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Relative difficulty: Easy (2:49 on oversized 16x15 grid)
THEME: B- B- — themers start with repeated syllables starting w/ "B":
Theme answers:
- BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP (18A: Start of a nursery rhyme on a farm)
- BOO-BOO BEAR (29A: Bow-tie-wearing cub in Jellystone Park)
- BYE BYE, BIRDIE (54A: 1963 musical that was Dick Van Dyke's film debut)
Tessa Lynn Thompson (born October 3, 1983) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. Her breakthrough role was in Tina Mabry's independent filmMississippi Damned (2009). She gained further recognition for her starring roles as Nyla Adrose in the drama film For Colored Girls (2010), civil rights activist Diane Nash in the historical drama film Selma (2014), Bianca Taylor in the sports drama film Creed (2015) and its sequel Creed II (2018), Valkyrie in the superhero films Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), Josie Radek in the science-fiction horror film Annihilation (2018), and Detroit in the science-fiction comedy film Sorry to Bother You (2018).On television, Thompson has starred as Jackie Cook in the mystery drama Veronica Mars (2005–2006), Sara Freeman in the period crime drama Copper(2012–2013), and Charlotte Hale in the HBO science-fiction thriller Westworld(2016–present). (wikipedia)
• • •
[Glenne Headley, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel (!?) ... wow, 1991 was weird]
I spelled NICKI right on the first pass! (38A: Singer Minaj). Part of me always thinks it's gonna be NIKKI (like NIKKI Sixx or, I just found out, NIKKI Haley). I screwed up the term of endearment, though, and wrote in BABY when the crossword just wanted BABE (6D: Term of endearment). I like that YOGI(S) is in here to support BOO-BOO BEAR. And look, he's even DROOLing (over a pick-a-nick basket, no doubt), and there's RANGEr Smith right there in the same section, hot on his trail. Man, I miss being 6 years old sometimes.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
I suppose I overthought this one. I was solving just the downs and for 13D (Judges to be) I spent way too long trying to figure out who a judge-to-be could be. A senior in Judge School? A buddy of the president? Fiancée of Mike? Finally an ”aha/feel like a moron moment” and then, off (again) to the races.
ReplyDeleteMedium. Top half easy bottom a bit tougher. Smooth, clever, liked it a bunch.
ReplyDelete@Jberg from yesterday, see JC66’s link. Cugat and Charo were married from 1966 to 1978.
If anyone is interested in an extremely tough puzzle, this week’s Saturday Stumper by Sutphin and Agard is a BEAR.
Down here in TexMex Land we still see "Queen of Tejano music" SELENA (50D) on check-out lane magazine covers, kids school lunch boxes, etc. My first thought for 39D "How goes it? in Spanish" was "¿Cómo te va?" "¿CÓMO ESTÁS" would be more like "How are you?". Maybe it's a Tejano thing.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the South and my grandparents raised hogs on their farm. I vividly remember the yearly hog slaughter and all the food that came from that (DROOL!), but I don't ever recall NECK BONES (36D) being a "Pork dish in Southern cuisine". Really? Pickled pigs feet maybe, but NECK BONES? Nah.
BAABAABLACKSHEEP may be a nursery rhyme or a Yale song but to me it is a 1970s TV show about U.S. Marine Corps pilots in the Pacific during World War II. They single-handedly won the war along with the PT-73 and all the guys from Combat!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun Monday puzzle. This would have been a great introduction for a beginning solver.
ReplyDeleteToo bad M&A isn’t into B’s.
Puzzle partner looked over my shoulder at one point and said “your 33 down is wrong”, it looked right to me as all the crosses worked. He had the B T and LICKER, I’m sure you can guess what he filled in and he wondered why it didn’t work.
One write over at 50A SUd before SUR, language scrabble.
Rex – I’m taking a break from of my regularly-scheduled programming (new school year, new problems, kids’ schedules all cluster-f&%$s, no school AC, no potable water, blah blah) to pipe in here and clarify something.
ReplyDeleteAfter BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP fell, I looked down to see the clue for 54A. BYE BYE BIRDIE. Oh. My. God. This is more than just playing around with repeated /b/ syllables: This is that *plus* having an animal follow. Quite a find. Bravo, erik.
Carry on.
My five favorite clues from last week
ReplyDelete(In order of appearance):
1. Mail man? (6)
2. Carol king (9)
3. E-sharp (4)(5)
4. Opposite of a state of disbelief (9)
5. Unbelievable discovery in one's field (4)(6)
KNIGHT
WENCESLAS
TECH SAVVY
THEOCRACY
CROP CIRCLE
@loren -- Plus, as pointed out by a commenter on another site, the third words of the theme answers all start with "B". Bravo, indeed!
ReplyDeleteAll good and quick except for the two lady’s names in the SW.
ReplyDeleteSomeone is going to bitch that 2 are mammals and one is a bird. But it won't be me.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle is a strong contender for BME award*
*Best Monday Ever
Hard for a Monday, in part because of the volume of 50/50 (for me) words. mOTe or IOTA? LeLO or LILO? NIkKI or NICKI? mambA or COBRA? guruS or YOGIS? BLurRY-EYED or BLEARY-EYED?
ReplyDeleteNever heard of INSTA.
Rex appears to have missed the theme.
BrownnosER before BOOTLICKER.
@Anoa Bob, you've been missing out on neckbones! Neckbone gravy and rice. Absolutely delicious. I haven't had it for decades, but it was definitely a thing in SC and I've had it in LA while visiting friends.
ReplyDeleteGood Monday theme.
Selena is still adored in Chicago, too. Earlier this month a new mural was finished in Pilsen. Scroll to the last picture to see all five Selenas on this store exterior wall...
https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/08/20/a-new-selena-mural-is-drawing-people-into-a-local-corner-store-in-pilsen-and-thats-the-point/
This is the epitome of a Monday, and any Monday that says otherwise is itching for a fight. B-eautiful.
ReplyDeletePlus it has my granddaughter TESSA, and the thought of her always makes me smile.
Mr. Agard, please accept the Mondazo Award, which now may be retired.
Kinda neat with all these animals. Not only do you have a SHEEP a BEAR and a BIRDIE, you have BABE the pig (OINK) a BOA, a SPARROW and a COBRA. Oh, and NICKI.
ReplyDeleteOnly correct nit to pick...@Anoa is correct. Como va is "how goes it" in Spanish. COMO ESTAS is how are you. The NYT gets these wrong all the time. Grrr. Give that DROOling dog a BONE.
I also like BIBS and CRIBS, TICK and TUCK.
Hasta luego.
Excellent Monday. The theme is even deeper as @ Loren and @ Lewis pointed out. I'm glad Erik did not clutter up his grid with a revealer.
ReplyDeleteI, too, noticed Yogi and Boo Boo.
Piggery is a much better word than sty.
As @ Anoa Bob pointed out necks bones does not ring true.
@ JOHN X, Of course they did. Along with those sneaky guys in the Stalag 13.
Disagree on the clue for 59A. Hunger ain’t got nothing to do with it, at least not with any dog I’ve ever owned. And then there was my wife’s roommate’s dog. Tennis ball always in mouth, DROOLing all of the time.
ReplyDelete@Anoa Bob - “How goes it?” “I’m well, thanks.” Or French, “Comment ça va?” “Tres bien.”
@LMS and @Lewis beat me to it, but it’s not just B- B-, it’s B- B- B-animal. Super nifty — Bridget Bardot or Bebe Neuwirth Bibi Netanyahu wouldn’t fit. Luckily. But to me, it was always Yogi Bear and Boo Boo — not Boo Boo Bear. No matter, a yummy Monday and Rex liked it!
ReplyDelete@GILL I - How is it going?
ReplyDelete@Z...Yeah, you can tweak it if you like...ERIk does that a lot or perhaps it's Will. COMO (how) ESTAS (are you). I would use the Va. Oye Como va......!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of NECK BONES. If you like beans, if you like slow cooked things, the southerners can make a killer smoked pork NECK BONES and mixed beans. I'm with @oopsydeb. Try some if you're ever in Charleston.
A puzzle that made me ask myself a question I've never asked myself before: Are children especially attracted to the "B" sound? I don't have an answer.
ReplyDeleteThe easiest Agard puzzle I've ever done. The reason is probably that he woke up one morning with this nifty idea for a theme. All "B"s leading to all animals. He has these three and a fourth he didn't get to: BYE BYE BLACKBIRD ("Pack up all my cares and woe..."). Anyway, the problem is that the theme's so easy it can't be anything but a Monday or Tuesday puzzle and Erik's known for HARD puzzles. Oh, well -- early week, then. Other than Sunday, they all pay the same:)
It was fine for a Monday.
After being slaughtered by Erik Agard's preposterous co-written Saturday Stumper in Newsday this was a welcome relief! No complaints except are there still pubs with Ye Olde in their names? Seems like maybe only at Medieval fairs. Love anything to do with Jellystone Park. used to have a BooBoo Bear doll that I took with me everywhere, even church! I admire the diversity in the grid which, surprisingly, never feels forced. Is Boot Licker a debut? If you haven't read Ethel Waters' memoir "His Eye is on the Sparrow" I highly recommend it. I was hoping Rex might include a video link to her singing it.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I've been up since 3:30 (Hi @Loren...what time did you get up?)...and I got to thinking about BABE the pig and pigs in general and NECK BONES and things. I thought I'd throw this out. Did you know there is not one thing in a pig that you cannot eat? EVERY single little thing in that animal is consumed. Then you follow BABE and his little story and you kinda wanna cry because you not only love bacon, you've actually enjoyed pigs feet - if cooked the right way. Oh...and the cheeks are oh so cheeky delicious.
ReplyDeleteI might pull a @Z today and post about a jillion times. :-)
Just fine for a Monday. Didn't notice the BOOBOOBEAR and YOGI[S] thing until I read @Rex's review. Nice Easter egg.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was very young, my mom called me Boy-Boy. Haven't thought about that in a while, so thanks Erik!
If you squint and look really hard, the black squares kinda look like a bumble BEE
ReplyDeleteI saw B2 bombers in the shape of a cross.
DeleteWhen I saw that EA was the constructor I knew that this would be a good puzzle and that @Rex would rave and not rant. @mmorgan I had a stuffed bear that I called “Boo Boo Bear”. No nits to pick with that clue/answer. Fun puzzle!
ReplyDelete2:37. A romp! And I literally just watched the 1963 film version of Bye Bye Birdie for the first time last night, so thank you to the wife for serendipitously picking that one up at the library.
ReplyDeleteIs there a way to have figuratively watched ByeBye Birdie for the first time last night?
DeleteI like the clue "Didn't venture out for dinner," which really should have "ATE IN THE BOMB SHELTER" as its answer. The objectless SEND ON smack in the middle of the grid is kind of awkward. Otherwise pleasant but slight, which is maybe exactly what you want on Monday.
ReplyDeleteSong titles not clued as song titles: 34a (1961 hit for Barbara George); 6d (1979 hit for Styx); 10d (1972 hit for Bill Withers). Musical artists not clued as musical artists: 17a (60s Pop/R&B group, with "The"); 67a (jazz pianist Art).
♪ Kids!
I don't know what's wrong with these kids today! ♪
Fairly clean.
ReplyDeletebut COMO ESTAS - can you imagine?
Just played His Eye is On the Sparrow for church service yesterday. How is the puzzle so timely, time after time...?
ReplyDeleteWas it only me who felt a pang of disappointment when I read "Start of a ..." cluing the first line of a nursery rhyme? Oh dear, I thought, here the great Erik Agard is giving is a super-simple quote puzzle! All the greater my excitement when I got to the next theme answer and found that it was something completely different. Great misdirect!
ReplyDeleteBOOT LICKER sounds like something you'd drink while you chewed on those NECK BONES.
@JAE, and @JC66, thanks for the correction! This is embarrassing -- I'd looked up CHARO, and the section on "personal life" doesn't mention her earlier marriage. I should have read the whole article, of course. As for Ms. Sumac, I've believed most of my life that she was married to Cugat, but not so at all! Shaken to the core by that one, but thanks for helping me see the light.
@Loren, you may have been just taking a break, but I see you managed to construct a complex avatar, full of cross-references. Very nice!
Fun fun Monday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteNo oboe today but oreo is back.
Personally I'd go with "Qué tal?"
And yeah, dogs drool all the time, especially retriever types.
Had Brown noser before boot licker and blurry eyed before bleary eyed but those fell fast.
Thanks EA for the best Monday in I-don't-know how long. A long time.
Anybody else think this is a prime example of a friend-of-Rex review?
ReplyDeleteIf, say, Bruce Haight were printed over the NE corner, i submit Rex would be howling at what an inane puzzle this is. Ya know something like :
I don't get this, I mean of course i got this, because I'm the smartest guy in the room., but the theme? Ycch. Just random phrases that start with b's?!!
And why no women? Boo Boo , and birdie were dudes. Where's the distaff justice? And Eric? why not Erin, interecting with boot liner. might take some of the stink off this mess anyway. You do know Janet Reno was an AG, right? So was Loretta lynch! I have an idea, let's do a puzzle with L's. LOL.
Not much to say on this. Except Will Shortz has once again let me, er the world down.
Anyway, I thought the puzzle was fine. But the review was nakedly, nauseatingly uncritical
How sad that you need to make up your own Rex rant when he disappoints you by liking a puzzle.
Delete@Joe Dipinto, never heard bill withers sing 10D. Maybe 12D
ReplyDelete@Nancy:
ReplyDeleteAre children especially attracted to the "B" sound?
They're attracted to the "NO!" sound.
Good puz
ReplyDeleteWell, yes started out with ButTLICKER, which is first cousin once removed from BrOwnosER.
ReplyDelete@Quasimojo - yes there are still Ye Olde pubs - certainly in London, including Ye Olde Mitre (dates from 1547) and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (rebuilt after the Great Fire in 1666, and drunk in by Dickens and Mark Twain).
ReplyDeleteHey All !
ReplyDeleteFun MonPuz. Alliterations. Although technically BLACK SHEEP is two words. So in an ideal word, the B thing is off.
I did enjoy this puz, but don't think it's the best Monday ever. Just sayin'.
Got good ole OXO again. Some writeovers, whine-DROOL, NICKy-NICKI, cANE-KANE (can never seem to remember that, even though it's a real well known movie).
Figured out theme pretty fast, actually noticed the 16 wide grid, and finished in a relatively decent time. Not Rex's under 3 minutes, but decent. I don't like flying through puzs like that. Monday's are easy, so I like to slow it down a bit. Just heard a collective Gasp from the speed solvers!
Nice open corners. Left/Right symmetry, plus the 16 wide to fit in three different length even number-letter answers. No one has come up with alternate themers, so these might be the only B-B-animal out there. Big Big Baboon? Har.
BONA OREO
RooMonster
DarrinV
What a delight - three-letter doublets, three B-words, and three animals, plus a hungover sycophant (BLEARY-EYED BOOTLICKER). Don't know how a Monday could be better.
ReplyDelete@jae, thanks for the reference to the Stumper and to the other difficult puzzles you've pointed us to in the past.
We love you Conrad, oh yes we do!
ReplyDeleteWe love you Conrad, and we'll be true!
When we're not with you, we're blue,
Oh Conrad, we love you!
I saw Bye Bye Birdie as a teenager in Las Vegas, at one of those big casinos. I guess my parents had to think of something for me to do since I was too young to gamble. The song stuck in my head, though nothing else about the show did. It wasn't exactly South Pacific or Annie Get Your Gun.
Loved this puz. Can someone please explain what " deems " stands for? Also MMA. Thanks
ReplyDeleteDo you have access to Google? It is a good source for answers to these questions.
DeleteI'm glad I had that extra column to blame for my slower than average solve time - but it's more likely due to all the silly missteps I made.
ReplyDeleteA bathroom fixture of a Tap before TUB.
Rex's BABy.
Reading 33D's clue and thinking "Suck-up" would start with Blood.
The biggest time-suck was caused by SErENA. Not the first time I've made that error, I think. then 59A was _R__r. Hungry dogs go "gRowr"?
Erik Agard, no BLEARY-EYED INANE-ness here, thanks.
And @Joe Dipinto, I'm guessing @Pete s 11:20AM has it right, har.
What … no BUTTBUTTBILLYGOAT?!? Kinda long, I'd grant ...
ReplyDeleteDon't get M&A wrong -- liked the theme and the fillins just fine. Just curious tho, what minimum amount of theme letters is ok for a 15x16 (more-for-yer-moneybucks) puzgrid. This one had 3 themers with 38 total letters, which is lean but kinda QED acceptable. Probably no official answer, on this. It's a de busta Shortzmeister gut.
fave fillins: BOOTLICKER. BLEARYEYED. TICK & TUCK.
Crossin of Lost Nanoseconds: TESSA/SELENA. Very minimal damage, tho.
staff weeject pick: MMA. Have seen this puppy before, but it hasn't made the Official M&A Help Desk Dictionary yet, so the lil darlin remains a stray runt.
fave moo-moo-cow [MMC] eazy-E MonPuz clue: {Bring up in a Q and A} = ASK. Shoot, they even give U its startin letter. Wish they'd done that for MMA. Fair's fair. Example {Artsy sport with martial stuff mixed in??}.
Best Ow de Speration moment: AMTS. Plural abbrev meat and plural of convenience. And crossed by INSTA. har
Thanx for startin the week off with a primo EW-symmetrical puz, Mr. Agard. Like.
Hang in there, @Muse darlin.
Masked & Anonymo5Us
**gruntz**
@Denise Goldstein:
ReplyDeletePer M/W: Deem definition is - to come to think or judge : consider.
(I struggled with that one too. See my earlier - 12:02 a.m. - post)
Thank you @PhilM, re Ye Olde pubs in London -- very interesting!
ReplyDelete@Pete s and @Teedmn -- Oopsie.
ReplyDelete"¿Cómo le va?
ReplyDeleteNos vemos,
juanito
That was fun, definitely.
ReplyDeleteBut you have to know that if Bruce Haight had authored this puzzle the review would have been vastly different.
"No revealer?...just a random set of B words with repeated sounds". "Over-sized grid? Why?' Blah, blah blah...
Mikey always throws softballs to his friends and crucifies the people he doesn't like. This is why his reviews have lost all credibility.
Bax'N'Nex
57D, Nonsense-BILGE
DeleteAnon 4:52, what do you even mean by credibility of the reviews? There's a guy who likes crossword puzzles. He decides to do a blog. Each day he (or a sub) posts their take on the puzzle. Where does credibility come in to play? It's not scientific. It's not according to some framework or lens. He's not scoring an exam. Its his MFing opinion on his personal blog. And if his opinion is influenced by his personal relationships (though you've provided no evidence of such) in his personal blog, who the fuck cares? And if you're so offended by his lack of "credibility" in expressing his opinion, why on earth do you hang around?
ReplyDeleteUh-oh, is oopsydeb Rex in disguise?
ReplyDeleteI'd buy that more than @Z being him.
@Anonymous6:34 - No No No. All of you are just figments of my vivid imagination. You don’t really exist at all. When you come right down to it what is reality anyway except for some forlorn electrons looking for home. Well, electrons and fine polyester leisure suits.
ReplyDeleteI think all of the anonymous on this site are Z, including me; quod erat demonstratum.
ReplyDeleteJust realized Mike is Eric’s bootlicker!
ReplyDeleteYou laugh, @Z, but as things come back in vogue, those forlorn leisure suits will be in short supply one day.
ReplyDeleteHell, let's bring back the Pacer!
RooMonster
I liked this one a lot. Relatively easy for me, a bit under average time. I started doing the crosses first. Before I saw the theme, I found out that OLDMACDONALDHADA fit 18A and has the same number of letters as BAABAABLACKSHEEP. I expected mine would continue in another clue. Downs killed that idea.
ReplyDeleteI was feeling sorry for my self when my class room was double booked and it took all week and some MMA to sort it out. Got a real room today. No AC and no water beats my room mixup (hi @Loren) .
I forgot to add -- I was confused by DARLENE Love, as well. However, Courtney's too long for a theme answer. And when I searched for DARLENE, I learned that she did the 1962 hit "He's a Rebel," which I was singing to myself just the other day. I didn't pay so much attention to artists back then.
ReplyDeleteINSTA TUCK
ReplyDeleteOLDE YOGI'S NICEST it SEAMS,
when he'll ASK for SECTs in his lair,
he'll TAKETO it if he DEEMS
it's ENACT to LIE with BOOBOOBEAR.
--- NICKY TICK-E-TAB-E
Well, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang wouldn't fit either. I forgot that Dick was in BBB; my BLEARYEYEs were fixed on Ann-Margaret at the time (honorable mention for DOD, along with SELENA. Winner: TESSA Thompson).
ReplyDeleteA nice, if not NICEST, bit of froth to start the week. We can argue that TAKETO is an AP, but that's being a fussbudget. And hey look: the rating is in the puzzle: BIRDIE!
That's a lot of Bs in a puz (with no BB gun).
ReplyDelete10a clue/answer is exactly what is says on my degree. The BA one.
I once tried to get the NICEST LESBIAN to USEME. IKNOW! I mean, I didn't KNOW.
SELENA has been gone for a long time, already. Posthumus yeah BABE.
+/- 7 minutes spent reasonably well. BYEBYE.
Cleverly simple theme, no revealer, good long downs.
ReplyDeleteNoteworthy names: TESSA, LILO, NICKI, TATUM.
Solid, superior Monday.
Puzzle gets "E" for easy and excellent.
ReplyDeleteOddly, I don't remember Dick Van Dyke in BYE BYE BIRDIE, but I do remember Ann-Margaret and Paul Lynde.
So, is it Jayson TATUM or TATUM Jayson?
I found this a playful and entertaining puzzle. I think Erik Agard can take his place beside Lynn Lempel and ACME as a Monday specialist, although I do enjoy most of his more difficult efforts. Fun today.
@Burma Shave -- Pretty cute and funny.
ReplyDeleteleftCOAST! COAST! COAST! Not most!!
ReplyDeleteThat was fun! I usually do a memory solve on Mondays, and my recall process involves telling a rambling story which just happens to use all the words in the puzzle. I write them down along the way and *wallah!*, the puzzle is solved.
ReplyDeleteThe answers to this one made for a breezy ride, despite the SMOG which it shares with the Seattle Times crossword below.
TGIM!
ReplyDeleteNice Monday puz. I'll be gone for a week w/o email/internet??? May get to do a puz or two, but if you don't see me, pls know I'll be back.
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for the 7 am plane