Theme answers:
- 17A: Be inactive, like a volcano (LIE DORMANT).
- 26A: Be in a favorable position (SIT PRETTY).
- 42A: Don't give in (STAND FIRM).
- 55A: Proceed very cautiously (WALK ON EGGS).
Hi, gang. Arrived home from Lollapuzzoola 3 late last night. As you might know, I went straight from the PuzzleFamily Summer Vacation in Colorado to New York for the tournament. So I have a lot to catch up on around here to get back into my life. I'll tell you all about the tournament later (hint: it was fabulous), but for now let's get this Monday puzzle out of the way.This is a fine Monday theme. Phrases are all gettable, even though I would quibble with WALK ON EGGS, which I've always heard as WALK ON EGGSHELLS. I see a couple words in the grid that seem pretty flashy even though they're clued completely straightforwardly (since it's Monday and all):
- 20A: Showing profound knowledge (ERUDITE).
- 48A: Satisfy by offering concessions (APPEASE).
- 10D: Puff the Magic Dragon's land (HONALEE).
- 13D: Warm and cozy (TOASTY).
And there are a couple things that I wouldn't mourn the loss of if they were never to appear in a puzzle again, but that's not likely to happen. We just have to resign ourselves to 14A: Professor 'ENRY 'iggins of "My Fair Lady"/Pygmalion. And even though nobody ever actually says IN A PET (11D: Acting peevishly), the phrase is here to stay. Alas.Bullets:
- 29A: Tony of "Some Like It Hot" (CURTIS). This is one of those classic movies that everybody should see. The only difference between this one and the most of the rest of them is that I've actually seen it.
- 34A: TV surfer's selection (CHANNEL). Later in the week, to provide some misdirection/trickiness, we wouldn't get the "TV" part of this clue.
- 54A: Make a sharp turn (VEER). Here's one of those words that I hear misused all. the. time. A guy at a rental car place was giving me directions one time: "Take a right, then at the gas station you'll want to veer left …" I'm all, "Okay, so at the gas station I bear left?" Him: "Yes, veer left at the gas station." Sigh.
- 61A: Egyptian Christian (COPT). No idea. Got it totally from crosses.
- 1D: Singer Tormé (MEL). The Velvet Fog.
- 5D: Vitamin intake std. (US RDA). "Recommended Daily Allowance," also referred to as "Reference Daily Intake."
- 41D: "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack singers (BEE GEES).
- 43D: Holy Ohio city? (TOLEDO). From the familiar phase "Holy Toledo!"
- 50D: Wrestler's victory (PIN). I miss wrestling season.
Other crosswordese in the puzzle that we've already covered:
- 5A: Range dividing Europe and Asia (URALS).
- 46A: Dublin's land (EIRE).
- 23D: Revolve on an axis (SLUE).
- 53D: Nondairy spread (OLEO).
Everything Else — 1A: Trig or algebra, e.g. (MATH); 10A: "Java" trumpeter Al (HIRT); 15A: Brown-toned old photo (SEPIA); 16A: Basie's "__'Clock Jump" (ONE O); 19A: Johnson Space Center org. (NASA); 21A: Red bullring props (CAPES); 22A: To the extent that (AS FAR AS); 24A: Like many old movies (SILENT); 25A: Highlands family (CLAN); 32A: Brother's daughter (NIECE); 33A: Pro __: for now (TEM); 36A: __ chi: martial art (TAI); 39A: Bobby of the Black Panthers (SEALE); 40A: Remains of a wreck (DEBRIS); 47A: Go berserk (LOSE IT); 51A: '50s "The Tonight Show" host Steve (ALLEN); 52A: From abroad (FOREIGN); 58A: Crossword constructor's germ (IDEA); 59A: Spruce oneself up (PREEN); 60A: St. __'s fire (ELMO); 62A: Given to pouting (MOODY); 63A: Splinter group (SECT); 2D: Singer DiFranco (ANI); 3D: Supplier of firs (TREE FARM); 4D: Firefighter's water source (HYDRANT); 6D: Neglectful (REMISS); 7D: Give __ on the back (A PAT); 8D: "Come here often?" is one (LINE); 9D: H.S. senior's exam (SAT); 12D: Take offense at (RESENT); 18D: Lord's Prayer starter (OUR); 21D: Geometry shape (CIRCLE); 22D: Bank statement no. (ACCT.); 24D: Radar gun reading (SPEED); 27D: Word before self or sanctum (INNER); 28D: Oz Woodman's makeup (TIN); 30D: Stranded in winter, perhaps (ICED IN); 31D: Mine passage (SHAFT); 35D: Self-proclaimed "Greatest" boxer (ALI); 36D: Pool rack shape (TRIANGLE); 37D: Runs on TV (AIRS); 38D: "Understood" ("I SEE"); 39D: Show disdain for (SNEER AT); 42D: Like Serbs and Croats (SLAVIC); 44D: Catching z's (ASLEEP); 45D: Like cards in a crooked deck (MARKED); 49D: Showy perennial (PEONY); 55D: Typing test fig. (WPM); 56D: Maker of Terrain and Acadia SUVs (GMC); 57D: Boozehound (SOT).
20 comments:
Mondays are supposed to be stupidly simple, but I find this one to be delightfully appealing to the ERUDITE solver… that’s nice!
AS FAR AS crosswordese goes, there wasn’t much… most words were fresh and sparkly.
Nice main theme (body positions), but I also saw a mini-theme: MATH, CIRCLE, and TRIANGLE.
Great words, like: HONALEE, BEEGEES, Holy TOLEDO, TOASTY, and of course TREE FARM (because I work at The Morton Arboretum).
I like all the people names, probably because they’re all faves of mine: Al HIRT, MEL Torme, Tony CURTIS, and Steve ALLEN.
I always love those fun cockney words--- ‘ENRY ‘Iggins of “My Fair Lady”.
I have a real close friend who is a Christian Egyptian, but he isn’t a COPT.
I don’t understand the clue for SLUE (Revolve on an axis).
Nice puzzle, John… thanks!
Easy Monday. Saturdays and Mondays are seeming farther apart in difficulty.
Did not know SLUE. This is apparently used, not for planets, but for, say a gyroscope which has an axis that stays in place.
Now, SLUE-foot Sal, Pecos Bill's girl? What does it even mean?
PuzzleGirl, very ERUDITE write up, as always. Glad to hear you had fun at Lollapuzzoola 3.
Caught on to the theme early, I agree, I'm more familiar with WALKing ON EGGshells, but a FUN main and mini (MATH, CIRCLE, TRIANGLE ... hey, where's the square?) themes.
Thought "Crossword constructor's GERM" was a typo. Read it as "GEM" and put in IDEA. Either way it works.
And it was cute that those Serbs and Croats, SLAVIC, stole the Eqyptian Christian, COPT ..."IC".
(Is there a reason the end of that line was SECT?).
Then there was my shout-out TIN and my pseudo-personality, SOT.
My Brother's daughter don't exist. Put NIECE in anyway (Sis does have one of those).
@JNH, Glad to see you back. Hope it was a great trip.
Hey, a solid Monday puzzle. I wonder if this puzzle was difficult for people new to crosswords or doesn't solve countless puzzles per week? Cluing was straight forward but the answers were of a higher caliber than the usual Monday LAT.
ERUDITE is an excellent answer, it is a word I would use on a 7 year old nephew as you can make it sound negative "You're just a big erudite" and get them to argue that they aren't "an erudite". They're amused, I'm amused, win-win situation.
Welcome back PG and JNH. Can't wait to hear about Lollapuzzoola 3.
This was another fun John Lampkin puzzle. Lots of good words for a Monday and a nice theme. I never even saw the clue for SLUE. Probably a good thing. Only problem I had was putting in Keno for FARO, but quickly fixed. I've never heard the term IN A PET. Well now I know. I think was IN A PET about Saturday's puzzle.
@John - Are you going through all the old forums to see what questions we/I had about plants?
@C - good question - shows we've actually learned stuff here - which we have.
@CCL & Tinbeni
Thanks for the WB. I was up in Lake Superior (Apostle Islands). I often wonder, does that make our Lake Michigan into Lake Inferior?
Anyway, besides not having cell phone service up there, I had no Trib (LAT Puzzles) and so I ended up with only USA Today puzzles... ugh! I can do those in ink.
@PG
Looking forward to your Lollapuzzoola 3 experiences.
Thanks for the great writrup and the smooth BEE GEES clip.
Hey, be thankful that the gas station guy didn't say "When you get to the fork in the road, take it."
I thought the best Tony CURTIS film was the "Great Race" where he played Leslie Gallant III and dodged cream pies masterfully.
Twice in one week I've done KENO for FARO. Aargh.
This was a solid Monday effort.
rp
My newspaper dropped the latimes crossword for adailycrossword.com offering by wayne robert Williams and his puzzles shouldn't be printed in a major Daily paper. if anybody knows a good blog for his puzzles other than his own please let me know. or if anybody wants to complain to Philly.com i would welcome the help to get back a decent crossword puzzle syndicate.
I'm amazed no one noticed Honalee is spelled wrong. It should be Honahlee.
Lenny Lipton wrote the song, and Sterling Publishing published the Puff book that Peter and LL published in 2007, and both of their websites list it as HONALEE. I've seen support for both spellings, but that should be enough support to consider HONALEE at least acceptable if not unambiguously correct.
Hi everyone
I've been lurkin for a while now and thought I would join in.
I really liked this puzzle except for Honah-lee and taking off the 's on elmo
The first thing I put in was HaNALiE, because it's just up the road 'n all. Feeling pretty smug until I was forced to change it to some fictitious spelling. BAH!
Nice zippy little Monday puzzle.
I agree with the EGG shells.
Mel Torme could have been my late FIL identical twin. They both were born and died in the same year. Eerie.
Thanks Sethg
Three sites i saw spelled it with the h but now I see your sites and they should know:-)
@One-armed Dave
Everytime someone has said the spelling of an answer was wrong, research showed the constructor was right.
OK, sometimes they are a variant.
Hell, the Urban Dictionary may even be the source.
I agree, 60A,'The St.___'s fire', yielding ELMO was weak.
@y'all, FYI:
Apparently the NYT tomorrow (Tuesday 8/17) was constructed by Rex.
@Tinbeni and @One-armed Dave
I agree also about 60A. He could have used Tickle me____ as in Tickle Me Elmo or something like red Muppet with a high voice. Heard the puzzle rumor over on Rex's blog.
@JNH There's Hagstrom Maps too. People always ask me if I'm related. I wish!
Oh sorry, the JNH comment was from last Thursday's puzzle. John's comment just showed up in my email. John, are you doing an entire week's worth of puzzles in one day?
Sfingi- A wild guess! Slue footed Sal might mean " Feet askanse"
Just stumbled onto your excellent site. What's with the purple highlighted word in each puzzle? Looking forward to more erudite insights.
Good puzzle! Had a longer comment earlier today but somehow it got lost....
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