Theme: Down and dirty. Various synonyms for "ground" are broken up in this theme by our Dynamic Duo.
16A. *Rewards cardholder's benefit : LOYALTY PROGRAM
22A. *Computer-generated visual media : DIGITAL ART
32A. *Time for laundry and such : CLEANING DAY
45A. *Salad dressing ingredient : SOYBEAN OIL
And the unifier:
50A. Starting a project...and what the letters between the starting and ending pairs of letters in each starred answer are doing? : BREAKING GROUND...lo-am, di-rt, cl-ay and so-il are broken up in consistent two-letter pairs to make this clever theme. Loved it!
Marti here, and let's look at the rest of the fill:
Across:
1. Word in discount store names : SAV...There is a "Sav-Mor" liquor store in Cambridge, MA. I bet you all have a "sav" store near you, too!
4. Hand-holding dance : HORA
8. Reveal all? : STRIP. HaHa...like this? and 41-down. Reveal all? : GO NUDE. Or, like this?
13. Set right, in a way : ATONE FOR
15. His voice is heard after "Live, from New York..." : PARDO. Longtime SNL announcer Don Pardo.
18. Brazilian novelist Jorge : AMADO. PraDO AmaDO...DO I see a mini-theme here?
19. Horace's "___ Poetica" : ARS. "The Art of Poetry"
20. Roulette option : RED. I always box # 14...
26. Athlete dubbed "O Rei do Futebol" : PELE ("The King of Soccer...")
27. One known for great service : ACER. Tennis server, that is.
28. Limerick fifth : LINE. "I knew a young man from Nantucket..."
(Limericks are normally five lines of poetry.)
29. Environmentalist Sigurd : OLSON. Never heard of him. Wiki article, for those interested...
30. Show of strength? : FLEX
31. Baseball div. : A.L. EAST. American League, East. Home of the Red Sox!
35. Bright : BRAINY
37. Yale grads : ELIS
38. Tiffany collectibles : LAMPS. Like this one.
16A. *Rewards cardholder's benefit : LOYALTY PROGRAM
22A. *Computer-generated visual media : DIGITAL ART
32A. *Time for laundry and such : CLEANING DAY
45A. *Salad dressing ingredient : SOYBEAN OIL
And the unifier:
50A. Starting a project...and what the letters between the starting and ending pairs of letters in each starred answer are doing? : BREAKING GROUND...lo-am, di-rt, cl-ay and so-il are broken up in consistent two-letter pairs to make this clever theme. Loved it!
Marti here, and let's look at the rest of the fill:
Across:
1. Word in discount store names : SAV...There is a "Sav-Mor" liquor store in Cambridge, MA. I bet you all have a "sav" store near you, too!
4. Hand-holding dance : HORA
8. Reveal all? : STRIP. HaHa...like this? and 41-down. Reveal all? : GO NUDE. Or, like this?
13. Set right, in a way : ATONE FOR
15. His voice is heard after "Live, from New York..." : PARDO. Longtime SNL announcer Don Pardo.
18. Brazilian novelist Jorge : AMADO. PraDO AmaDO...DO I see a mini-theme here?
19. Horace's "___ Poetica" : ARS. "The Art of Poetry"
20. Roulette option : RED. I always box # 14...
26. Athlete dubbed "O Rei do Futebol" : PELE ("The King of Soccer...")
27. One known for great service : ACER. Tennis server, that is.
28. Limerick fifth : LINE. "I knew a young man from Nantucket..."
(Limericks are normally five lines of poetry.)
29. Environmentalist Sigurd : OLSON. Never heard of him. Wiki article, for those interested...
30. Show of strength? : FLEX
31. Baseball div. : A.L. EAST. American League, East. Home of the Red Sox!
35. Bright : BRAINY
37. Yale grads : ELIS
38. Tiffany collectibles : LAMPS. Like this one.
39. Key not used by itself : CTRL. Usually CTRL-Alt?
40. Curved molding : OGEE. Oh, gee, need I explain?
44. Road maneuvers, briefly : UIES. How many spellings do we have?
47. Rhinitis doc : ENT. Ear-Nose-Throat doctor.
48. Dads : PAS
49. Infomercial kitchen brand : GINSU. "But wait! There's more!"
55. Bizarre : OUTRE
56. Audience member : ATTENDEE
57. Does some yard work : WEEDS. Yep, been there, done that!
58. Solomonic : WISE
59. Hosp. areas : ERS
Down:
1. Tetley competitor : SALADA. Hands up for Nestea?
2. Infitesimal : ATOMIC
3. Long sail : VOYAGE
4. Spartan serf : HELOT.
5. Time and again, in verse : OFT
6. "The Natural" protagonist Hobbs : ROY. Baseball film starring Robert Redford.
7. Surrealist Jean : ARP. Surreal, for real!
8. Hunting or fishing : SPORT
9. IDs on a carousel : TAGS. Luggage tags on an airport carousel.
10. Grade sch. basics : RRR. Reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic...
11. "My thought is..." : I DARE SAY
12. Thick-skinned citrus fruit : POMELOS. Very thick!
14. Zenith's opposite : NADIR
17. In short supply : RARE
21. Unfavorable impression? : DENT. Great clue!
23. Calm : ALLAY
24. Bank claim : LIEN
25. "The handmaiden of creativity": Eliot : ANXIETY
26. Guilty, for example : PLEA
29. Bygone GM division : OLDS
30. Marshy lowlands : FENS
31. Nimble : AGILE
32. Got real? : CAME TRUE. Like all my dreams?
33. They may be sealed : LIPS. "Loose lips sink ships..."
34. Workers' rights org. : NLRB. National Labor Relations Board. (Note to self: Ask C.C. for a raise!)
35. Risqué : BLUE
36. Illusory hope : RAINBOW
39. Mozart's "___ fan tutte" : COSI. "Thus do they all (do)". Aria. 9:56.
40. Pungent bulb : ONION
42. Former Disney chief : EISNER (Michael)
43. Ducks : ELUDES
45. "Land ___ alive!" : SAKES
46. Concur : AGREE
48. Cowpoke's pal : PARD
51. Côte d'Azur saison : ETE. Not "Nice summer"?
52. "I'm thinkin' not" : NAW
53. Sporty VW : GTI. I guess it's all in your perception of "sporty"...
54. Sporty Cars : GTS. Like this Super GT? Now, that's sporty!
Answer Grid.
Marti
Note from the constructors (and a fascinating peek into the creative minds of CC and Don G.):
"I'd like to share with you a couple of email exchanges between Don and myself when we first started on this theme. You can see how Don improved on our approach.
From C.C.:
"Would it possible to make a theme with synonyms of GROUND such as CLAY, DIRT, TURF, EARTH, MUD, SOIL bracketing each theme entry. Unifier BREAK GROUND 11.
MUM'S THE WORD & DIRECT CURRENT came to mind."
From Don:
17. In short supply : RARE
21. Unfavorable impression? : DENT. Great clue!
23. Calm : ALLAY
24. Bank claim : LIEN
25. "The handmaiden of creativity": Eliot : ANXIETY
26. Guilty, for example : PLEA
29. Bygone GM division : OLDS
30. Marshy lowlands : FENS
31. Nimble : AGILE
32. Got real? : CAME TRUE. Like all my dreams?
33. They may be sealed : LIPS. "Loose lips sink ships..."
34. Workers' rights org. : NLRB. National Labor Relations Board. (Note to self: Ask C.C. for a raise!)
35. Risqué : BLUE
36. Illusory hope : RAINBOW
39. Mozart's "___ fan tutte" : COSI. "Thus do they all (do)". Aria. 9:56.
40. Pungent bulb : ONION
42. Former Disney chief : EISNER (Michael)
43. Ducks : ELUDES
45. "Land ___ alive!" : SAKES
46. Concur : AGREE
48. Cowpoke's pal : PARD
51. Côte d'Azur saison : ETE. Not "Nice summer"?
52. "I'm thinkin' not" : NAW
53. Sporty VW : GTI. I guess it's all in your perception of "sporty"...
54. Sporty Cars : GTS. Like this Super GT? Now, that's sporty!
Answer Grid.
Marti
Note from the constructors (and a fascinating peek into the creative minds of CC and Don G.):
"I'd like to share with you a couple of email exchanges between Don and myself when we first started on this theme. You can see how Don improved on our approach.
From C.C.:
"Would it possible to make a theme with synonyms of GROUND such as CLAY, DIRT, TURF, EARTH, MUD, SOIL bracketing each theme entry. Unifier BREAK GROUND 11.
MUM'S THE WORD & DIRECT CURRENT came to mind."
From Don:
"This theme works best if the broken word is inside. If the broken word is outside, it should be the same word. No one will see this theme, unless you limit yourself to say, four-letter words that are split the same way. You actually have four four-letter words. Still, as a solver, it is more fun to actually see the word, thus the central location is best. In that case, we could use any dirty words we want.
A quick check shows that we could split SO IL, DI RT, and CL AY in a similar fashion. LO AM also works. You may be onto something. Maybe we can break new ground with this puzzle (haha). What do you think?"
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteOof! Thank heavens I didn't actually need to understand what the theme was about in order to get all the theme answers. When I finally got to the theme reveal at 50A, I saw the wall of text in the clue and my eyes just sort of glazed over...
The puzzle was solid overall, but I panicked a bit when I started seeing some truly obscure names. Jorge AMADO? Sigurd OLSON? And some of the cluing on very common words was equally obscure ("I'm just not up on my Eliot quotes, sorry).
So, a bit of a slog but certainly doable and a perfect level of difficulty of a Thursday, I guess.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteLike Barry, I was edgy in those places where the names were obscure, but eked out a TaDa anyway with perp help. Another clever work from the DGCC team - and the sample comments at the bottom of Marti's post are interesting!
Good morning Marti, good work as usual, and yes - my hand is up for Nestea first!
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, Dynamic Duo; swell write-up, Marti!
Was going rather slowly until I picked up the theme clue! Sped up after that!
Had good luck at the ENT office! Can almost hear completely out of right ear. (Worst ear wax problem I have ever had. Doc says I may be good for three more years.)
Had a rather late nap--hotter than hades here today. Exhausting. Hope to finally be able to go to sleep for real!
Cheers!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Don and C.C., for a great Thursday puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for the very good write-up. You made me look on 8A and 41D.
ReplyDeleteMust be different versions of this puzzle. My clue for 50A referred to the letters between the pairs of circled letters. No stars mentioned or shown on the four theme clues. Of course, I am doing this on my IPad using Cruciverb and there were no circles shown either. Was able to finish anyway.
Could not get started up North, so I headed South. The South filled in pretty easily.
My first theme answer was CLEANING DAY. BREAKING GROUND came next. Had most of the letters by doing the South.
Had LIPTON for 1D at first. That did not last long. SALADA appeared after SAV and ATONE FOR.
Did not know ROY for 6D. Perps fixed.
I almost put in ABC for 10D, but once I had one R I knew the other two had to be Rs.
POMELOS was new to me. Never heard of it. Wagged it and lucked out.
Got to go. Lots of work to do today.
See you tomorrow from Johnsonburg.
Abejo
Fantastic puzzle, less "UIE." Maybe puzzle creators can try to find a way in the future to avoid this one altogether.
ReplyDeleteAnd "fermatprime," I'm glad your ears are better, but telling everyone about your earwax is kind of like someone saying after a few painful and frustrating days that they were finally able to BM. Terrific news, undoubtedly, but probably news best kept to oneself.
I really "dug" this puzzle and Marti's always interesting expo. My print out had no circles but the 4 theme answers were starred and I figured that the pairs were at the beginnings and ends of the theme answers.
ReplyDeleteI dug little test holes here and there until I started really BREAKING GROUND in the south. Moving steadily northward I easily got SOYBEAN OIL and saw SO-IL, which helped me fill in the other pairs. I had DAY so knew 32A needed to begin with CL for CLAY. I don't do laundry on CLEANING DAY, so seeing the theme pattern helped.
I thought AMADO and OLSON were fair, becoming possible with wags and perps.
Nestea crossed my mind, but I waited until the S gave me SALADA, my mother's tea choice.
Do you like Jean Arp’s work?
A fun puzzle that was a real bear. I enjoyed the workout but not see the theme until I was done. Liked the clecho and marti's links and Pard and Pardo was neat. Thanks for the creative insight also.
ReplyDeleteIn a different puzzle yesterday I had one of my biggest nits ever. The answer was MISSISH and the clue was PRIM. I get the intent, but---really?
ReplyDeleteHow does it strike you?
What a brain buster! This could fill in for a Friday puzzle. I had a lot of look ups - especially with proper names. I'll chalk those up to learning moments and hope I remember them the next time around (but I wont!)
ReplyDeleteI got the theme and had ING GROUND but I struggled to get BREAKING GROUND.
Hands up for Nestea.
And I went with UEYS.
Favorite clues:
- 21D Unfavorable Impression? DENT
- 39A Key Not Used by Itself: CTRL
Have a nice one. It's supposed to be sunny and 90 in Chicago today and tomorrow and then lots of rain for the weekend :(
MArti: Nice write-up and links.
ReplyDeleteDon & C.C. Thank you for a FUN Thursday slog ....
Since I always solve "on newsprint/in ink" (with my hand-up for Nestea!) I thought this might end up being another Rorschach Ink-Blot.
SALADA ended up being my only "write-over."
Like Abejo, I then went from the South to the North.
Have never used SOY-BEAN OIL.
Prefer the "extra-virgin" Olive Oil in my salad dressing.
Jean ARP and Sigurd OLSON I learned from crosswords.
AMADO was all perps followed by a WTF?
Cheers to all at Sunset!
Good morning.
ReplyDeleteI managed to create a symmetrical inkblot with NESTEA/SALADA at the top left and EIDERS/ELUDES at the bottom right. Since I worked it on paper, I had the circles, but didn't figure out what they were for until after I'd finished the whole shebang.
I loved the clues for DENT and CTRL. Some of the names were a tad obscure, but they perped out OK. Nice job DG/CC. Marti, I always enjoy your sense of humor.
SAV reminds me...the major intersection in our little town has a church and a teleministry on two corners and vacant lots on the other two. Well guess what? Our first brick and mortar retail establishment is going to be a (fanfare here) Dollar Store on one of those vacant lots. So far nobody has figured out a way to stop it. We were really hoping for a supermarket; the nearest one is five miles away.
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteWell, our dynamic duo delivered a delicious dilemma with this dandy! Finished w/o help but needed perps and wags, especially in NW. Hand up for Nestea, other hand up for Lipton. Salada finally showed up for the tea party!
Very clever, Don G. and CC, and nice expo, as usual, Marti.
YR @ 8:05-MISSISH sounds MISH MASHIVE!
I did the puzzle on my iPad using Cruciverb and the circles were there.
Happy Thursday to all.
I found the puzzle to be a little more challenging than the usual Thursday offering... perhaps a few too many names of which I never heard. My beautiful state is aflame and it is heart breaking. We have recorded only one inch of rain this summer. Snow will be most welcome this year.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the challenge. There were a couple of names I'd never heard of but got lucky with the crosses. I had a hand up for Lipton till the s gave me salada. I also went south to north so once I had digital art it was all up hill (read down hill) from there.
ReplyDeleteThank you CC and Don. G. for a VERY creative puzzle - got most of it. After barely getting 8 A, I come down to 41D and a Deja vu ? Am I seeing double ??( .... so early in the morning ... ).
ReplyDeleteThank you for your emails on your creative efforts - creative minds work in such esoteric ways - you guys have to think of everything - and emails are so much more permanent than mere cell phone messages... and something you can go back on, and reappraise and reorganize and ruminate over.
Thank you Marti, for your wit, your humor and that cute tongue in your cheek. I loved your 'strip' - was hoping for a comic strip - and even the PETA ad was discreet. (never heard of the fella, or his soul month - ).
Now, I know 2 - Necessity is the mother of invention, and Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity.... probably more so to a poet (they rhyme - ).
Michael Eisner was one of the highest paid CEO's ever ... in a purely economically-elastic capitalist society, he was probably worth it.
ALT QOD:- It's a shame that future generations can't be here to see all the great things we've done with their money. ~ Earl Wilson.
Have a good day, you all.
Great job Don and CC. A real fine challenge. Thanks for the wonderful write up Marti.
ReplyDeleteLike Abejo, first theme fill was CLEANING DAY, and then the unifier BREAKING GROUND. YR, my sentiments exactly, "I dug little test holes here and there..."
Last to fall was the entire NW corner. DW and I got the round trips for $10 on a card Loyalty program. Plus $25 each way for checked baggage fee.
Speaking of which, time to get a move on. Heading up to San Francisco today. Wonder if I'll run into Karl Malden or a young Michael Douglass ? Have fun everyone !
This will be one of my favorite puzzles of all time. I was totally intrigued as soon as I saw the circles, and when I realized it was from our "Dynamic Duo," I went "Wow!" Not easy, for sure, but slowly, slowly, it all fell beautifully into place. This is what a puzzle should be! Thanks so much, C.C. and Don, for this lovely way to start a morning. And Marti, thanks for the pix of the Tiffany lamp. Ours aren't real Tiffany, of course, but we have lamps like this in almost every room of the house and they "brighten" them up beautifully!
ReplyDeleteHave a great Thursday, everybody!
I have always been leery of Sav-mores and Dollar stores or One-Buck stores. It seems to me to be the most cockeyed concept for the gullible, naive and common sense challenged - but yesterday, I just happened to be passing one such store ... and I went in for a 'browse' ... and ended up buying $ 40 (plus tax) worth of stuff. After I returned to my car, I saw on the dashboard, a typed sign of Hahtool's (name of yore - ) QOD. A bargain is an item you do not need, at a price you cannot resist.
ReplyDeleteI guess a lil bit of gullibility is not such a bad character flaw.
ANON @ 7:50 The mere mention of ear wax in polite society is not a social faux pas like using the word (initials) you had the gall to type.
ReplyDeleteHi there ~!
ReplyDeleteWell, such a timely puzzle from our Dynamic Duo~! We just "broke ground" at the church, digging holes for the posts; now we can start the framing.
Thanks for the write-up, HeartRx, let me know how that "raise" turns out~!....I was a little disappointed at your "strip" link - I see that kind of strip too often~!
Hand up for NESTEA
Always a pleasure to see the development of a crossword - one day, I will actually have one of mine published....
Splynter
Post No.3
ReplyDeleteThere once was a blogger named Marti
with a style and humor so hearty
when faced with some nits,
she got into no fits,
She just decided to go out and party.
Happy Thursday to All,
ReplyDeleteMy upuzzle version had no circles, but after reading, rereading and staring I finally got where the letters were.
The clue for CLEANING DAY threw me because Laundry Day and Cleaning Day were always 2 separate days.
I think this came from the days before automatic washers and dryers.
Regarding ENTs. I once had to go to an ENT after my internist's feeble attempts to remove my ear wax failed and I ended up getting swimmer's ear from trying to wash it out myself.
Maybe Hurricane Isaac will defy the predictions and go up to give Montana some rain.
Anony-Mouse @ 10:42, I was waiting for someone to come up with a cute limerick for us. Thanks for stepping up to the plate in grand style!!
ReplyDelete(Retrieved from the spam filter)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the challenge. There were a couple of names I'd never heard of but got lucky with the crosses. I had a hand up for Lipton till the s gave me salada. I also went south to north so once I had digital art it was all up hill (read down hill) from there.
Posted by Donna Smith to L.A.Times Crossword Corner at August 30, 2012 9:55 AM
Hello!
ReplyDeleteMarti, you slay me with your witty commentary and I love the limerick Anony-mouse wrote for you!
Hooray! Eight hours of sleep today and that prepared me to tackle this challenging puzzle from the dynamic duo. That and some coffee!
Yellowrocks:
I really like your intro, "I dug little test holes here and there." And that exactly describes my experience. Finally I had to go down deep to the bottom and finish that section which gave me the theme with CLEANING DAY and SOY BEAN OIL (CL-AY, SO-IL) and upward I shoveled to the NE.
Luckily STRIP came easily and so I was able to grok the rest as I don't know PARDO, couldn't recall POMELOS or OLSON though PELE kicked in quickly.
Hand up for Nestea and Lipton for I've not heard of SALADA. VOYAGE was a good misdirection, that is the trip not the cloth.
Great job, DG/CC and Marti, too.
I hope today you find a RAINBOW in your path, everyone!
SAV,ARS,CTRL,ENT,ERS,NLRB,GTI and GTS? Excessively clunky.
ReplyDeleteDefine "clunky".
ReplyDeleteClunky: adj. clumsy in style, form or execution. Awkward. Ungraceful. Incommodious.
ReplyDeleteex. His act was full of clunky one liners.
I finally got a day at home and was able to solve this puzzle on the day it was published. It was a challenging puzzle, and expertly edited by Rich and company. Many thanks to kind Marti for delivering her keen insight. C.C. wanted to share the origin of our thoughts on this puzzle. We never know where we are going with an idea, and it helps to just talk it over first. That is why I like to collaborate. You are all very kind to write in and share. We are inspired to keep trying.
ReplyDeleteLet's see. A word used commercially, Latin, an abbreviation, and five initialisms. Certainly no worse than leaving out spaces after commas. (You must have seen that coming.) ;-)
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a horrible puzzle with clues that were too misleading and enigmatic, along with fills that really did not match the clue.
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all: WEES except I had "wal" on 1A. We have Walmarts and Walgreens. Don't think we have SAV anything. Didn't know SALADA or AMADO or HELOT. Had 2D AmebIC. Duh! Had to have Marti's great help for that corner.
ReplyDeleteIn the NC had 4A as Hula. I did know ARP and got the NE block and had PROGRAM, so when the dirty theme appeared I plugged in LO-AM.
I always feel proud when I can do most of a CC-DG puzzle, so this was tough, but mostly doable. Since some of us have dirty minds, this was a tribute to us, I guess, with STRIP and GO NUDE orders which we should not ELUDE. Thanks! Worth some chuckles along the way.
No Hahtoolah today? Hope she has not been flooded out with all that rain in New Orleans. Prayers for her.
Good afternoon Marti and all.
ReplyDeleteWe have SAVon convenience stores, including gas, run by our local Indians, the Oneidas. Had tough slogging until I restarted at the bottom and worked upward. After figuring out what was really meant by 50a, I was able to fill in the ends at the upper acrosses. Never heard of a POMELO before. Also din not know PARDO and AMADO, and had trouble spelling UIES, since I call them 180's. PELE was a WAG. Probably the only gimmes were NADIR, ELIS and ONION. Liked seeing GO NUDE and STRIP. Don and C.C. gave me a good workout getting through the tall WEEDS today.
PARD - I know there's no relation, but the Dutch word for horse is PAARD.
Fun puzzle. I stared at the theme words and couldn't make any sense out of them until I got to the reveal. Pretty hard puzzle I thought. Thanks C.C., Don and Marti.
ReplyDeleteLogic puzzle:
Meet Arthur, Ben and Charles, each of whom has two occupations from among the following: doctor, engineer, teacher, painter, writer and lawyer. No two men have the same occupation. Who does what?
a) The teacher and the writer went fishing with Arthur.
b) The doctor had lunch with the teacher.
c) The painter is related to the engineer.
d) The doctor hired the painter to paint his house.
e) Ben lives in the house next door to the writer.
f) Charles beat Ben and the painter at tennis.
Bill G. I emailed you my answer to the logic puzzle to give others a chance to solve it on their own. I hope I didn't overlook anything.
ReplyDeleteGreat limerick, Anonymouse.
Marti, that is a beautiful Tiffany lamp. I love them but they don't fit into my decor.
Hello everybody. First of all, hand up for wanting LIPTON, then wanting NESTEA when I saw the final A. Not being familiar with SALADA tea, I had to rely on the acrosses.
ReplyDeleteWhat made this tough for me were the unknown (to me) proper names: PARDO, AMADO, and OLSON. I most definitely did enjoy the clever clues for CTRL and DENT. I also enjoyed the "Reveal all" clecho.
With regard to the MISSISH fill, all I can say is: take a look at 53D and 54D, the answers to which both start with GT. My thought is: the constructor is saddled with a certain fill which may look less than stellar, but what can one do? Try to clue it as well as possible, which is the only solution other than ripping it up and starting over. It's similar to holding one's nose and voting for the lesser of two evils.
I wanted to see the photo of the Tiffany lamp, but it would not display in either Firefox or IE.
Sorry, but I dislike UIES, UEYS, U-EES, YOUEES, YEWIES, etc etc etc. But again, the fill is there, so whattaya gonna do?
Thank you, C.C. and Don for the puzzle. And thank you, Marti, for a writeup I can see you did with sincerity and effort. Thanks for sharing a glimpse into "The Mind of a Crossword Constructor Collaboration".
Best wishes to you all.
Salada for Tetleys - never heard of "salada" tea? Really obscure in my book. I am now going to Google Salada to see what gives.
ReplyDeleteDNF. I've never heard of SAV, PARDO, AMADO, AL EAST, or OLSON. So of course the south was my only successful area. I did get the theme early, but it really didn't help at the top end with so many gaps there. It sure felt like Friday to me.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't anyone remember Salada Tea's catch phrase " That's Salada tea! " (That's a lotta tea)? I don't even drink tea.
ReplyDeleteBill G. I'll e-mail you my answer to your poser also. Let me know if I have to post my tylenol rant again.
Salada Tea has appeared in LA Times puzzles before. We need to remember it.
ReplyDeleteSALADA Tea is a division of Redco Foods headquartered in Little Falls, NY, about 30 miles down the Mohawk Valley from Sfingi and me. Salada was begun in 1892 and is found in all the grocery stores here.
ReplyDeleteI am familiar with SALADA tea, as well as Tetley and Nestea, plus Bigelow, Earl Grey, Celestial Seasonings, Twinings and Tazo....I think I have at least three bags full of each in my cupboard right now. It was only a matter of picking the right one for 1-Down!
ReplyDeleteFor any anon. who might gripe about today's fill, I would like to know how many crossword puzzles you have constructed, before I take any of your comments seriously?
I tend to look at the cleverness of the theme or the originality of the clues before I decide whether I like a puzzle or not. And I try not to look at the constructor's name until after I have solved, so there will be no bias in my loathing or enjoyment of same...
Actually, I'd never heard of Tetley's either. Neither tea has been espied by my eye here in mid-continent either on TV or grocery shelf. But I don't drink tea.
ReplyDeleteReading about Sigurd Olson was interesting.
Never heard of salada. Definitely had to work in south but thot puzzle was difficult. Clever cluing tho.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of salada. Definitely had to work in south but thot puzzle was difficult. Clever cluing tho.
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very hard puzzle for me but very interesting. CC,Don and Marti- thanks, you are all amazing!
I liked the 4 words that came out in the circles. I didn't get them until I read Marti's write-up but I liked them.
Fermatprime: I thought your comments were fine, I had the same thing done a couple weeks ago. It's a medical procedure so what's the problem?
Good night all!
Marge
To those who were curious about the PETA nudes - Tony Gonzales is a Am. football tight end for the Atlanta Falcons (1997 draft)- also has lots of touchdown and yards carried records.
ReplyDeleteAccording to:
www.playerswives.com/afl/atlanta-falcons/tony-gonzales-wife-october-gonzales
The two, Tony and October are not officially married, but the two took out a commitment ceremony July 20, 2007 .... the two say that despite the legal technicality, they consider themselves married. The two have one daughter, Malia, born in May 2008. Tony has a son from a previous relationship as well.
Fame and fortune are a death knell to married bliss ?
Pummelos, Pomelos, Pommelos are a South East Asian fruit, though the varieties available in the US are mostly from South and Central America. They weigh about 2 pounds each, about 10" in diameter, and cost about $ 3 or 4 each...
In Chinese stores, they are sold by the pound, which is a more fair way of selling. ....cheaper at COSTCO, if you buy 6 at a time. Despite the thick, inedible rind, they are very sweet, more so than a grapefruit, - but the sections, must be individually peeled - never cut like, say, a grapefruit. Israeli pommelos are smaller and slightly cheaper, but IMHO not as sweet.
UIES
ReplyDeleteYour Tiffany LAMP picture didn't materialize here, though POMELO did.
ReplyDeleteLove $ stores, but saw and see the end coming. There already are $5 Below stores, and the $ stores are getting chintzier. glad I bought when I did. Was able to give gorgeous big teddy bears to a group of church kids. These stores are going because Chinese workers are asking for more $. It had to happen.
But, wanted SAm for SAV (Sam's Clubs).
Sporty, sporty. Reveal all, reveal all.
We have a big SALADA water tower in Herkimer County. Junket division. A sort of pudding.
I enjoyed your puzzle Don and C.C. even though I had to do it online, which I hate.
ReplyDeleteWe are in Mitchell, S.D. tonight home of the amazing Corn Palace. Usually the produce on the outside of the building is stripped in August and replaced but the drought is so bad they can’t get enough corn from their grower to decorate it this year.
BTW, the drive from The Black Hills to this end of South Dakota is as interesting as reading a government paper on cabbage price supports. NOTHING!
Home tomorrow!
I grew up in Connecticut with Salada tea and eating Junket, thanks for the memories.
ReplyDeletehard G, always a pleasure to see you.
I'd give it 2 stars just because its hard to create a puzzle. Otherwise...
ReplyDeleteIt seems like other constructors(different blog) agree. They gave it 2.5 stars.
Don't get mad, its just constructive criticism.
I remember junket from Oz. I forgot to mention that SALADA was another unheard of brand for me. I've been frustrated recently by not finding any loose black tea available anywhere here. Our kids bring us some from Germany, and some friends we met on our Spain tour sent us some from Yorkshire. I guess people here prefer the convenience of bags, but we prefer the flavor of loose tea made in our teapot bought in Oz.
ReplyDelete