Theme: The Royal Treatment
18. TV's "The Practice," e.g. : LEGAL DRAMA. Drama Queen
20. "Bummer!" : WHAT A DRAG. Drag Queen
38. Door holder's witticism : AGE BEFORE BEAUTY. Beauty Queen
55. Procter & Gamble laundry detergent : IVORY SNOW. Snow Queen
60. Australia's "Sunshine State" ... or where you might find the ends of 18-, 20-, 38- and 55-Across? : QUEENSLAND
Melissa here. Another fun one from our queen, C.C. This one almost filled in by itself for me, a nice way to start the morning. Love to see the grid-spanner in the middle.
Across
1. Greek sandwich : GYRO. Pronounced "YEEros."
5. Happy gatherings : FESTS
10. Baby cow : CALF
14. Control for an equestrian : REIN
15. In full view : OVERT
16. Buckeye State : OHIO
17. Horse feed : OATS
22. Ford fiasco : EDSEL
23. Provides staff for : MANS
24. "That makes sense" : I SEE
26. Champagne stopper or popper : CORK
27. Genius Bar pro : TECH. In Apple stores.
29. JFK's successor : LBJ
32. High-card-wins game : WAR
33. Enjoy : LIKE
35. Submitted tax returns with a click : E-FILED. It's that time again.
41. Part of Congress : SENATE
42. Somali-born supermodel : IMAN. She lost her husband David Bowie a year ago.
43. Wide shoe size : EEE
44. Frat. counterpart : SOR
45. Aid in a felony : ABET
47. Traps in an attic? : WEBS. Nice clue.
49. Deborah of "The King and I" : KERR
51. Fictional Hawaiian police nickname : DANO. From TV show Hawaii Five-O.
52. Rage : ANGER
62. "Go back" computer command : UNDO
63. Sch. near the U.S.-Mexico border : UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso.
64. Tweak, say : ALTER
65. Raise a big stink? : REEK
66. Pops a question : ASKS
67. Outlaw chasers : POSSE
68. Hours next to flight nos. : ETD'S. Estimated Time of Departure.
Down
1. Branch out : GROW
2. "Okey-dokey" : YEAH
3. Second actress to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony : RITA MORENO
4. GM system with an AtYourService app : ONSTAR
5. Helps with the laundry : FOLDS
6. Happily __ after : EVER
7. Maker of the Genesis game system : SEGA
8. Like many Shakespeare plays : TRAGIC
9. MLB Cardinal's cap letters : STL
10. Lear's youngest daughter : CORDELIA
11. "I get it" cries : AHAS
12. Green citrus fruit : LIME
13. Baby horse : FOAL
19. Lousy grade : DEE
21. Sock that covers the joint it's named for : ANKLET
25. Biblical queendom : SHEBA
26. Pet store enclosures : CAGES
27. Ref's ring decision : TKO
28. Spine-tingling : EERIE
30. Margarine that shares its name with Texas' state flower : BLUEBONNET
31. Ballet leaps : JETES
32. "Now, where __ I?" : WAS
34. "Sadly ... " : I FEAR
36. Red Sox ballpark : FENWAY
37. Hair coloring : DYE
39. Cocktail makers : BARKEEPS
40. Ambulance fig. : EMT
46. S.O.S shelfmate : BRILLO
48. Make certain of : ENSURE
50. Fish-eating eagle : ERN
51. Rapper with a title : DR. DRE
52. Poolside shade : AQUA
53. Pecans and cashews : NUTS
54. Nerdy type : GEEK
56. 37-Down containers : VATS
57. Singles : ONES
58. Binged (on), as snacks : ODED
59. Pans for potstickers : WOKS
61. Maple extract : SAP
1) Happy Birthday to dear Bill G, who's been with this blog since August 2009. Bill's posts are always lighthearted and warm, even his comments to the mean anons are polite. So glad Barbara's ordeal is over, Bill. Now you can start sharing your mouthwatering lunch order again. Thanks for the steady presence on our blog.
 |
| Barbara & Bill |
47 comments:
Greetings!
Greetings!
Thanks ti CC and mb!
Great puzzle!
No problems.
Happy Birthday to you Bill G!
Have a great day!
FIR! Other than YELLOW ROSE > BLUE BELLES > everything's better with BLUE BONNET on it!, I had no problems. The gimmick escaped me, and even after filling in the reveal, it took me a minute or two to see it.
{A, A-, B, C+.}
There once was a QUEEN from the far land of SHEBA
Who went to see Solomon, with the gift of a zebra!
He rode shirtless, of course,
On his bar-coded horse!
When she saw his MAN-boobs, she gave him a he-bra!
When going thru doors, it's "AGE BEFORE BEAUTY,"
Which sometimes precludes the rear-view of a cutie!
You'd think such a TRAGIC
(Not to mention traumatic)
WITTICISM could be ALTERED to "Beauty first is a duty!"
A programmer princess, whose name was CORDELIA,
Decreed apps be simple, without paraphernalia!
She ordered each GEEK
To cut the TECH-speak;
And chicklet keyboards consigned to wee-key-pedia!
Galileo, with his spyglass, really knew his OATS!
He kept pocket pitas in his overcoats!
But ripe cheese would REEK
So he searched for a Greek,
And found balanced meals, with his GYRO-scope!
Do they really keep hair dye in vats? A slow but steady fill for me, with no cheats. "Poolside shade". Hmm. Umbrella doesn't fit; towel? Straw hat? Hmm. AQUA!! Doh!! Fun CW, thanx, C.C.! Nice write-up, thanx, MB! Witty limericks, thanx, Owen! We FINALLY have some cool weather here in FLL. Thanx, God!
Good morning!
Wow, missed it by one day, C.C. You could've had a threefer! Has anybody ever had a threefer?
This was more Monday-like than Monday. My only misstep was SORTS rather than FOLDS. Easily fixed. No, I didn't get the theme.
EFILED reminds me that tax season starts tomorrow. Gonna be busy.
Happy BDay, Bill G. Gonna have a macchiato to celebrate?
Happy Birthday Bill G,
Nice review Melissa. Thanks for the FUN puzzle C.C..
Agree with d-o ... this was more LIKE a Monday level. Total speed run.
Fave today, of course, was 39-d, Cocktail makers, BARKEEPS ... go figure.
(Though that Champagne stopper or popper, CORK, was a close second).
Cheers!
I spend too much time in Starbucks and put "baristas" in first; BARKEEPS quickly followed.
Nice breezy Tuesday! Got the theme before the reveal which is not a common event for me!
Thanks Melissa and Happy birthday Bill G!
HBD Bill G. Nothing to erase today, but I did have some unknowns: LEGAL DRAMA, RITA MORENO, CORDELIA and JETES.
My favorite today was having BLUE BONNET crossed with LBJ. Driving around Texas in the spring is a real treat, with tons of those and other wild flowers in full bloom. Lady Bird Johnson was the main proponent of getting them seeded and protected along the highways.
I was involved in the development of ONSTAR while I was with Verizon Wireless (actually we were still GTE then). It was a secret project, so we told the team that the product name was Five Star, and that the customer was Mercedes Benz.
Thanks CC and Melissa B for a fun romp today.
Thank goodness I can return to the blog today. Yesterday our paper had some travesty of a puzzle worthy only of those puzzle books with really simple xwords. I was horrified to find, during an otherwise busy day, that the online format of the LAT that I sometimes used to use seems not to work now. I was about to cancel the paper and write an angry letter if today was a repeat performance, but hallelujah! It's back to normal today! Maybe some newbie picked the wrong one yesterday.
Anyway everything went smoothly today without problems, and I was so glad to feel like I had come home to C.C., and an extra bonus was seeing Miss Bee as the blogger too...it's been quite a while.
Speedrun this morning. No problems or unknowns.
Thanks for the video of a JETES. I only knew of the word from X-word puzzles but had no idea what that or PLIE really was.
'Genius Bar' TECH- what a stretch to call some kid who can make $15/hr a 'genius'.
Hungry Mother- you should spend more time in bars than Starbucks. I go to neither.
'Everything's better with BLUE BONNET on it.' Do they still play the BLUEBONNET Bowl football game? In the spirit of sponsorship it could be called THE CONAGRA BLUE BONNET BLUEBONNET BOWL.
How many times must one say it? The Greek sandwich is a GYROS, not a GYRO.
And the past tense of OD is OD'D, not ODED? (No sense spelling out the final E if we're not spelling out OVER or DOSE.)
Anon @8:25
I live in Tarpon Springs, Florida and the Greek sandwich is a GYRO Sandwich.
(Of course a 10 sec. google search [by you] would have confirmed that!)
Also the "past tense' of ODED ... is died!
Good day to all and HB to Bill G.!
I agree that this was a total speed run today. Did not know that fact about RITA MORENO, but after having RITA in place, who else could it be? Was tickled to see CORDELIA at 10D. That is my granddaughter's name, also known as "The Princess". Thanks for the puzzle, C.C., and thanks for the write-up, Melissa B.
Enjoy the day!
Good morning everyone.
Happy Birthday, Bill G.
Fun solve, today. No searches or strikethroughs were needed. Puzzle had a nice clean feel to it.
Had all the QUEENS in before the reveal came up. Nice CALF-FOAL connection in the NE.
Bluebonnets are a legume.
Musings
-I finished with an A for ET_/ODE_, which would work fine but caught ODED and was good to go in C.C.’s lovely puzzle.
-For me BEAUTY QUEEN immediately evokes this haunting, poignant song of teen angst (4:29)
-EDSEL Ford was Henry’s only child who died 14 yrs before his eponymous car came out
-UTEP was first known as this and made history by being the first NCAA team to start five black players and beat the all-white Kentucky team for a national championship in 1966
-A mare that has FOALED probably doesn’t know how to FOLD
-In small towns, the guy changing your oil could be an EMT
-Argyle seems to have a kibitzer in the background.
-Happy Birthday, Bill. What better present could you have than Barbara’s recovery!
Good Morning:
Once again, CC shows her knack for not only creating a clever theme but concealing it so well. After entering Legal Drama and What A Drag, I thought, aha, the theme has something to do with 3 A's. Age Before Beauty took care of that notion. (BTW, our sassy, youthful rejoinder to that was, "Beauty was a horse!). Anyway, even after completion, it took a minute or two for the final Aha moment! I had fetes before fests and Sago before Sega. Geek and tech were fun to see and Traps in the attic=webs was my fav.
Brava, CC, for another enjoyable romp and thanks, MelissaB, for such a fun tour.
Happy Birthday, Bill G, and best wishes for a happy and healthy year for you and Barbara! 🎂🎉🍾🎈🎁
Jinx, how is everything going with the new dog? Name?
Have a great day.
Thanks to C.C. and Melissa bee for the Tuesday fun. I moved through this one quickly and got the theme.
Perps soon changed Fetes to FESTS and Brasso to BRILLO.
UTEP filled in but I had to come here to find out what it meant. I must put El Paso into my crossword memory bank.
Like unclefred, I was misdirected at AQUA thinking of a cover not a colour.
Like Spitzboov, I noted the cross of CALF and FOAL.
Different cluing would have made clechos of 20D and 53D - BUMMER and NUTS.
Somebody here told us before how to remember how to spell IMAN (not IMAM).
SADLY I will not comment on possibly current difficulties caused by her country of origin.
HBD Bill G.
Misty, I am enjoying Victoria also. I love British historical dramas and fiction and just finished reading Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory.
Have a great day.
Good morning all. Thank you CC and Melissa.
Clever puzzle CC.
Was trying to think of an answer for a clue that would end in DAIRY.
Four in a row. I'm keeping score. Trying very hard not to make typos and stupid mistakes that prevent a TADA when the last letter goes in.
Favorite clue was Traps in an attic.
Happy Birthday Bill G !
Argyle, it looks like you are holding pocket aces, and trying to appear disappointed in your hand. But the pup in the background is sending a tell to the player on your left.
From yesterday, Montana, best wishes for you on your upcoming eye surgery.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Melissa Bee, for a fine review.
Started this after I got up and before I went to guard the crossing. Finished after I got home. Good Tuesday level.
Theme was good, only I did not connect the correct words until I came here. Oh well.
Unknowns were: IMAN, SEGA, and JETES. Perps worked.
Little misdirection with S.O.S. and BRILLO.
Happy Birthday, Bill G, and many more. Glad Barbara is fine.
I see BLUE BONNET in the store all the time, but I never buy it. I am a real butter guy. I believe it is healthier.
Off to my day. Lots to do.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Fit for a QUEEN! That's what this puzzle is and congratulations once again, C.C. on your EVER expanding knowledge of English!
I LIKE how this filled and especially enjoyed seeing traps in an attic, WEB and raised a big sting, REEK.
It's always been ironic to me that a woman's name is I-MAN and a male is I-mam.
Happy birthday, Bill! I hope you'll share your birthday menu with us.
Enjoy a wonderful day, everyone!
Tinbeni! LOL!
Spitzboov, I did not know Bluebonnets were a legume.
It made me go looking, turns out, while being pretty,
they are a deterrent to deer! (must tell DW to get some for the backyard...)
Happy Birthday Bill G!
You take the cake!
Found while researching Queensland.
Nuts! I should have researched this in 2009...
& I am not really sure what to make of this...
"Puzzling thoughts":
Like TTP, I too am on a mini streak of solving the LATCC with no runs, drips or errors. As others said, this CC version was more Monday-like, but still had clever clueing and a theme whose reveal was a secretive as those who - in real life - are DRAG QUEENS. 😜
Big Easy @ 8:20 --> here is a link to the Bluebonnet Bowl history. So no, it's an event of the past, and even its successors (Houston Bowl and Texas Bowl) really aren't a part of its "DNA". Interesting to note that UTEP did not play in the Bluebonnet Bowl but did play once in the Houston Bowl
Owen @ 5:18 ---> your first poem punch line made me think of this Seinfeld episode when Frank and Kramer came up with the perfect idea! Sorry I couldn't find one with subtitles other than Hebrew ...
HG @ 9:14 ---> I had never heard the Celene Dion rendition of the Janis Ian hit "At Seventeen" - she does it well. Quite poignant and sadly, a situation that I'm sure still affects both girls and boys in HS
Excellent puzzle CC and equally excellent puzzle MB. HBTY Bill G, from another Aquarian
Meant to say "recap" to Melissa Bee
CED @ 10:45 ---> that last link was something else! Wow! The Aussies tell it like it is, eh?
Abejo @ 9:50 ---> dittos on being a butter, not margarine guy. Nor do I use that fake, flavored "creamer" (which, like margarine is all some sort of vegetable oil) in my coffee. Coffee for me is either black, or maybe with a shot of something alcoholic! Which, after saying that, makes me wonder if there's a portmanteau we can create for a new position at Starbucks that serve alcohol: BARKEEPSTA
Good afternoon!
Wonderful puzzle from CC and fun tour with Melissa! I agree it was more like a Monday. No problems, perps or WAGs- yay :)
Had to drop the dog off at the groomer, picked up Starbucks ( lol, Hungry Mother- I like your thinking with "baristas"!) came home to do the puzzle, grab a quick breakfast then back to pick up the sweet old pup. Then some housework- now taking a break, so thought I'd pop in here real quick.
My favorite was also "Traps in an attic?" = WEBS ;)
Happy Birthday, Bill G! Hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with your lovely Barbara ( nice picture, btw. Good to put a face with the name 😀)
Back to the grind. Hope everyone has a great day!
🐇
Finally got my iPad fixed....I hope! I've missed the comments although I did the CWs in the newspaper. Thanks C.C. and MB for a good welcome home!
Owen, I'd forgotten how good you are!
An easy, breezy and bright puzzle from the inimitable CC, with a entertaining expo from mb. Kudos to you both. One pass across and down and Tada! As others suggested yesterday, this was a Monday level puzzle to compliment yesterday's Tuesday level one.
Had a toenail avulsion this morning. It wasn't as bad as you might think. It seems I got a toenail fungus because I have been sleeping most nights with my socks on, not necessarily because my feet are cold but because it is such a chore to put on socks in the morning. And yes, I have one of those sock helper gadgets. They just aren't that much help. A couple weeks of TLC from DW and I'll be right as rain.
Argyle and Moe, thank you so much for the links to Linda Ronstadt's ballads. Beautiful stuff, and it doesn't hurt that she was backed up by Nelson Riddle's lush arrangements and band. Made me get out that prom dress album and play it again. Great memories.
TTP, you nailed Argyle's picture from today.
Bill G, Happy Birthday and many happy returns. I echo the sentiment that Barbara's health is the best present that you could possibly receive.
Well, dinner is in the oven and it is time to continue with the prep for the Super Bowl party. I won't tell what dog I have in this fight, but a hint would be "Psst, it's the only team in the contest with a former Bluehen on the roster".
Cya!
PS, no hesitation at all with RITAMORENO. Not only did I have good perps, but I'm sure she has been clued that way before. OK, going quietly now.
C.C., you create amazingly wonderful puzzles! I just loved this one, with so much variety and such a clever theme that I didn't get it until the reveal! A total delight! And great pics, Melissa B!
Two Shakespeare references--not just to his TRAGIC dramas, but to CORDELIA in "King Lear." And I loved seeing the reference to Deborah KERR. "The King and I" with her and Yul Brynner was one of my favorite childhood movies!
I had a graduate student who got a job at UTEP and invited me to give a talk there some years ago. It was great to visit El Paso.
Happy Birthday, Bill G, and lovely photo of you and Barbara.
Argyle, you do look like Santa--no wonder they call you that! Who is that adorable dog looking over your shoulder?
Canadian Eh, so glad you like "Victoria" too! Can't wait to see the next episode.
Have a great day, everybody!
Bluehen @ 1:37 ---> Ok, I give; who's the former U Delaware football player in this year's Super Bowl? I did a quick Google check and couldn't find one . . . Gino Gradowski was with Atlanta a year ago but don't think he's there now
Tin Benny and others:
American dictionaries are almost unanimous now in their corruption of GYROS to GYRO, but here's the etymology, from Merriam-Webster yet (which, yes, now calls the singular GYRO): "Modern Greek gyros 'turn' [not turnS, mind you], from Greek, from the rotation of the meat on a spit."
As explained in Wikipedia, "The name comes from Greek _____ [characters not apparent] ('turn'), . . . criticized in Greece for being Turkish, and the word 'gyros' was coined to replace it. . . . The final 's' of the Greek form is often reinterpreted as a plural in English, leading to the formation of the singular 'gyro'."
Historians and etymologists suggest that both the sandwich and the term may have been invented and coined, respectively, in New York, about 1970 or 1971. By the time it got to Chicago in the early '70's (I was there), the singular was still GYROS, not GYRO.
Hi everybody. I enjoyed the puzzle as usual though I couldn't see the connection between Queensland and the theme answers. Oh well... Thanks CC and Melissa Bee.
I really appreciate all of the birthday wishes. This is a special place with a great group that I'm happy to think of as friends. Thank you very much.
Our high-quality lunch was at the Il Fornaio a couple of days ago. Really good.
Today, pizza. :>)
54D could've been clued as "Best Buy equivalent of 27A" (GEEK Squad)
Anon@2:50 -- Languages change over time. Dost thou not agree?
A very happy birthday to you, Bill. It is wonderful that Barbara is doing so well now.
Is gyros without the s a corruption or an adaptation to a new language? All languages, especially English, adapt many loan words from other language.
Happy birthday, Bill G! Il Fornaio is a fabulous place; glad you AND Barbara went there yesterday.
I wanted to try and create one of those train memes, but couldn't get the generators to work for me, so guess I'll just have to lean on my own talents:
Queensland train etiquette guide:
C.E.D. likes helping others ride!
On the crossword he'll collaborate
In the paper of his seat-mate!
That's how he got to be Cross-Eyed!
Moe: Enjoyed the clip even with the backwards captions! :) Caught enough of the dialog to know it was about pitching an idea for man-bras!
GYRO: Back-formation from Gyros.
The New England Patriots stole the Atlanta Falcons game plan for the Super Bowl !!! How sad. How very sad !!! Bill Bellicheat will stop at nothing !!! This is worse than gyro versus gyros !!!
Thanks, C.C.!
I enjoyed your QUEENie theme. How well timed, as it puts me in mind of the longest reigning British monarch at a time when her people are rallying to protect her.
That adorable dog looking over my shoulder is Minnie and she was NOT bringing me luck!
Well, Minnie is adorable, and she was probably trying to encourage you to be careful about your betting. Little dogs are very wise about such things.
Hi All!
Late to the party. Buds & I had a reunion of sorts. We all worked for the same consultancy early on and got together for dinner tonight. Fun times.
Thank C.C., this was pleasant and fun with the right amount of Tuesday crunch to LIKE. Thanks Melissa for being our guide.
WO: N/A
ESPs: RITA MORENO; IMAN; KERR; CORDELIA
Fav: LBJ xing Lady Bird's BLUEBONNETS. Lady Bird Johnson is know for BEAUTfYing Texas' roads with wild flowers. Ride the MS150 in April and take it all in.
AQUA was AHA; WOKS c/a was cute. Traps in the attic was a head-scratcher - I kept thinking of Jean Rhys whom had Rochester's Caribbean wife in the attic :-) [told y'all I read DW's dissertation].
{A,A,B+B; A+ doin' well sans engine :-)}
Good to see you back Swamp!
Argyle, TTP may be right - Minnie WAS tip'n your hand :-)
I FEAR the SENATE will ABET this go-round? C.C. Breaking your rules!?! :-)
TIn - LOL Past-tense of ODED!
Happy Birthday Bill G. CED's got the cakes covered. I only post at this late hour to wish you a good day (or what's left of it on the coast). Cheers Mate, -T
Thanks Mr. T.
D'oh! Last night's link NU for Lady Bird's BLUE BONNETS . My bad. Work is done; time to bed for 4 hrs.. C, -T
The clues helped with Queensland. I meant to post last night but dozed off. Kudos to all contributors.
Of course it's all a blur now except for the classic disinformation campaign to explain and excuse another Patriot Super Bowl championship.
WC
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