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CROSSWORD SETTER: Julian Lim
THEME: Add One’s Two Cents … each of today’s themed answers is a common phrase, but with a letter C added to the front of two words. Given that “c” is a symbol for “cent”, we’ve ADDED our TWO CENTS:
37A. Opine … or create four long answers in this puzzle? ADD ONE’S TWO CENTS
18A. Jar for leafy vegetable storage? CHARD CROCK (from “hard rock”)
24A. Actor Jackie’s pet fish? CHAN’S CARP (from “Hans Arp”)
50A. Emulate an inveterate swindler? CON AND CON (from “on and on”)
57A. Vessel with limited space? CRAMPED CUP (from “ramped up”)
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 15m 00s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Sardine cousin SHAD
The shad is also known as the river herring. The eggs (roe) of the female shad are prized as a delicacy in the Eastern US.
Sardines are oily fish related to herrings. Sardines are also known as pilchards, although in the UK “sardine” is a noun reserved for a young pilchard. Very confusing …
10. Princess from Amphipolis XENA
The Xena character, famously played by New Zealander Lucy Lawless, was introduced in a made-for-TV movie called “Hercules and the Amazon Women”. Lawless reprised the role in a series called “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”. Xena became so popular that a series was built around her character, with Lawless retained for the title role. The fictional Xena supposedly came from the “non-fictional” Greek city of Amphipolis.
14. Iota MOTE
“Mote” is another word for a speck of dust.
16. “Head With Pipe” artist Nolde EMIL
“Head With Pipe” is a colored lithograph by the German artist Emil Nolde. It is a self-portrait that was completed in 1907. We don’t get to see the original though as it’s held in a private collection somewhere.
Emil Nolde was a German Expressionist painter. He was actually born Emil Hansen, near the village of Nolde in the Prussian Duchy of Schleswig in 1867. Hansen officially changed his name to Nolde on the occasion of his marriage in 1902.
20. 2000s World #1 female golfer OCHOA
Lorena Ochoa is a retired professional golfer from Mexico who was ranked as the number one female golfer in the world from 2007 to 2010.
24. Actor Jackie’s pet fish? CHAN’S CARP (from “Hans Arp”)
Jackie Chan is an actor from Hong Kong who is noted for his action and martial arts films. When Chan was 17-years-old he featured as a stunt actor in Bruce Lee movies. He also starred in the 1982 Hong Kong action film “Dragon Lord” which includes a fight scene that required an amazing 2900 takes, a record in the movie industry.
Hans Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn’t the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both “Hans” and “Jean” translate into English as “John”. In WWI Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. He was sent home …
27. “__ Love” (Maroon 5 hit) THIS
Maroon 5 is a rock band from LA. Most of the band members met in high school where they formed a garage band called Kara’s Flowers in 1995. The band reformed as Maroon 5 in 2001 and were a big hit almost straight away. Personally, I’ve never heard of them outside of crosswords …
30. Half a score TEN
A “score” is twenty.
31. 1959 novel in whose film version Mary Crane became Marion Crane PSYCHO
The classic Alfred Hitchcock suspense film “Psycho” released in 1960 is based on a 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The Bloch novel in turn is loosely based on actual crimes committed by murderer and grave robber Ed Gein. When “Psycho” was making its initial run in theaters, latecomers were not granted admission, a policy instigated by Hitchcock himself. He felt that anyone missing the opening scenes would not enjoy the film.
33. Giant GOLIATH
In the story of David and Goliath, the Israelites and the Philistines faced each other in battle at the Valley of Elah. Goliath was the warrior champion of the Philistines and each day he challenged the Israelites to send out their champion to decide the battle in a one-on-one fight. No one was courageous enough to accept the challenge until young David agreed to face the mighty Goliath. And of course David felled the giant soldier with a stone from his sling.
36. Rabbit’s friend POOH
In A. A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” collection of stories, Pooh has many friend in Hundred Acre Wood. Besides Christopher Robin, who doesn’t actually live in the wood, the list includes Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Tigger and Owl.
41. Literary __ LION
A “literary lion” is a noted author, one who has achieved celebrity status.
49. With 60-Down, only South Korean World Golf Hall of Fame inductee SE-RI
(60D. See 49-Across PAK)
Se-Ri Pak is a South Korean golfer playing on the LPGA tour. Having a Korean name, we really should be calling her Pak Se-Ri as she is known in her homeland. Korean names always start with the family name.
54. Work on a canvas? SPAR
A boxer might train by sparring in the ring, on the canvas.
62. “See Dad Run” star BAIO
Scott Baio is the actor who played Chachi Arcola in the great sitcom “Happy Days” and in the not so great spin-off “Joanie Loves Chachi”. Baio also played the title role in a later sitcom called “Charles in Charge”. Earlier in his career, he played another title role, in the 1976 movie “Bugsy Malone”, appearing opposite a young Jodie Foster.
“See Dad Run” is a Nick at Nite sitcom starring Scott Baio. It’s about a couple who are soap opera actors. The husband, who plays a Dad in the soap opera, opts to become a stay-at-home Dad so that his wife’s career can blossom. He finds that playing a Dad in real life is not as easy at looks on TV.
63. Steer snagger REATA
“Reata” is the Spanish word for “lasso”. We tend to use the spelling “riata” in English, but sometimes can use the original Spanish word.
64. Mishmash OLIO
Olio is a term meaning a hodgepodge or a mixture, coming from the mixed stew of the same name. The stew in turn takes its name from the Spanish “olla”, the clay pot used for cooking.
65. TripAdvisor alternative YELP
yelp.com is a website that provides a local business directory and reviews of services. The site is sort of like Yellow Pages on steroids, and the term “yelp” is derived from “yel-low p-ages”. I have a young neighbor here who works for yelp …
67. White side, maybe SLAW
The term “coleslaw” is an Anglicized version of the Dutch name “koolsla”, which in itself is a shortened form of “Koolsalade” meaning “cabbage salad”.
Down
2. Head __ HONCHO
“Honcho” is a slang term for a leader or manager. The term comes to us from Japanese, in which language a “hancho” is a squad (han) leader (cho).
4. Plymouth’s county DEVON
Plymouth is a port city on the coast of Devon in the UK. Plymouth was the point of departure of the Mayflower Pilgrims.
5. Org. with a multi-ring logo IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) abbreviates the country-names Spain to “ESP” and Portugal to “POR”.
7. Whitewater figure STARR
Ken Starr has to be one of the most famous lawyers in recent history, due to his tenure as Independent Counsel when President Bill Clinton was in office. Starr’s original brief was to investigate the suicide of White House Counsel Vince Foster as well as to continue the investigation of the Whitewater controversy in which then-Governor Clinton was accused of applying pressure to arrange an illegal loan to one of his partners in the Whitewater land deal. Famously, Starr’s purview was extended to include an investigation into President Clinton’s extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky, to determine if the President had lied under oath about his relationship with the young intern.
9. Green sage YODA
Yoda is one of the most beloved characters in the “Star Wars” series of films. Yoda’s voice was provided by the great modern-day puppeteer Frank Oz of “Muppets” fame.
10. Survey taker, at times XER
Someone taking a written survey might put an X in a box, be an “Xer”.
11. Text clarifier EMOTICON
An emoticon is a glyph created using text characters to represent facial features, and usually oriented sideways. The emoticon is designed to indicate emotion or attitude. The classic example is the smiley face 🙂
13. Antacid brand word ALKA-
Alka-Seltzer is a brand of fizzy antacid that has been marketed since 1931. In terms of ingredients, it is a mix of sodium bicarbonate, aspirin and anhydrous citric acid.
19. Old PC monitors CRTS
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
21. Martin’s start? ASTON
Aston Martin is a British car manufacturer, founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin. The Aston part of the company name comes from Aston Hill, a famous site for hill-climbing cars that is nearby the original factory. Aston Martin cars are much loved by the British entertainment industry. Of course James Bond was given one in “Goldfinger”, and Michael Caine drove one in the 1969 version of “The Italian Job”. Roger Moore’s character drove a yellow Aston Martin in the seventies television show “The Persuaders!”.
25. Hollywood glitterati CELEBS
The glitterati are the fashionable celebrities. “Glitterati” is a melding of the words “glitter” and “literati”.
26. Sambuca flavoring ANISE
Sambuca is an Italian liqueur that is flavored with anise. Sambuca is often served straight up with three coffee beans floating on the surface. The beans are said to represent health, happiness and prosperity. A more “saucy” representation for the beans is the husband, wife and mistress.
32. Quaker Honey Graham __ OH’S
There used to be two varieties of Oh’s made by Quaker Oats Company. One was Honey Nut Oh’s, later known as Crunchy Nut Oh’s, but it was phased out. The second type was called Crunchy Graham Oh’s, and it is still available today as Honey Graham Oh’s.
34. U.S.-U.K. separator ATL
The earliest known mention of the name “Atlantic” for the world’s second-largest ocean was in Ancient Greece. The Greeks called the ocean “the Sea of Atlas” or “Atlantis thalassa”.
35. “Truth is more of a stranger than fiction” writer TWAIN
Mark Twain had quite a few things to say on the subject of truth. For example:
– No real gentleman will tell the naked truth in the presence of ladies. (from “A Double-Barreled Detective Story”)
– A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself as a liar. (from “Mark Twain and I” by Opie Read)
– Often the surest way to convey misinformation is to tell the strict truth. (from “Following the Equator”)
38. Second section of Verdi’s “Requiem” DIES IRAE
“Dies Irae” is Latin for “Day of Wrath”. It is the name of a famous melody in Gregorian Chant, one that is often used as part of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass.
Giuseppe Verdi wrote his “Messa da Requiem” in memory of the Italian poet Alessandro Manzoni.
40. Quarters, e.g. COINS
The American quarter is a little unusual in the world of decimal currency if you think about it. Most currencies have a “20-cent” coin, easier to work with mathematically. The US went for the quarter in deference to the practice of dividing Spanish Milled Dollars into eight wedge-shaped “bits”. That’s also why the quarter is sometimes referred to as “two bits”. State quarters were introduced in 1999, but prior to that the quarter had an eagle on its reverse.
44. Daffy Duck has one LISP
Daffy Duck first appeared on the screen in “Porky’s Duck Hunt” in 1937. In the original cartoon, Daffy was just meant to have a small role, but he was a big hit as he had so much sass. Even back then, Daffy was voiced by the ubiquitous Mel Blanc.
47. Shakespearean heiress PORTIA
In William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”, Portia is the formidable heroine who takes on the guise of a male lawyer and calls herself “Balthasar”. Portia does this to save the life of Antonio, the play’s title character. Portia makes a famous speech that gives us an oft-quoted phrase, “the quality of mercy”:
The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes…
51. Marine predators ORCAS
The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.
52. Bygone birds DODOS
The dodo was a direct relative of the pigeon and dove, although the fully-grown dodo was usually three feet tall. One of the reasons the dodo comes to mind when we think of extinction of a species, is that it disappeared not too long ago and humans were the reason for its demise. The dodo lived exclusively on the island of Mauritius and when man arrived, we cut back the forests that were its home. We also introduced domestic animals, such as dogs and pigs, that ransacked the dodo’s nests.
53. Mango tango smoothie server TCBY
TCBY is a chain of stores selling frozen yogurt, founded in 1981 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The acronym TCBY originally stood for “This Can’t Be Yogurt”, but this had to be changed due to a lawsuit being pressed by a competitor called “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt”. These days TCBY stands for “The Country’s Best Yogurt”.
55. Prefix with cardial PERI-
The pericardium is the sac surrounding the heart. The term is Greek in origin, from “peri-” meaning “around” and “kardia” meaning “heart”.
59. __-Aztecan languages UTO
The Uto-Aztecan language family consists of about 30 languages spoken in the Western United States and Mexico. Included in the list of Uto-Aztecan languages is Ute, Comanche and Hopi.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Sardine cousin SHAD
5. “My take is …” I’D SAY
10. Princess from Amphipolis XENA
14. Iota MOTE
15. One-up OUTDO
16. “Head With Pipe” artist Nolde EMIL
17. Watchable, in a way ON TV
18. Jar for leafy vegetable storage? CHARD CROCK (from “hard rock”)
20. 2000s World #1 female golfer OCHOA
22. Nurture REAR
23. Word with cake or break TEA
24. Actor Jackie’s pet fish? CHAN’S CARP (from “Hans Arp”)
27. “__ Love” (Maroon 5 hit) THIS
29. Smoking, perhaps HOT
30. Half a score TEN
31. 1959 novel in whose film version Mary Crane became Marion Crane PSYCHO
33. Giant GOLIATH
36. Rabbit’s friend POOH
37. Opine … or create four long answers in this puzzle? ADD ONE’S TWO CENTS
41. Literary __ LION
42. More than hammer home BELABOR
43. Video game segments LEVELS
45. Jr.’s jr. III
46. Spot for a soak SPA
49. With 60-Down, only South Korean World Golf Hall of Fame inductee SE-RI
50. Emulate an inveterate swindler? CON AND CON (from “on and on”)
53. Small songbird TIT
54. Work on a canvas? SPAR
56. Unfortunate SORRY
57. Vessel with limited space? CRAMPED CUP (from “ramped up”)
61. Bard’s verb DOTH
62. “See Dad Run” star BAIO
63. Steer snagger REATA
64. Mishmash OLIO
65. TripAdvisor alternative YELP
66. “No worries” IT’S OK
67. White side, maybe SLAW
Down
1. More than peck SMOOCH
2. Head __ HONCHO
3. Besides AT THAT
4. Plymouth’s county DEVON
5. Org. with a multi-ring logo IOC
6. “No __!” DUH!
7. Whitewater figure STARR
8. Pitcher? AD REP
9. Green sage YODA
10. Survey taker, at times XER
11. Text clarifier EMOTICON
12. Compliment on a course NICE SHOT
13. Antacid brand word ALKA-
19. Old PC monitors CRTS
21. Martin’s start? ASTON
25. Hollywood glitterati CELEBS
26. Sambuca flavoring ANISE
28. On a sugar high, say HYPER
31. Psychologist’s concern PHOBIA
32. Quaker Honey Graham __ OH’S
33. Toast, with “a” GONER
34. U.S.-U.K. separator ATL
35. “Truth is more of a stranger than fiction” writer TWAIN
37. The works ALL
38. Second section of Verdi’s “Requiem” DIES IRAE
39. Fit nicely DOVETAIL
40. Quarters, e.g. COINS
44. Daffy Duck has one LISP
46. Move on a screen SCROLL
47. Shakespearean heiress PORTIA
48. “But I digress …” ANYHOW
50. Trainee CADET
51. Marine predators ORCAS
52. Bygone birds DODOS
53. Mango tango smoothie server TCBY
55. Prefix with cardial PERI-
58. Post-spill need MOP
59. __-Aztecan languages UTO
60. See 49-Across PAK
Ouch. Just….ouch! I feel like I've been beaten up by the last couple of puzzles. However, I am interested to see how excited Pookie was with a Julian Lim special. He was in rare form when he made this one.
I don't think there was a section in the entire grid where I didn't need at least some help (MOTE is a dust particle?? Really?). And by the time I got to SLAW as the answer to white side (not to mention "No DUH"), I'm pretty sure I had incurred some brain damage.
On a lighter note, my personal favorite Twain quote on the truth: "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.."
Have a good weekend!
I came within one bloody letter of finishing – and that one didn't get changed because it got overlooked by bad lighting and old eyes. Doh! Hell, Double Doh! I somehow put in a "d" instead of the "m" that should have been part of "emoticon" going down for 11 and "Emil" for 16 going across.
When I began this puzzle this morning I was literally getting nowhere with it. But then a letter here, a word there and it began to come together.
Hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll see you back here tomorrow. At least that's my plan.
I had to put this one down for a while. The N section gnawed at me for quite a while. It played for like a Saturday grid for me.
63A: well, they dragged out the old saw R_ATA. I renew my objection to using this with "cowboys." Cowboys use lassos. Vaqueros use riatas. Notice I didn't write reatas?
I don't think the available html code allows up to use emoticons/smileys/graemlins/emojis, but I have a string of four of them for some of Mr. Lim's groaners in this puzzle. 😉
Hey, it's Friday!
I came down with a darned cold last night and I'm in no mood for Julian Lim.
He has replaced Gareth as my most loathed constructor
( make that torturer). I saw his name and knew there would be no joy in Mudville.
Really, Mr. Lim, AT THAT, CON AND CON,XER,HANS ARP,and NO DUH??? Who says that? Do they say that in Singapore?
I think I'll just skip the next one with his name on it. His puzzles are unsatisfying, absolutely no fun and mostly too obscure in cluing.
(Bronx cheer)
Pookie – That comment was epic.
Bill – We need to create a "Best Of" comment archive, and we should start with Pookie's from today. I'm still laughing.
Hi Pookie ! and the rest of the gang,
I had a tough time with the puzzle – but I learnt a lot, especially from Mr. Bill's explanations.
Pookie, I may not agree with your criticism, but you always make interesting reading. ;->) Hope your piano work is going on swimmingly, on the right key. 😉
Have a happy weekend all.
@Jeff
That's a great idea … something I might just add when I bring out a planned blog redesign. Might scare folks away, though 🙂
I vote for Tony's Jan.6 comment.
Kept going through the puzzle, but kept saying, "NONCE???!!"
Well I don't know when we'll see it again, but I think I've already forgotten it with the other crosswordese that comes up, like those tree people, whoever they are. ^0^
January 6, 2015 at 11:42 AM
Tony Michaels said…
@Pookie – Are you saying it's all a lot of "Nonce Ent's" to you? (g)
Pookie, I'm sorry the cold bug has ALIT on you. May you sMOTE the DODO with the nearest available EPEE, and don't forget: ALKA Seltzer makes a decent cold reliever.
But not to BELABOR the point… 😉
Thanks, Willie D ^0^
You managed to get some of your FAVORITES in there!
BTW, thanks for linking Monty Python at times. I never watched the show in the day, but that stuff is really funny.
ITS OK, I'll have some TEA later and see what's ON TV.
@Pookie
I commiserate with you, Pookie. I've been down with something similar for just over a week now. The sore throat is the worst in my case. I'll be supplementing your hot tea with some reassuring hot whiskey a little later 🙂
Feel better …
Hi Bill, I'm sorry you're sick too.
Think I'll add some Sambuca to the TEA, or something equal.
I know that once a LONG time ago Sambuca got me through a late night really cold unloading of furniture after a post-college move.
I DID remember to set up my bed FIRST. Smart.
No sore throat, but Chloraseptic lozenges help me if I have one. Plus gargle with warm salt water.
Feel better soon!
Ha! You solvents are in rare form today, and it's fun to read your comments…especially after a tough puzzle. It seems Mr. Lim brings out the best & worst in us! I cheated some, and it took me a while to see HANS ARP. I thought his name was Jean…unfair that people in puzzles have multiple names! @Bill & @Pookie — hope you feel better soon! :-[
"…each of today’s themed answers is a common phrase." Oh, you mean common like "Hans Arp?"
I'm with Pookie above. "White Side" and "No Duh!" and "reata" (spelling) did me in. This puzzle felt like forcing a square peg into a round hole.
Even though I early-on figured out that it was adding two "c"s that does not translate to "two cents." c is c and ¢ is cents. "Duh."
$#!+
Twasn't till I reviewed here that I finally understood 6d "No __!"
Ultra sanitized clue! Not a fill-in! Doh, DUH! The worst part is I frequently use that phrase;)
Fun fact: The technical terms for such a stream of symbols is "grawlix", or "profanitype", also seen- obscenicons, symtax, & redacticons.
"No duh!" simply doesn't work. It's grammatically incorrect. Twould have to be "No, duh!".
My pet carp was Hans Arp. I took Art history and carp were always koi and Hans was always Jean.
Too hard, no one is going to guess "crammed cup" without most of the other letters but if most of the other clues are just as hard then it's just frustrating and annoying and not enjoyable.