Theme: Enough to make your head spin. - The sets of four circles are in the four corners spelling out DOOR.
49A. Hotel entrance, often, and, literally, what each set of four puzzle 35-Across contains : REVOLVING DOOR
23A. How a 49-Across goes : ROUND AND ROUND
35A. Paths described when things go 23-Across : CIRCLES
Argyle herereh elygrA. Quite the go-around. Note how the D revolves to be in the four corners so as to make a complete revolution. The reveal may have led to some head-scratching, I dare say, especially if you're missing the circles because the clue doesn't seem very clear.
Across:
1. Rope-a-__: Ali boxing style : DOPE
5. French wine valley : LOIRE
10. Tough : HARD
14. Agile deer : ROEs
15. Widish computer key : ENTER
16. "Typee" sequel : "OMOO"
17. Craggy outcroppings : TORs
18. Fielder's gear : GLOVE. (baseball)
19. Goes down in the west : SETS. The action, not the thing.
20. Nautical distance unit : SEA MILE. 1,852 metres(about 6,076 feet).
22. Twyla Tharp forte : DANCE. Wiki link
26. Weaver turned into a spider by Athena : ARACHNE. Spiders are the largest order of arachnids.
27. Zodiac division : SIGN
28. Roping and riding contest : RODEO
29. Daddies : PAs
30. Height: Pref. : ACRO. From Ancient Greek for “highest, at the extremity”.
34. L.A.-to-N.Y. direction : ENE
39. Rowing need : OAR
40. Flag maker Betsy : ROSS
42. Bon __: quip : MOT
43. Much of Santa's mail : LISTS
45. Big name in hair trimmers : WAHL. Not on many lists.
47. Marshmallowy treat : MOON PIE
51. Actress Kelly of "The Cutting Edge" : MOIRA. (Moira Kelly)
 |
| Filmed mostly in Canada |
53. Earns : TAKES IN
54. Airing, as a miniseries : ON TV
55. Some plum tomatoes : ROMAs
56. Concerning : AS TO
59. Move like sludge : OOZE
60. China company based in Stoke-on-Trent : SPODE
61. Jordan's Queen __ : NOOR. The widow of King Hussein of Jordan. Wiki link.
62. Prohibitionists : DRYs as opposed to the WETs.
63. The "A" in YMCA: Abbr. : ASSOC. (Young Men's Christian Association)
64. Yankee who passed Willie Mays on the career HR list on 5/7/2015 : A-ROD
Down:
1. "__ & the Women": 2000 Gere film : DR. T
2. "Hollywood Squares" win : O-O-O
3. Convinces : PERSUADES
4. Basic nature : ESSENCE
5. Errand runner : LEGMAN. Using one's shanks' mare.
6. Ready to chat, nowadays : ONLINE
7. "__ you so!" : I TOLD
8. Unfavorable change of fortune : REVERSAL
9. Before, in verse : ERE
10. Hallelujah kin : HOSANNA
11. Improve : AMEND
12. Campus recruiting org. : ROTC. (Reserve Officers' Training Corps)
13. Medicinal measure : DOSE
21. Like a specially formed committee : AD HOC
22. Grooved on : DUG
23. Not as well-done : RARER
24. University of Maine town : ORONO
25. Seine tributary : OISE
29. Cut for an agt. : PCT. (%)
31. Jointly underwrite : CO-SPONSOR
32. Math relationship : RATIO
33. Skater Brian : ORSER. He is the 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medalist, 1987 World champion and eight-time Canadian national champion. ~ Wikipedia
36. "As I see it," in textspeak : IMHO. (in my humble opinion)
37. Popular antique desks : ROLLTOPS. Out of my price range.
38. Trudges (through) : SLOGS
41. Tries to avoid a pothole : SWERVES
44. State whose name is part of its capital : INDIANA. (Indianapolis)
46. Actress Gardner : AVA
47. Operetta set in Japan, with "The" : MIKADO. (An archaic name for the Emperor of Japan.)
48. "Be right there!" : "ONE SEC!"
49. Swanky : RITZY
50. "Let's go, amigo!" : "¡VAMOS!"
51. Frame of mind : MOOD
52. __ about: approximately : ON OR
55. Pres. Mandela's land : RSA. (Republic of South Africa)
57. Also : TOO
58. Command from a maj. : ORD. (order) (ick!)
Argyle
43 comments:
FIW again. Filled but no ta-da. A few unknowns were the usual suspects, but all had solid crosses: DDT, ORSER, MOIRA, VAMOS, OISE, ORONO. Finally gave up and turned on the red letters, and found dOES should have been ROES. Particularly stupid since it was a theme entry!
Thanks to the circles, today's theme was easy to see. AFAIK, there are no revolving doors anywhere in northern New Mexico, and the only one in Albuquerque is at Journal Center, the newspaper HQ.
Here's a New Yorker Cartoon (I think about futball, not crosswords, but YBTJ.)
My wife thinks I'm strange, even if I'm her hon,
At traffic circles I make four-fifty turns just for fun!
A REVOLVING DOOR
Is joy galore!
I'm in-out-and-in as fast as it's spun!
There's this strange sort of whoomph when the door goes around,
For an instant you're cut off from all that surround.
Then whoomph and you're free
Of the rotisserie,
It's a combo of airlock and merry-go-round!
ALTI instead of ACRO and INASEC for ONESEC slowed me down a bit, but getting the reveal early was a huge (and very unusual for me!) help. Fun puzzle. Great write up, Argyle, thanks!
Morning, all!
No circles for me, but no real need for them. Guessed at 23A and 35A thanks to the perps (pretty easy to guess when you've got ROUNDANDR_UND in place). OISE gave me pause, as did ORSER and WAHL, but no major speed bumps today. ACRO was my first thought for "Height: Pref", so that helped.
WUFS, exactly the same slowdowns....I also agree ORD does not seem to be a real abbreviation and we have the Fort, the General it was named after, a city in Nebraska, Prince Arn and the airport code as alternate clues.
Woke up to thunderstorms, be careful out there.
Thank you David and Argyle
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I found this to be quite a Tuesday challenge. I got the ROUND AND ROUND, REVOLVING DOOR and CIRCLES, but the MOON PIE did me in.
My favorite clue was China company = SPODE.
I also liked the Prohibitionists = DRYS. I initially thought of Bans, but DRYS is so much better.
I wanted In A Sec instead of ONE SEC.
We haven't heard from Misty in a couple of days. I hope all is well with her and Rowland.
QOD: Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done. ~ Robert A. Heinlein (July 7, 1907 ~ May 8, 1988)
HMMMMM! A Tuesday DNF, due to an act of omission, rather then my usual stupidity. Square # 33 was left blank. Had been going back and forth on the fill. and eventually just forgot about it. Whatever I entered would have been a wag, so I probably would have erred anyways.
Everything else was dead on, but I thought the cluing, especially 49A was pretty vague. After (almost) finishing, I understood it, but still do not like it.
Had a struggle with the NE corner. 1 & 2D, 14 & 17 A were all swags.
Good morning!
A tough Tuesday doesn't bode well for the rest of the week. Got it all, but did make missteps here and there. Argyle, the Loire valley looks beautiful, the Moon Pie, not so much. With my vast sports knowledge, I'm surprised that ORSER immediately came to mind.
That ROLLTOP desk is interesting, must have been a real bear to design/create, but doesn't appear to be very practical. I wonder if the purpose in creating it was to get it into a museum.
I agree that ORD was clunky, but the puzzle design was downright elegant. Well done, Mr. Poole.
Really enjoyed the creativity involved with the revolving doors as well as the theme clues. Can't imagine how challenging it was to get that all in.
I remember the "Battle of the Brians" one olympics with Boitano from US and Orser from Canada. Brian Orser still coaches many olympic level skaters.
My favorite Spode China is their Christmas line:
https://www.google.com/search?q=spode+christmas+tree&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=923&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_MybVYmXN8PYggThh4HYBg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg#imgrc=l0G19jEypJS2EM%3A
Off to work - thanks, Argyle and David!
Thanks, David and Argyle! For some reason this was easy for me. Just on my wavelength I guess. I even got the theme right away..that NEVER happens! And I loved the circles with the REVOLVING DOORs.
WUFS at first about INASEC before ONESEC, and ALTI before ACRO, but perps took care of both. ORD and OOZE filled in by themselves before I got to them. Might have missed them both otherwise.
Much from from both the CW and the expo!
Owen, todays offering was fun, but nothing can top you recent "ballad" . Thanks for the smile!
63A: So, is ASSN an abbr. for ASSOC?
Musings
-The theme elicited a real chuckle from me today. What fun, David!
-Do you think this is what Melville had in mind?
-The woman in the movie above is named Devera Burton whose career ended after this movie. Do you see some AVA resemblance?
-RODEOS look like animal abuse to me
-Sometimes I don’t have both my OARS in the water
-A marshmallow treat that is not a SMORE? Sacrilege!
-ROMAS are the main ingredient in neighbor’s great salsa
-While ONLINE yesterday, Joann got a call from a man with a Russian accent telling her to immediately hit a key on the screen. I got home just in time to stop her!
-I had a medical REVERSAL on June 15 and am doing pretty good
-You can’t make a steak RARER
-If this ride doesn’t give you ACROphobia, you’re immune!
-Enjoy this great MOOD song by our cwd songstress (3:31)
-FORE!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, David Poole, for a great puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.
This was a little tougher than a normal Tuesday puzzle, IMHO. But, very doable.
Took me quite a while to catch the theme.
I jumped in early with CORNERS for 35A. Way before I got the theme. Eventually CORNERS became CIRCLES. My big inkblot for the day.
Not familiar with ORSER or MOIRA.
Remembered Rope a DOPE for some strange reason.
Really liked the ROLL TOPS desk demonstration. That was quite an animal. I wonder if all roll tops have all those features? Somehow I doubt it.
Liked HOSANNA.
Rained all night last night. Whenever it dries up I will finish cutting my grass. Had it almost done when the skies opened up yesterday.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
Good morning everyone.
A little REVOLVING DOOR action today. Theme made filling in the corners easier. Lot's of fresh fill. No hang-ups.
Favorite clue was for SPODE. Initially was trying to suss a Chinese company. Then the V-8 can hit; ah, fine China. We have a Spode piece at home, bought at the Carborundum Ceramics Museum @ Nia. Falls, years ago.
SEA MILE - For practical purposes the same as a nautical mile. It remains popular with navigators because it is equivalent to one minute of Latitude. Distances can easily be picked off or laid down on a Mercator chart using a set of dividers. In round figures, it is equal to 2000 yds; also a convenient figure.
Have a great day.
FIW. I WAGed an S at 4D crossing 26A. (AraChne, Doh! I should have known!)
But it took OwenKLs post to make me realize my error. 14A Agile deer, I put Roen. (I was sure I had seen that in an earlier puzzle...) Making 4D Basic Nature = Ensen-e
Hmm, one case where more sense does not help at all...
The impossible?...
Nothing is impossible!...
Just keep trying!
If only my stupid mistakes were limited to the crossword.
I moved my sprinkler from the grass to the driveway so I wouldn't run over it with the lawn tractor.
I then backed over it with the car...
(I am hoping for rain...)
Good Morning:
This had a bit of a bite for a Tuesday, but no serious hang ups. Hand up for in a sec/one sec, in re/as to, and Minka/Moira. Clever theme and execution. Nice CSO to Hatoolah and Lemony with Orono and to Splynter with leg man! (I could practically see Tin shuddering at Prohibitionists=Drys! 🍸)
Thanks David and Argyle for a fun solve and recap.
We're due for some serious downpours later on. It's also very hot and humid.
Have a great day.
Hello, friends!
Thank you, David Poole, for a fun run today. Though it started slowly, my momentum picked up as the circles revealed themselves. I liked HOSANNA crossing DANCE. They seem to go together.
I can't say I've ever heard of WAHL products but it perped itself. And RATIO reminds me that the only thing I ever learned from trig classes was the vocabulary.
Have a stupendous Tuesday and week, everyone!
CED, I am still roaring at your 9:34 comment...
Like most others, thought it was a bit more challenging than a normal Tuesday, but was able to breeze through. Very clever theme. Thanks, David, for a nice puzzle.
Argyle - have seen roll-top desk before, but don't remember all the special nooks and crannies. This is a pretty fancy one. Thanks!
Nice puzzles, yesterday and today--thanks Gareth and David. They get my difficult mornings off to a good start. Rowland still in hospital and had a PETscan yesterday to try to determine source and cause of the cancer. Am scared of getting the results today. Thanks for asking about me, Hahtoolah.
I wish you all a good day today.
David Poole: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday puzzle with a clever theme.
OK, I will admit it ... I don't know the name of any male skaters.
ORSER was Every Single Perp.
WTF! No booze in the grid ... and I'm suppose enter those Prohibitionists DRYS ...
No "Cheers!" from me today.
WEES about the difficulty level. A little more thought had to be put in, but ultimately worth it.
The theme came quickly, so that helped. Also INRE/ASTO and INASEC/ONESEC dilemmas for me, as well. ACRO, LOIRE, WAHL & ORSER were gotten with perp help.
As a kid I loved to go ROUNDANDROUND in the revolving door. I can still hear my mother screaming at me to stop. Many office buildings and department stores in Manhattan have them.
Misty..Keep up the faith. My husband had cancer and also a kidney removed. I know the feelings of watching a loved one suffer, and being scared is natural. It means that you care. I pray for a good outcome.
Well, can't think of anything more to comment on. Have a good Tuesday all.
Nice Tuesday. ORSER seemed strange, but I had to trust it.
From South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999): What Would Brian Boitano Do?
Misty, you and Rowland are in my thoughts and prayers. I am pulling for the best outcome at this anxious time. May the ties of our friendshp sustain you. Yellowrocks to you, great big hugs.
Good afternoon all,
Not an easy run for me, although I think I knew most answers at some time .Round and round seemed to be my theme. Did fill Omoo right off as it was fresh from the other day. Moon pie not so fresh; had seen it once before in a CW. Bon mot was sticky for me and didn't know wahl. The only Brian skater I know is Boitano... not Orser. Alta filled before acro... and so on, but enjoyed the trip.
Roll tops are not compatible with computers and printers, so we sold ours on Craig's List a few months ago. As you said D-Otto, not practical, and very heavy.
Misty, I hope your news has a silver lining... sending good thoughts.
Fun and enjoyable puzzle today. No circles in the on-line version I used, so I missed those theme subtleties. Did not like the clue for ORD and agree with what Lemonade said about it. Fell into the same pitfall as several of you did, entering DOES instead of ROES, and IN A SEC instead of ON E SEC. At least I knew Brian ORSER, the LOIRE Valley, and Twyla Tharp of DANCE renown. I would call myself a LEG MAN.
Thank you
A
e r
l g
y
for your writeup.
Would all you folks on the other side of the US quite bragging (?) about all the rain you are getting or expecting!! Man oh man, JD, Chickie, Jayce and I could sure use it out west. Dry. Dry. Dry...and I'm not talking about the prohibitionists!
I thought the puzzle was anything but dry. Fun clues - I mean what's a puzzle without OMOO and ORONO and somebody named MOIRA? I wanted s'mores and alto first, too. Finally saw the "DOOR" corners.
Happy 7th of July. We lived through another 4th in spite of all the crazies and their illegal fireworks.
See ya later.
Too busy to comment today, but suspected the theme after the first corner (with circles) and it proved out. Kinda crunchy, but the perps were kind, so it wasn't super difficult...just a bit challenging. Good puzzle.
Misty, I'm hopeful for the best results. You face your share of challenges, but I wish you the strength to carry on.
I just did the Tuesday NYT puzzle and lo and behold what shows up...OMOO!
All naytural beef. That needle in my haunch is not mine. O MOO!
If ORONO was in the Amazon area, would the Orinoco flow ON OR near Orono?
DOSE jokes is worser dan dese jokes.
It's a long way to tip a RARER.
I ain't no steeking ACROphobiac; I'm just afraid of heights.
Would someone who's afraid of Cadillacs be a Cadillacphobiac?
LOIRE a'mighty, he's an arachniphobiac!
WAHL, WAHL! Don't cry, baby.
I'll stop now and OOZE on outta here.
Wow Jayce! Have you been saving those? Very clever!
It's a beautiful day here after a gloomy start. I just had lunch with a long-term friend of mine. Next, my usual bike ride, then espresso and some Nook. I've had a hard time finding fiction I like with the demise of Nero Wolfe and Spenser. So I've been enjoying more of Louis L'Amore. He's a guilty pleasure.
Greetings!
Thanks, David and Santa!
Several write-overs, as mentioned above, but it all worked out in the end. No circles.
Garlic Gal--We need water like mad in Northridge, CA, too!
Misty--My very best wishes for Roland! Hang in there!
Anyone watching The Whispers?
Cheers!
Bill G--A (an older) math teacher friend of mine is obsessed with Donna Leon's mysteries! Male detective. Bet you would like him too!
Avg Joe said...Too busy to comment today
Huh?
Earlier, as a point of clarification.
Some of us have jobs.....outside of troll. How bout you?
Hmm,,,
Jayce's post (it's a long way to tip a rarer) reminded me of where I 1st heard this groaner...
It was in an introduction by The Galloping Gourmet.
I apologize that I cannot find the original, (This is quite close...)
I apologize that it is so long...
I apologize that it is awful, but I spent so much time looking for
it, I thought I should not suffer alone...
A small boy was playing out in his dad's farm one day ..
... when he found something resembling a slug, but with bright orange spots on its back. Placing it on a leaf, he hurried inside and asked his mum if he could keep it. She was horrified by this strange thing, but his dad said it would be Ok if the boy fed and watered it each day. Into a matchbox it went, with a wet lettuce leaf for food and water. The next morning the leaf had gone, so the boy pulled some clover from the field and watched it eat - surprisingly quickly. At tea that night he fed it his broccoli, which he hated, and within two days the slug had grown quite a bit.
"What are you going to call it?" asked his father, "Pets have to have names."
"Gosh, I don't know," relied the boy. "Wilbur?"
"Nah, too common. Look, son, it's a rare creature, think of a rare name."
But the only name he could think of was 'Rarey', which somehow stuck. Within a month it was in a shoe box, within two months it was in a milk crate, and was eating everything in sight. The boy's father went to various experts with it, but no one identified it, although several wanted to keep it. His mother was adamant that it had to go, they didn't know how dangerous it was, and it would soon be eating them as well.
After tantrums and tears, the boy had to agree it was a problem, so his father said 'look, son, we'll take it in the tiptruck up the mountain, a long way away, and leave it in the forest. OK?"
So that's where they went - but they couldn't coax it out of the back when they had gone miles and miles into the mountains. It even seemed to be threatening them, and its teeth were by now long and very sharp. In the end they drove to a very deep ravine, where the man backed the truckup to the edge and began to tilt the tray back so that it would slide out.
As it began to slide, however, the boy began to cry and plead with his father to stop. "Don't let him drop down there," he screamed, pointing to the ravine.
"Why ever not?" asked his father
"Because it's a long way to tip a rarey!" wailed the boy.
Submitted by Lindsay, Melbourne, Australia
Late to the party today. Enjoyed this puzzle and got the theme early which helped. Thanks David and Argyle.
Hand up for IN ASEC and after camping last week, I wanted S'Mores too.
My memories of Stoke-on Trent are from a 1977 trip. I recall a gritty industrial city!
This Canadian knew ORSER! He still trains our figure skaters.
Glad that Your REVERSAL went well, HuskerGary G.
Thoughts and prayers to Misty and Rowland.
CED and others: I'm reminded of Tipperary Song (Das Boot)
Hi Puzzle Pals!
I feel like a DOPE... 2 WAGS & 2 wrongs...
Thanks to David for a fun puzzle that eventually came 'ROUND. Until a REVERSAL of luck. I guessed a T for SPOtE / MIKAtO and should have put it where I put the S (DRs? @1d).
Thanks Argyle for the writeup (and yet another cool desk) and everyone else for continuing the fun.
I did know WAHL - I don't know why.
W/o - "I lOve you so!" What if I TOLD you I was thinking of DW...
33d & 42a (MOT) - ESP.
Fav - The DOOR going ROUND the corners (CIRCLES the square?). That kept me from dOES @14a. ONLINE xing ENTER I DUG too.
CED, OKL, & Jayce - cute guys.
Thoughts w/ you Misty.
Cheers, -T
Misty, continual good wishes for Rowland and you.
Fermatprime, thanks for the information about Donna Leone. I'll download one of her books on my Nook.
CED, I heard that story as a kid and I could smell it coming. Dunno why exactly but it still seems amusing, 'cause it's so silly I guess.
Must see tv
CED: your story made me think of other jokes going over cliffs, "making a obscene clone fall" and "silly rabbi, kicks are for Trids". And it also contained a magic word!
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