October 10, 2011
Jeff Chen
Theme: Emotional Athletes — Familiar phrases that start with a color are defined in relation to sports teams.
Theme answers:
- 17A: Terrified Detroit baseball player? (WHITE TIGER).
- 33A: Embarrassed Carolina football player? (PINK PANTHER).
- 39A: Depressed Miami football player? (BLUE DOLPHIN).
- 58A: Jealous San Francisco baseball player? (GREEN GIANT).
Long, sparkly entries:
- 3D: Fast food pickup site (DRIVE-THRU WINDOW).
- 11D: Reprimands (READS THE RIOT ACT).
- 12D: Looks that lovers make (GOO-GOO EYES).
- 1A: Cheryl of "Charlie's Angels" (LADD). Of course, a late 70s pop culture reference is always a good start for me.
- 32A: "Don't make me laugh!" ("HAH!"). Love this colloquial exclamation.
- 38A: Strolls down to the saloon (MOSEYS). The word "strolls" can lead to a lot of synonyms, but it's Monday, so the clue takes us straight to the one we need.
- 48A: Went off course, nautically (YAWED). I think I finally have this one down.
- 53A: "Community" network (NBC). This was a mystery to me. I guess "Community" is a TV show. I don't watch much TV these days.
- 64A: Online status update limited to 140 characters (TWEET). Here's the problem with Twitter. Yes, the status updates are, at most, 140 characters long, so it seems like you could just check in real quick and then go on with whatever you're doing, right? Where that strategy breaks down is when you follow a gazillion people, which is what I do. And then when they link to interesting articles that I have to go read. I could literally spend all day on Twitter.
- 40D: Unsophisticated (LOWBROW). Adding a little more sparkle to this grid.
- 47A: __ Lanka (SRI).
- 57A: Arp's art movement (DADA).
- 65A: 'Vette roof option (T-TOP).
- 9D: Cliffside nest (AERIE).
- 18D: Bird by the beach (ERN).
- 34D: French friends (AMIS).
- 59D: Fair-hiring inits. (EOE).
Everything — 1A: Cheryl of "Charlie's Angels" (LADD); 5A: Screwdriver liquor (VODKA); 10A: "Logically, then ..." (ERGO); 14A: The "height" part of a height phobia (ACRO); 15A: Have __ to pick (A BONE); 16A: Red Army leader Trotsky (LEON); 17A: Terrified Detroit baseball player? (WHITE TIGER); 19A: Vietnam neighbor (LAOS); 20A: Cuts off (SEVERS); 21A: Architect I.M. (PEI); 22A: Advantage (EDGE); 23A: Very long time (EON); 24A: Indy 500 entrant (RACER); 26A: Tippler (SOT); 27A: Memo-directing abbr. (ATTN.); 29A: Actress Sorvino (MIRA); 30A: Voice below soprano (ALTO); 32A: "Don't make me laugh!" ("HAH!"); 33A: Embarrassed Carolina football player? (PINK PANTHER); 36A: Boeing competitor (AIRBUS); 38A: Strolls down to the saloon (MOSEYS); 39A: Depressed Miami football player? (BLUE DOLPHIN); 43A: Gun, as a V6 (REV); 44A: Ran a tab (OWED); 45A: Mine products (ORES); 46A: Talk like Daffy (LISP); 47A: __ Lanka (SRI); 48A: Went off course, nautically (YAWED); 50A: "Little Red Book" writer (MAO); 51A: Prefix with directional (OMNI-); 53A: "Community" network (NBC); 54A: Sealy alternatives (SERTAS); 57A: Arp's art movement (DADA); 58A: Jealous San Francisco baseball player? (GREEN GIANT); 60A: Take too much of, briefly (O.D. ON); 61A: Me-tooer's phrase (SO DO I); 62A: Teen outbreak (ACNE); 63A: Noises from itty-bitty kitties (MEWS); 64A: Online status update limited to 140 characters (TWEET); 65A: 'Vette roof option (T-TOP); 1D: Cops enforce them (LAWS); 2D: Yen (ACHE); 3D: Fast food pickup site (DRIVE-THRU WINDOW); 4D: Pamper (DOTE ON); 5D: Chocolate factory vessels (VATS); 6D: __-Wan Kenobi (OBI); 7D: Where boxers and pugs play (DOG PARK); 8D: Leg joint protector (KNEECAP); 9D: Cliffside nest (AERIE); 10D: Cosmo rival (ELLE); 11D: Reprimands (READS THE RIOT ACT); 12D: Looks that lovers make (GOO-GOO EYES); 13D: Beginning (ONSET); 18D: Bird by the beach (ERN); 24D: __ Tin Tin (RIN); 25D: Yakked and yakked (RAN ON); 27D: Starbuck's captain (AHAB); 28D: Like a custom suit (TAILOR MADE); 29D: Soup with sushi (MISO); 31D: Capt.'s subordinates (LTS.); 33D: "I tawt I taw a __ tat!" (PUDDY); 34D: French friends (AMIS); 35D: Letters on reply cards (RSVP); 37D: Drone or worker (BEE); 40D: Unsophisticated (LOWBROW); 41D: Come before (PRECEDE); 42D: "If __ only listened!" (HE'D); 46D: Rope at a rodeo (LARIAT); 47D: City destroyed by fire and brimstone (SODOM); 49D: Common teen emotion (ANGST); 50D: Ryan of "When Harry Met Sally..." (MEG); 52D: Actors McKellen and Holm (IANS); 54D: Agitated state (SNIT); 55D: A.D. part (ANNO); 56D: Armstrong's "small" stride (STEP); 59D: Fair-hiring inits. (EOE).
29 comments:
Two cliched monday subjects: colours and sports teams... Put them together though, you get a super tight theme! Neat!!
Very nice puzzle for a Monday. Good, smooth solve, with lots of fun answers. Not much else to say.
Loved this puzzle! Got "read the riot act" early on, and after that everything else pretty much fell into place. It's nice to hear both Daffy and Tweetie (was that the little yellow bird's name and was Tweet named after him?) in your head on a Monday morning. Not to mention kitty mews.
Only thing I didn't get was 'Ians' for Actors. I mean, I got it, but couldn't believe it was right. Sure, there are lots of actors named Ian, but really!
By the way, how's your eye, PG? (And I don't mean your 'googooeye').
Thoroughly enjoyed this one, fun clues good answers and I don't think I stopped writing, no erasures!
Nice!
Would have preferred the final theme entry to be another animal, but that's a super-minor nit. The long downs were great.
This was terrific! Thanks, Mr. Chen.
I actually chuckled aloud when I got to GREEN GIANT, how is that for jolly?
Two 15's on a Monday - and the grid is Monday smooth. There are no rules left. I am impressed.
The teen outbreak ACNE does lead to the teen emotion ANGST. Which can lead to the parent who READS THE RIOT ACT.
@Misty, I solve the LAT online, and the clue for 52D was Actors McKellen and Holm (IANS both.) Maybe there was a mistake in your paper?
I usually don't comment on Mondays but this is as good as it gets for an early week puzzle. Look at those glorious downs, gorgeous legs, if that isn't the definition of sex appeal, I don't know what is.
Thanks, @Coffeelvr! I looked at it again, and realized I never saw the second McKellen and Holm line under Actor. Did this puzzle at 6:30 am--clearly a little too early for the likes of me!
Does anyone know where Ican get the LAT puzzles on an iPad! Our paper doesn't do the Sunday stuff and Cruciverb doesn't translate to iPadspeak.
I didn't see the McKellen and Holmes either. Thanks for making me look again. Liked the structure of today's puzzle.
This puzzle was FUN! Loved the theme with colors and sports teams. Two baseball teams and two football teams. So where's the love for basketball? One suggestion: Black Magic.
Congrats, PG, on acquiring your 300th follower.
Thanks for the comments, everyone! It was a fun challenge to get those long 15-letter downs in place without compromising the requirement of Monday-level fill. You should have seen some of the awful grids I put together throughout the process - yecch!
Jeff
Wonderful job Jeff. One of my fastest solves ever with a great theme and a number of long, sparkly, solid entries.
I'm going to put this one at the top, very top of my favorite puzzles of all time list.
It doesn't get any better than this for me.
I concur... a most excellent Monday puzzle. Got DRIVETHRUWINDOW immediately and the rest filled in quickly. I feel 'though, that it was the clueing that made it Monday level.
As a Giant fan... wait'll next year.
When I finished the puzzle today, I knew it was terrific, but I had no one with whom to share my emotions. I love to visit here for clarification, information, feedback, laughs and validation. Thanks so much PG and Jeff and the rest of you!
Sherman Oaks, CA
I take a week off from the LAT and this is the puzzle I come back to? Awesome, I should take a week vacation every other week just to guarantee myself 26 outstanding Monday puzzles. I'm pretty sure that's how it works ...
What a quality puzzle! Such a good, sort of double theme, you might want to expand it to a Sunday-sized one.
About a year ago, on latimescw corner,the question of latimescw on an iPad was kicked around. Evidently the times puzzle is a AdobeFlash application. Flash is not supported on any of the iOS platforms and Apple has said it never will be. Unless someone writes an html app for the puzzle, we are out of luck on the iPad.
Please don't spoil Jeopardy for the people out west who haven't seen it yet. I think 10:30 Eastern would be an okay time to start talking about the show if you want to. Thanks.
The Crossword App allows you to download the LAT onto the iPad.
That's right @pg. The first thing I said when reading the entry before yours was DAMN... spoiled. Those of us in Hawaii watch Jeopardy @10:30 Eastern, (4:30 HST).
@pg, I see you removed the offending entry. Too late for me, but hopefully in time for the PDT bloggers.
3 and out, (for the 2nd time in my blogging career.)
@PG - Aren't you supposed to say "Comment removed by Blogmaster?" Of course, it wasn't the first time.
So, OK, now I know Hawaii sees it at 10:30 Eastern.
Anyway, as I said, the puzzle was pretty good. I was able to answer even sports questions.
Joon won big time again. I like the hippy-type guy being in the red until they started to ask questions about beer.
I got 2 questions Joon didn't - Rose Tattoo, and the Final Jeopardy. Of course, that was Upstate NY stuff. Tappan is on the Hudson. I knew Benedict Arnold was not executed and died in Britain despised even by the Brits for being a turncoat; plus, he had won many battles against the Brits. I figured it was the guy who was carrying Arnold's papers. I wasn't sure of the spelling and probably would have missed on that - Andre, Andres, Andros. A Hueguenot.
@sfingi,
You do not need to come on this blog to inform us about Joon's results. Those of us that are interested are watching the show. There have been previous warnings to commenters to avoid spoiling. Can't you wait until the following day? Jeez.
@Mark: Lighten up. She didn't realize the consequences... "Geez"
These are too cute! I LOVE the scene you created. That is just adorable!!! I love all the depth you created....Fab project !!!
plastic key tags
id card printing urgent
@Mark - Nobody talks about it the next day. If there were previous warnings, they were at the end of the week when the puzzle is too hard for me and I don't even try.
@Anon - Thank you.
This is one bookmark I'm going to miss with my morning coffee and News Journal
Best regards David
Just for future reference, the appropriate response to learning that you've spoiled a TV show for someone is, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I was just so excited about it and it didn't occur to me that it hadn't yet aired in other time zones."
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