Theme: A Five-Card Trick - CARD is scrambled five ways and concealed in five theme entries as indicated by the circles.
17A. Blanket containers : CEDAR CHESTS. Are they all cedar?
29A. Burrowing beach denizens : SAND CRABS. Not much bigger than your thumb according to the Monterey Aquarium website. Not really Food! material then .. darn.
43A. Lollipops, e.g. : HARD CANDY. Here's the spokesman for the Hard Candy Association if there is such a thing:
57A. Where much classical music is heard : PUBLIC RADIO. Here's a little something from the Berlin Philharmonic.
4D. Rolex 24 at Daytona, e.g. : ROAD RACE. Cousin of the more well-known (to me at least) Le Mans 24 in France, or "24 Heures du Mans" as it is officially known.
and the reveal:
39D. One of two baseball playoff teams determined next week by a "play-in" game in each major league, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : WILD CARD. Wikipedia can do the job of 'splaining the machinations of these MLB games.
Gooooood Morning Crossword Corner! Steve here with a very poor Adrian Cronauer impersonation. The circle puzzles seem to be popping up a lot on Wednesdays, I've blogged a few recently. The constructor shouldn't be tough to guess - it's a baseball-inspired theme, so it's not a stretch to posit that it might be C.C!
Neat theme - I thought at first that the 4D entry was something of an odd man out until I realized that it's balanced by the reveal at 39D. Cool stuff.
Across:
1. Wild hogs : BOARS
6. Wild animal : BEAST
11. Bird in a cage, often : PET. A menagerie trifecta to kick things off.
14. Pinhead : IDIOT. How many angels can dance on the head of an idiot? Discuss.
15. Off-the-cuff : AD LIB
16. Hot feeling : IRE
19. Sign word often seen before "next exit" : GAS
20. Matzo meal : SEDER. Great clue. Matzo ball soup is a traditional menu item for Passover.
21. Some RSVPs : NOS. I think you should reply "Oui, Merci" or "Non, Merci".
22. Punch source : FIST
23. "Born to Die" singer Lana Del __ : REY. Crosses. I'm more familiar with her Los Angeles-based sister, Marina Del Rey.
24. Caspian Sea land : IRAN
26. Diamond figure : CARAT
34. Smart guys? : ALECS
35. Spanish tourist city : AVILA
36. Knock on Yelp : PAN. I used Yelp a lot when I'm traveling in unfamiliar territory to find restaurants. You need to take the one-star rants and the five-star gushes with a pinch of salt. The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.
37. Mall bag : TOTE
38. Given (to) : PRONE
39. Responded to reveille : WOKE. I was a little slow to respond to my reveille this morning - I was at a six-course wine dinner last night. Three hiking miles later and a mug of coffee and I was better.
40. Former Energy secretary Steven : CHU. Thank you, crosses.
41. No-frills : PLAIN
42. Hog lover : BIKER. Fun clue. Here's a couple of famous examples:
45. On the ball : ALERT
46. Like reporters, by trade : NOSY. Are reporters nosy? It has a slightly different connotation in my mind than professional investigation.
47. Brief letters? : BVD. Does Warren Buffett wear tighty-whities of this brand? Berkshire Hathaway owns the company.
48. Artist's pad : LOFT
50. Arranged locks : DO'S. I get a haircut when it reaches the point I can arrange my locks, I don't even own a comb.
53. Strips on a sandwich : BACON. Food! A pub close to where I live has a veggieburger on the menu, and proceeds to state "Bacon can be added for $1.00" which seems to rather miss the point.
56. Frazier foe : ALI
60. Spoil : MAR
61. "Too rich for me" : I'M OUT. A poker player's exit line when the stakes get too high.
62. Castle in the 1914 musical "Watch Your Step" : IRENE. I learned this from a crossword I blogged a while ago - she must have been one heck of dancer to still be clued more than 100 years later!
63. "Ciao!" : BYE
64. 1975 Pulitzer winner for criticism : EBERT. The great movie critic Roger Ebert who sadly passed in 2013. He spent his entire career with the Chicago Sun-Times.
65. Put two and two together : ADDED
Down:
1. Media Clic Ice maker : BIC. These things - never heard of 'em!
2. Often emotional works : ODES
3. Help on the Hill : AIDE
5. Parade venues : STREETS
6. "That's hogwash!" : BAH
7. Big name in organic foods : EDEN. Caused a bit of a stir in 2013 with a controversial stance on certain healthcare provisions for their employees.
8. Furthermore : ALSO
9. Isn't active, as equipment : SITS IDLE
10. "King of the Nerds" airer : TBS
11. Sight-unseen buy : PIG IN A POKE. Great expression. Researching this, it transpires that the poke is a bag, and the piglet you think that you're buying turns out to be a dog or a cat when you open the sack. French "poque" gives us "poquette", a little bag, or our "pocket". Here endeth the lesson.
12. Stretches of history : ERAS
13. Lab work : TEST
18. React to a kitchen bulb, maybe : CRY. Not because the lights went out, but onion-peeling woes.
22. Word after go or so : FAR
25. Miley Cyrus label : RCA. Wouldn't have had a clue without crosses. Just missing a "D" for another wild card.
26. Hidden problem : CATCH
27. Hawaiian Airlines greeting : ALOHA
28. Shoot back : RETURN FIRE
29. Leftovers preserver : SARAN. Not if you forget to put 'em in the fridge, which I frequently do.
30. Dodge : AVOID
31. Doofus : NINNY. Pinheads, idiots, doofuses and ninnies today. A quartet of oafs.
32. One creating enticing aromas : BAKER
33. Hägar's dog : SNERT. Food! Oh wait, not the split pea soup. Darn.
38. Feign ignorance : PLAY DUMB
41. Lenovo products : PC'S. My new laptop is a Lenovo. It weights about half as much as the old Dell, which makes my travel a little easier!
42. Munich's state : BAVARIA. Here's a question for you - the soccer team is F.C. Bayern München, but is anglicized as Bayern Munich. Why not Bavarians Munich? We English-speakers do weird things to proper names.
44. Small point : DOT
47. English channel, briefly : BBC. The public broadcaster came in for a lot of criticism during the last British elections for being overtly biased, to the point that there is a weight of opinion that the corporation should lose its charter.
48. Moussaka meat : LAMB. Layered ground lamb, sliced eggplant, zucchini and bechamel sauce. Greek loveliness.
49. Facial cosmetics brand : OLAY
51. Clarinet cousin : OBOE
52. Disparaging comment : SLUR
54. Pigged out (on), briefly : O.D.'ED. I probably made a mess of the punctuation there.
55. Ted Williams' number : NINE. This Hall-of-Famer played only for the Red Sox during his 19-year outfielding career.
57. Chart shape : PIE
58. Addams family cousin : ITT
59. Heavy ref. : O.E.D. 20 volumes in total. You need a strong shelf for all those!
That's it from me - here's the grid.
Steve
17A. Blanket containers : CEDAR CHESTS. Are they all cedar?
29A. Burrowing beach denizens : SAND CRABS. Not much bigger than your thumb according to the Monterey Aquarium website. Not really Food! material then .. darn.
43A. Lollipops, e.g. : HARD CANDY. Here's the spokesman for the Hard Candy Association if there is such a thing:
57A. Where much classical music is heard : PUBLIC RADIO. Here's a little something from the Berlin Philharmonic.
4D. Rolex 24 at Daytona, e.g. : ROAD RACE. Cousin of the more well-known (to me at least) Le Mans 24 in France, or "24 Heures du Mans" as it is officially known.
and the reveal:
39D. One of two baseball playoff teams determined next week by a "play-in" game in each major league, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : WILD CARD. Wikipedia can do the job of 'splaining the machinations of these MLB games.
Gooooood Morning Crossword Corner! Steve here with a very poor Adrian Cronauer impersonation. The circle puzzles seem to be popping up a lot on Wednesdays, I've blogged a few recently. The constructor shouldn't be tough to guess - it's a baseball-inspired theme, so it's not a stretch to posit that it might be C.C!
Neat theme - I thought at first that the 4D entry was something of an odd man out until I realized that it's balanced by the reveal at 39D. Cool stuff.
Across:
1. Wild hogs : BOARS
6. Wild animal : BEAST
11. Bird in a cage, often : PET. A menagerie trifecta to kick things off.
14. Pinhead : IDIOT. How many angels can dance on the head of an idiot? Discuss.
15. Off-the-cuff : AD LIB
16. Hot feeling : IRE
19. Sign word often seen before "next exit" : GAS
20. Matzo meal : SEDER. Great clue. Matzo ball soup is a traditional menu item for Passover.
21. Some RSVPs : NOS. I think you should reply "Oui, Merci" or "Non, Merci".
22. Punch source : FIST
23. "Born to Die" singer Lana Del __ : REY. Crosses. I'm more familiar with her Los Angeles-based sister, Marina Del Rey.
 |
| Photo Credit: Mark Kitching |
26. Diamond figure : CARAT
34. Smart guys? : ALECS
35. Spanish tourist city : AVILA
36. Knock on Yelp : PAN. I used Yelp a lot when I'm traveling in unfamiliar territory to find restaurants. You need to take the one-star rants and the five-star gushes with a pinch of salt. The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.
37. Mall bag : TOTE
38. Given (to) : PRONE
39. Responded to reveille : WOKE. I was a little slow to respond to my reveille this morning - I was at a six-course wine dinner last night. Three hiking miles later and a mug of coffee and I was better.
40. Former Energy secretary Steven : CHU. Thank you, crosses.
41. No-frills : PLAIN
42. Hog lover : BIKER. Fun clue. Here's a couple of famous examples:
45. On the ball : ALERT
46. Like reporters, by trade : NOSY. Are reporters nosy? It has a slightly different connotation in my mind than professional investigation.
47. Brief letters? : BVD. Does Warren Buffett wear tighty-whities of this brand? Berkshire Hathaway owns the company.
48. Artist's pad : LOFT
50. Arranged locks : DO'S. I get a haircut when it reaches the point I can arrange my locks, I don't even own a comb.
53. Strips on a sandwich : BACON. Food! A pub close to where I live has a veggieburger on the menu, and proceeds to state "Bacon can be added for $1.00" which seems to rather miss the point.
56. Frazier foe : ALI
60. Spoil : MAR
61. "Too rich for me" : I'M OUT. A poker player's exit line when the stakes get too high.
62. Castle in the 1914 musical "Watch Your Step" : IRENE. I learned this from a crossword I blogged a while ago - she must have been one heck of dancer to still be clued more than 100 years later!
63. "Ciao!" : BYE
64. 1975 Pulitzer winner for criticism : EBERT. The great movie critic Roger Ebert who sadly passed in 2013. He spent his entire career with the Chicago Sun-Times.
65. Put two and two together : ADDED
Down:
1. Media Clic Ice maker : BIC. These things - never heard of 'em!
2. Often emotional works : ODES
3. Help on the Hill : AIDE
5. Parade venues : STREETS
6. "That's hogwash!" : BAH
7. Big name in organic foods : EDEN. Caused a bit of a stir in 2013 with a controversial stance on certain healthcare provisions for their employees.
8. Furthermore : ALSO
9. Isn't active, as equipment : SITS IDLE
10. "King of the Nerds" airer : TBS
11. Sight-unseen buy : PIG IN A POKE. Great expression. Researching this, it transpires that the poke is a bag, and the piglet you think that you're buying turns out to be a dog or a cat when you open the sack. French "poque" gives us "poquette", a little bag, or our "pocket". Here endeth the lesson.
12. Stretches of history : ERAS
13. Lab work : TEST
18. React to a kitchen bulb, maybe : CRY. Not because the lights went out, but onion-peeling woes.
22. Word after go or so : FAR
25. Miley Cyrus label : RCA. Wouldn't have had a clue without crosses. Just missing a "D" for another wild card.
26. Hidden problem : CATCH
27. Hawaiian Airlines greeting : ALOHA
28. Shoot back : RETURN FIRE
29. Leftovers preserver : SARAN. Not if you forget to put 'em in the fridge, which I frequently do.
30. Dodge : AVOID
31. Doofus : NINNY. Pinheads, idiots, doofuses and ninnies today. A quartet of oafs.
32. One creating enticing aromas : BAKER
33. Hägar's dog : SNERT. Food! Oh wait, not the split pea soup. Darn.
38. Feign ignorance : PLAY DUMB
41. Lenovo products : PC'S. My new laptop is a Lenovo. It weights about half as much as the old Dell, which makes my travel a little easier!
42. Munich's state : BAVARIA. Here's a question for you - the soccer team is F.C. Bayern München, but is anglicized as Bayern Munich. Why not Bavarians Munich? We English-speakers do weird things to proper names.
44. Small point : DOT
47. English channel, briefly : BBC. The public broadcaster came in for a lot of criticism during the last British elections for being overtly biased, to the point that there is a weight of opinion that the corporation should lose its charter.
48. Moussaka meat : LAMB. Layered ground lamb, sliced eggplant, zucchini and bechamel sauce. Greek loveliness.
49. Facial cosmetics brand : OLAY
51. Clarinet cousin : OBOE
52. Disparaging comment : SLUR
54. Pigged out (on), briefly : O.D.'ED. I probably made a mess of the punctuation there.
55. Ted Williams' number : NINE. This Hall-of-Famer played only for the Red Sox during his 19-year outfielding career.
57. Chart shape : PIE
58. Addams family cousin : ITT
59. Heavy ref. : O.E.D. 20 volumes in total. You need a strong shelf for all those!
That's it from me - here's the grid.
Steve
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Pje (Pat) and her husband! I don't know any couple in real life who were born in the same day and same year. Pat was born in the morning, her husband in the afternoon. Hope it's a day full of surprises, Pat.
53 comments:
Morning, all (and a Happy Double Birthday to Pat and her Husband)!
Got through this one easily enough for a Wednesday, despite not having any circles and not knowing CHU.
I toured Germany many years ago as part of a high school choir and visited Munich and Bavaria, but I never realized that Munich was actually part of Bavaria. Live and learn...
Good morning!
Not too tough for a Wednesday. Thanx, C.C. My only misstep was BOWL, as the punch source, before FIST showed up.
Steve, those chests are made of cedar, because the aromatic wood repels moths. Otherwise, it'd be, "Holey blankets, Batman!" Lana's sister, Marina. Very funny, Steve.
Barry, Munich is not only in Bavaria, it's the capital of Bavaria. Gimme for me. MIL lives there. Beautiful city.
The Barnacle ran a front page article this past Sunday about the trending Yelp ratings for doctors. My PCP was interviewed for the article. He admitted to a 4.8 out of 5 rating. I haven't voted, but I like him.
Happy birthday, PJE.
Really enjoyed this rearrange the letters puzzle which had a fun and timely reveal. I am not sure a one game play in is the way to end a season, but for south Florida any playoffs would be nice as our major sports teams have languished except for the LeBron Heat.
The chewiest part for me was CHU and remembering Adrian Cronauer. Not only do we have little sand crabs, we have tiny ones called sand fleas and good size LAND CRABS that burrow. Running across a swarm of 20 or more is not fun. They are also protected by law.
Happy last day of September all. Thanks C.C. and Steve.
Oops HBDTY Mr and Mrs PJE. I dated a girl in college who was born exactly one year after me. She insisted on seeing my driver license. We are still facebook friends.
Sparkly Wednesday! :)
Turtle, turtle! [Others like to mention a fast animal at the beginning of a month, it seems a logical counterpoint to mention a slow one at the end...]
No circles here either, but they weren't needed. CHU wasn't a problem for me, as I had the privilege of hearing him speak a couple of years ago at nearby Lincoln Labs, shortly after he left the Cabinet. BAVARIA was a gimme, having visited Munich this summer. NINE -- I mentioned Ted Williams as my favorite ballplayer a while ago, so thanks CC for working that in! Especially liked PLAY DUMB and PIG IN A POKE. Many thanks Steve for giving the derivation of the latter phrase. I love learning stuff like that!
Thanks CC & Steve!
Good morning all. Thank you CC and thank you Steve. Happy Birthday Pat ! And spouse !
Loved the puzzle and the theme. Found the mixed up (wild) cards even though I didn't have the circles. Pittsburgh Pirates will be hosting the NL WILDCARD game for the third year in a row out of the four years it has been played.
A few tougher spots. Entered rose for REVEILLE, but got that fixed pretty quickly. Aroma maker = BAKER. I agree. Our Drill Sergeant usually threw a metal garbage can down the center of the barracks during Basic Training. That was our reveille. And it was always an hour or so before dawn. Reveille is at dawn.
I can recite most of the German states by name Steve, and am familiar with Bayern replacing Bavaria, but do not know why. I shall look that up a bit later.
SW corner was almost my downfall. Couldn't think of FIRE, and since I already had ALI and (incorrect) ROT, then LAMB and OLAY wouldn't come to mind. When I see "spoil" as the clue, I'll always want ROT if 3 letters. Having MAR as the answer was really good and almost got me.
Brief letters ? BVD. HA ! Thought we were looking for some kind of legal thing. Arranged locks = DOS was clever. As was "Hog lover" clue.
I like the word PRONE.
I wonder is Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sara is ever referred to as an leftover preserver? Or even cling film?
I struggled a bit at first, especially for a Wednesday, but eventually it fell into place, starting about half ways down. Got the bottom half first and worked my way up. Fun puzzle, thanks C.C.! Favorite clue was about the kitchen bulb. Terrific write-up, as usual, thanks, Steve. Where is Owen, with his limericks?
Nice puzzle C.C. I didn't get the theme because my local paper no longer carries the LA Times CW, so I didn't see any circles in the online version. But after Steve 'splained it, I could see the "cards."
There have been some "letters to the editor" in the local rag complaining about the loss of the LA Times CW, so it looks like I'm not the only one here upset with the change.
Rain, rain, rain. But we need it, so I won't complain too much. Just so we don't get any flooding or wet basements.
Hope you all have a great day.
Back to the Corner after being MIA or only having time to lurk due to busy time gardening, canning and organizing my 40th class reunion last weekend. Wonderful time reconnecting.
Straightforward puzzle today. I got held up by putting Else for ALSO and that made my RSVP yes instead of NOS but BEAST cured that.
Our Toronto Blue Jays don't need WILD CARD this year. 1st in the AL East at the moment with doubleheader today. Tickets are impossible to get as fan fever is so high. We have not had many sports teams to cheer about in the postseason for a while.
Happy BD to Pje and husband.
Good Morning:
What a timely and well-executed theme from our resident baseball ⚾️ maven! Had a bit of crunch but no real setbacks. Like TTP, I had rot before mar and hastily filled in I Pass before perps called for I'm Out. Lots of good, strong fill and deceptive* cluing made this a very enjoyable solve. *CC is becoming a master at this.
Howard W, I love your sense of humor! Turtle, turtle, indeed!🐢🐢
Happy Birthday to Pat and hubby; hope you both have a wonderful day.
As far as yesterday's experience with the removal of the stitches and follow-up care and the present state of affairs, I'll let our good friend, Thumper, have the last word. 💊💊
Thanks, CC, for a mid-week treat and thanks, Steve, for your usual wit and wisdom.
Have a great day.
C.C. Thank You for a FUN Wednesday puzzle. Really enjoyed the WILD-CARD theme.
Steve: Nice write-up with enough food (PIE, LAMB, BACON) for you.
Happy Birthday to Pat & her husband. PJE do you get to invoke that you are the "Older & Wisest" to him ???
ROADRACE for the "Rolex 24 at Daytona" was a gimmie.
Had BASIC for "No-frills" before PLAIN showed up.
A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
Cheers!
Double B'day wishes to Pat and heer younger (by a few hours) half!
I had a natick at the cross of PAN and SNERT, but guessed the 'N' correctly. I've never heard of Yelp or Pan.
Steve,
Thanks for the musical interlude and your exposé on POKE--I'd often wondered about the word, but never when I was close to a reference to look it up.
Actually, the Munich thing should be Munich, Bavaria. BAYERN is German for Bavaria more than Bavarians. Bayerisch would be the adjective for a person, or else the noun Bayer. I agree the translations often leave much to be desired.
Talking of crying over BULBS, yesterday, I had to change the light over our shower, and on removing the cover, found I needed a 60 W regular bulb. After trying a new efficient squiggly one and finding it wouldn't work, I went searching the house for a regular one and had to steal one from the basement, which then I needed to replace. But first I tried unsuccessfully with the squiggly, which also didn't work there, and which broke when I dropped it on the concrete floor. So after cleaning that mess up, I resorted to using a 75 W which could work there. So now I have to shop for a supply of both regular wattages and hope they haven't stopped selling them.
Marti,
Thanks again for the tip last year on freezing dollops of pesto. I did a huge batch last weekend, having found it really convenient last year!
Why am I not surprised about the relative anonymity of Steven Chu as a US Secretary. As a Nobel Prize winner, ( the first, and the last ? ) he was way over qualified for his job. What is surprising is that he lasted so long.
Lemonade, I am not suprised your exgirlfriend wanted to check your drivers license. Virgos are a suspicious lot. 'Trust, but verify'.
I don't know if its just me, but I thought there were a more than a statistical average of pig related clues today.
I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, C.C.! I could tell it was one of yours right away. You have a great command of the English language, and I loved all the word play today. (Kitchen bulb, punch source, artist's pad. ) Also the wild hog/boar/bacon/hog lover bit. Lots of food today, and Tinbeni added to it with "toast".
Howard, turtle, turtle makes perfect sense to me!
Steve was having a lot of fun with his reveal today, which made me smile.
Hagar the Horrible is one comic strip that I read faithfully, so Snert was a gimme. Speaking of Scandinavians, my city's big festival, Hostfest, kicked off last evening. Four days of Scandinavian food, music, crafts, and more food! Tons of people in RVs come and stay for the whole thing, and tour buses from the US and Canada are chartered just to bring hordes of people
for it. Has anyone on the blog tried lutefisk?
.
All in all, a very enjoyable way to start the day!
Happy birthday to Pat and hubby!
Happy birthday to PJE & hubby.
CC had me struggling today, especially in the North. Central and South got me going with only one or two delays. Ended up sussing the North, but I wasn't sure until I came here and checked my entries to the printed solve. Everything A OK.
BOARS & BEASTS.....certainly a wild start! My resident artist doesn't have a lLOFT, but does have a studio. I've often threatened to require guests to sign a waiver before entering!
Knowing who constructed todays puzzle, I wanted coach for 26A before CARAT appeared.
When I played baseball I always wore Teddy Ballgames # NINE if it was a available. He was the only Red Sox I've ever liked because he, like me, was a lefty batter and he never wore a tie. I have always disliked wearing a tie.
Rain has finally arrived. A portion of my brown lawn is now a mud bath. Plenty of leaves down, but so far all the trees are still erect.
Enjoyed the puzzle a lot today. And found it very timely. Paper did have circles, so I could see that once the reveal was solved. Good job C.C. and thanks Steve for the intro.
Qli, I've had lutefisk. But only once nearly 40 years ago at Christmas. But we do eat potato sausage frequently, when we can find a decent version. Luckily, there's a Swedish town about 65 miles from us that sells a great product in the local grocery. The times I've bought it in Lincoln have all been serious disappointments.
Good morning everyone.
Good intro, Steve. Thank you.
Good puzzle, C.C. Some fresh fill and much fresh cluing. Got the CARD schtick early and looked for some combination of C A R D in the other circled groups. Favorite fill was PIG-IN-A-POKE. Relatively easy for a Wednesday. No searches, no erasures were needed.
BAVARIA - Calling it a state is probably correct since they call themselves Freistaat Bayern (Free state of Bavaria). Politically each German state is a 'Land' (plural Länder).
To shuffle the CARDS, or the deck give a RIFFLE
Or play 52 pick-up if the deal he should whiffle
Reveals with clarity
A person's dexterity,
And if betting in poker would be beneficial.
Hondo, I also bat left-handed and detest neckties. Do you s'pose it's a genetic thing?
QLI, hand up for having lutefisk for the first and last time back in my ute. My dad, the funeral director, used to drag us to all the area church socials so he could "check up on his live prospects." There's a great description of lutefisk in Drop Dead Gorgeous, but I was unable to find the clip. Basically, it's raw cod that's been cured in lye until it becomes a gelatinous mess. Not my cup of meat. Those Norse folk had some strong stomachs.
How is 4D balanced by the reveal at 39D? The crossing of the circles, which adds an extra 'a' to the theme, still puzzles me.
Good morning all!
Fun puzzle as always from C.C. - was waiting for the baseball clues since I couldn't see the circles it took a little bit! I was up late last night watching the Dodgers clinch the NL West and shut out the Giants. We will go on to play the Mets. If the Dodgers and the CARDinals play each other I'm going to try and go see them in STL (it's only three hours from me.)
Fun write up Steve - I was wondering what the moussaka was and am about to ask my hubs to make it for me! Sounds amazing!
Wishing you all a great day!
tawnya
Congrats- Chairman C.C.
Animals across the top, wild and tame, BOARS, BEAST, & PET. Add some LAMB and the other animal, Miley Cyrus, and we have a regular zoo. Marina Del REY was also what I was thinking as both the song and singer are unknowns. Big name in organic foods?- I think that all foods have carbon but EDEN was solved by perps. I think the term 'organic' is a misnomer. When I was a kid it was called 'natural foods', but I always wondered what 'unnatural foods' were. BIC was easily guessable because of the 'Clic' word in the clue.
Circles? I never look at them. But the puzzle filled very easily.
BBC Biased? Steve you're kidding. They are amateurs up next to NPR.
Congrats CC on another puzzle, my you have been busy lately!
At 1st I thought I was going to be in trouble because I could not make sense of any of the clues. (I.E. 22A punch source, Host?) Unfortunately I approach a puzzle like everything else in life, with my stomach first... But wild card was a gimme. The puzzle stitched itself together quickly after that (like darning an old sock...) Like xtulmkr@10:23, that crowded card gave me some agita (as I am sure it did you) but being a Wednesday level puzzle, I cannot see ripping the whole dang thing apart just to make it harder...
Owen, bravo! A timely entrance, & well worth the wait.
Howard W, LOL!
Lutefisk was learned from a puzzle about a year ago. (yuck!)
Kazie, squiggly bulb? Do you mean those compact fluorescent lights?
Pls be careful disposing them. They contain mercury, which can cause neurological damage.
(I broke one changing a bulb in the basement. & I have been posting silly pics on some blog ever since...)
(cont...)
Loved the puzzle, C.C. Had me going for a while with the witty cluing, but finished it in longer time that it should have. Thanks for the challenge!
Nice write-up, Steve. Glad you got some foodies to ponder on.
Well, I love C.C. puzzles but this one started out as a toughie, and at first I got nothing except the SW corner. But slowly, slowly it filled in, and it really helped that I got the theme circles even before the reveal. So thank you for a fun challenge, C.C. And I loved the SNERT cartoon, Steve.
Love your little icons, Irish Miss. Hope the news on the hand is good.
Happy birthdays, Pat and husband! You two were clearly meant for each other!
Have a great Wednesday, everybody!
Greetings, friends!
Happy birthday Mr. & Mrs. pje! Make it a good one.
Very nice, C.C. and Steve. I liked this even though it was all about baseball and luckily easy to solve. You are such a CARD, Steve. I loved the Marina del Rey joke!
And thank you for explaining PIG in a poke which I never did understand.
Hand up for ROT before MAR. That was the only misstep among all the clever misdirections. I liked the BOARS, BEAST and PET trio.
Once when a service technician was here I mentioned having seen the review about him in YELP and he gave me a discount.
Have a great day, everyone!
(Cont...)
Happy Birthday PJE & Company...
CC, Here's me once I figured the Theme...
But this is how I started the puzzle...
I did have fun unscrambling all those cards, reminds me of another puzzle though...
& finally, anyone who would buy an animal in a bag is the definition of a ninny!
But in looking for a funny pic for "Pig in a poke," (there are none,) I found this pic
which at 1st seems adorable. But I assure you, it is not what it seems. Guess what is really going on in this pic!
4D balanced by the reveal at 39D? I'm still trying to figure the extra "A" out. Someone help explain please.
C.C= Sports.....But, thankfully, it didn't prove to be a problem today.
As a cook. I appreciated the kitchen bulb clue.
Anyone watch Blindspot? This new TV show on NBC is amazing! I could see a crossover event with The Blacklist. This season has, surprisingly, come up with better than the usual ho hum, stale variety of pilots. Anyone have any favorites yet?
A smooth sail with no big problems. Only unknown was CHU, which filled in by perps.
That's about it. A pleasant day to you all.
Hi gang -
HBD, Pat et Al. [Don't know why I think his name is Al. Just seems like it aughta be.]
A baseball themed puzzle from C. C.! All is right with the world.
To get the circles and always have a good view of the puzzle, get it from Cruciverb, and use across light.
You don't usually get such perfect symmetry in a circled theme. Note that in the four horizontal theme entries, the circles sequences is always two squares off the edge. This gets a major WOW!
xtulmkr - ROAD RACE and WILD CARD are symmetrically placed in the grid. One is the only vertical theme entry, the other is the reveal. The fact that the 17A and 4 D circle arrays are adjacent is of no consequence. This is supremely elegant construction. Throw in clever cluing, and this one gets an A+.
I found this one to be pretty crunchy for a Wednesday, but well worth the effort.
Cool Regards!
JzB
S. V. @ yesterday -
Yes, THE HEARD costumes do make some sound.
Here is some background informationHere is some background information.
Cheers!
JzB
JzB, that suit makes some sort of rustling sound, like Poe's "silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain". I was expecting more of a thundering HEARD.
TTP what part of Louisiana you from ?
Really liked CC' s puzzle today. An elegant construction deserves an equally elegant analysis which Jazz provided regarding the theme. Steve did a great job as well. Funny one with Marina Del Rey.
Dave, I hope kitty was getting a bath. He looks concerned. All of my cats HATED getting wet.
Don't think my stomach would allow me to try fish treated with, of all things LYE. Really? Cast iron innards for sure.
Anon@1:15 -- I suspect that cat was getting either a) flea dip or b) dip for a fungal infection like ringworm. I hope it wasn't flea dip -- I almost killed a cat that way once. We've got a cat (the whitish one in my avatar) who loves to get wet. She sits nearby when I'm shaving, swishing her tail in the sink. Afterward, she patiently waits for me to pet her with wet hands. Weird.
Good Morning Everyone, A very tight puzzle by C.C. Thanks Steve for the great writeup. I even figured out the scrambled card circles after filling in Cedar Chest and Road Race. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has not heard of the Bic in 1 down. I wasn't sure Bic was the right answer.
The misdirect in Diamond Figure was fun. I wasn't looking for a Carat, but some sort of RBI or other Stat. Our Giants ran out of Diamond Figures last night as the Dodger's won the West in San Francisco last night. Sigh!
Bavaria was a gimme from our visit to Munich a few years back.
Happy Birthday to PJE and her spouse.
Have a great day everyone.
Kazie - just buy an LED bulb. They run cool, save (a lot of) money and last for a LONG time. A bit expensive but well worth it, IMO.
I agree this was a bit crunchy but I got through it.
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, C.C., for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a fine review.
Pje: Happy Birthdays to you and your husband!
Qli: You must live in Minot, ND.
Steve: Liked the MARINA comment. I used to work there.
24A got my attention. I have gone swimming in the Caspian Sea.
Puzzle was great. It did seem a little easy for a Wednesday. But, that is OK.
Theme came together. I did have the circles since I used the newspaper. Clever with scrambled CARD.
Not sure about 1D, BIC. Perps did it.
Did not know EVILA. Perps.
BAVARIA was easy. Have been to Munich, or Munchen. Many years ago.
Have to cut the grass. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
D_O True story. When i was 10/11 ish, had to get dressed for some type of family get together. Was in the middle of
Little League season and my BA was .290-300. My mom wanted me to put on a tie and I was mightily resisting. I said Ted Williams doesn't wear a tie and I won't either. Dad solved it...told me when I hit like Ted, I wouldn't have to wear a tie. Now put the Damn tie on. I did.
What an entertaining puzzle! The theme (Shuffled CARDS made way for WILD CARD) and cluing were great!
Musings
-C.C.’s Twins are 1.5 games out of a WILD CARD slot right now
-LSU’s freshman BEAST! Scroll down for video!
-Low GAS light in truck saved me again today!
-Very nice write-up Steve. I agree, bacon on a veggie burger is like a Diet Coke with a Big Mac.
-Another Lady Castle in the entertainment business
-BIC pens are reliable and ubiquitous
-This VERY expensive machine SITS IDLE for most of the year.
-Tips for tearless ONION peeling
-To annoying child – “I know you will go FAR, and I hope soon!”
-You’ve just won a free cruise! Hmmm… What’s the CATCH?
-I’ve never heard SARAN Wrap referred to as just SARAN
-Why does that lovely BAKERY aroma go away if you’re there for a while?
-A real highlight to our BAVARIAN trip. IDIOT King Ludwig II’s home and a model for Disney.
-HBD Pat! Ever forget hubby’s BD? ☺
An excellent adventure today. Great fill and cluing. Some of the clues fooled me and some didn't; a perfect mix. Thank you, C.C. I'll enjoy some canned smoked eel in your honor. Thank you, Steve, for a fun and interesting write-up.
I sorta kinda remember that, in the movies, Alaska gold rushers would carry their nuggets and gold dust in a poke.
Happy birthday to you both, Pat and Mr. Pat.
I've heard the term Pig in a poke all my life, and learned early that a poke was a bag. Never heard the French connection until today, however. And my mother was half French
Tony Joe White, didn't agree with the spelling, but he did write a song a while back that talked about it Polk Salad Annie
AJ: Not only should it probably have been "poke" (instead of "polk"), it's possible it should have been "sallet" (instead of "salad"), sallet referring to cooked greens. If eaten raw, as in a salad, pokeweed can be toxic. Repeated boiling reduces the toxicity.
All this, of course, from Wikipedia (though there a lot of "citation needed" comments).
Click here for a very interesting video about poke from the Southern Foodways Alliance.
Great puzzle and fun write up. Marina, indeed!
Glad to see you back, Owen, and with a clever ditty worth waiting for. You've been missed.
HBD, Pat and hubby.
Thanks, HG, for the LSU shout-out. He does get into beast mode.
It's amazing what you can learn here. Never heard of sallet. Thanks Mr G.
BTW, a stray comma snuck into my last post. Clearly NOT an Oxford comma, but it was unintentional. Kinda like the stray I's that have been showing up lately. I think it's a conspiracy.
Thanks, C.C., for the great puzzle! I almost finished it! Thanks for the expo, Steve. I forgot to look at the circles so I didn't get the theme. As usual.
For some reason I had 46a oOSY. I didn't check my answers so today I get a FIW.
Thanks for all the birthday good wishes! So far it's been a wonderful day. I spent a couple hours at the shelter with dogs/puppies, and tonight we'll go out for dinner. JxB: his name is Dave. Hope this doesn't disappoint you. Tin: I've never said that, but Dave sometimes, kiddingly, says "When I'm as old as you are---"
I've been lurking for a couple weeks, so belated birthday and anniversary wishes where appropriate. Irish Miss, best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Happy Wednesday!
Pat
Jazzbumpa,
Thanks for the link to the HEARD on Detroit news show. It really shows how beautiful the horse suits are and how graceful and expressive the young dancers are. I hope they made a movie for the parents to get on DVD. Our school events always did. Or does everyone just do iPhone videos now? It would be a great PBS special.
Nice crunchy Wednesday puzzle. Had to use crosses for AVILA, CHU, MAR instead of Rot. Even with the picture by Steve I don't get why the Bic pens are called Media Clic Ice.
I heard of YELP at a job fair, then hadn't seen for a while. Lately saw more reviews. PAN is like a bad movie review. Is the opposite PICK as in PICKS and PANS?
In what book do they eat roast BEAST for Christmas?
Irish Miss,
Does your referral to Thumper mean the line, "If you can't say anything good don't say anything at all?"
I recall feeling great a week after my wisdom teeth were removed and then they took the stitches out!
VS
VS @ 4:09 - Yes, Virginia, that's the line. Let's just say I have had better days. 😔
Irish Miss, better days are coming. I'm pulling for you. Sometimes after I had a Thumper day or two I soon had an outstanding up day. Take heart.
Pat and Dave, Happy birthday. How cool for soulmates to celebrate birthdays together.
My mother used to say "pig in a poke." Curious me, as usual, asked for an explanation which was the one given here. In those days chickens in rural America were bought live and brought home in a burlap sack to be killed by the householder and strung up on a clothesline to bleed out. My dad chose the chicken to be put in the bag. Literal me pictured a pig in a burlap bag, admittedly unwieldy and a foolish purchase.
My mom also talked of bags to hold goods, paper or cloth, large or small, mostly small, as pokes, especially candy in a poke.
In my subsequent reading I found a poke to be a bag holding gold dust, a purse or wallet (long ago) and the smaller bags Civil War soldiers used to organize their goods in their haversacks. All of these were small cloth sacks with a drawstring, not nearly large enough to hold a pig. I think the best explanation of origin is POGUE, pocket.
VirginiaSycamore:
How the Grinch stole Christmas. Kids love it.
Hi All!
Back from Midland and did a printed-out puzzle on the PLAIN (oops, wrong one) trip home. Thanks C.C., it made the time fly by...
I struggled at first w/ only the east filling out. I took a nap, WOKE, and channeled my inner C.C. Oh, MAR, not rot (and WEES)
The problem I had in the west was writing sponsor in at 5d after reading 4d's clue. Boy, what an IDIOT move.
Fav - BVD c/a. Runner up PIG IN A POKE. Pop says that and I always pictured a pig poking his head through a fence and can't back out. Later I learned what Steve said. I still get that image in my head tho.
Three weeks ago we discussed the WSJ publishing an x-word. The hotel in Midland had the WSJ for free so I played yesterday's & today's. I find them one day less hard than the LAT (like LAT is to the NYT - at least to me).
What Qli said re: pork. Loved it C.C.!
D-O - I read that article on Dr. rating. All I could think is "really?" I get rating food or other services, but folks helping you? There was ratemyteacher.com or some such; DW was 3.? chili-peppers "hot," "hard but fair," and "don't take her if you don't have time to study." My fav's were PANs with such poor grammar I could see why DW failed them.
Boo L - TTP is from HOU and now is in CHI; we swapped states.
HBD pje & hubby!
I'M OUT, -T
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