THEME: Cowboys and their horses ... three theme answers are "Cowboys who rode the end of X-Across" and the other three are phrases that end with the name of the appropriate horse
Sorry, but no time to write this up fully today. Also, no energy, no focus. Still quite jet-lagged and pajama-clad. I don't have much nice to say about this one, so it's probably for the best that I'm saying virtually nothing. Never heard of a SAM CHAMPION (when the hell was this guy a weatherman? When Silver and Trigger were alive? ... whoa, he's the current weatherman! Born 1961. Does anyone watch GMA anymore? I just don't see this guy as crossworthy. No offense.) or FREE SILVER, and didn't know AUTRY rode CHAMPION. These cowboys are all ancient. OTERO EERO OTTOI ugh. I pray Friday will bring more joy.THEME ANSWERS:
- 17A: Cowboy who rode the end of 25-Across (ROY ROGERS)
- 25A: Sensitive gun-firing mechanism (HAIR TRIGGER)
31A: Cowboy who rode the end of 41-Across (LONE RANGER)- 41A: Anti-gold standard policy that climaxed in the Bryan-McKinley campaign (FREE SILVER) — as if the historical epicenter of this puzzle weren't early enough already with the cowboys. Yeesh.
- 46A: "Good Morning America" weatherman (SAM CHAMPION)
- 58A: Cowboy who rode the end of 46-Across (GENE AUTRY)
See you Friday,
~RP
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]
Everything Else — 1A: Diagnostic procedure (SCAN); 5A: Potatoes' partner (MEAT); 9A: Robert Burns and Sean Connery, e.g. (SCOTS); 14A: Inner Hebrides isle (IONA); 15A: Et __: and others (ALII); 16A: Seer's card (TAROT); 17A: Cowboy who rode the end of 25-Across (ROY ROGERS); 19A: Santa __ racetrack (ANITA); 20A: Hustlers (CONMEN); 21A: Underage one (MINOR); 22A: Place to wipe your shoes (MAT); 25A: Sensitive gun-firing mechanism (HAIR TRIGGER); 27A: Three, in Tours (TROIS); 29A: Enero begins it (AÑO); 30A: Early bird's victim (WORM); 31A: Cowboy who rode the end of 41-Across (LONE RANGER); 38A: Pat down, as dirt (TAMP); 39A: Came to (AWOKE); 40A: Flying shore scavenger (ERNE); 41A: Anti-gold standard policy that climaxed in the Bryan-McKinley campaign (FREE SILVER); 43A: Gen-__: post-baby boomers (X'ERS); 44A: One quarter of M (CCL); 45A: 10th-century emperor known as "the Great" (OTTO I); 46A: "Good Morning America" weatherman (SAM CHAMPION); 53A: __ Arbor, Michigan (ANN); 54A: Golf tournament kickoff, often (PRO-AM); 55A: Basketball big man (CENTER); 57A: Acrobat software creator (ADOBE); 58A: Cowboy who rode the end of 46-Across (GENE AUTRY); 62A: Croatian-born physicist Nikola (TESLA); 63A: Always (EVER); 64A: Olin of "Chocolat" (LENA); 65A: Legree-like look (SNEER); 66A: Designer Saarinen (EERO); 67A: Test (EXAM); 1D: Knight's title (SIR); 2D: Whisper sweet nothings (COO); 3D: "__ questions?" (ANY); 4D: Drug cop (NARC); 5D: __ Carta (MAGNA); 6D: Fragrant resin (ELEMI); 7D: Broadcaster (AIRER); 8D: Old-fashioned denial ('TISN'T); 9D: Endurance (STAMINA); 10D: "My turn?" ("CA NI GO NEXT?"); 11D: Round sealing gasket (O-RING); 12D: From head __ (TO TOE); 13D: Ringo of the Beatles (STARR); 18D: Fireworks cries (OOHS); 22D: Workweek sequence: Abbr. (MTWTF); 23D: Like a cheering crowd (AROAR); 24D: Velvet-voiced Mel (TORMÉ); 26D: Harder to find (RARER); 28D: Flawless (IMPECCABLE); 31D: Boxer Ali (LAILA); 32D: "Wise" bird (OWL); 33D: Turkey mo. (NOV.); 34D: __ out a living (EKE); 35D: Reclusive actress Garbo (GRETA); 36D: Bankrupt energy giant (ENRON); 37D: Varnish ingredient (RESIN); 42D: Lay on thick, as cream cheese on a bagel (SCHMEAR); 45D: Fit to serve (ONE-A); 46D: Tiffs (SPATS); 47D: Shakespearean forest (ARDEN); 48D: Maine's state animal (MOOSE); 49D: Fibber or Molly of old radio (MCGEE); 50D: "Pet" irritation (PEEVE); 51D: Kind of tube or ear (INNER); 52D: Alamogordo is its county seat (OTERO); 56D: Occupy the throne (RULE); 59D: Stereotypical cowboy nickname (TEX); 60D: Genetic transmitter: Abbr. (RNA); 61D: Candied veggie (YAM).
15 comments:
FREE SILVER, no problem. never heard of SAM CHAMPION, though. and some of the fill was pretty bad, although i tend to be more lenient when there are six theme answers.
ELEMI is not a word i want to see in a monday puzzle, and especially not when RESIN is elsewhere in the grid. :( yeah, you could cross-reference them, but again, that's pretty mean on a monday.
The only problem I had was SAMCHAMPION. I had the CHAMPION part but had to Google the first name. I thought the Lobster would be Maine's state animal. Or the coon cat (just a fatter house cat).
Some others I didn't know - OTERO county, but OTERO is a fairly common Mexican surname and place name. However, there were some I didn't even notice, such as LENA,MAGNA.
LAILA was clever. She fought Frazier's daughter Jacqui (also very CW) at the Turning Stone (Oneida Nation) Casino in this county and shares a birthday with me (dif. yr.). Her Dad was inducted at the IBHOF in Canastota, also Oneida Co.
Captcha - flurinda - nice name for a girl with beautiful teeth.
I use "T'ain't funny McGee," all the time.
I thought for sure the WOD would be MTWTF. I thought "Potatoes' partner would be MEATE. When you're as tall as I, any basketball player other than Spud Webb is a big man.
Being a morning fan of CNBC and ESPN, the only unknown was the GMA weatherman SAM CHAMPION. Real name? Yeah sure?
Hardly qualifies as a learning moment.
Now I will be very surprised if everyone here doesn't remember the 1896 Democratic convention and Bryan's "Cross-of-Gold" speech urging bimetallism and the U.S. changing its defacto Gold Standard.
For a Monday, yup that M in the MTWTF, this was pretty easy.
Liked all my childhood cowboy hero's and their horses. Though, in truth they weren't really cowboys, they were entertainer's ... but their horses were wonderful.
Had bad next to Broadcaster, Workweek sequnce, Old Fashioned Denial - other clues/words seemed painfully ordinary or painfully obscure. Still haven't finished Sunday, thank goodness.
What a geriatric puzzle, highlight was seeing ELEMI which was a standard when I first started doing puzzles. If EERO had been in there it would have been a complete deja vu lovefest.
Being of an age whereby Gene Autry and Roy Rogers were entertainment staples as I grew up, I found this one mostly unobjectionable.
My only niggles as I solved were with gen-XERS and one quarter of M.
Now that I look back at the solved grid I can find other faults with the fill, but on balance the puzzle was more fun than annoying for me.
Puzzle seemed significantly harder than usual for a Monday to me. Cowboys and horses were all familiar, though I couldn't match them up. Only write-over occurred at the bagel where I had SLATHER before SCHMEAR.
IONA, PRO-AM, ELEMI and OTERO were all unknown to me and had to be filled through crosses. Same with SAM CHAMPION (I don't watch GMA.)
Despite the difficulties, I still enjoyed the puzzle very much and learned a thing or two. @Tinbeni: thanks for the info on FREE SILVER.
Tee hee: captcha word is poops.
Hand up for wanting SLATHER -- I only use SCHMEAR as a noun, not a verb. And I'm relieved that I'm not the only one who's never heard of SAM CHAMPION.
My only WTH was ELEMI. I think this was my first encounter with this Fragrant Resin. Agree with @Joon that it is odd that RESIN was an answer at 37D and in a clue. I knew the GMA weatherman was SAM, but didn't know his last name was CHAMPION. A few weeks ago we had AL ROKER who's the weather guy on The Today Show, my morning show of choice. As a kid in the 50s, I think knew the name of probably every horse on TV so those answers came easily. I just noticed that 44A is CCL. So even though it's a Roman numeral answer, I won't SNEER. Thought TROIS was a little weak though. Fun, pretty easy M puzzle.
@Sfingi - one of my cats is half Maine Coon. He's a MOOSE, and has extra toes (polydactyl) that make him look like he's wearing mittens.
@RP Jet-lag twice in less than three weeks is the pits. Thanks for the pajama clad write up.
One of the fastest for me due to familiar cowboys and their horses, which crossed in the strange words like ELEMI. I liked SCHMEAR.
@CCL
Even your initials make the grid before the Avatar. geez!
SCHMEAR is one of those words I just like to say, it has panache!
I also like the OOHS and aahs while watching fireworks.
I never knew anyone ever named IONA, then met 2 in one week.
@CCL & Mac - We have a Maine Coon cat who is also polydactl, we named him Paddington because his paws look lite little oven mitts, sweet as could be.
Lovely little puzzle but I also tripped up on the slather/schmear bit. Didn't know the weather guy either, had to get him with the downs.
liesh - What Paddy refuses to be put on.
@David - I resemble that remark.
@CrazyCat - love dem katz.
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