Theme: "The First Thirteen" — Modern-day postal codes of the original 13 colonies are hidden in answers relating to the founding of the United States.
[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:
- 25A: *"I only regret that I have but one life ..." speaker (NATHAN HALE).
- 28A: *Patriot Navy vessel (FRIGATE).
- 38A: *1765 tax law (THE STAMP ACT).
- 71A: *Treaty of __: 1783 war ender (PARIS).
- 82A: *1780 battle site (CAMDEN).
- 101A: *1777-'78 military camp site (VALLEY FORGE).
- 112A: *"Shot heard 'round the world" site (CONCORD).
- 116A: *Article I mandate (US CONGRESS).
- 3D: *Beer named for a patriot (SAM ADAMS).
- 42D: *First chief justice (JOHN JAY).
- 62D: *Like the government outlined in the Constitution (FEDERAL).
- 91D: *Site of a decisive 1777 patriot victory (SARATOGA).
- 55A: *Each circled pair is an abbreviation for one; all 13 are arranged in the roughly north-to-south order in which their representatives (except for John Hancock) signed the Declaration of Independence (COLONY).
Crosswordese 101 Round-up:- 48A: Macbeth's burial isle (IONA).
- 57A: Poet's "before" (ERE).
- 88A: Lily used as food by Mormon pioneers (SEGO).
- 34D: Palindromic airline (SAS).
- 50D: Seoul soldiers (ROKS).
- 73D: Penitent type (RUER).
- 83D: Seaweed gelatin (AGAR).
Everything Else — 1A: Painted Desert sight (MESA); 5A: Racetracks (OVALS); 10A: Minuteman, e.g., briefly (ICBM); 14A: Slip (LAPSE); 19A: Audio/visual production awards (AVAS); 20A: Aspect (FACET); 21A: Birthplace of seven presidents (OHIO); 22A: __ the hole (ACE IN); 23A: Aide-de-__ (CAMP); 24A: Appetite stimulant (AROMA); 27A: Therapists' org. (APA); 30A: Rembrandt choice (OIL COLOR); 31A: Chagrin symptom (RED FACE); 33A: Alleviate (EASE); 36A: Queen of the Nile, familiarly (CLEO); 37A: Dental products brand (ORAL-B); 42A: Pickle (JAM); 45A: A.L. Rookie of the Year after Derek (NOMAR); 46A: Deviate from a course (YAW); 47A: Land bordering los Pirineos (ESPAÑA); 49A: Penned? (IN STIR); 51A: "__ Yankees" (DAMN); 53A: Clouseau's rank: Abbr. (INSP.); 54A: Scorch (CHAR); 58A: 2010 Super Bowl champs (SAINTS); 60A: Boxer's outburts (ARFS); 64A: Scope (KEN); 65A: "Burr" and "Lincoln" (NOVELS); 68A: Menial position (MCJOB); 69A: "What's up?" in 47-Across ("¿QUE PASA?"); 72A: Song syllables (TRA LA LA); 74A: Canceled (UNDID); 75A: Fowl less fancy than her mate (PEAHEN); 77A: Nonpro sports org. (AAU); 78A: Looker (EYER); 79A: Brewpub fixture (ALE TAP); 81A: __-80: old computer (TRS); 85A: Meadow mom (MARE); 86A: Bounce back (ECHO); 89A: Abductor's demand (RANSOM); 94A: Minimally (A TAD); 95A: Code for Burr and Hamilton (DUELLO); 97A: Indefinite amount (ANY); 99A: Washington portraitist Rembrandt __ (PEALE); 100A: First word of Dante's "Inferno" (NEL); 103A: Western buds (PARDS); 104A: Gp. of battalions (REGT.); 105A: Paving stone (SETT); 106A: Waffles (SEESAWS); 108A: Civilized (DECOROUS); 115A: Palindromic peewee (TOT); 119A: Astrologer Sydney (OMARR); 120A: Indefinite amount (SOME); 121A: "... __'clock scholar" (A TEN O); 122A: "__ to 'Enry ...": Cockney toast ('ERE'S); 123A: "... __ man put asunder" (LET NO); 124A: First Alaskan governor (EGAN); 125A: Encumbered (LADEN); 126A: Shoe spec (SIZE); 127A: Laud (EXTOL); 128A: Desire (WANT); 1D: "Yankee Doodle" word (MACARONI); 2D: 1946-'52 first lady (EVA PERON); 4D: Queen of the Nile biter (ASP); 5D: Joan __ (OF ARC); 6D: "Spice of life" (VARIETY); 7D: Slip __: err (A COG); 8D: Tony of '60s golf (LEMA); 9D: This puzzle's circled pairs, nowadays (STATES); 10D: Cyclotron bit (ION); 11D: Taiwan tea (CHA); 12D: __-Honey: almond candy (BIT-O); 13D: Tribe allied with the patriots (MOHICANS); 14D: Surgical knife (LANCET); 15D: Allergic reaction (ACHOO); 16D: Bell sound that sounds like a portraitist? (PEAL); 17D: Minuteman's home (SILO); 18D: Cabinet dept. with a lightning bolt on its seal (ENER.); 26D: LIKE THIS (ALL CAPS); 28D: It's bought in bolts (FABRIC); 29D: Bolted down (EATEN); 32D: Driving problem (FLAT); 35D: Realms (EMPIRES); 39D: Was wearing (HAD ON); 40D: Obi-Wan portrayer (EWAN); 41D: Triptych third (PANEL); 43D: France of France (ANATOLE); 44D: Snickers cousin (MARS BAR); 48D: Eaves dropper? (ICICLE); 52D: Birds that ape (MYNAHS); 56D: Look follower? (LEAP); 57D: Make manifest (EVINCE); 59D: Health org. (AMA); 60D: Atlantis dweller of comics (AQUAMAN); 61D: Fall behind (RUN LATE); 63D: Treated maliciously (SPITED); 66D: Lode load (ORE); 67D: Boer burg (STAD); 70D: Nabokov novel (ADA); 71D: Unpens? (PAROLES); 76D: Lucy's landlady (ETHEL); 77D: Included in (AMONG); 80D: Didactic sort (PEDAGOG); 84D: Got forty winks (NAPPED); 87D: Bio lab subjects (CULTURES); 88D: Civil beginning? (SOFT C); 90D: Civil rights activist Ralph (NEAS); 92D: Noted shoe dweller (OLD WOMAN); 93D: Where soldiers put away food (MESS TENT); 96D: Soap chemical (LYE); 98D: "Decide now!" ("YES OR NO?!"); 101D: Washington's mount? (VERNON); 102D: "The Ruling Class" star, 1972 (O'TOOLE); 104D: ABC's Arledge (ROONE); 107D: Filmdom's Flynn (ERROL); 108D: Two-part (DUAL); 109D: This, in Toledo (ESTA); 110D: Sent the same ltr. to (CC'ED); 111D: LPGA star __ Pak (SERI); 113D: Taos's st. (N. MEX.); 114D: Suffragist Carrie (CATT); 117D: "__ who?" (SEZ); 118D: Boston-to-Weymouth dir. (SSE); 120D: Emulate Betsy Ross (SEW).
13 comments:
I was hoping for a 4th of July theme and John Lampkin gave us a real treat. Also he gave us a puzzle that was a quick solve so we can exercise our Freedom of Religion today. It's always nice when I can solve a big 21 x 21 Sunday puzzle in less than a half hour (online).
I have no "redress of grievances" today, this was a well constructed puzzle, albeit simple.
I did, however, get hung up on the DUELLO/SOFTC cross and the OMARR/CATT cross.
Y'all have a "bang up" (but safe time today!
There was a typo in the Trib:
60A: Boxer's outburts (ARFS)
Should be OUTBURSTS.
If you're as unfamiliar as I am with Dante's "Inferno"---
NEL
I loved this puzzle. It was wonderful to see a patriotic puzzled theme on this 4th of July. I got the theme after getting the first 2 circled clues.
Happy 4th, everyone, enjoy the fireworks and stay safe.
The density was wonderful and there was a great deal of Americana crammed into the grid. It had just about everything one could ask for in a 4th of July holiday puzzle except, oh I don't know...any real zip or sparkle?
I was mostly bored as I worked through this one. Perhaps the constructor was overly constrained by the nature of the theme fill to really make this puzzle sing. I really had the feeling I was just filling in the squares and the overall effect reminded me of sitting through high school civics class.
Of course I'm probably just cranky since it's the 4th and it's raining here in Florida...again. No picnic for me today. :-(
Like Greene @ 8:26, I was bored by this one. The circled squares did nothing for me. Ho hum.
Enjoy your Inedpendence Day celebrations, those of you who celebrate the day.
I did this online and therefore couldn't see the circled squares. Didn't miss much, apparently...
Printed this from the LA times on line. No circles and missing 65-71 across clues!!!! so had no idea what was going on and of course DNF
happy 4th to all
DUELLO ? Really ? Never,ever heard of it.
Otherwise, I enjoyed this puzzle.I would put it in the fairly easy category. Liked the American History clues and answers.
Have a safe 4th everyone !!!!
As a (finger)nail-biter until into my mid-life, I think the 4D "Queen of the Nile biter" clue is cool for ASP.
'Wonder why the so many clues do NOT print so often via the LAT (like 65-71Across today), and, whether (m)any other rags also thusly err.
@Greene
Here in Dunedin we call it liquid sunshine.
It has given me to time to work on the ark.
Oh, the puzzle.
Nice July 4th theme with a bit of American History.
A learning moment would have been nice.
Y'all enjoy the fireworks, I think ours are delayed until the 5th.
Now about that 5th ....
For me, as a non-American, this was enjoyably challenging.
I had a few learning moments. I'd heard of VALLEY FORGE, but didn't know its significance (or even which war). Likewise, the names Lexington and CONCORD (always paired in my memory) were familiar, and I well knew that the "shot heard 'round the world" referred to the American revolution, but not which specific engagement. It's like knowing both a person's name and face, but never having connected them.
Plus, I was doing the puzzle online, with no circles, only the usual *'ed clues. With 12 done but stumped by the 13th, I spent a pleasant half hour writing out the answers, scanning them for state abbreviations, resolving duplicates, trying to remember/guess which were the original 13 states (hmm, I'm pretty sure ME wasn't one, but how about VT and FL? How about PA -- most of it's pretty far west, but Philly has the Liberty Bell. Have I forgotten any states from that multiplicity in the northeast? And what are the 2LA's for Delaware and Maryland anyway?!?) At the end of all that, I'd sufficiently distracted myself that I didn't need any of it; I looked at the crosses and FEDERAL leapt out at me. (Which reminded me that, oh yeah, Delaware is DE, not DL. *sigh*)
Who knew crossword puzzles could be a vector into American history? After being prompted by Friday's puzzle to read up on the Alamo (mostly to understand the "mission" part of the clue), today was cool. Speaking of which...
Constructors, check out TEXIAN [sic] -- with a sufficiently generic clue, it'll mess up everyone but history geeks (and readers of this blog, but that's life).
I can't embed YouTube clips in comments, so here -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSBNE9qnLaI -- is the URL for a particularly ACERBic take on the whole Revolution thing and its aftermath.
Texas Transplant, here: I usually do the crossword puzzle for learners in the Dallas Morning News. I found this one hard (from the The News Tribune in Tacoma, where I'm visiting.) Also, computer software wouldn't let me get to www.oneacross.com. Some bug in the home page. So I was grateful to stumble onto this web site. I just cheated and filled in all the empty squares...about 1/2 of the puzzle. I hate to see empty squares in puzzles I've tried to solve! I thought the clue and solution to "2 down" in this July 4 themed puzzle was the only sneaky trick. ;<)
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