UNDERSTAND A BLEAT
🙄
This is Winston's LA Times puzzle #15, and the first one I've had to blog - Chairman Moe had ths last one, here, back in April 2024. This one kinda fizzled on me; even owning up to a single cell mistake, I found the construction & theme to be bland - in fact, 30D. is not even a unique crossword answer. The rest of the fill contained little to make me go "RAH~!"; YMMV, but again, I think the editor is more to blame on this one - and not the first time I felt that way this week. Standard grid, no circles, no outlier letters, far too many proper nouns ( names ) & "foreign"clues, and the same count of 3LW to 5LWs. The Across themers and Down reveal:
18. Gospel music?: PRAISE BEAT - "Praise Be" being the base phrase; the addition of the "A T" does not really result in a 'punny' or 'alternate' themer, IMHOThis is Winston's LA Times puzzle #15, and the first one I've had to blog - Chairman Moe had ths last one, here, back in April 2024. This one kinda fizzled on me; even owning up to a single cell mistake, I found the construction & theme to be bland - in fact, 30D. is not even a unique crossword answer. The rest of the fill contained little to make me go "RAH~!"; YMMV, but again, I think the editor is more to blame on this one - and not the first time I felt that way this week. Standard grid, no circles, no outlier letters, far too many proper nouns ( names ) & "foreign"clues, and the same count of 3LW to 5LWs. The Across themers and Down reveal:
The Yellow & Black attack of
Christian rockers Stryper, "To Hell with 9A."
30. Really, really sticky situation?: HONEY COMBAT - Honeycomb, a better redefining themer
46. Brag obnoxiously after winning a swabbing contest?: MOP AND GLOAT - Mop & Glo, the floor cleaning product
That'll work . . .
59. Generous Volkswagen promotion?: FREE PASSAT - Free Pass - I have a "free" VW Jetta in my backyard if you'll give me $1500 to get rid of it . . . 😜
48. "Finally!," or what can be found in 18-, 30-, 46-, and 59-Across: AT LAST - The theme answers all end with the additional letters A & T, or "at, last". I see Mr. Emmons was able to slide "ETTA" into the grid as well "@" 31D.
But@ Wait@ There's@ More@~!
ACROSS:
1. "Ring out the thousand __ of old": Tennyson: WARS - no clue, tough way to start a puzzle - the poem
5. Hat holders: PEGS
9. Figure in a Faustian bargain: SATAN - A.K.A. Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles
14. Name on a former lake in Central Asia: ARAL - Geo name #1, even if it's a crossword staple
15. Sandwich title: EARL - the Earl of Sandwich, credited with the "invention" of the meat-between-bread fare that now bears his name . . . and name(ish)
Wiki backs it up
16. __ keyboard: EMOJI - I do the Downs first, had E - - - I, so I got it, but didn't really "get it"
All I can say is 😝 or maybe 😖
17. Hayworth of "The Strawberry Blonde": RITA - name #2
20. Slogans: MOTTOS - If Nike came out with crossword apparel, the slogan would be "Just Clue It" 🙄
22. Ring topper: STONE
23. Screening org.: TSA - Transportation Security Administration
24. Chart-topper: HIT
26. High cloud: CIRRUS - made my "TRES" at 28D. wrong
34. Fiver: ABE - seen this before in crosswords; money, not moniker, but still, name (ish)
Hey, that's not Abe . . .
35. Uncomfortably honest: TOO REAL
36. Pulitzer winner James: AGEE - Popular in crosswords, still name #3
37. African language family: BANTU - "foreign" fill, first of many . . .
40. __ Atleos: big name in ATMs: NCR - Dah~! Didn't get my "ta-DA~!", could not find my mistake - I had ECR, yet I am familiar with this company, as they made cash registers, initially - in fact that's what "N C R" stands for - National Cash Register - the history
41. Oscar, but not Big Bird: AWARD - two Muppets, one trophy - very clever clue / answer
42. Vicinity: AREA
43. Tenor Pavarotti: LUCIANO - Italian, name #4
45. Molecule in some vaccines: RNA
50. Gymnast Olga with four Olympic gold medals: KORBUT - Belarusian, name #5
52. 128 oz.: GALLon
53. Colorado Plateau Native: UTE - Indigenous, name (ish)
54. Model/actress Kate: UPTON - American Michigander, name #6
That's hubby Justin Verlander, retired WS-winning baseball pitcher
57. Mortar's partner: PESTLE
63. Panache: ÉLAN - Frawnche
64. Mexican meat: CARNE - Español
65. Period after Shrove Tuesday: LENT - Christian 😉
66. Toy (with): MESS
67. Break the rules: CHEAT - not a themer, as in Che AT . . .🙄
68. Eight, in combinations: OCTO
69. Minuscule: ITTY - AND - 49D. Minuscule: TEENSY - straight clecho
DOWN:
1. Affection: WARMTH - another great single-syllable fill
2. Oratorio solo: ARIOSO - Italian, and a Sunday dupe
3. Material for some patio furniture: RATTAN - South Asian, another Sunday dupe
4. Board on some patio furniture: SLAT - Not a "sl AT" themer, either . . . 🙄
5. Gatorade owner: PEPSICO - Twice (25D.) this month that a "Pepsi" phrase has made the crossword
6. Orecchiette shape: EAR - Italian again, for "little ears" - nailed it, but knew it from doing crosswords
7. Foie __: GRAS - Frawnche again, heard of it, never actually knew it translates as "fatty liver"
The image's connected website
8. Buttonhole, e.g.: SLIT - SLAT & SLIT in the same grid
9. Veto on movie night: "SEEN IT."
10. Cautionary color: AMBER
11. Spot for a metti: TOE - South Asian Indian, learning moment - the Wiki
12. Two-time WNBA Finals MVP Wilson: A'JA - name #7, coulda been clued as a Steely Dan album
13. Picky criticism: NIT - I had a fair number of name "nits" in this grid today
19. Golden St. region: SoCal - Southern California - I am East coast, so this did not come readily to mind, but this song did after it filled in - I'd heard it growing up, but would've never guessed the artist
Albert Hammond
21. "Silly goose!": "OH YOU~!" - Oh, Twurd~!
25. Distraught: TORN UP - Dah~! I simply did not see the option of the past tense version of this phrase, and I blanked on the crossing ECR not being correct - I'll take the one-cell hit on this one . . .
27. Sitar piece: RAGA - Asian Indian - You don't want to go raga . . .
28. Very, informally: ÜBER - German - Dah~! I tried TRES
29. Pomegranate bit: SEED
31. "__ Is Betta Than Evvah!": 1976 album: ETTA - an Easter Egg. Etta James, crossword staple, and the singer associated with the muscial number that my future ex-wife chose for our wedding herself. It's certainly a "numb-er" for me - thus, I am not a fan of the "theme"; I wanted "Leather & Lace" which was 'dismissed', but my brother snuck it in during his best man speech. Name #8
32. Home of the Kaaba: MECCA - Arabic, Kaaba = 'cube', geo name #9
33. Revealing to all: BARING
36. Missing GI: AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave
37. Flavorful part of a cinnamon tree: BARK
38. View from the Uffizi: ARNO - No clue this was an art gallery; Italian again, geo name #10
Bottom center
39. Proximate: NEAR
41. Measurement given in degrees: ANGLE
43. Led Zeppelin's "Whole __ Love": LOTTA - Whole lotta yes, please~!
Here's a cool story from Rick Beato's YouTube channel
44. Fit in with: ADAPT TO - Yeah, but Meh~?
46. Sesame Street denizen: MUPPET - see 41A
47. Current source: OUTLET
51. Lake __ Vista, Florida: BUENA - Español again, geo name #11
55. Capital west of Stockholm: OSLO - attempted obscurity, still got it, still Scandinavian, geo name #12
56. Fraction of a min.: NSEC - SEC was too short, filled it in and waited on perps
58. Big rig: SEMI
59. TV monitor: FCC - I almost went with CRT, but this is the "overseer" kind of monitor
60. Cheer syllable: "RAH~!" - I'm going with "MEH."
61. Poetic preposition: ERE
62. Pantry pest: ANT - we had ANT MAN on Tuesday
Splynter
Splynter
Grid Flow 32.7
