TITLE: POSSESSION
This wonderful C.C. Sunday puzzle, which she told me is her favorite of the year, is clever on many levels. As I sometimes do, I decided to put the grid at the front of the write-up to better display her the intricacy of her work. Her gimmick is revealed in the lengthy clue of
52. Ownership claim ... and a hint to the relationship of each answer to a starred clue to a word it intersects : IT'S MINE.
As you can see below she intersected an entire word (clued with an *) with the front or back part of a multiple word phrase. The icing on this word cake was that the stand-alone word required adding an 'S so that the conjoined phrase made sense and truly showed the title of "IT'S MINE". Wow!
Stupid me barged through this exercise oblivious to the juxtaposition of two words that are connected (darn trees do block the forest). When I ran across the reveal, I laughed out loud and quoted that great American philosopher Homer Simpson by exclaiming, "Doh!"
Coupled with C.C.'s always fiendish/clever cluing this was truly a great time. She said it was a very difficult construction but we all benefit from her efforts.
Let's take a look at her possessive pairing genius:
5. *Second-longest reigning British monarch : VICTORIA and 22. Ill-kept confidence : OPEN SECRET yield VICTORIA'S SECRET by making the first word possessive and using the second word in OPEN SECRET. Wearing items from here might guarantee you will have a very OPEN SECRET...
9. *First of all? : ADAM and 24. Seasonal drink : APPLE CIDER yield ADAM'S APPLE by making ADAM possessive and using the first word in APPLE CIDER. This is the Laryngeal Prominence on the thyroid cartilage that is usually much more prominent in men.
75. *Noted WWII lifesaver : SCHINDLER and 39. Consequence of the telemarketing boom : NO CALL LIST yield SCHINDLER'S LIST. (I think you have the idea). I only made it halfway through this powerful movie and left after a scene with children.
42. *English surgeon Henry : GRAY and 44. Vet student's workplace : ANATOMY LAB yield GRAY'S ANATOMY. Here is Henry's original drawing of the larynx with the Thyroid Notch/Adam's Apple
93. *First human woman, in Greek myth : PANDORA and 117. Specialized slicing tools : BOX CUTTERS yield PANDORA'S BOX that of course contains all the evils of the world. It appears that Pan might be shopping at VICTORIA'S SECRET
Now for I. Indiana home for Jackson 5 - GARY and II. Court ruling without a trial - SUMMARY JUDGEMENT which yield GARY'S SUMMARY:
Across
1. Twinkler : STAR
5. Block from the White House : VETO - C.C.'s original clue was Block from Obama and Rich modified it. I like 'em both
9. Sunburn salve : ALOE
13. Others, in Oaxaca : OTROS - OTROS también les encantará este rompecabezas (Others will also love this puzzle)
18. Almond __: candy : ROCA - I have learned that this is a thing
19. Like jeggings : TIGHT - Standard clothing in schools today
20. Fist bumps : DAPS - A more complicated DAP
21. Talked a blue streak? : SWORE
26. Tossed a bone to : PLACATED
27. Playground retort : AM SO - Are not, AM SO, Are not, AM SO, ad nauseum
28. Up-to-the-minute : LATEST
29. "I never __ purple cow ... ": Burgess : SAW A - "I'd rather see one than be one"
30. New Mexico county bordering El Paso : OTERO and 27. Chicago's __ Center : AON. Natick for me -I chose unwisely at their crossing for my standard one bad Sunday cell
32. Dance partner : ESCORT
34. Mr. or Mrs. : ABBR and 83. Country on St. George's Channel : IRE.
36. Hard-to-imagine period : EON
37. It's charged : ION - Here are two atoms becoming charged IONS and voila - Sodium Fluoride
38. Winds up or winds down : ENDS
45. Talks like Daffy : LISPS
47. Mo. town : ST.L. - Sorry ST.L., the Rams belong in L.A.
48. Like a paddling surfer : PRONE
49. With 113-Across, "Funeral in Berlin" author : LEN and 113. See 49-Across : DEIGHTON
50. Waikiki wingding : LUAU
51. Sounded nostalgic about : SIGHED AT - One man's lament
55. Tiger, e.g. : CAT
56. Churchill, notably : ORATOR - "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" May 1940
58. Curaçao cocktail : MAI TAI
60. American Red Cross founder Barton : CLARA
62. Prankster's missile : WATER BOMB
64. "Popeye" pirate : SEA HAG
66. Racing Unsers : ALS
68. Zen garden piece : STONE and 74. Potted dwarf : BONSAI - I feel peaceful just looking at it
69. Match made in heaven : SOUL MATES
71. Kept from squeaking : OILED
73. Lifesaver, initially : EMT
77. Sticks figure : YOKEL
79. Drive-thru burger chain whose name has two hyphens : IN-N-OUT
81. Make a home : RESIDE
82. Squat : NIL - Nuttin'
84. Summary : OVERVIEW
86. It has Air, Mini and Pro versions : I-PAD
88. Part of a circ. : SEG(ment)
89. Fervently wishes : PRAYS
91. Stooge with a bowl haircut : MOE - MOE's younger brother Curly replaced their brother Shemp in the trio
92. Center of Florida? : EPCOT
94. Govt. guidelines : STDS
95. Name on the 1984 album "My Kind of Country" : REBA
96. Cologne cooler : EIS - Ich möchte keine EIS in meinen Scotch (I don't want any ice in my scotch) Tin?
97. NYC commuter letters : MTA
98. Thunder sound : PEAL
100. Pains : THROES
103. Courier and Roman : FONTS - or a seasonal one
105. King with a pipe : COLE
108. Very destructive : LETHAL
111. Nursery cry : MAMA
115. 1990 #1 rap hit : ICE ICE BABY
119. Chugged, say : DRANK
120. Links seen at pga.com : URLS - Electronic links not grass ones
121. Doctoral candidate's hurdles : ORALS - Not intimidating at all
122. Furry sci-fi creature : EWOK
123. Huffy states : SULKS
124. Duma vote : NYET - Nyet, Nyet Nannette!
125. Lose intensity : WANE
126. Prevent : DENY
Down
1. Letters connected to theater capacity : SRO - Sure, you can get some SRO tix to see the Cubs in their first World Series in 71 years!
2. Collectible baseball card brand : TOPPS - C.C. gave me a George Brett TOPPS card that is prominently displayed in my sunroom
3. Boston-to-D.C. rail service : ACELA
4. Took off : RAN AWAY
6. Blue heron kin : EGRET
7. Peter Benchley thriller : THE DEEP
8. Giants great Mel : OTT - A 1933 Doudney Mel OTT rookie card will set you back $532
10. Slip : LAPSE
11. Facing : OPPOSITE - Our crossword friends, recto and verso, are opposite/facing pages
12. Bilingual subj. : ESL
13. Award declined by George C. Scott : OSCAR - Goldie Hawn shrieked, "Oh my God, the winner is George C. Scott!" She knew he had said he would not show up.
14. Company with a blue bird logo : TWITTER
15. Used Lyft, say : RODE
16. Mining haul : ORES
17. Barcelona-born muralist : SERT - File under Learned/Forgot
19. Leaves for a Chinese dinner : TEA
23. Line crosser : SCAB - A 2000 movie with a more gentle name for football SCABS who crossed a union line
25. SpaceX CEO Musk : ELON
31. Carlo __: wine brand : ROSSI
33. Money immediately available : COLD CASH
35. Book jacket entry : BLURB
40. It's in our genes : DNA
41. Disappeared from view : SET
42. Looks really happy : GLOWS
43. Upgrade, as on Yelp : RERATE
46. Send for : SUMMON
47. Type of massage : SHIATSU
48. Student advocacy gp. : PTA
50. Folk tales : LORE
53. Earth goddess : GAEA
54. Subj. with unknowns : ALG
57. Approaching the hour : TEN TO
59. Coarsely insulting, as language : ABUSIVE
61. Vice squad incursions : RAIDS
63. Classic for which Pavarotti won a Grammy : O SOLE MIO
65. Frenzied : HECTIC
67. Did some farm work : SEEDED - The Sower on top of the capital in Lincoln, Nebraska
70. Legal scholar Guinier : LANI
71. Lacking width and depth : ONE-D
72. Worst of the worst : DREGS
74. Drink, in Dover : BEV
76. Hot : IRATE
78. Foreman stat : KO'S
80. Have a loan from : OWE TO
82. "Fresh Air" airer : NPR
85. *Memorable 1968 role for Mia : ROSEMARY'S - Somethin' ain't right with that BABY
87. Treat on a stick : POPSICLE
90. "Really, Captain Obvious?" : YA THINK?
94. Scheduled : SLOTTED
96. Perry's creator : ERLE - Stanley Gardner
97. CalArts degree : MFA - Maybe not the best degree to find a job
99. Eight, to Mozart : ACHT - He wrote his first symphony when he was ACHT
101. Street fare seekers : HACKS - aka Taxis. Named for Hackney Cabs in Britain. Hackney is the name for a horse suitable for driving or riding
102. Luxurious fur : SABLE - Wearing this fur can be risky
104. Bonnie or Clyde : TEXAN
106. Lerner collaborator : LOEWE
107. Company with an ironically crooked logo : ENRON - Many pensions at Nebraska Natural Gas disappeared with them
108. Shadow targets : LIDS
109. Beige shade : ECRU
110. Marsh duck : TEAL
112. Computer game title island : MYST
114. Gloomy fellow : GUS
116. Ballerina's hairdo : BUN
117. Tool for Cupid : BOW
118. Hawk's domain : SKY
Now it's time for I. McGuffey book - READER and II. Viewer's opinion - AUDIENCE FEEDBACK which yield READER'S FEEDBACK:
Title: Getting Connected
Our lovely leader has made a fun puzzle whose gimmick was finding two-word phrases where the first word ended in US and the second word started with a B. This yielded the now ubiquitous computer connection acronym of USB (Universal Serial Bus). Our crafty constructor C.C. also hid the reveal in the very last clue in the puzzle:
120. PC connection found in this puzzle's eight longest answers : USB
Husker Gary here and I am, as Lemon put it once, sherping for C.C. and revealing that I needed the reveal because
128. "I'm an idiot!" : DOH!
The back of this PC shows many common connection options including 6 USB ports
Theme Fills:
21. Omaha Steaks Private Reserve product : ANGUS BEEF - I'm sure you've got a great steak outlet 20 min from your house like I do!
27. 2009 recession response : STIMULUS BILL - Staying apolitical, I'll let you decide if it works for you
14. Sacred conviction : RELIGIOUS BELIEF - Staying areligious, I'll let you decide if it works for you
43. Gillette razor for women : VENUS BREEZE - Gel Bars obviate the need for shaving cream, I read.
92. Eponymous explorer of the Aleutians : VITUS BERING - A 1981 Russian stamp honoring the 300 birthday of Bering in Denmark. He joined the Russian Navy in 1704
111. Department of Commerce division : CENSUS BUREAU - Very interesting projection from the Bureau
119. Apple Store support station : GENIUS BAR- Sheldon, in Big Bang Theory, said this job devalues the word GENIUS and is as mundane as a toll booth operator or waitress
42. Not something to kid about : SERIOUS BUSINESS
Let's see other connections our brilliant Minneapolis friend has for us:
Across
1. Abbr. for an unfilled slot : TBA
4. Limber : AGILE
9. Literally meaning "stick," it's the first word in a California city named for a 1,000-year-old redwood : PALO - PALO (Stick) Alto (Tall). Learning for me.
13. Bowler's edge : BRIM - My favorite bowler donner and doffer
17. Hotfooted it : RAN
18. Merged oil giant : MOBIL
19. Contentious encounter : RUN IN
20. Soft leather : SUEDE - Why were Carl and Elvis so sensitive about these?
23. "Love it!" : I LIKE
24. Dealt __: devastated : A BLOW
25. One doing a bank job? : PERP
26. Protest topics: Abbr. : RTS and 35. Folk legend Joan : BAEZ - She famously sang We Shall Overcome in support of Civil RTS
29. #1 thriller on AFI's "100 Years...100 Thrills" : PSYCHO - As we learned here recently, Bosco was used for blood
31. Stepped to the plate : BATTED
32. Thick carpet : SHAG
33. Bloomingdale's rival : SAKS
36. Mom in the woods : DOE
37. Boiling state : IRE - Different from 49 Across's scale
40. Start to sing? : ESS
47. Hustle : SCOOT
49. Celsius, e.g. : SWEDE - Not a SCALE. It's recently been around 37˚C here. Ugh!
51. Blond shade : ASH
52. Try to quiet, as a persistent squeak : REOIL
54. Jamaican spirits : RUMS
55. Caesar's land : TERRA - 200 years after Caesar, Ptolemy made this map of the world and TERRA Incognita
56. Poorly paid workers : PEONS
59. Parks on a bus : ROSA - The only tired I was, was tired of giving in
60. Best Play, e.g. : ESPY - This year's winner was the Packer's Hail Mary pass to beat the Lions
61. Morphine is one : OPIATE
63. Sailor's guardian : ST ELMO
65. Easygoing sort : TYPE-B
67. Dockside activity : STOWING
69. Shower with flowers, say : WOO by a 94. Steady : BEAU?
70. Incline to a higher level : SLOPE UP - This is a modern day picture of what is called the Music Box Stairs in LA. I'll bet you remember famous comedy team that used them in a 1932 movie and what they were moving up these stairs.
73. Let loose : UNTIE
74. "Knock that off!" : STOP IT - Rare is the parent who hasn't uttered these words!
77. Artemis' twin brother : APOLLO
78. Private place? : BASE
80. Subj. for a future vet : ANAT
82. Enclose, as livestock : PEN IN Now wait a minute...
84. Work outfits for many : SUITS - It started that way in teaching but has devolved into Goodwill chic
85. Pop foursome formed in Stockholm : ABBA
86. E! Online subject : CELEB
88. "Get it?" : SEE - Edward G. Robinson said "SEE" but not "Yeah, SEE"
89. Development areas : UTERI
90. Unfocused images : BLURS - Does this 48. Give you the willies : CREEP OUT?
96. Oft-chewed item : FAT
97. "You got it!" : YES - The rain in Spain does stay mainly in the plain!
98. Children's advocate LeShan : EDA
100. Will of "The Waltons" : GEER - Grandpa Walton
101. Indian bread : NAAN
103. Shakespearean deceiver : IAGO - Edwin Booth as IAGO in 1871. Yup, he was that guy's brother
105. Bewhiskered test subject : LAB RAT
107. Cue : PROMPT
114. Look good on : FIT
116. Taverna sandwich : GYRO - Here ya go...
117. Type of daisy : OXEYE
118. Readily available : ON TAP
121. Basilica recesses : APSES
122. Can't stop loving : ADORE
123. Itty-bitty bits : ATOMS
124. Periodontist's org. : ADA
125. Like many a cause : LOST
126. Madre's hermanos : TIOS - Mi madre tenía tres hermanos (Mom had 3 brothers). Por lo tanto yo tenía tres tíos (Therefore, I had 3 uncles)
127. Brightest star in Cygnus : DENEB
Down
1. "The Sound of Music" family name : TRAPP
2. Ruinations : BANES
3. Ticked off : ANGRY
4. Morning hrs. : AMS
5. Lose it all : GO BROKE
6. "Yeah, right!" : I BET
7. Polygraph blips, perhaps : LIES - "Yes, I'll still respect you in the morning!"
8. Tolkien race member : ELF
9. Prize administered by Columbia University : PULITZER
10. Cartoon style : ANIME
11. Party headed by Netanyahu : LIKUD - Hebrew for consolidation
12. First-year J.D. student : ONE-L
13. Two-time Masters champ Watson : BUBBA - After winning $1.6M at the 2012 Master's, "plain eating" BUBBA celebrated that night at a Waffle House leaving a $148 tip
15. Much-loved star : IDOL
16. Kitten cry : MEWL
19. Cowboy singer Tex : RITTER
20. Military bands : SASHES
22. Lines at Walmart? : UPC'S - I miss prices on items a little
27. 9-5 automaker : SAAB
28. Troop entertainment gp. : USO - In season 10, they made it to M*A*S*H 4077
30. Dig in : HAVE AT IT
31. Air rifle ammo : BB SHOT
34. Easy A, say : SNAP
36. Paine and Hugo, philosophically : DEISTS - Reading Paine's Age Of Reason might challenge your RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
38. Lopsided win : ROMP - The Husker's undefeated 1995 National Champions 41. Won every game : SWEPT in 12 ROMPS
39. Crafts website : ETSY - For a long time, I wanted this to be E-[something] that made sense
40. These, to Luis : ESTOS
44. Puts to work : USES
45. Architect Saarinen : EERO - I'll bet you recognize this wonderful EERO design
46. Madhouse : ZOO
50. Close in : DRAW NEAR
53. Clapton classic : LAYLA
57. Eye of __: "Macbeth" witches' ingredient : NEWT - Let me be the first...
58. Regatta racer : SLOOP
62. Pioneering computer : ENIAC - Only one Scrabble letter above 1 point
64. Wear a long face : MOPE - Advice to Washington Senators from the Broadway stage - You gotta have hope, Mustn't sit around and MOPE!
66. Lifestyle website targeting female millennials : POPSUGAR
68. Palais des Nations locale : GENEVA
71. Extreme : ULTRA
72. Assume as fact : POSIT
74. "Ignore this change" : STET - "Forget 87 and put Fourscore and Seven back in"
75. Many a Sunday magazine : INSERT
76. Coliseum section : TIER
78. Crib sheet user : BABY
79. __-bodied : ABLE
81. Baba or a boxer : ALI
83. "Fat chance, Friedrich!" : NEIN
87. Sources of irritation : BUGBEARS - Nowadays, Dungeons and Dragons heavies
91. Seamless changes : SEGUES
93. Colorful wrap : SERAPE - Not a Muumuu as it turns out
95. Part of a preschool schedule : NAP TIME
99. Peruvian pair : DOS
102. Yuletide drinks : NOGS - For years mom made this for me at Yuletide because she thought I loved it. Uh, not so much.
104. Until now : AS YET
105. Day after dimanche : LUNDI - "Subway, Work, Sleep" "Like a typical Monday"
106. Mischievous droid, familiarly : ARTOO - The surname is DETOO
108. "Sorry about that" : MY BAD
109. Home of Velázquez' "Las Meninas" : PRADO - Madrid Museum
110. Holy scroll : TORAH
111. Its burning is a major source of Beijing smog : COAL
112. Fair : EXPO
113. Place for a row : BOAT
114. Big bash : FETE
115. Aware of : IN ON
119. Roam (about) : GAD
Now for some CHIVALROUS BANTER from the GRACIOUS BUNCH that frequent this littleftype Kool-Aid word stand of ours:
GRID:
