Our lovely hostess is working weekends again and has acquired the services of GreGarious Guy Gary to blog for her very nice Sunday puzzle. Having six theme answers across and two down supplied a nice element too. She produced some real learning for me with some of the theme fill and as usual provided entertainment with her always sparkling cluing.
I'm sure it was just serendipity that Don G had GettinG GoinG in his great Thursday puzzle!
23A. What winners earn : BRAGGING RIGHTS - Texas and Oklahoma fight for these each October in Dallas (1/2 orange, 1/2 red in Cotton Bowl)
41A. Search feature that tries to finish your thought : GOOGLE SUGGEST - New to this digital cowboy
60A. Grounded V-formation fliers : GAGGLE OF GEESE - Hey, once they take off they're a flock
83A. Completely : BAG AND BAGGAGE - "I threw him out, BAG AND BAGGAGE"
96A. Way to generate fresh website content : GUEST BLOGGING - I think that's what all of us do
120A. Flamboyant '40s-'50s wrestler : GORGEOUS GEORGE - George Wagner from Butte Nebraska cut quite a figure in the 50's rasslin' game
44D. Revelation nations : GOG AND MAGOG - Not a clue
Across
1. Give up : CEDE - The land Mexico CEDED to the U.S.A. after the Mexican-American War
5. 27 for Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," e.g. : OPUS
9. Body sci. : ANAT
13. Fingers-in-one's-ears syllables : LA LA LA - If I can't hear you, it doesn't count...
19. Subtle vibe : AURA
20. "Hogwash!" : BOSH - Would Rich have allowed "Chris of the Miami Heat"?
21. Rao's competitor : RAGU
22. Polling place sticker : I VOTED
26. Pan creator : BARRIE - Mary Martin as Pan on NBC in 1955 is a fond memory for me
27. Like a designated driver : SOBER - I don't think driving drunk is taken lightly any more
28. Coptic Museum city : CAIRO - tradition has it that the Holy Family visited this part of Cairo while fleeing from Herod
29. Toffee bar with a crown in its logo : SKOR - one of my favorite candy bars as long as my teeth are good!
31. Bread sometimes prepared with chutney : NAAN - I've yet to sample either
32. Bowler Mark who was four-time PBA Player of the Year : ROTH - along with Boomer, a man who has had a lot 127A. Alley pickups : SPARES
34. Trellis piece : LATH
36. Wipe clean : ERASE
38. The NFL's Falcons : ATL - They got an NFL expansion franchise in 1965 so they wouldn't go to the pre-merger AFL
44. Coll. transcript stat : GPA
47. Rake's look : LEER
49. Big diamond-mining country: Abbr. : RSA - a 507.55 carat white diamond taken from the Cullinan Diamond Mine in South Africa in 2009
50. Tells a tall tale : LIES - George Costanza, "Jerry, it's not a LIE, if you don't think it's a LIE"
51. Melodious winds : OBOES - As mentioned on Monday, also the voice of the duck in Peter And The Wolf
53. Ready to drive : IN GEAR
55. "Fear not!" : BE BRAVE - It's probably not as bad as you think it will be
59. Aptly named baby carrier brand : SNUGLI
62. Usher in : HERALD - Hark!
63. Drudgery : MOIL - I will learn this word. I will learn this word. I will...
64. Ninth-century pope : LEO IV - Served from DCCCXLVII - DCCCLV
65. Ousted Iranian ruler : SHAH - he was a despot but, by God, he was our despot
67. Dundee denial : NAE - "Nae, I did na think she was bonny"
68. ''Chances Are'' crooner : MATHIS - You can't be my age and not have, uh, "pitched woo" to this record
70. Japanese IT services giant : NEC
72. Map feature : LEGEND - This map and its LEGEND tell you where most people live in my, Joe's and Ergo's state.
76. Trace : HINT
77. 2008 Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown duet : NO AIR
79. Letters on the back of a jersey : NAME - Coachspeak:
81. Certain daisies : OXEYES
87. Trials and tribulations : RIGORS
88. Rhine temptress : LORELEI - I listened for her while floating down the Rhine, but all I heard were people at the ship's bar
89. "Under Siege" star : SEAGAL
90. Church doctrine : DOGMA - The Golden Rule is all I need
91. Kiara's mother in "The Lion King" : NALA
92. Org. promoting hunter safety : NRA
94. Fuss : TO-DO - Miss Bunting seems intent on creating a TO-DO whenever she is at Downton Abbey
95. Comic Philips : EMO - I always thought he was an odd little man
102. Airer of "Family Feud" reruns, briefly : GSN - How much Family Feud can you really watch?
103. Hulu service : NET TV - Now that we have a "smart TV"...
104. Palm starch : SAGO - Harvesting the pith from the Sago Palm to make starch
105. Besties : PALS - BFF's (which last about a week in middle school)
107. It can precede Bravo : ALFA - Take it from Golf Alfa Romeo Yankee
110. "If that's true ..." : THEN - Simple If/Then flow chart
112. Dupe : REPRO - If a brother can be "bro", a reproduction can be a REPRO
114. Online savings accounts offerer : E-LOAN - I've seen 391% APR on those babies
118. Text file with instructions : READ ME
123. Blini topper : CAVIAR - EGADS! You eat caviar with a metal spoon! How gauche!
124. Sweetie, in Tahiti : AMIE - Parlez vous Français in Tahiti? Mais oui!
125. In the know about : ONTO - Yeah, no one was ONTO Tony and Jack
126. Glimpses : SEES
128. Scorch : SEAR
129. Reflexology targets : FEET
130. Throw, as a party : HOST
Down:
1. Train station waiters : CABS - Our resident oenophile Marti might have clued this differently!
2. Vatican City coin : EURO - The cheapest tour of the Vatican will set you back €32,00
3. Lackluster : DRAB
4. Champing at the bit : EAGER
5. Kimono closer : OBI
6. Wet weather wear : PONCHOS - The Pope wore the same cheap rain PONCHO when visiting the faithful in the Philippines. A true man of the people.
7. Org. that tests balls and clubs : USGA
8. Piercing : SHRILL
9. Specialized idioms : ARGOTS - We have 'em here!
10. "Pass" : NAH - Coupled with NAE today
11. NSA figures : AGTS
12. Rosa Parks' birth city : TUSKEGEE - She'd had enough, decided to BE BRAVE and showed true courage
13. Some fall babies : LIBRAS
14. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA - She was forced on director John Ford who wanted Maureen O'Hara
15. "SNL" creator Michaels : LORNE
16. Hair removal brand : ATRA - I guess shaving is hair removal
17. "Well, I guess you don't know everything about women yet" speaker : LEIA
18. Yemeni port : ADEN
24. Pirate's brew : GROG - A staple for Captain Hook in Pan?
25. Wrath, in a hymn : IRAE
30. Tram loads : ORES - Gold ORE in a slightly bigger mode of transportation
33. Manager with four World Series wins : TORRE - Four Yankee titles
35. Expressive dances : HULAS
37. Salisbury Plain monument : STONEHENGE - YouTube has many great theories about how STONEHENGE was built
38. Irreverent Sacha Baron Cohen alter ego : ALI G - Not my (Nice) Cuppa tea!
39. Break hr. : TEN AM
42. Talky get-together : GABFEST
43. Hand over : GIVE
45. Big name in windows and doors : PELLA - In Iowa, it's a town with a fabulous Tulip Festival
46. Private remark : ASIDE - Bob Hope was a master at this in the "Road Films"
48. Aqua __: gold dissolver : REGIA - Literally Royal Water. Nitro-hydrochloric acid
52. Rough case : BUR
54. Extremely hot : ALL THE RAGE
56. Locker room problem : EGO - A crossword stalwart with a huge EGO
57. '60s counterculture event : BE IN
58. Common crime drama theme : REVENGE
59. Plush carpet : SHAG
61. Ken of "thirtysomething" : OLIN - Another stalwart here
65. On the skids : SLIDING
66. Sage, say : HERB
69. Bad reception? : HISS - My MIL's radio HISSES constantly but it was a gift from her late son
71. Shade of black : COAL
73. Pester : NAG AT - LA LA LA...
74. Large crowd : HORDE
75. Geometry basic : AXIOM
78. Hydrocarbon suffix : ANE - It's been very warm this week and so I refilled my proPANE tank earlier than usual to BBQ
80. "Oh my goodness!" : EGADS
82. __ Kippur : YOM - Will 9/23 - 9/24, 2015 be long enough for me to atone for all my sins?
83. Hightail it : BOLT - Col. Pickering, "Where's Eliza?" Professor Higgins, "She's BOLTED!"
84. Spirited horses : ARABS
85. Yoga posture : ASANA - I can do some of these
86. Tesla Motors CEO Musk : ELON - He's building space vehicles too
88. City on I-15 : LAS VEGAS - 5 hr and 49 min north and you'd be in Salt Lake City. Hmmm...
91. Rembrandt's home: Abbr. : NETH
93. Comeback : RIPOSTE - here's one with our crossword weapon of choice
98. Minnesota, vis-Ã -vis Nebraska : LARGER - C.C. said she originally had Missouri but Rich put in Nebraska. Yeah right! ;-)
99. Arch in some Gothic architecture : OGEE
100. Vanish : GO POOF
101. __ club : GLEE
103. It's the pits : NADIR
106. Play in the tub : SLOSH
107. Lob paths : ARCS - The result of many a Lob pass
108. Bound : LEAP - See above
109. Bean variety : FAVA
111. Alaskan gold rush town : NOME - What great 1960 song has the lyric, "Below that old white mountain, Just a little southeast of NOME"?
113. Mysterious letter : RUNE - Early Germanic writing system
115. Snack sometimes fried : OREO
116. Long stretches : AGES
117. Place to find eggs : NEST
119. West in pictures : MAE - She really knew her, uh, assets
121. Coastal inlet : RIA
122. Figured out : GOT - I was so happy I GOT to blog this fine puzzle for my friend C.C.!
Thanks for this great puzzle C.C.! This site is now charging into its 8th year with you firmly ensconced in the position of leadership. How fortunate we are!
Husker Gary
Note from C.C.:
Ralph Bunker, the co-constructor of George Barany's "Enigma Variations" meta puzzle, visited MN yesterday, so our local constructors had another gathering at the University of Minnesota. The conference room we were at is named after George's parents, both Holocaust survivors. George also gave us a tour of their chemistry department and showed us this huge periodic table where you can touch some of the elements.
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| Marcia Brott, C.C., Tom Pepper, David Hanson & Nancy Herther |
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| Tariq Samad, George Barany, Ralph Bunker, Tom Pepper, C.C., David Hanson, Marcia Brott & Nancy Herther |
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George Barany, Nancy Herther, Tom Pepper, Marcia Brott, David Hanson, C.C.m, Victor Barocas, Tariq Samad & Ralph Bunker
Click here for a few more pictures.
Also, the Fourth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on Sunday, June 14, 2015. Please click here for more info.
