Update from Amy: I did the puzzle in the L.A. Times' applet since it's still not available in Across Lite. Answer grid and brief write-up posted.
Another update, from Doug this time. I've posted the grid & theme answers. Mmmmm...cake.
M O N D A Y
September 19, 2011Jeff Chen
Theme: Off With Her Head! — First parts of theme entries form a quote from Marie Antoinette.
Theme Entries:
- 17A: "No holds barred!" (LET IT ALL HANG OUT).
- 22A: Where there's gold, in prospector-speak (THEM THAR HILLS).
- 38A: Swallow one's pride (EAT CROW).
- 53A: Worker with icing and sprinkles (CAKE DECORATOR).
- 62A: Ruler to whom the quote formed by the starts of 17-, 22-, 38-, and 53-Across is often attributed (MARIE ANTOINETTE).
Wow! I've never gotten to post the first comment before--big responsibility!
ReplyDeleteLoved this puzzle. It fell into place so easily that I got some of the answers before I had even looked at the clues. But no clue about the theme until I got to 60A. Pretty clever, though I hear that Marie Antoinette never actually said that. Reminds me of a cool film by Sofia Coppola about the fabled queen.
Great way to start a Monday!
Really nice Monday puzzle. Some awesome words and phrases mixed in with a nice theme.
ReplyDeleteNeed to change "Jeff Louie" to "Jeff Chen" to get the author attribution correct at the top though it appears the labels at the bottom have it correct.
I kind of like "Jeff Louie"! I am thinking about adopting a pen name if I can get a writing career started.
ReplyDeleteI'm on a kick to get my future brother-in-law to name his soon-to-be-born daughter "Egg". Trust me, it's going to be the hot new name for 2012.
Oops, sorry about that, Jeff! My method of blog formatting is to cut and paste from the last one I did. And the last daily puzzle I blogged was by Jeff Louie (8/19). Or maybe I'm still confused by yesterday's Pawel Fludzinski byline.
ReplyDeleteTHEM THAR HILLS gave me a nice chuckle today.
I had the hardest time coming up with any phrase that starts with "THEM" (not THEMS, as in THEMS THE BREAKS). I spent way too long trying to decide if THEM THAR HILLS was clever or stupid.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a fine line.
You could eat CAKE or you could EAT CROW. The former would no doubt have a nice AROMA but you might find the latter HAD A BIT of a bad ODOR. You get your choice of WHEAT, RYE, or MELBA toast. At our local deli, if you wear BAGGY ARGYLES, they throw in a complementary SODA and pack of ROLO chocolates.
ReplyDeleteWasn't ZELDA & SLOMO a popular Vaudeville act in the 1930's?
Yes Jeff, a fine line indeed! And a very good Monday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteWent quickly and almost entirely down clues. Am just seeing some of the across answers.
I really enjoyed this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised there's no controversy on the blog over BRA as an answer. Maybe the controversy is over and people finally accept that BRA is not really unmentionable.
I'm waiting patiently for JOCKSTRAP or the shorter JOCK as an answer. Has it been done?
I had a slow start with DArnIT before DANGIT at 9D and PokES before PRIES at 15A, but after that I could pretty much whip right through it. I did slow down to check the crosses as I entered LENDL as I was not sure of the spelling.
ReplyDelete@Jeff, since I filled in THEMTHARHILLS with almost no crosses, I think it was a great entry (for Monday!) And a good Monday; no need for theme to be historically accurate when it has become folklore.
Of the three "deli food" clues in today's puzzle, only RYE bread would I associate with a deli --- Jewish, Italian, German -- you name it. C'mon ----- WHEAT bread and MAYO????? I filled them in, but not happily.
ReplyDelete