Theme: Debut Too~!!
Words: 72 (missing J,Q,V,X,Z)
Blocks: 31
So another new constructor for our Saturday struggle~! I did not see
Kyle's name on the list of authors for the LA Times, and I am not a
regular solver of the NYT. Whenever I see a new name, I realize that I
have no experience with their puzzles, and this cuts both ways - is this
going to be brutal, or a breeze~!? Nothing terribly intimidating about
the grid - triple 8x5s and 9x6s constitute the longest answers. A little
heavy on the proper names again, but I did get through without a look
up or red letters. One from each corner;
17a. Criminology concerns : PATTERNS
14d. "Piece of cake" : EASY PEASY - ah, not "AS PIE"
65a. French for "stick" : BAGUETTE
32d. The Na'vi in "Avatar," for one : ALIEN RACE
OlgaWARD~!
ACROSS:
ACROSS:
1. "You're kidding, right?" : "WAIT, WHAT~?"
9. Will matter : ESTATE - First thought, late fill
15. "I give up" : IT'S NO USE - took a moment to parse this, having "NOUS" in the middle
16. Onomatopoeic dance : CHA-CHA - there was a time when I knew how to do this dance
18. Weapons used on mounts : LANCES - big help in the NE
19. "Out of the Blue" band : ELO - total WAG, but then again, three-letter bands....
20. Beyond harmful : LETHAL
22*. Pabst brand originally brewed in Washington, familiarly : OLY - not a brand I am familiar with; filled via perps
23. They're slow to pick things up : SLOBS - I prefer neat and tidy, unless I am in the middle of a project; then it gets a bit cluttered; my bathroom project just had a deadline added - but a good one if there ever was such a thing
26. Weaken : ABATE
27. Runner's distance : LAP
28. Fall deliveries? : LIBRAS - fresh way to clue astrological signs
30. Play or school follower : MATE - playmate, schoolmate
31*. Alouette 1 satellite launcher : CANADA - Sounded Frawnche, so I put FRANCE in; Canada is "half" French, so I was close....
34. Catch : NAB - waffled in the middle here, had SPY, then GET
36. "Good __!" : IDEA - not LUCK
37*. Oakland's county : ALAMEDA - guessed from A --- A
39. Like some beaches : TOPLESS - all beaches are topless, for guys....
9. Will matter : ESTATE - First thought, late fill
15. "I give up" : IT'S NO USE - took a moment to parse this, having "NOUS" in the middle
16. Onomatopoeic dance : CHA-CHA - there was a time when I knew how to do this dance
18. Weapons used on mounts : LANCES - big help in the NE
19. "Out of the Blue" band : ELO - total WAG, but then again, three-letter bands....
20. Beyond harmful : LETHAL
22*. Pabst brand originally brewed in Washington, familiarly : OLY - not a brand I am familiar with; filled via perps
23. They're slow to pick things up : SLOBS - I prefer neat and tidy, unless I am in the middle of a project; then it gets a bit cluttered; my bathroom project just had a deadline added - but a good one if there ever was such a thing
26. Weaken : ABATE
27. Runner's distance : LAP
28. Fall deliveries? : LIBRAS - fresh way to clue astrological signs
30. Play or school follower : MATE - playmate, schoolmate
31*. Alouette 1 satellite launcher : CANADA - Sounded Frawnche, so I put FRANCE in; Canada is "half" French, so I was close....
34. Catch : NAB - waffled in the middle here, had SPY, then GET
36. "Good __!" : IDEA - not LUCK
37*. Oakland's county : ALAMEDA - guessed from A --- A
39. Like some beaches : TOPLESS - all beaches are topless, for guys....
41. Gimlet flavor : LIME - I tried MINT; thinking Julep - must be a Kentucky Derby thing....
42*. 2011 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee : ELS - about the only three-letter golfing name I know
44. By the fire, say : TOASTY - I might be getting toasty by the fake fireplace in less than two weeks - I'll keep you posted~!
42*. 2011 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee : ELS - about the only three-letter golfing name I know
44. By the fire, say : TOASTY - I might be getting toasty by the fake fireplace in less than two weeks - I'll keep you posted~!
45. Sediment : LEES - familiar with this because I made my own beer in college - potent stuff
46. Programming language named for a comedy group : PYTHON - don't know the language, but I do know the comedy
I move...for no man
48*. "The world's an __": Dryden : INN - perps
49*. Mexican painter Frida : KAHLO
51*. Teamsters president James : HOFFA - ah. Clued as "Jimmy", I would've known
55. Gp. with carriers : NRA - gun club - packing heat
56. Like old timers? : ANALOG - got it
look closely....
58. Word in many Mexican place names : LAS - tried SAN - that was 100% 33.3% correct; or, 67% correct 33.3% - you tell me, D-otto
59. Egg, perhaps : GAMETE
61. More than one can handle : A BIT MUCH
64. Stuck at a chalet, maybe : ICED IN - run away Tin~!!!
66. Fit one within another : NESTED
Russian Matryoshka
DOWN:
1. Babies"R"Us buys : WIPES
2. Even a little : AT ALL
3. Half a playground exchange : IS TOO~!
4. Stuff that goes kablooey : TNT
5. Trouble : WOE
6. Give a good toss : HURL
7. Equally close : AS NEAR - on the UK show Top Gear, Jeremy would frequently say "as near as makes no difference..." referring to a car's 200mph, 700hp, etc.
8. 1996 treaty subject : TEST BAN
9. Panache : ECLAT
10. Fissile rock : SHALE
11. Light shade ... or avoid the shade? : TAN - the adjective and the verb; here's the noun ;7))
12. Praise : ACCOLADES
13. Gossip's stock-in-trade : THE LATEST
21. Goes after : HAS AT - see above, 46a, @ 4:05 for an example
24. Holds accountable : BLAMES
25. Perspective : SIDE
29. Ordered : BADE
30. Pepperidge Farm treat : MILANO
13. Gossip's stock-in-trade : THE LATEST
21. Goes after : HAS AT - see above, 46a, @ 4:05 for an example
24. Holds accountable : BLAMES
25. Perspective : SIDE
29. Ordered : BADE
30. Pepperidge Farm treat : MILANO
31. Joining the radio show : CALLING IN - I went with PHONING in, and that messed up the whole SW corner
33. Rat : NAME NAMES - the verb in this instance
35. "Ice cream or cake?" response, perhaps : BOTH
38. Highest-ranking : ALPHA
40. Bear with a "thotful spot" : POOH
43. Educational outlines : SYLLABI
47. "Poor baby!" : "TOO BAD~!"
49*. Holmes of "Touched With Fire" : KATIE
50. Words spoken after coming to? : AN END - today's write-up is "coming to an end"
52. High wind? : FLUTE - not fooled, knew we were looking for an orchestra instrument
53. They can be hard to face : FACTS
54. Grill leftovers : ASHES - eh. More like fire leftovers; grill to me implies food
57*. 1951 title role for Audrey : GIGI
60. Abbr. on a Miami itinerary : EDT - I am anticipating an airport arrival soon, and they, too, will have Eastern Daylight Time stamped on their paperwork
62. Pull : TUG
63. Marseille sight : MER - and we come to an end with more Frawnche
33. Rat : NAME NAMES - the verb in this instance
35. "Ice cream or cake?" response, perhaps : BOTH
38. Highest-ranking : ALPHA
40. Bear with a "thotful spot" : POOH
43. Educational outlines : SYLLABI
47. "Poor baby!" : "TOO BAD~!"
49*. Holmes of "Touched With Fire" : KATIE
50. Words spoken after coming to? : AN END - today's write-up is "coming to an end"
52. High wind? : FLUTE - not fooled, knew we were looking for an orchestra instrument
53. They can be hard to face : FACTS
54. Grill leftovers : ASHES - eh. More like fire leftovers; grill to me implies food
57*. 1951 title role for Audrey : GIGI
60. Abbr. on a Miami itinerary : EDT - I am anticipating an airport arrival soon, and they, too, will have Eastern Daylight Time stamped on their paperwork
62. Pull : TUG
63. Marseille sight : MER - and we come to an end with more Frawnche
Splynter
FIW. Had no idea what the Miami clue was, and misspelt GAMaTE. Otherwise, though, not as hard as most Saturdays.
ReplyDeleteVincent de Milo went to TAN on a beach,
But when he got there, only legs did he meet!
All torsos were truncated
From trunks up, they just faded,
A signboard said, "TOPLESS, but please be disceet"!
Some folks hope my LIMEricks will COME TO AN END.
With the anguish to English they can no longer contend.
Double-takes, WAIT, WHAT?
Twisted puns, A BIT MUCH,
IT'S NO USE, for my muse don't intend to suspend![sic]
GIGI, to be ready for any romance
Studied ballet to learn how to prance.
Also PATTERNS of waltzes
And CHA-CHA and salsas,
Now she's a maven -- of the TOPLESS LAP dance!
{B, B-, B.}
At Villa Incognito you will NEVER be "_ _ _d In" ...
ReplyDeleteI prefer the nude beach at Hedonism II -v- TOPLESS Beaches.
(If you're NOT going to "Go-ALL-the-way ... Why-go-at-ALL) ... LOL
As for my Kentucky Derby prediction ...
I'll go with Outwork (at 15-1) since that was my work-PATTERNS back in the day.
Happy Mother's Day Eve!
Cheers!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteMade slow, but steady, progress through this one. I really, really wanted SERIOUSLY at 1A, but it just wouldn't fit. WAIT, WHAT was a bit of a let down when it finally appeared via the perps. And a big hand up for EASY AS PIE before EASY PEASY, which mucked up the entire NE for a long time. It wasn't TOO BAD, though, and I was never tempted to cry IT'S NO USE...
I'd heard of the the programming language PYTHON since my son is taking some online programming courses, but I never knew it was named for Monty PYTHON. Learning moment of the day!
Speaking of my son, he's got a piano recital this morning, so I'm off and running...
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteYes, the "cake" at 14d made AS PIE the obvious choice. Not! Was thinking school/play DATE, but DILANO made no sense. Fixed. I agree that WAIT, WHAT? seems an awkward way to start off a cw -- more like something a constructor might get boxed into late in the process. The best thing about Saturday puzzles: I'm not humbled by missing another theme.
Splynter, Only the A was correct, so I'd definitely go with 100% 33-1/3%. That mystery beer was OLYmpia. It originally had a cult following (and watery flavor) similar to Coors. It was big on the left coast.
Interesting and not too bad for a Saturday.
ReplyDeleteSaturday CWs are just too much for me. Rarely, do I manage to honestly complete one. Today totally cheated my way to a fill, hoping I would at least learn something along the way. Not very satisfying, though, to cheat my way to a fill. I admire the wit of CW constructors, though, and appreciate Kyle's effort today, thanx, Kyle! And thanx, too, for a fine write-up, Splynter! Owen, you've urged people to rate your limericks. I think people are reluctant to do so because it is uncomfortable to rate someone else on something you yourself can't do. While I'm no good at limericks, either, if pressed, I'd rate today as B, B, A. Big air-show here in Fort Lauderdale today.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the smoothest Saturday solve ever. Fun puzzle, thank you Kyle. Entertaining expo, thanks Splynter. The northeast horizontals took a lot of perps to suss, but the perps were there. Strangely enough, EASYPEASY was my first thought. I'm glad it wasn't EASYaspie. That may have taken dynamite to dislodge it.
ReplyDeleteKentucky Derby party today for a few friends. Plenty of adult beverages including Mint Juleps for those who care (or dare), plus Hot Brown sandwiches, hand-cut twice cooked French fries, lots of horse duvers, etc. I won't pick a winner, though it will not surprise me if it's Nyquist. I'll cheer for whichever horse I get in the pool. DW and I really enjoy the ponies. I know that there are a lot of baseball fans in this corner, but I believe that there is more drama in a 2 minute horse race than there is a 2 hour ball game. Gotta go and get ready.
Cya!
Good Morning!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kyle, for a fine start to my day filled with U-9 soccer games. (I still don't know if they're games or matches.) I could not for the life of me see coming to AN END!! So correctly placed also! I just read a recipe (Food.com) for a TOASTY BAGUETTE slice topped with avocado, bacon and maple syrup! Nicely done CW. Thanks!
Splynter, I do admit to being nervous about your tour of TOPLESS beaches. Nicely done! I always look forward to your Saturday repartee. Thanks!
Faster than my usual Saturday solve, but still took a lot of partial fills and waiting -- like waiting to see if it would be SAN or LOS or LAS for the Mexican place name. OLY was easy as Olympia beer is the only long time beer brewed in Washington state- lots of microbrews there these days.
ReplyDeleteLearning moment was GIGI - knew Leslie Caron played her in the 1958 movie musical, but didn't know Audrey Hepburn played her in the stage play in 1951 on Broadway.
Thanks Splynter, and congrats Kyle!
Quite the debut. About a typical Saturday time, any number of ESPs and very few gimme's. Biggest problem was having NESTle before Nested. Took a long time to give that up. Didn't feel very confident about Kahlo, but it had to be.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kyle and Splynter.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was an absolute bear for me, with the NW section the last to fall. (What the heck is ITS NOUSE?) Wait, what was slow coming, as well. I did finish w/o help, but it was a long, slow slog.
Kudos, Kyle, for a Saturday Stumper and thanks, Splynter, for a spunky summary. BTW, just exactly where are you going to be in two weeks, possibly?
Tin, you just can't escape those _ _ _ y clutches!!!
Bluehen, your menu sounds yummy! How are you progressing with your rehab?
Have a great day.
In time for the Kentucky Derby later today Kyle has a true daily double with both this puzzle and the NYT. Congrats Kyle. We have more and more BUT regulars appearing here.
ReplyDeleteAlso our own C.C. built the Wall Street Journal super size for today.
My degenerate gambling friend says Nyquist all the way.
Btw the puzzle was fun and a pleasant Saturday morning diversion.
Thanks
re. 57 D. Was it not Leslie Caron that starred in "GiGi"?
ReplyDeleteJames Hoffa is the current Teamsters president and the son of Jimmy Hoffa. And someday I hoping that the answer to "Out of the Blue band" (which pops up a few times a year here) will be Roxy Music.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteNice debut puzzle, Kyle. You hit the Saturday toughness level on the head. Even after filling it in with beacoup (frawnche) Red Letter help, some of it just looked like random letters instead of words. Then Splynter 'splained it and the V-8 Can head slap was applied.
I never brewed my own beer so LEES didn't mean a thing to me. Also, I never heard of OLY beer, too far west for me. SNOWEDIN made more sense to me than ICEDIN, but it didn't fit. Perps were today's saviors.
All but two of the Kentucky Derby horses today were raised in Kentucky. The two that hailed from Pennsylvania are Mor Spirit and Tom's Ready, so I guess I'll be pulling for them.
I have to run to the post office to mail boxes of local (Middleswarth) potato chips that my kids and grandkids love, but can't get in New Jersey and Maryland. My daughter mails boxes of cookies to me, so this is my payback.
Enjoy the race today and I wish all mothers a Happy Mother's Day tomorrow.
ReplyDelete"We have more and more BUT regulars appearing here."
What ?
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteEasy romp today, especially by Saturday standards. What would usually be unknowns happened to be familar - frinstance, I was introduced to the artwork of Frida Kahlo some years ago by a local artist/admirer thereof. Only erasure was Ariane before Canada - I had wrongly assumed the satellite was built and launched by France.
Morning, Splynter, those fireplaces have become popular on the south half of my relatively rural road. That's because that end has natural gas available, a rare thing around here. The pipeline is just a shade too far away from my house, dammit.
BlueHen 8:13 - I smiled right out loud at horse duvers! Very fitting.
You’d think I’d learn to start and the bottom, but NOOOOO! A fun fill starting in Florida and finishing in Washington.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-WAIT, WHAT? I thought Stick in French was Baton and the BAGUETTE I eat at Panera’s was a hard roll
-My friend says his ESTATE plan is to spend his last dollar on the day he dies
-The LANCE work on The Tudors is very realistic!
-A track LAP was 440 yards when I was in school and now it is 437.45 yards (400 meters)
-The Oakland Raiders and A’s play in Oakland/ALAMEDA stadium
-I DIGRESS
-A girl where I sub HURLED the discus for the 9th longest throw in Nebraska history. The weather hasn’t been right for her to repeat. She needs to throw into a good wind.
-On The Price Is Right, you want to be AS NEAR as you can without going over
-Confidently placed ADULATION gave way to ACCOLADES
-It depends on your perspective
-Some people did and some did not NAME NAMES in front of McCarthy’s HUAC committee
-10 graduation parties this weekend. Cake and Ice Cream? BOTH!
Many starts and stops today before finally finishing. The NW gave the most trouble as I first thought 'THAT IS IT?' and AIL before WAIT WHAT and WOE took their places. The only gimmes today were ALAMEDA, HOFFA, and of course ELS, aka 'The Big Easy'. OLY and KAHLO are words that I've never seen before.
ReplyDeleteIt took more than a few WAGs to get going and CHA CHA was the wildest. I hope today that some of the trolls don't decide to NAME NAMES.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kyle for a fun puzzle. Like most Sats, they're A BIT MUCH for me. I had to crib from Splynter's grid to finish. Today's cheats were in the NW. Thanks Splynter - WIPES never came to me (I had 'store' scribbled to the side). Always a fun post-puzzle-post from you.
11d (TAN) was my Rosetta Stone for the NE though I almost put in PBR @22a. Since I didn't, no WOs there.
46a (PYTHON) broke up the central and then worked my way to SE and back to the SW. KAHLO was ESP. WO: 50d - Coming to A HEAD fit until I was ICED IN to changing it.
While Perl is my favorite hammer, PYTHON is OK. I'm an old-timer and prefer a ; to END my command.
I've brewed beer (and will again when girls head to college) but LEES was still ESP and a WAIT, WHAT?
But, alas, ITS NO USE for me in the NW. ELO was the only thing correct. I BLAMES 1d.
Fav: c/a for FACTS - some folks just won't face 'em esp. when arguing politics; they seem to have their own set.
C/a for FLUTE was cute too. Think Rich would ever accept Farts for low winds?
{B, A (puzzle-propos), B}
CSO to CANADiAn, Eh! I read about the fire. Glad to know you're far away.
C.C. You clobbered me yesterday (DNF). Thanks to BOTH you & Lem. I didn't post 'cuz I fell asleep at 6p and didn't get up until 7a. I needed rest after my vacation :-)
So, to go OFF CLOROR w/ PYTHON, Nudge, Nudge
Cheers, -T
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteGot it all except for one letter; M in MILANO. Not familiar with it. Was thinking of France with Alouette, but perps insisted on CANADA; made sense. KAHLO came from perps.
Favorite cluing was for LIBRAS.
IS TOO; TOO BAD - TOO twice. Isn't there some kind of rule about that? (Not trying to be pedantic.)
Great job as always, Splynter. Thank you.
Hi Y'all! Not EASY PEASY! Groan!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Splynter. Do you have a mail-order bride coming?
Not too bad of a challenge today. Last to fall was KAHLO. Congrats on your debuts, Kyle!
ReplyDeleteSplynter, might it be too warm for a fire in a few weeks? LOL! Great job!
Wwaaaaay over my head today! But I enjoyed some of the clever clues. Thanks, Splynter, for trying to educate me.
ReplyDeleteCanadian Eh, we are getting lots of coverage of your tragedy. I hope it will be under control soon.
Good verses today, Owen! Don't let your muse desert you!
Kyle Mahowald gave us a doozy today though the entire east coast filled quickly. I smiled at EASYPEASY. And I'm surprised so many don't know of the artist, Frida KAHLO. Salma Hayek starred in the movie. She was married to the Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera.
ReplyDeleteOn the west coast I floundered not wanting to give up ENO and FRANCE. When I finally did, by changing to ELO and CANADA, it started coming together. And never having seen Avatar it required every perp for ALIENRACE.
Thank you, Kyle and Splynter. I like the idea you might be expecting a mail order bride!
Owen, long may your muses inspire you!
Have a superb day, everyone!
I dood it! I solved this puppy without looking anything up or using red letters, but it took a pleasant 70-80 minutes to finish it, Solid toeholds for me were that I knew Frida KAHLO, POOH, and ALAMEDA county right away. Hand up for entering ARIANE and later finding out it didn't work; CANADA made sense, especially since I had CANA already. Also penciled in MINT at first. Favorite clues were for ESTATE, ANALOG, and AN END. Excellently pleasing puzzle. I remember the OLY commercials: "It's the water, the water, the water..."
ReplyDeleteOur family is beginning the planning for getting together at the San Luis Obispo - Pismo Beach area this summer. LW and I are having fun looking at houses for rent on Airbnb. I've already decided in my head on a nice house right on the beach; it has a patio, actually more like a balcony, from which there is a pretty view of the beach and the sunset. Medium priced.
Best wishes to you all.
Back in the day, Coors was distributed in a pretty small area and it was highly sought after in the areas it wasn't available. I know, I know, it ain't worth it. But it had a certain panache that was undeniable regardless of taste. Olympia made a valiant attempt to cash in on that when they went nationwide by hoping the public would think it "highly similar". I don't think it ever really paid off, but I guess you can't blame them for trying.
ReplyDeleteThe clue for Audrey Hepburn was just a bit devious today. I had really, really wanted Sabrina, but it fidn't dit. Had to wait for the second GI from perps before I got the answer. Never thought about the movie being later and starring Leslie Caron. Sometimes ignorance really is blissful....or at least effective.
We've got a smoke shroud on our surrounding landscape. Visibility is less than 3 miles as I type. The wind is out of the east, so it can't be Kansas Flint Hills burns, but it's every bit as intense. I've never seen anything quite this grey aside from those KS shrouds. I'm only hoping that this is a prescribed burn, and that it's under control.
I got tired of working it and just put it down, too nice a day to keep at it.
ReplyDeleteAs the Kentucky Derby is about to start, they just announced "Please rise for the playing My Old Kentucky Home". I couldn't help but notice that they didn't say "and remove your hats". That alone could cause a riot. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt was very hard to get started, but once I cracked a whole corner (the SW was the first to go) I gained the confidence to plow my way through the whole thing. No lookups - except to confirm some not-so-sure answers.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I wonder why, after some years of cracking Xwds, I still talk about "confidence" as a factor in solving them. I mean, one might think that by now I could trust my code-cracking skills enough to leave confidence out of the picture. But my mind needs some early success as a salve to allay tensions that, unaddressed or untreated, are able to block my view of answers.
On another matter, I agree with those who complain about WAIT WHAT. I believe Xwd phrases should be recognizable, limited to familiar catch combos, such as IT'S NO USE and I DIGRESS, not just any possible expressions.
Hi again~!
ReplyDeleteFor those of you kind enough to inquire, yes, I met someone on Match, and yes, she is from Russia. She was planning on coming in two weeks, but as expected, we have hit a snag. Oh well - at least I have three more months left on Match~!
Thanks for all the positive comments~!
Splynter
We love you,Splynter !
ReplyDeleteYes, another hand up for Ariane before Canada.
ReplyDelete