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Londonderry lad - SUNDAY, May 10 2009 - P Berry (Stalin named it hero city after WW II / Cacao holders / Fops tops / Unappealing trumpet sound)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Relative difficulty: Medium
THEME: "GOLFING AROUND" - golf puns aplenty
Word of the Day: DENEB - n. (81D: Brightest star in Cygnus)
The brightest star in the constellation Cygnus, approximately 1,630 light-years from Earth.
[Arabic danab, tail.]
BLAT (6A: Unappealing trumpet sound) - that is the sound that represents how I generally feel about this puzzle. Don't care about golf, and really don't care for puns. I thought that the Patrick Berryness of it all would somehow be able to overcome both of those handicaps, but in the end it was all just OK for me.
I got irked early on by the MAYLE (19A: "A Year in Provence" author) / BARIC (5D: Containing element #56) crossing (could easily have been MOYLE / BORIC as far as I was concerned), and even though I guessed right (MOYLE just sounded too wrong ... wronger than BARIC, in the end), I never regained puzzle love today. If you are a pun-lover, some of these are pretty good, or at least pretty ambitious. NO HOLES BARRED is super-weak, the sandwich / SAND WEDGE pun is old hat, and THE PUTTER FLY EFFECT is just desperate, but WET TEE SHOT CONTESTS is inspired, and FAST FOUR WOOD had me wondering what the pun even was for a few moments ("fast forward") - very clever. Most of the rest of the puzzle was fine Sunday fare. Another crossing at the very end nearly killed me - the last letter I filled in was the BLANCA (89D: Bahia _____, Argentina) / LIPO (95A: Tang dynasty poet) crossing. What are those? Either of those? Why wasn't LIPO clued as a common abbreviation for the fat-sucking procedure?? Bah. Anyway, I liked this about as well as I'm ever going to like a golf pun puzzle. That is the nicest thing I can say today.Theme answers:
- 22A: Where golf bag handlers congregate inside the clubhouse? (caddie corner)
26A: Golf clubs tossed into the drink at Pebble Beach? (submarine sand wedges)- 40A: Tendency to throw one's club after sining a short stroke? (the putter fly effect)
- 63A: Like golf courses that let you play the full 18? (no holes barred)
- 83A: Competitions to see who can drive the ball the farthest in the rain? (wet tee shot contests)
- 101A: Thoroughly undeserved under-par result? (a low down birdie shame)
- 109A: Fairway club swung quickly? (fast four wood)
Bullets:
- 33A: Guerra's opposite (paz) - PAX ... PAI ... PAY ... I knew it was a word for "peace," but I couldn't remember exactly which language.
- 47A: Cookie sold in a blue package (Oreo) - Double Stuf Oreos come in pinkish packages. Or at least they did.
- 53A: Louisiana city on Lake Pontchartrain (Slidell) - the only reason I know this place:
[She is my hero]
And again, this time with Bruce on guitar ...
And now, "Essence," just because I can:
- 69A: Former Magic player Smith (Otis) - perhaps the most marginal NBA player I've ever seen in a puzzle, especially given how many OTISes there are in the world. Yikes. This guy was never an All-Star, never won any major awards, played only 7 seasons ... what in the world possessed anyone to clue OTIS this way? Mind-boggling.
- 102A: "Ruby Baby" singer, 1963 (Dion) - yay, I remembered that he spelled his name this way, like a clipped version of DIONNE Warwick.
- 59A: Ding-a-ling (jerk) - these two aren't really synonymous any more. A JERK is someone who is deliberately mean, callous, selfish, or otherwise @ssholish. A "ding-a-ling," as far as I know, is just loopy, ditzy, empty-headed, etc.
- 81A: N.F.L. Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1988 (Ditka) - Da Bears were really good back then.
119A: _____ Rock (Aussie landmark) (Ayers) - not to be confused with William Ayres ... who has dropped completely off the public radar since Obama won election. AYERS Rock is also known as "ULURU," not to be confused with UHURA from "Star Trek"- 16D: Stalin named it a "hero city" after WW II (Odessa) - I did not know that
- 49A: Fops' tops (fedoras) - "fop" is all wrong here. I think of a "fop" as a clothes horse, yes, but ... the FEDORA is a "men's middle-class clothing accessory" (wiki), therefore ordinary, not foppish. Gangsters and private dicks wear FEDORAs. Fop schmop.
- 57A: Publishing firm bought by Houghton Mifflin (Harcourt) - yawner of a clue. Since most people are going to have to wait for some crosses to guess this anyway, why not make it more vivid - get a book title in there. Something.
- 92A: Comparative follower (than) - interesting, potentially tricky clue. Might make people look for a word that would follow "comparative" in a familiar phrase
- 118A: Dutch Golden Age painter (Hals) - no idea how I know this guy's name, but I do. "HALS" means "neck" in Middle English (also, apparently, German).
- 7D: Jeff of the Traveling Wilburys (Lynne) - also of ... ELO!
- 5D: "Lou Grant" paper, for short (Trib) - wouldn't this need "with 'the'"? If you are going to clue it as colloquial, then don't you have to account for the answer as it's really uttered by actual human beings. I guessed correctly here. Wasn't hard.
- 65D: Londonderry lad (bucko) - don't get this at all. Is "Bucko" Irish? I had no idea (mainly because I rarely hear anyone say it except ironically / disparagingly)
70D: Quebec's official bird (snowy owl) - cool answer. Tintin's dog is named "SNOWY," FYI.- 85D: Symbols seen on viola music (C clefs) - the [letter] CLEF answer gets you a nice, unlikely run of consonants at the beginning of your answer. Livens things up.
- 98D: Car with a horse collar grille (Edsel) - like OREO, EDSEL comes dressed in its best Sunday clothes (i.e. a fancy trivia clue).
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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74 comments:
Well I like puns but find golf about as exciting as watching grass grow, so the theme was pretty much a wash for me. Lots of other sports (or should I snarkily write "lots of real sports") in the other clues, happily not including the clue for 45D:YDS. I didn't care for the blasted BLAT corner either, even though 6D:BARIC was my Gee I'm Smart moment (first entry in the grid, pieced together from 56=54+2 ⇒ Group IIA ⇒ barium; not BORIC because boron is element #5, not #56). But it's hard to find better fill to finish a corner constrained by two abutting theme entries (plus 23D:CAPITOL). Maybe after I've had some sleep.
NDE
Dad and I just finished this one. This was a medium/challenging solve for us. We got hung up by the BARIC/MAYLE crossing (had the incorrect "o").
Dad and I have both had barium swallow studies done, but nobody ever bothered to tell us we were ingesting element #56. That sure would have come in handy.
Dad liked the puns, thought they were cute. I prefer golf myself.
:-)
I was expecting a Mother's Day theme...instead got a golf widow one. Oh well, there's always the
L.A. Times.
You had me at SUBMARINE SAND WEDGES.
I haven't had so much fun with a Sunday puzzle in ages. And I am not a golfer (though I have "played" a few times over the years and occasionally watch on TV). Golf or not, these puns are just downright hilarious. A LOWDOWN BIRDIE SHAME was my favorite. There is great fill too, which I will leave to the experts. I think this is a model puzzle for aspiring constructors to emulate. There was not a single/clue answer that irked. Awesome job Mr. Berry!
I have to respectfully disagree, Rex. I LOVED this puzzle; easily my favorite NYT Sunday in a long time. Patrick Berry is always welcome, and this puzzle was smooth all the way. Nothing unfair, a smattering of excellent clues (I'm especially fond of the clue for REF in this one), and wonderful punny theme entries. I don't typically like puns either, but these were all excellent, especially WET TEE SHOT CONTEST. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud while solving a puzzle, and this one made me do so multiple times. Great stuff!
I am a golfer and I generally like puns, but this puzzle was just OK for me. No big obstacles. I have to agree with Rex on OTIS Smith. If you're going that route, how about Otis Birdsong? Great name, and he was a four-time All-Star.
My inner Beavis did like the NEGLIGEE over the ORBS, though.
There's properly no space in the poet's name, that's what threw you off. It's Li Po. Quite well known in Sinologist circles.
I had the same two Natick places as Rex - the Mayle/Lynne crossing (and I also had Boric so no joy at all there) and Blanca/Lipo - but guessed that one since IIPO didn't look like anything.
Can someone explain 17A - Friars?? Are they minorities just because they are rare? I just didn't get the connection here at all.
Agree the golf theme is about the most anti-Mother's Day one can get, but I thought most of the puns were pretty clever.
The Chinese poet is Li Po (two names) and let me quote a few selected lines reflecting his 'Life is to Live' philosophy.
Let me be forever drunk and never come to reason!
Sober men of the past and sages are forgotten,
Only the great drinkers are famous forever.
At his best feast Prince Chen paid
ten thousand coins for a cask of wine, and reveled in wit and laughter.
Why lament, my host, that your money is gone?
Go and buy more wine and we'll drink it together!
My flower-cloaked horse,
My furs worth a fortune,
Hand them to the steward in exchange for fine wine,
We will drown away the woes of this and ten thousand generation!
This was written during the reign of the incompetent ruler Emperor Geo W and his henchman Chen Ey.
/Mee
Oh boy, I could hardly wait to see Rex's reaction to the puns, from CADDIE CORNER on... I'm glad Berry was given a pass on this by our leader, as I thought it was extremely clever, and I'm not a golfer. THE PUTTERFLY EFFECT? Hilarious.
I had the same MAYLE problem, but a Moyle by any spelling would have been odd somehow. Old joke about keeping the tips, etc. My other near slip was Pianolas for PIANOMAN, not knowing swimmer MATT, but then JOON looked better than JOOS. Shoutout to fellow constructor and Rexite?
DENEB I remembered, but DUVETS eluded me for a bit -- went nicely with NEGLIGEE which is neat too. LI PO was in the back of my mind, I'm not sure why, but helped finish the SNOWY OWL while LILO came with crosses only. Impressive Sunday xword!
∑;)
p.s. Thanks to MEE for "henchman Chen Ey"....
@ jannieb - Minorites got me too - it isn't minorities as I first thought.
Count me as a liker of this one. Solid, enjoyed the puns. I recommend Peter MAYLE books. The dog lovers here will particularly enjoy "A Dog's Life."
oops - left this out: Minorites - "a Franciscan friar, or Friar Minor," per dictionary.
Found the easy golf theme appropriate for Mother's Day.
For Puzzlers/Golfers that are married with children it's all the golf you are going to get this Sunday and easy enough to finish before starting breakfast in bed.
@ArtLover said
, but a Moyle by any spelling would have been odd somehow.
This gave me a great laugh, because spelled 'mohel,' it's the guy who 'does the job' at a Jewish circumcision! Pronounced just like moyle.
Thanks R_C Guess I need my glasses checked!!!
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle is one of my favorite books and Benny and Joon is one of my favorite movies, so two good clues for me today. BLANCA/LIPO was rough.
I love golf, puns not so much. But, in the end, I kinda liked this puzzle.
I happily guessed the "A" at MAYLE.
I did have a mistake, though. I got overly enthusiastic with the golf theme and wrote in NOHOLESPARRED. It doesn't make sense but I left it in anyway and not knowing BUCKO helped contribute to my error.
"Benny and Joon" is one of my favorite movies. Johnny Depp is hilarious.
If there's anyone drinking the Kool Aid, wearing the sneakers as well as the "What Would Patrick Berry Do?" t-shirt, it's me. Having said that, I felt like this puzzle (as solid as it was) was a waste of Patrick's talents. I realize that not every at-bat's gotta be a home run, but this one felt more like a single.
Great puzzle Mr. Berry.
Thanks RP for the OTIS riff.
In NYC, "What's it to you, BUCKO", and "Move it BUCKO" are part of the vernacular. Never knew the more pleasant Irish roots. Pirates seem to like it too, Arrr!
The Golf theme took this former Caddy back to Caddyshack
Somebody please explain 32A hit makers? Gats? Bats ok not gats that I can see. Edgetool is also questionable. Golfballman
MOYLE / BORIC here too. This was ok for me. Didn't hate it, won't remember it tomorrow.
I liked this one but then I play golf a couple of times a week. That said, I had the same issues as Rex with FEDORA and JERK, needed my bride to resolve the MOYLE vs. MAYLE issue, and like joho tried SPARRED before switching to BARRED. Oh, and I had RFK for 62a for a while. Wrong team and wrong city but in the general vicinity, doh!
Gats are gangsters' guns; they perform "hits" with them.
I liked this puzzle. Excellent Patrick Berry.
Someone please explain what "A Lowdown Birdie Shame" is a pun for...thanks
I didn't feel much love for this puzzle as I'm not a big fan of puns, but I did dutifully solve it...all of it. I absolutely guessed at the BLANCA and LI PO cross (had everything but the "L"). I lucked out at the BARIC and MAYLE cross because the doctor in me knew BARIC, although I don't think I have ever uttered that word in my life.
The puns? Meh...maybe it's because I'm not a golfer. I guess I do kind of like WET TEE SHOT CONTESTS, but FAST FOUR WOOD? Oh, please.
Rex : Thank you, thank you for the Lucinda! (Dar is wonderful, too. No relation) My last fill was the G in GATS. Took me a while to let go of BAT. But EDGETOOL made it necessary, and forced me to think of hits the other way. And I had to look up FRIARS when I was done to figure out what that meant. Overall, a satisfying puzzle, but not my favorite.
Anon @ 10:53 "a low down dirty shame"
I went for BORIC too, although I was thinking 'isn't boron lower in the periodic table?'
Strangely, I did get LI PO, even erasing one of my other incorrect answers to put it in. I was assuming it was part of my crossword-only knowledge; maybe not.
And I liked the SANDWEDGES pun.
I liked the puns, and I think even the title was one, no? GOLFING AROUND = GOOFING AROUND?
A "meh" puzzle for me. As a former trumper player, I happily entered "Bwat" instead of "Blat" and was quite confident in "Wynne" as the down, so that was a nasty surprise when I finished. The only other real problem was CCLEFS crossing with CPOS. I mean, I know there's a military or naval acronym in practically every puzzle, but for those of us with no background, they leave us hanging.
Ok...Peter Mayle was an issue for me, but one letter off. I was Naticked by MAILE/LINNE. Other than that, found this an easy-medium puzzle.
Happy Mother's Day to those who it fits.
Easy fun puzzle. I haven't played golf in years but I remember all the terms so thought it was fairly easy.
Didn't understand gat either.
Guess IMSDave i playing golf today - we haven't heard from him yet.
Happy mother's day to all
I liked this. I found the puns mostly clever, especially WET TEE SHOT CONTEST.
As for Rex's TRIB quibble, I have no problem with the clue. One might say something like: "Trib editor Lou Grant was the guest speaker."
Happy Day to all the Moms here!
Rex, because of you, I so wanted "perukes" for Fops' tops. :)
This is the first it has registered with me that Shula and DITKA have the same number of letters.
Thought of you throughout, Dave.
@Dickie, I like BWAT, can tell you play.
Nice avatar, Chance!
I agree with the tepidists on this one. Patrick has done such brilliant work. But I will give props on the density of thematic entries, with the 9-letter stacks at top and bottom, requiring the entires midsize, Capitol, morale, locksmith, C clefs, someone and I hope so to all traverse three theme entries each. Constructing this must have been a challenge. So bonus constructor points for that.
I guess this puzzle is an example of way too much "FOREPLAY'.. Lots of time at work we watch the golf channel #145 on cable.
I liked Wet Tee Shot Contest.
I have question:
1). How do you highlight a link in a comment to lead other readers to a specific web sight.
I can accept puns if they are clever, but come on: "shot" for "shirt", "caddie" for "kitty", "birdie" for "dirty"--that's strained to the degree that it is painful, in my book.
And Rex, I'm with you: I'm not a fop, and I do wear fedoras--have to buy a new one every few years since, as I'm getting deeper into geezerdom, not only my nose, but my entire head continues to grow...blat!
@alanrichard: Read here
Ulrich, the phrase is actually "catty-corner" not "kitty-corner" so CADDIE CORNER was a darn good pun. I liked the other ones too.
@anon at 12:34: Yes, Merriman-Webster lists catty-corner as a variant of kitty-corner. Clearly, "catty-corner" was punned--this is the first time I ever saw it. More interesting, to me, is the ethymology:
kitty-corner alteration of cater-corner, from obsolete cater four + corner Date: 1838
The icing on the cake: Kater means "tom cat" in German (also "hangover"--I guess b/c your head is caterwauling).
I can't believe no one picked up on this but 63 across is No Holes PARRED! Otherwise is wouldn't be a pun and has no golf relevance. I feel smarter than I have in years!
What Rex said. Unappealing. BLAT. . .this theme is so last century. My wife says it's an old-man puzzle. Can we have some puzzles for a younger crowd, say, under 55? The puns aren't funny.
May I suggest a new rule vis a vis punning? If your setup to the pun is over 5 words (here it averaged over 8), don't bother?
That's if you ignore rule #1 regarding punning: Don't
Kudos to you Anonymous at 12:51.
Love, Your older sister.
@ anon 12:51
- nope.
NO HOLDS BARRED means none of the 18 is prohibited. BUCKO for the cross is legit - PUCKO would be unknown AFAIK.
Or was your post a joke I missed?
@ anon 12:57 - Some constructors and solvers like puns, some don't. can't please everyone. Constructors, IMO keep the puns coming, occasionally. Sorry, Rex and others, I know y'all don't.
What Rex said.
-Vega
I thought the puzzle was fine - nothing to get me excited - but fine. And the puns were okay, and I know nothing about golf except what I have learned in crosswords. Like so many others, I made two mistakes in the blat/mayle and blanca/lipo area. But I did not google.
@R-C re: Anon 12:57
Probably a type but original phrase:
no holDs barred is "punned to":
no holEs barred.
.../Glitch
make that typo for type in my last, it was a type of typo ;)
.../Glitch
@chefbea - caught me again, windy out there today so not a great score to brag about (Ulrich will be pleased)
@fikink - being a golfer didn't help with this one. A FASTFOURWOOD is a topped ball to me.
I enjoyed the puns, and the puzzle. BLAT is a sound I cannot even imagine as an ex-trumpet player - I hearby banish it from the dictionary - schliblat, maybe.
Tomorrow will be my third day in a row on the links (Crumpin Fox in northern Mass.), so I'll probably miss the party. Hope it's an ACME though. That's always a great way to start the day.
My mother is from "Derry" as the Catholics there call it, and I have tons of family there, and in my 40 years I never once heard any of them ever use the word "Bucko". Ugh.
I thought this one was fine for a Sunday, not my favorite puzzle day, with Patrick Barry's usual good fill and clueing sprinkled thoughout. The last area to finish was the SW, it took a while to think of negligee and to make up Blanca. I also had bwat and Wynne, not knowing Jeff.
Am very proud of myself, I got Ditka without crosses. We stayed at a hotel right next to his bar/restaurant in Chicago. I know Shula, too, how about that! Don't really know football, though.
@Rex: In Dutch there are two words for neck: neck for the entire bodypart OR the nape, and hals for the front, under-the chin part. Since we're talking language, Ulrich, Kater means the same in my language, both of the ways! Tintin is called Kuifje (cowlick?), can't remember the name of his dog.
@BEQ: a single is still a hit, right? ;-).
This Lucinda gets around. This song is called "Joy"????
I'm having a great Mother's Day, just finished planting my herbs and that's all the work I will be doing. On to the THREE LAT puzzles!
Happy Mother's Day, to whom it may concern.
Mother's Day concerns us all - bless all of them.
New to the Blog but not the NYT Crossword. I'm with Rex on the not quite right clues. Thanks for all you do Rex!
I don't know much about golf, but I found this puzzle easy. I had a bit of trouble with the lower-left corner -- Bahia WHAT? -- but getting "cue" and "ape" gave me "apogee," and "negligee" finally sailed into my brain after some thought about the "g."
As a specialist in 17th-century art, I knew that there were few Dutch Golden Age painters whose names contained only four letters, and I've heard the Irish slang "bucko" many times. I agree that "jerk" didn't work for "ding-a-ling" and was considering "dork" at one point, but that didn't seem to be a proper synonym either.
All in all, a so-so puzzle, only moderately interesting.
I was neatly able to sidestep a potential Natick as my husband gave our granddaughter Peter Mayle's fabulous book "A Dog's Life" for Christmas last year. It is beautifully illustrated with the author's original drawings of the dog.
Since I am neither a golf fan nor do I enjoy puns being able to relate the above story is the only thing that recommends this puzzle.
I didn't have much trouble with this. I did groan audibly over some of the puns, but I didn't mind them.
I first read Peter Mayle in Provence, so his name was a gimme. Also, Barium is quite a bit heavier than Boron (atomic number 5!) so there's no way I fell into that trap.
I did struggle with the BAT/GAT. I see the latter is slang for a pistol. Seems that this word has appeared before with the same questions.
Hey ! Otis Smith is the General Manager of the Orlando Magic. Attention must be paid.
Speaking of puns, in Chicago there used to be a speakeasy called "Gats 'n' Gams," where everything cost an arm and a leg.
...or so I've been told.
ditto. I appreciate the etymology of kitty-corner (I've never heard 'catty-corner', and in any case wasn't caddy shack so obvious as to ruin the thrill of the pun?), as it helps with caterwauling which I have been too lazy to look up. Thanks!
Tintin named his dog Milou. Somebody else foisted 'Snowy' on him.
Thought it was a great puzzle and I do love a good pun. Have accompanied the husband many times on the links, enjoying the fine weather and beautiful scenery and being useful for the occasional beer run. He is a very good golfer and a real treat to watch, I, on the other hand can make that game look like the most difficult thing in the world to do, so I dont.
First fill was Mayle as I have read and enjoyed all of his books.
Last fill was the L in BLANCO/LIPO.
ditto, Rex nailed it. Thanks for confirming my experience with this sloggy puzzle. I threw in the towel at about 1/4 in. I like puns, but only if they're funny, and these aren't.
@Ulrich:If your head keeps increasing in size enough to have to keep increasing the size of your fedoras, you may want to get yourself checked for acromegaly. (pure coincidence: its discussed today in The Times Magazine section,pp17-18)
@MRC: My father's family is also from Derry and I agree with you about BUCKO. This is a stage-Irishism which has no currency whatever nowadays. It may once have been idiomatic -- it's possibly derived from the Irish word "buachaill" (a boy) as "colleen" is from "cailÃn" (a girl) -- but I filled it in here with gritted teeth.
My biggest struggle was with the totally legit cross of HEARTH and THAN. Somehow I was seized by the idea that 'Brick construction' might mean 'Hearty'. It's always worthwhile to go through the alphabet at these moments.
When I saw Patrick Berry as constructor I knew it would be tough, fun and fair -- and was not disappointed. It took me three sittings during the Sunday morning, and each time I came back I figured out another of the puns.
My last last letters were also the Blanca/LiPo/SnowyOwl intersection, which I thought was obscure but fair enough because you could figure it all out from the crosses.
All in all, a fine Sunday puzzle: amusing puns, nice fill, some interesting random trivia (Edsel). Good going, Patrick -- thanks.
What Rex said. In spades.
I liked the BEQ expression, wearing the sneakers. Not as morbid. Which would you say, though, shows more gullibility?
Golf+puns = ...
Oh, I already lost interests...
Besides Provence and life from a dog's point of view, a wonderful description of sex for a child is another Mayle topic. ("Where Did I Come From?")
My kids invented a name to call one another when they were mad -- "Beekie Bucko." Little did I know it was an ethnic slur.
err, ahh.... meh, BLAT. ahem not so great.
Hi Acme.
a week late and a bucko short ..
Nice, punny, not too hard (for me) Sunday puzzle. My mental crosswordeze database seems to be getting better. Some initial bungles, 52D SABLES and 73A LUCITE (corrected) and 19A MOYLE, 6D BORIC (not corrected, they looked fine to me).
New word of the day is Kempt.
*turning the lights off*
ta ..
Blat!!!!!!!!???? Why do they make up words????? Bullshit clue. As a former trumpet player it's flat!!!!!!!!!!
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