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Charles of "Algiers," 1938; Powerful D.C. lobby; Early American patriot Thomas; Monday, May 27, 2012; Brits' thank-yous
Monday, May 28, 2012
Constructor: Kurt Mueller
Relative difficulty: easy
THEME: TONGUE TWISTER — Four two-word phrases whose first words form a common tongue twister, RUBBER BABY BUGGY BUMPER.
Word of the Day: LOEWE (35A Lerner's songwriting partner) —
Frederick Loewe (English pronunciation: /ˈloʊ/,[1] originally German Friedrich (Fritz)[2] Löwe [ˈløːvə]; June 10, 1901 – February 14, 1988[3]), was an Austrian-American composer. He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on the long running Broadway musicals My Fair Lady and Camelot, with book and lyrics by Lerner, both of which were made into films.
Today's puzzle is a ROCK SOLID (9D Absolutely dependable) Monday. The three-letter corners were almost universally unlovely --- a suffix, a few partials, some initials --- but, then, that's three-letter entries for you. I find it forgivable, for it facilitates fine fill.
I called it easy, but is it Monday Easy? I'm not sure, since I printed this one out, whereas I normally solve electronically. I did slow down here and there, but I don't think any more than usual. If anyone complains about this being unfair, I expect it will be because of the cluster of SINO ANG BOYER just north of center (34A ___--Japanese War, 30D Taiwanese-born director Lee, 31D Charles of "Algiers," 1938). All standard stuff, standing out solely because the structure is so solid.
Penultimate place goes to LOEWE / LEW. I chose LOEWE for Word of the Day because I always mix up all those Loewe-Loew-Loeb-Lowe words. Still, solvers who love LOEWE might be less likely to like LEW, while lovers of LEW likely lack a love of LOEWE, but solvers who like neither LOEWE nor LEW are likely far and few.
- 20A Sterotypical entree at a campaign event RUBBER CHICKEN -- Politicians politely pack it away anyway.
- 29A One born in the late 1940s or '50s BABY BOOMER -- Weaned post-War, they wanted more.
- 36A Item carried by an Amish driver BUGGY WHIP -- Mennonites maintain means for masochism.
- 46A Farmer's wish BUMPER CROP -- Fertile fruits favored over fields that fry and fizzle.
- 53A The starts of 20-, 29-, 36-, and 46-Across, e.g., when repeated quickly in order TONGUE TWISTER --- I was deliberately not speeding through this, so I paused a few times to consider what the theme was going to be. It was completely opaque to me until this revealer. I got a nice chuckle from it.
Bullets:
- 24A Brits' thank-yous TAS -- My friend teaches at an English-language school in Vietnam with a bunch of Aussies. This word became one of those office memes there one recent day. They told her it was mostly used by kids Down Under, which I gather was the source of the humor (had to be there, I'm sure). I know the word from British film and literature, but not well enough to say it is or isn't commonly used by adults. Of course, it's one of those three-letter bitter pills we had to swallow, but I still say worth it.
- 31D Charles of "Algiers," 1938 BOYER — Another one of those old names I see a lot and never remember.
- 3D ____ Bridge (former name of New York's R.F.K. Bridge) TRIBORO — I seem to remember this drawing complaints once because it was too esoteric, but it always comes easily to me, despite my far-from-New-York upbringing and only a few short visits to The City. It was probably in some TV show(s) I used to watch. Anyway, the Bs in RUBBER CHICKEN had to be crossed with something, and I like this a lot.
- 45D In phrases, something to share or hit THE ROAD — I was a little surprised this wasn't clued by the book or movie. Cormac McCarthy isn't a Monday name, perhaps, but the movie was pretty big. I was relieved, really, since I never liked this one as much as everyone else seemed to. Maybe I was disappointed that it wasn't more like his other books, almost all of which I love.
- 48D A little on the heavy side CHUBBY -- I had to replace "chunky" here.
- 15A Capital of Jordan AMMAN — This was probably easy for most people, but I am terrible at geography, so I had to skip it until I got a few crosses. Late in the week, this same clue might yield "dinar."
Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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63 comments:
ok Monday
EXURBAN ???
AMMAN ??
LEO IV ??
those were BS
Happy Memorial Day !!!
Very ambitious puzzle:
Five theme entries filling 55 squares, all of them interesting and ROCK SOLID in the language phrases.
Triple stacked 7's in two corners.
Two vertical 9's and a vertical 5 crossing three theme entries each(!).
Mini theme: NEBULAE and SUPERNOVA.
Very UP TEMPO for a Monday. Well done, Mr. Mueller. Nothing CHEAP about this one.
Loved the theme answer! Fill mostly good, mostly easy as APIE, except for the Friday clueing for 58D ALF. Very bouncy with alot of alliteration. Like BOP/BAP!
They renamed the TRIBORO? Seriously? Did no one tell NYers? Or do we just not care, cause Triboro is so much better of a name?
SUPERNOVAs create NEBULAE.
My childhood home was on Thomas PAINE's former farm, so that was a gimme.
Excellent! Really clever theme with some interesting fill. Medium for me. I'm with treedweller on this one. Solid Mon.!
Two erasures: shore for COAST and swift for RAPID mostly because I did the across clues first.
I've been in London for 2 1/2 years now and have never heard someone say "tas". I've been called out as an American/Canadian for my use of "thanks", all the Brits use "cheers".
First answer in was wrong BAH! Had apace in at 9A until that blackbird PIE showed up. Only other write over was the same as @treedweller with CHUnkY before CHUBBY.
Printed out two puzzles as semi-puzzle partner (Monday - almost through Wednesday) wanted to challenge me to a race. He got hung up in the Northwest with TRIBORO/NEBULAE/EXURBAN and needed a little assistance from "the short one". Better luck next Monday, honey, I know you'll get there, just wonder how long you will gloat when it happens.
I said TA all the time when growing up in Scotland, but that was many moons ago.
Lovely Monday. I agree completely with treedweller that the interesting words in the corners were worth the compromises in the three-letter crossing entries, and the theme was very fun.
As a UCLA alum, I appreciated 60A (BRUIN) and 26D (LEW Alcindor, who famously played for the Bruins), and have decided that, together with SOPH and COAST, they make up a mini-theme on my alma mater.
Thanks for the fun write-up, @tw, esp. the delightful animated videos. Not sure I get the puzzle reference related to Clint Eastwood singing Alisa from Paint Your Wagon, though. The pic of the youthful Rob Lowe, on the other hand... Vanity Fair ran him on the cover a few months ago looking even more buff and much sexier. I pinned it on my wall.
@DougP and @PuzzleGirl, I was so busy ranting about Magmic yesterday that I forgot to say how delightful I thought your joint write-up. Thanks.
Fun puzzle! Seemed slightly harder than most Mondays.
@Tita: yes, they renamed the Triboro! Last time we drove in the city, we're asking each other, "RFK Bridge? Where does that go to?"
Didn't even get the theme while solving.
Liked EXURBAN, ROCKSOLID, SUPERNOVA.
@treedweller: LOL LOEWE/LEW.
Liked everything bot LOEWE crossed with LEW.
I'm curious why @treedweller had a photo of Rob when the clue/paragraph was about Frederick. Maybe Frederick had a buff bod too, which would make @JaxInL.A. happy.
Regardless, here's one of the many hits from Lerner & Loewe's My Fair Lady: "The rain in Spain". I never could understand why they wouldn't cast Julie Andrews in the film.
32D "Alley OOP" was popular when I was younger.
Loved the theme, chuckled when I saw the reveal. Our IVth favorite pontiff aside, nothing much to complain about. Nice to see a differENT clue at 1A instead of the typical LOTR creature clue. Everything else filled in with just a few pauses - the I in UBI/TRIBORO, the B in BOOTIE (considered fOOTIE), and the R in BOYER. I never saw the clue for TAS so that didn't slow me down. A fine Monday puzzle.
And may I be the first to say, "I don't think that's Fred Loewe?" No? Okay, I won't say it.
Thanks to this discussion, I probably will remember that it's Lew Alcindor, not Lou Alcindor.
I, too, forgot to thank PG and Doug for the great write-up yesterday.
Thanks for today, treedweller. And you're even messin' with us by putting up wrong pictures!
I always think WILT the Stilt played for the BRUINs, so I was really excited about that cross! Well, at least LEW was there.
SOPH crossing SRS. Nice.
This site reminds me of another TONGUE TWISTER:
One smart fellow, he felt smart.
Two smart fellows, they felt smart.
Three smart fellows, they all felt smart.
Off to tackle another Kurt Mueller running in the LA Times today. Judging from this one, I'm sure it'll be bright and fun!
Very easy. Got Rubber chicken, then baby boomer and knew right away that it was the tongue twister I knew as a child.
Really was expecting a Memorial Day theme.
I have knitted and crocheted many dish cloths and I certainly don't consider them rags!!!
Very nice, indeed, and nice to be reminded of the old tongue twister. Thanks, @treedweller, for a cute write up and the Lowe photo.
We’ve heard over and over about the dreaded Monday puzzle paucity at The Times but week after week Will has been serving up winners and today’s Kurt Mueller offering is yet another in that vein.
Kurt goes cutesy for this one with a clever theme featuring the tongue twister “RUBBER BABY BUGGY BUMPER” combined with solid fill to cement his construction.
Not being hard to please, I was impressed with the entry TAS which may seem ubiquitous but it’s always clued as “Profs helpers” (Boo Hiss). Kurt has gone highbrow with the clue as “Brits’ thank-yous”, which makes it a fun, smile inducer for a change.
Seeing BABYBOOMER and YEATS together reminded me of a play written by a friend who was inspired by YEATS’ famous line: “I am still of the opinion that only two topics can be of the least interest to a serious and studious mood---sex and the dead.”
Featuring two married BABYBOOMER couples coping with sex and death in a farcical romp, the play just concluded a scheduled one-month Off-Broadway run, to mixed reviews, appreciative audiences and one happy playwright.
Good puzzle, Kurt.
Usually I wnat an "aha" moment, but with this one, after trying to see some link between "RUBBER" & "BUMPER" I finally got it with BUGGY and saw that I was totally off track - which was more of a "Ha Ha!" moment. Just right for a Monday.
One writeover, Okay before ON IT (54D), otherwise it went right in. I didn't know "Algiers," but Charles BOYER was all over the place when I was young.
@Tita - here in Boston, everyone referred to the Tobin Bridge as "the Mystic River Bridge" for about 40 years, then suddenly the official name took hold, and now you never hear it called anything else - so maybe Triboro is doomed in another half-century.
@Treedweller, nice writeup, great tongue twister!
Totally fun Monday! I didn't get the theme until TONGUETWISTER which made it all the better. And then my audience participation in the theme led to my stumbling over the words, again: fun!
Kute and Klever, Kurt!
@Treedwellers, thanks to you, too, great writeup!
Very good Monday puzzle. Of course I had never heard the tongue twister, so I stared at the first three theme answers trying to figure out the theme.... Well, if you say so.
I also noticed the soph and the srs together, and you need the Triboro to go to exurbia if you're in Manhattan. To stay in the British mode (I've only heard Ta on old sitcoms, like Coronation Street), a bap is a roll, especially good with butter, HP sauce and bacon, thank you BA).
I don't usually read autobiographies and I'm not a big Rob Lowe fan, but I really enjoyed his book. It seemed fresh, honest and well-written. As far as I know no ghost-writer involved.
This was a fun puzzle. Of course, DNF the Sunday multifill version.
And that is not a picture of Charles Boyer in Rex's blog...but the fellow Jimmy Hendrix made famous.
Treedweller: Hi! And really good job!
Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers.
Rob Lowe's picture for Frederick LOEWE...cute-ish
Peter Boyle's picture for Charles BOYER...a stretch
Treedweller introduced me to a new word today -- fwew.
Otherwise a very workmanlike write-up sans Rex's nastiness.
If we continue getting these mild mannered writeups, I might actually want Rex back....
JFC
As @Loren noted, if you liked this puzzle you can prolong your Monday pleasure with another Kurt Mueller Monday at the L.A. Times, available at Cruciverb. Another solid theme with sound execution. Thanks, Kurt!
Judging by comments thus far, I'm bucking the trend by not being thrilled with this one. The theme was indeed cleverly and well-done, even with my not being familiar with that tongue twister. But there were some other things that were clunky enough for me to not make this Monday a home run.
I found the clung to be clunky in several places. Two references to rage (especially unnecessary in the EMOTION clue, as there are many others to choose from), two high school classes (which crossed each other, which comes off as sloppy, not clever). The "for short" in the AMINO clue is extraneous, since the clue includes the accompanying "acid". I also found the clue for BLOOD to be awkward, but I can see how others may perceive it as clever.
None of this is fatal, of course. But it was just enough to dull the strong theme's shine for me, especially since all of these things could have easily been rewritten without any effort at all.
(BTW, regarding TA: It is indeed commonly used for "thank you", but it's generally associated with regional dialects in northern England and Scotland. "Cheers" is more common in the south. Also heavily used by Aussies, at least around Sydney and Melbourne.)
I also put in CHUNKY for CHUBBY at first, then looked at 63A and thought, whoa, the Pope reads the Koran every day?
My middle-aged brothers in England say TA from time to time, but maybe it has fallen out of use among the younger folks.
What everybody else said about the puzzle (well, except @Steve J.) I liked it. Monday easy. I always wish Mondays would take a little longer . . .
No one else had horseWHIP before BUGGY? Easily fixed, of course, and I was really, really, really glad it was wrong.
But my real reason for writing is the animated geography lesson. What a treasure! Thanks, @treedweller, for a fun write up but especially for the countries of the world!
Super easy, even for a Monday. Way under 5 on paper.
Fun theme, a great idea for a Monday, Kurt, and thanks for that. This is a perfect Monday puzzle. Printed it out for non-puz spouse, as I think she will have fun with it.
Re: renaming things, such a bridges: just one of the worst ideas ever. When we drive between downtown Brooklyn and CT, which is often, I note that some signs say RFK, some say Triboro, some say WTF (made that one up.) I know those roads and that bridge like the back of my hand but I pity the poor visitor, who may end up God-knows-where. Hey, next thing you know someone will want to rename Sixth Avenue. Let's see how well that works
I know. Let's just switch names. Let's call the Triboro the Golden Gate and visa-versa. That would be so cool.
My contribution to the tongue twister collection, courtesy of my first voice teacher:
You need unique New York
Unique New York needs you.
Let us remember those who gave so much of themselves on this Memorial Day.
Nothing that hasn't been said, just wishing all a good holiday today!
What a fun Monday puzzle! I spent so much time enjoying the separate theme answers that I never thought about the connection until the surprise of the reveal. Nice to see my (BABY BOOMER and AARP)generation get to share some crossword glory with the often-seen x-ers...and to have the advantage of LEW, LOEWE and BOYER being gimmes.
@JaxinLA--Forgive me if I misunderstood your remark about Clint Eastwood singing "I Still See Elisa." No one else has commented, so maybe I have misread you. But in case I didn't--"I Still See Elisa" is from Paint Your Wagon by Lerner and Loewe. I suspect that's the connection you're looking for.
Completely agree with you about Rob Lowe. One of the best-looking guys around--along with Johnny Depp (and Neil deGrasse Tyson.)
@John V--Those name changes are a mindblower, especially when they change back, as in Cape Canaveral/Kennedy/Canaveral.
Never understood why they renamed it Cape Kennedy in his memory and yet it's always called Canaveral??
As a New Yorker who admired RFK, I've never heard anyone call it anything except the Triboro Bridge.
Just did the LA times puzzle while making pickles. The cukes are in the brine. How do I get to the posts for that puzzle. Haven't posted there in a while and guess I forgot :-(
PS- Altho' changing Idlewild Airport to JFK happily DID stick!
@chefbea: unfortunately the LAT Confidential blog has disappeared....
My captcha is "chief etc..."!
Had tween for 49A till I got to BOOTIES. Made it through this one so fast I didn't even see BOYER which would have been a gimmee. Had Lou before LOEWE.
RAH, RAH, this was a nice Monday.
So right @JohnV and Tita. A friend of mine once observed that road signs are helpful only after you have been there but not when you are trying to get there.
Nice write up @treedweller. Funny instructionals. Ta, Ta.
@chefbea - At cruciverb.com there is a "Magus on the LA Times" that I just discovered. Alas, when I went to check it just now, it was chock full of spam posts... I posted there re: Acme's recent puzzle.
John V - 3D made me think of a theme - renames that no one uses...the few that came to mind have already been mentioned...
Idlewild, Canaveral, 6th Ave, National (Airport).
Oh wait - JFK did stick...
Proud remembrances today of all who sacrifice for our country.
@Mac and @Tita. Thanks. Guess there is now where to discuss the LAT puzzle.
repulsion=one of my captchpa words
Cape Canaveral became Cape Kennedy for about 10 years. Then they changed it back, and called the launch operations area the Kennedy Space Center---at Cape Canaveral.
I remember when they first opened a huge new airport in the Virginia suburbs outside of DC. You'd drive out for an hour on the 'Road to Nowhere' because civilization hadn't spread out that far. Suddenly this incredible terminal, designed by Eero Saarinen, loomed majestically in the distance.
And the airport for years had little or no airline traffic---with close-in National (now, yes, Reagan National) so convenient, why would anyone go so far?
The airport? Washington Dulles International now---but it used to share the lovely name of the community nearby: Chantilly.
If you fly through Chicago, you're familiar with ORD. But those initials aren't due to the current name: O'Hare (for WWII Naval ace and Medal of Honor winner Butch O'Hare). The original airport name was ORcharD Field---Orchard Place was a little farming area nearby.
God bless those who served and died for us.
Doug
LAT crossword corner has comments. LAT confidential was, I believe, discontinued.
@chefbea & Tita - Go to crosswordcorner.blogspot.com/
@chefbea, you can go to L.A.Times Crossword Corner ... oh, there it is right above me. You can post there.
I think most NYers still use Sixth Avenue as the preferred name for the Avenue of the Americas.
I think they have been trying to rename that bridge that joins Queens and Manhattan - perhaps they have done so. But it already has two names. Queens denizens call it the Queensboro Bridge. Manhattanites call it the 59th Street Bridge, a name immortalized by Simon & Garfunkel. Said bridge touches on Roosevelt Island - I wonder if anyone stll calls it Welfare Island.
@chefwen and @joho thanks!! Too late to post now, have to go out to dinner
I kept this quote back from yesterday's discussion for a more important role today. It's from Catch-22 and I feel it's the novel's climax. It's Yossarian's thought:
He felt goose pimples clacking all over him as he gazed down despondently at the grim secret Snowden had spilled all over the messy floor. It was easy to read the message in his entrails. Man was matter, that was Snowden's secret. Drop him out a window and he'll fall. Set fire to him and he'll burn. Bury him and he'll rot, like other kinds of garbage. The spirit gone, man is garbage. That was Snowden's secret. Ripeness was all.
For all the heroes.
A good tonic after yesterday's difficulties...
Sometimes I do not understand ED. He spends time dwelling on three airports when Chicago’s Midway was renamed in 1949 after the Battle of Midway in WWII, which occurred June 4-7, 1942, 70 years ago this coming week, a battle that occurred only 6 months after Pearl Harbor and which essentially decided the outcome of the war in the Pacific, an airport worth mentioning on this Memorial Day because of its history. And Delta even flies into Midway....
JFC
We need a like-button under the comments.
Captcha" garrisons heyJoh. Hi Joho!
How come our little garbage pail doesn't work anymore?
www.crosswordfiend.com also discusses the Los Angeles Times puzzle every day (along with every other "good" puzzle), including by yours truly 3 times a week.
Thanks chefwen, joho, and Crosscan...,
Super speedy Monday. Quite a relief after yesterday. Theme is on the wacko side of fun.
@mac...I agree..we need a like button
Tons of fun...did it with my 10 and 14 yr old cousins to introduce them to crosswords...
They knew a ton (BRUINS, BIG, LEW, CAB, etc) but surprisingly had never heard of Attila the HUN.
Taught them HOMES mnemonic for the Great Lakes.
Such a fun idea, so well done, bouncy and clever.
@loren
Rare disagreement with you, but I specifically did not like SOPH/SRS... Way too many abbreviations on this puzzle, esp BAP was over the top, and i had to explain why WYO was three letters.
FIgured you'd like BOP, BAP, OOP, BOOMER, BOOTIES
EXURBAN, AMMAN and a couple of other words not ideal for a Monday, but loved the theme so much...
And five long lively answers that were matched lengthwise astonished me, because there ain't that many phrases you can make with BUGGY or RUBBER...or BUMPER!!!
So to get a match with TONGUETWISTER...fabulous!
Loved it all around...then took 100 yr old grandmother for a stroll in the Venice Canals.
Memorable Memorial Day!
This was a fun puzzle. RUBBER, BABY, BUGGY, BUMPER brings back memories of us kids trying to goof up each other seeing how fast we could say it. Lots of water under the TRIBORO since then.
@treedweller - good job - like the TONGUE(TWISTER) in cheek photos!
Had to work out RUBBERCHICKEN via crosses; never heard the expression. Likewise, I know "Hit THEROAD (Jack)" but share the road? What, you mean somebody's taking their half out of the middle? Never heard of it.
@acme: you took Grandma for a walk (?) in the canals? Hope she had her BOOTIES on!
Skipped ahead to read the reveal clue--not hard to spot when it lists four numbers with commas--and immediately filled in the theme first-words, plus of course TONGUETWISTER. It's Monday; except for the mini-theme of 2 and 34d, this is not rocket science.
I'm not a big fan of XER, or Xes/Xed (out), either. Looks like a totally gratuitous way to get an 8-pointer into the grid. In this case, though, the cross seems a useful word (EXURBAN) so I'll let it slide. This time.
TA, not TAS, is the expression most often heard as a British thank-you. The entry is simply the plural. "After he bought a round, he received tas from everyone in the pub."
I learned the word "EXURBAN" today. LEOIV next to BIBLE was cute.
I also learned that the TRIBORO bridge is now the R.F. Kennedy bridge. The 520 bridge across Lake Washington was named the Albert D. Rosellini Bridge in 1988. (Imagine Andy Rooney's voice now) "Almost a quarter of a century later it's still called the 520 bridge."
My only writeover was 67A. Had waD first.
Pretty good Monday puzzle.
Happy 4th to all. Since it's on a Wednesday, take the whole week off.
@Spacecraft - "Share the Road" is the catchphrase of bicyclists who would like motorists to be a little more considerate on the public byways. It would have gone nicely into yesterday's (in syndicated time) puzzle as a theme answer, along with "Save Water", "Conserve Fuel", etc.
"Way underpriced" was adEAl for me at first, and didn't we just have "Love personified" as erOs? Yes we did - it was clued exactly the same at 70d in yesterday's grid.
@SiS - you must have a better union than I do; I don't even get the 4th off, let alone the whole week.
@SIS & @DIRI The worst thing about being retired: No Vacations
Think about me on the 4th...we'll be cooking breakfast for about 80 people. I get to shop tomorrow.
@Ginger - and the best thing about being retired is that you can get a part-time job doing something you actually enjoy doing without worrying about whether it pays enough to make ends meet. I feel like I'm getting paid to have fun, so vacation is not really an issue (I usually take it when I have stuff to get done around the house). But cooking breakfast for 80 people - that sounds like work!
@Ginger, are you doing volunteer work at a church or a homeless shelter. Maybe you are at a family reunion. Anyway, good for you. My favorite decadent breakfast is the bypass special: poached eggs, crisp bacon, hash browns and wheat toast with lots of butter and strawberry jam. Yum. Happy 4th to you Diro and all the crew.
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