A: Haughty (ALOOF); 25A: Earth (SOIL); 26A: "Really cool!" ("NEATO!"); 28A: Fits to __ (A TEE); 31A: One at a brayer meeting? (ASS); 32A: Where the uvea is (EYE); 35A: Whole (ENTIRE); 36A: Herbal array, perhaps (TEA BAGS); 40A: Bluffing strategies (RAISES); 44A: Sacramento's ARCO __ (ARENA); 46A: Actor McKellen (IAN); 47A: Key to getting out of trouble? (ESC); 48A: Big brass (TUBAS); 53A: On a liner, e.g. (ASEA); 56A: Sources of cabinet wood (ALDERS); 59A: Response to being cut off (HONK); 64A: Single show (EPISODE); 72A: Display case (ÉTAGÈRE); 74A: Know somehow (INTUIT); 75A: Frequently (OFTEN); 78A: What the heirs split (ESTATE); 81A: Conception (IDEA); 83A: Diminishing returns (LESS); 84A: Entr'__: theatrical intervals (ACTES); 86A: Proverb ending? (-IAL); 87A: Bonding words (I DO); 88A: TV producer Norman and a tragic king (LEARS); 95A: 1990s Toyotas (PASEOS); 99A: Tennis wear item (SNEAKER); 102A: Trying experience (ORDEAL); 103A: Search __: online aid (ENGINE); 105A: Scot's cap (TAM); 106A: Corn Belt st. (NEB.); 110A: Laundry basketful (LOAD); 112A: The Mideast's __ Strip (GAZA); 113A: As a friend, to Fifi (EN AMI); 114A: State as true (AVER); 117A: "__ Grows in Brooklyn" (A TREE); 118A: Actor Santoni (RENI).
31 comments:
Happy All Saints Day! And, don’t forget to reset your clocks.
A very well constructed puzzle!
Of course… it’s a Robert Harrris puzzle.
I like this puzzle because it has no “cheap” fill, it has humorous clues, and it has a lot of new words (for me, that’s good).
Then to top it all off, it has a superb theme…relieving the OWs…I like that.
I like 21 X 21 puzzles because they tend not to have a lot of crappy 3 letter fill words, but this puzzle had some really great fill.
I just came back from Wisconsin with two big OWies… a deer tick embedded in my eye… and shin scuffs from falling on some rocks. Awww…poor Johnny!!!
The way I see it, there are three exciting components to doing a CWP (now that I discovered this blog). 1) The puzzle solving. 2) Reading the fun and enlightening blog writeup. 3) Reading and replying to the comments of others. If you don’t do this blog, you’re only getting 1/3 the fun! To the newbies here: GO FOR THE GOLD! And, Puzzlegirl’s writeups are just that…pure gold!
Words that I did not know: PULED, TEY (Miss Pym Disposes auth.), OSS, WEAL, ENAMI and ROLF.
Wasn’t TEY also the wife of Kheperkheprure Aya, the famous Egyptian pharaoh?
Clues that I loved: “one at a brayer meeting”, “Key to getting out of trouble”, “Big brass”, “Response to being cut off”, “Hanging on by a thread”, “Identity crises”, and “Beoming a pair without an affair”.
But my fave is TILDE = “Jalapeño feature”.
I did not like SEEMER for “Pretender”, but hey, only one “John’s yucko” isn’t too bad.
Distinctive Farrah Fawcett feature? SHOWYLOCKS … Uh uh, not the way I saw it in her famous poster!
OrPuzzlegirl, I liked your CW101 recaps.
One of my favorite SNL character (and I have many) was Father GUIDO Sarducci. Thanks, Puzzlegirl, for the book tip. What’s your fave SNLer?
AND WHO COULD FORGET THE PLATTERS GREAT PRETENDER
Good morning all. It was nice not having to get up early -- that extra hour lolling around was pure luxury.
Puzzle and theme were quite enjoyable, but I've decided I don't like the larger Sunday puzzles as much as the weekdays. I kinda get tired of it, grinding it out towards the end and just want to be done with it, even if I like the puzzle. Short attention span, maybe.
Like most solvers, I suspect, I put in pinot NOIR before figuring out it was GRIS. Got that fixed only to move into the SW corner where I encountered all sorts of trouble. Gave up after awhile, ate some Halloween candy, came back and finally finished with a couple of googles. SEEMER was a stinker and I couldn't get STEADIES, PASEOS or OBEAH for the longest time. [sounds of gnashing teeth, PULing and mewling]
Highlights for me were ASS (one at a brayer meeting)...LOL....and TILDE (jalapeño feature). I put SEEDS at first. Never heard of ECCE homo. Wanted road rage or finger for 59a (response to being cut off) but only the more genteel HONK would fit.
Would you believe I had exactly zero trick-or-treaters last night? No one got to see the beautiful jack-o'-lantern I made complete with flashing lights inside. And darn, I have a big bowl of candy to get rid of.
@JNH: a tick in the eye sounds awful - did you seek medical attention?
Duh. I didn't get the "ow" theme until I read PG's blog. I kept wondering what the
title "That Hurts!" had to do with the theme. Bottom right corner stumped me. Never heard of Toyota PASEOS, thought "regular guys" should end in JOES, never heard of OBEAH and, well, I was sure "pretender" had to be POSIER. Also never heard of WEAL for "prosperity," GIRO for "copter's forerunner" and the only "pinot" I was familiar with is NOIR or GRIGIO. Good challenging puzzle for me.
Crisp & cute challenging All-Souls-Day puzzle.
Got wayward on Pabst answer for an Illinois Brew since I knew (correctly) that it originated in Milwaukee, Wis. Checked this on google and learned the new owners S&P moved their HQ to Chicago in 2005.
@JNH the OSS frow WWII morphed into today's CIA and is clued as such often in X-words. Check out 'Wild Bill's' exploits, he and his orf. were real life James Bond's back in WWII.
Seemer was a stinker, don't get the "cluing of this answer" ... through the crosses I got it, but I still don't "get-it.'
Liked the CW101 on Asta, Nick & Nora's pooch. Along with FDR's dog 'Fala' I think the two of them are the most famous crossword dogs (and I mean that very nicely !!!)
Dubuque-to-Chicago dir: ESE
Well now, last time I was in Dubuque I guess I took a different route to the windy city. I was there for the Dubuque tricycle rally and punk-polka festival.
Seriously, where TF is Dubuque? (besides WNW of Chicago).
I consider myself to be in training - for what, exactly I'm not sure, I don't think I could afford a trip out east for the big crossword tourney in Feb/Mar, maybe a local one closer to Mpls, anyone know of one? - so I decided to time this one. I've never timed myself on a 21x21 before, because they use to take me all day. So I set the stove timer for 15 minutes and told the boys to be quiet. When I heard the beep I was half done, so I set it for another 15 min. After the second beep, I still had essentially just the SW left, which took me another 15 min. Never heard of ENAMI, SEEMER is a stupid word and though I'm sure I've heard of OBEAH in xwords I put it out of my mind right away. I am not at all interested in learning about OBEAH, unlike most unfamiliar words in puzzles.
I consider puzzlegirl and Rex to be my personal trainers for Crossworld fitness. Thank you, Sensei, for a good write up!
Oops, Orange too! Didn't mean to forget my other favorite coach!
Glowe if Dubuque is WNW of Chicage (and it appears so on the map)wouldn't the returning trip BACK to Chicago be ESE ???
I liked it today...nonetheless, that won't stop me from listing my (undoubtedly faulty) questionmarks...
Hasn't PABST always been brewed in Milwaukee?Elephants are Asian, not ASIATIC. Finally, (as a pilot) I believe the English word is GYROcopter, not GIROcopter, but this is just picking at nits in an otherwise enjoyable morning.
Learned ETAGERE and PULED (never heard of them before). And TOTERS and SEEMER were a little cheap to me.
Thanks Mr. Harris for a good puzzle, and PG for a nice (as usual) Sunday writeup! And of course, I'd be remiss without thanking the unsung Editor, who picked it! ;^)
@shrub5
Yes, I had the deer tick extracted from my eye in the ER, and now I'm on a doxycycline protocol for Lyme Disease. Would you believe I got deer ticks (which are rare here)five years ago when I was involved in a prairie restoration project? I asked the nurse why I seem to attract deer ticks and she said "cuz you're a DEAR"...awww!
Good puzzle. I also got stuck in in the SW corner. I know all the six letter Toyotas (Celica, Supra, Tercel, etc. I forgot about the Paseo. I think its production was short-lived. "Enami" and its cross "obeah" were also new to me.
Father Guido appears twice this weekend. Merle Reagle has Sarducci's real name "Don Novello"in his fill as part of his "NOV" theme
Good solid Sunday puzzle. As usual between @PG and @JOHNSNEVERHOME pretty much all bases covered.
@JNH - sounds as if you'd better stay out of the woods! Bummer.
Had WAGING COWARDS in lieu of TRADING ones to start, which gave me SWEETIES for the Regular guys, but didn't work on the other crosses. All the extra effort just made STEADIES that more clever once I saw it. It took a while to catch on to the theme, but after I realized the OW-connection, the rest fell into place.
My greatest challenge on Sunday is finding a newspaper that prints the same puzzle featured here. I use the Thursday edition of a local paper, The Acorn, I solve it and then just wait for Sunday to read the blog.
BTW: If anyone else subscribes to the LAT and wants to follow a blog about the actual puzzle in the Sunday paper, you may join the group commenting at http://crosswordcorner.blogspot.com/ See you there!
Oops! The puzzle, a Merele Reagle, is not at the other site either. Sometime, but not always, I can find it here and the few subscribers sharing my predicament have a chat then. None of the LAT blogs covers this one consistently. Ironic that!
I blog about the Merl Reagle puzzle every Sunday—though it's only in the L.A. Times every other week, it's in many other papers every Sunday. Here's today's Diary of a Crossword Fiend post.
This is great, Orange! A thousand thanks for the link. What about the other every other Sunday? Why the devil is have a different CW in the Sunday edition in the first place?
I post both Sunday puzzles here every week so I'm not sure why you haven't been able to find the one you're looking for. I didn't post Merl's puzzle today tho. I intended to but then fell asleep all afternoon. I feel terrible -- hope it's not the swine flu. Sorry about the confusion today but we've been consistent for a while now on Sundays.
My condolences! I hope it's a garden-variety rhinovirus and not the dreaded H1N1. Thanks for clearing this up. So this is why I sometimes find the puzzle here and other times no LA Times...Poof! I thought word-demons were stealing my act!
I'm still mystified about the LAT strategy though. Why not just publish the same puzzle? Does the answer involve contracts? the syndicate? Don Ginovese? Perish the thought! You just go to bed now and get well soon.
p.s. Can the followers comment on your Diary of a Crossword Fiend (love the name) blog? If so, where is the mechanism to do so? Thanks again for these write-ups and all the coaching you give us.
"So this is why I sometimes find the puzzle here and other times no LA Times."
Maybe it's just my illness-addled brain but I'm still not sure we're on the same page. What I'm saying is that except for today both puzzles are always here. You should never come here and not find the Sunday puzzle you're looking for.
The Merle Reagle Sunday puzzle appears in several newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer (GO PHILS!!!). I download it on Thursday nights through the Wil Johnson site. I do the syndicated LA Times puzzle in my local paper, the Reading (PA) Eagle. Merle also has a 21X21 puzzle in the AARP magazine every other month.
Daily LAT/and Sunday:
http://games.latimes.com/index_crossword.html?uc_feature_code=tmcal
Here is the URL for the LAT Sunday CALENDAR puzzle. (Merl and Sylvia's)
http://games.latimes.com/index_crossword.html?uc_feature_code=lacal
Bookmark them. You can always print them out from the web.
I get the daily cwp in my local paper, The Newark Star Ledger, which actually carries both the LAT (Tribune Media Service) puzzle and the King Features Syndicate (I think) by Thomas Joseph (I'm guessing he's the editor?)
I enjoyed both the LAT Sunday and the LAT Calendar puzzles today, in between helping to cancel college son's stolen CC card, ATM card, etc. What a nightmare....
@JohnsNH-Just what were you doing in Wisconsin to get a tick in your eye? I shutter to think! Glad everything worked out.
Note to BEQ, I know the guy in Jersey who bought the big PBR logo bottle from the Newark skyline! Haven't seen it in his backyard yet!
After the puzzle, I "thesaurused" (I know, not a real verb) "pretender" (didn't care for "seemer" either.) Came across mountebank! Great word! A mountebank is a charlatan or quack selling potions and elixirs from a platform, attracting an audience by story telling. Kind of like Sacha Baron Cohen's character in "Sweeney Todd." Sorry, too tired tonight to look up the character's name. @Glowe, was it you or @Bohica that liked that movie? Or maybe it was just the play "Sweeney Todd??"
@Orange, feel better! So sorry to hear you are under the weather. Chicken soup, diluted Gatorade, acetiminophen....snuggly blanket, lotsa rest!
Those same links to the puzzles have been available in the sidebar on the right side of the blog since the inception! PuzzleGirl, Rex, and I are taking care of your every L.A.Times crossword need.
@djinn, there's a comments link at the end of each Crossword Fiend post. They're HaloScan comments, not Blogger comments, but the general function is the same.
No idea why the L.A. Times chose to switch from a weekly Bursztyn puzzle to alternating between Bursztyn and Reagle. But I've always loved Merl's puzzles, and I hope the L.A. Times readers are enjoying them too.
EN AMI is two words, by the way. French for something like "as a friend."
*cough, cough* It's 8:13 pm here, feels like 9:13. I think it's bedtime for me. I'm going to blame PuzzleGirl for infecting me with the bug (a virus, not a tick).
Thanks PGirl, et al for answering. Much obliged. @ddbmc--Adolfo Pirelli is the rival barber.
why is today's puzzle in the paper different than the online puzzle?
@dd - never liked the band, didn't see the movie. Now the story, in and of itself, intrigued me as a younger man, but I guess I grew out of it cuz I never looked it up.
I *do* have a(n) Uriah Heep album or two somehwere, tho. They were underwhelming enough to be cool back in the day when everyone was discovering Black Sabbath.
@Glowe, scarily, I saw Black Sabbath in concert many moons ago.....should I admit that????
@Orange, oops! I guess I never used the links to the right of the blog, as I have the puzzles bookmarked. I don't go to the blog until after the solve! So, sorry! I should have noticed!
Hope you are feeling a bit better.
This puzzle was really hard. I know that because I got a letter wrong for the first time in months. =(
Nice theme, great fill, and a bunch of new words for me. All of that makes for a great puzzle. Well done Robert!
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