Theme: Losing Sleep
18. Cook's reply to 37-Across?: HAVE A SNACK.
23. Librarian's reply to 37-Across?: READ A BOOK.
48. Trainer's reply to 37-Across?: TAKE A WALK.
57. Auditor's reply to 37-Across?: COUNT SHEEP.
37. Insomniac's lament: I CAN'T GET TO SLEEP.
Across:
1. Lamb bearers: EWES.
5. Common Vegas hotel room amenities: SAFES.
10. Tea holders: TINS. The librarian in 23A would like these:
14. Herod sent them to Bethlehem: MAGI.
15. Full of energy: ALIVE.
16. __ Day: Bayer vitamin brand: ONE A.
17. Faction: BLOC.
20. Nightmarish street of film: ELM.
21. Gimlet garnish: LIME.
22. Dr. Reid in "Criminal Minds," familiarly: SPENCE.
26. Double Stuf treats: OREOS. Who knew there were so many Oreo flavors?
27. "That's __ to me": NEWS. Like the Oreos.
28. "__ and the Real Girl": 2007 film: LARS.
30. Operatic solos: ARIAS.
32. Spook: HAUNT.
34. Animal house: ZOO.
40. Canadian singer DeMarco: MAC.
41. Of help: UTILE. Tricky.
42. Slugger Barry: BONDS.
43. Big fusses: ADOS.
44. Remnant: DREG.
45. Buffalo NHL player: SABRE.
53. Photographer Alda married to Alan: ARLENE. Sweet article.
55. Prefix with pit or pool: CESS. Never heard cesspit before.
56. Classic auto: REO.
59. Flamboyant Dame: EDNA.
60. Word spoken con affetto: CARA. Italian. Merriam Webster: "with feeling and tenderness
— used as a direction in music." Cara means "dear one" in Italian, "friend" in Irish, or "beloved" in Latin - and is also used as a girl's name.
61. Arroz con __: chicken dish: POLLO.
62. Horseback rider's control: REIN.
63. Globes: ORBS.
64. Cake raiser: YEAST.
65. Wilson of Heart et al.: ANNS.
Down:
1. Arson evidence, perhaps: EMBER.
2. Pixar film robot who falls in love with 8-Down: WALL-E. Wall-e meets Eve:
3. Vanity case?: EGOMANIAC. Love it.
4. [Not my bad]: SIC. An adverb denoting that something is quoted as is, including mistakes.
5. Misters, in old India: SAHIBS.
6. Texas tourist spot: ALAMO.
7. The cops: FIVE-O. Originated from the 1970's TV cop show Hawaii 5-0. Hawaii is the 50th state, hence the nickname.
8. Robot who falls in love with 2-Down: EVE.
9. Old salts' haunts: SEAS.
10. Complexion aids: TONERS.
11. Ridiculous: INANE.
12. Wafer maker: NECCO.
13. Sushi bar brews: SAKES.
19. Some exercise tops: SPORTS BRAS. Iconic image - maybe the most famous sports bra in history "was almost never taken."
21. Torts enrollee: LAW STUDENT.
24. Actor James or singer Jimmy: DEAN.
25. 1971 Sutherland title role: KLUTE.
29. Chilean year: ANO.
30. Intent or intend: AIM.
31. Nipper's label: RCA.
32. Bank job: HEIST.
33. NHL's Thrashers: ATL.
34. Meditation setting with rocks and gravel: ZEN GARDEN. So pretty and serene.
35. Exhaustive ref.: OED. Oxford English Dictionary. Dictionaries are among the most requested books by American prisoners.
36. Black __: OPS. A covert operation or clandestine operation by a
government agency, a military unit or a paramilitary organization. This
can include activities by private companies or groups. Also a "first person shooter" video game.
38. Sporty '60s Pontiac: GTO.
39. MGM mogul Marcus: LOEW. Wikipedia. Not to be confused with Frederick Loewe, half of Lerner and Loewe.
43. Stadiums: ARENAS.
44. Totalitarian leader: DESPOT.
45. Vanzetti's partner: SACCO. Did not know their story.
46. Like Times Square on New Year's Eve: AROAR.
47. Book jacket entry: BLURB.
49. Swift Northeast train: ACELA. Amtrak route.
50. Ship stabilizers: KEELS.
51. Red Square honoree: LENIN.
52. 34-Down teaching aids: KOANS. How to practice zen koans.
54. Athlete's award: ESPY.
58. Row maker: HOE.
59. Pitcher's stat: ERA.
40 comments:
Mating season, mountain goats have ENERGY to burn.
The air is AROAR with bellows for mates, by rams who yearn!
Ever sure-footed ungulates
Except one who launched into space,
His final words ALIVE were, "I didn't see that EWE turn!"
I have two SAFES, shouldn't they be saves?
If I have two BRAS, could it be that they're braves?
When flagstones were delivered, was I TAKING A WALK?
Can I grow a ZEN GARDEN, planting Ted KOAN talks?
What do they count when SHEEP seek SLEEP ease?
Our language is full of questions like these!
{B (it's an old joke), B.}
Greetings!
Thanks to Blake and mb!
FIR, but a bit of trouble with MAC, LARS, SABRE, ARLENE, KLUTE, ATL, LOEW and KOANS.
Have a great day!
Good morning!
My "Tea holders" began life as CUPS and my "Complexion aids" as COLORS. Oops! Wite-Out, please. Also confused LOEW with LOEB and briefly wondered why the trainer would want him to TAKE A BALK. Everything worked out in the end. Thanx, Blake and Melissa. (Is Blake a new LAT constructor? I don't recognize the name.)
Another taxing day. Gotta run...
I didn't lose any sleep trying to figure this one out but still managed a DNF. I had Marcus LOEB instead of LOEW. KOAN- not a chance, never heard of it so it was TAKE A BALM instead of HIKE for the trainer's suggestion.
Maybe a constructor with theme a puzzle for female rejections of men's advances, such as TAKE A HIKE, GET LOST, ...etc.
NECCO- not any longer. They went out of business last year. Just yesterday there was an article on the front page of the WSJ about 'Sweathearts', their Valentine candy.
Hotel amenities in Vegas? They charge $40/day for 'resort fees'. And what are they. Crummy WiFi and access to the gym & pool. Rip off. The SAFE was built in already.
A&E unknowns solved by perps- SPENCE, MAC Dimarco, LARS and the Real Girl, ARLENE Alda, ANN Wilson, EVE, KLUTE, SACCO. I see fermatprime didn't know them either. The cross of CARA & SACCO was a WAG- didn't know either.
Otto- my tea went from BAGS to URNS and then to TINS. LOEW or LOEB? Take a BALK was not a possibility because I'd never heard of KOAN before and LOAN didn't make sense for a 'teaching aid', unless that teacher wanted a student loan.
FIW x 3. Missed my Wag at the unfortunate cross of SACrO x rARA, and my trainer suggested that I TAKE A bALm instead of a WALK. Trainers I have encountered make me sore, not sleepy. And mOANS seems appropriate for Zen mantras, and I had to guess LOE + b/s/W.
Ani DiFranco got erased for MAC, and my Vegas hotel had robes before SAFES (hookers wouldn't fit).
Didn't know WALL-E, but I loves me some Wyle E. Coyote.
I assume that Criminal Minds is a movie or TV show.
Too much obscure show biz stuff for my taste, but I'm sure other Cornerites will love it.
Melissa B, thanks for the fun review.
Melissa- Shout out to you for posting the story of Sacco and Vanzetti. Scapegoats. History does repeat itself. However, it's no longer the Italians, but the brothers and sisters below our southern boarder. Seems the torch on the Statue of Liberty has been extinguished.
The puzzle took me too long, although I believe this one is at a Wednesday level. I sussed the theme. The difficult ones had good perps, but I couldn't get on the author's wave length. After seeing KOANS, it does ring a very faint bell. I had ANNE for 65 A. Both that and 52 D called for plurals, but I didn't change the E to S. Such obvious mistakes are upsetting. One bad cell. Nice puzzle, Bruce, I enjoyed it and thought the perps made it fair.
I saw a movie about Sacco and Venzetti. Many, even today, believe they were not guilty of murder and were unfairly executed.
Guilty?
The icy tree branches sparkle in the sun like rhinestones. Fortunately the temp is above freezing and the ice is melting. Most of the roads are clear.
Good morning everyone.
A little choppy crossing but everything turned out alright. @ 12d, due to the font, I kept reading 'water' for 'wafer'. Eventually perps coughed up NECCO and SPENCE for the across so, no harm done.
FIR, no searches, no strikethroughs.
Storm seems over; about 6" fell.
Anybody watch NCIS last night? What's with the Ziva connection?
So sorry, Melissa, I did not see your link before I posted. It is the same site as mine. Great minds run in the same circles.
Cute theme today- what others said about Robes before SAFES and CUPS before TINS. I can never remember whether it is SAKES or SAKIS but SPENCE is a name but SPENCI is not(that I know of).
Thanks Blake - and congrats if it is your debut! And thanks for the blog Melissa - I enjoyed listening to the Jack Johnson link.
I am heading out tomorrow to West Africa for 10 days for a medical mission - no internet to speak of where we are - so Happy Valentines Day to all!
And when I come back my brother is having prostate cancer surgery down at the VA hospital in San Antonio, TX - he lives near Laredo 3 hours away on February 25th - so keep him in your thoughts and prayers! He has to stay nearby for 2 weeks after(with a catheter, etc)- so fortunately they have one of the Fisher Houses there for him to stay. (they are kind of like Ronald McDonald houses for kids - but these are for military and veterans)
NCIS SPOILER ALERT NCIS SPOILER ALERT
Spitz -
After investigating one of Ziva's unclosed cases, Bishop found Ziva's old spare apartment. The show closed when Bishop saw a coat, and a note saying "For the safety of my family, please keep our secret." So the show is setting up that Ziva must still be alive.
Theme made most of puzzle do able had issues with the names, as usual. Loew, Lars,Spence was okay as I watch Criminal minds. Good Wednesday.
Musings
-I saw ANN_/KOAN_ at the bottom and feared a vowel guess but “et al” and “teaching aids” saved me
-Blake’s cross-referencing shuttle was a hoot
-What if it had been three wise women who had shown up?
-It appears that most congressional voting is done as a BLOC in deference to their leadership. Not that many people voted for Pelosi or McConnell
-Wow, ARIA is pluralized in a normal way
-There [SIC] reading they’re [SIC] books over their [SIC]
-The great Brandi Chastain story reinforces the serendipity of life
-Nipper’s image and name took a while
-The most famous KOAN?
D-N-F ... on a Tuesday ...
Didn't even get my CSO ... TINS ... (Stayed with CUPS ,,,).
Also didn't know ARLENE or CARA ... Oh well, S**T Happens ... LOL
At least I got all of the themes ... fave was 57-a, COUNT SHEEP.
Its a rainy, 63 degree day here today ... guess that eliminates the "Beach Walk."
Cheers!
Thank you, Blake Slonecker. If it's your debut puzzle, congratulations!
I found this easy and the NW filled in quickly. I waited for SAFES as it could have been any number of items and not specific to Vegas. Most hotels have them.
KOANS is one of the first words I learned long ago for puzzles. I did not see WALL-E so EVE was unknown and it emerged without incident.
SPitz, I believe billocohes is right. Now that we know her secret, she will likely make an appearance. I no longer watch Criminal Minds but do remember SPENCE.
EGOMANIAC, vanity case? was clever.
I guess POLLO didn't cause any trouble for anyone.
I also have trouble with sakis and SAKES.
Have a superb day, everyone!
Interesting puzzle with a clever and neat theme--many thanks, Blake. I got I CAN'T GET TO SLEEP early on and that set me up for the other theme phrases. But I still found the eastern part of the puzzle a bit tough because of things unknown to me. Like others, have never heard of KOANS. But I still loved funny clues, like the EGOMANIAC vanity case--with you on that one, Lucina. Melissa, thanks for giving us lots of helpful information in your commentary.
Inanehiker, have a safe trip to West Africa, and I hope your brother has a successful surgery and recovery when you return.
Have a great day, everybody.
Billocohoes and Lucina - Thanks for your input. We were kind of leaning that way, too.
Hi All!
Thanks Blake for waking up my brain this morning. Thanks mb for the expo and fun links; the Oreo list omitted two that I've seen: Pina Colada & Kettle Corn.
WOs: I CANT 'GO' b/f 'GET', Loen (vertically, it looked like Leon - my story,...) b/f LEOW
ESPs: SAHIBS, SPENCE, KLUTE, SACCO, CARA (lucky C where they crossed), ACELA, LOEW
Fav: EGO MANIAC is fun
{groan :-), B+}
INANEhiker - have a SAFE trip to Africa and Texas; and good luck to your brother.
Tin - If it makes you feel any better, today's Wednesday.
HG - You've posted the Three Wise Women before. I still love it!
Play later; back to work. Cheers, -T
This Wednesday (hi Tinbeni...it happened to me about a month ago haha) was tricky with some misleading clues and some answers that were new to me.
No worries though as I resisted the “I know that” response and let crosses do their work.
So no markovers today. This cannot continue.
I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.
Also...NCIS...wondering what the point is about the Ziva mystery....setting up a cliffhanger? Otherwise, a rather disappointing trope.
Thank you so much, Melissa B, for the Brandi Chastain link! I knew about her ripping her shirt off but the story behind her learning to kick with her left foot, then the footage of the kick and the celebration that followed was spectacular. And I don't even follow soccer. I had tears in my eyes!
Becky
I enjoyed this puzzle a tad less than I usually enjoy the puzzles. Not sure why; some of the cluing and fill elicited a mental meh. It turns out the hotel room amenities were not MINTS, the tea holders were not BAGS, the animal house was not a PEN, and the singer was not ANI. Seeing the VEO blocked my vision such that it took me too long to see FIVE O, especially since I had MINTS instead of SAFES. I learned that "spook" was neither GHOST nor GHOUL, because it was a verb not a noun. Stumble stumble stumble. I also faltered at LOEW vs LOEB and that whole BALK/BATH/BALM/WALK thing. But I did solve the whole thing without looking anything up or using red letters, so that's good.
A four-ton Nipper still watches over Albany's North End
Nipper
"LARS and the real girl" is a complete unknown to me. Did not realize I needed the plural of ANN(S). But perps were solid for both.
The clue for the reveal gave me the theme answers before I solved the reveal.
I hate it when I post early in the morning before work and come here to check on the day and see it never made it here. Damned if I know what I said then.
Meanwhile, Becky, how sentimental- sweet!
Spoiler ALERT-----NCIS what they are leading up to is. It is sweeps month and CBS wants a big boost in ratings with or without Cote de Pablo
Welcome Blake, and if you are ready for another fun puzzle, C.C. made the Universal today. LINK
Hi all ! Welcome Blake. Thank you Melissa.
Made a couple of dumb errors. I made the same mistake Roy did but never caught the plural even though I was a fan of Ann and Nancy Wilson when their best album came out.
Insomnia last night and tired today. I guess one goes with the other.
Melissa, I also enjoyed reading the Brandi Chastain article.
Thank you for the link, Lemon.
Very late to the party, possibly because of the two naps I had today...
I wouldn't call it a Slog, but I did have to wade thru todays puzzle...
Learning moment: Alda's wife...
Cops = 50? (seems a stretch to me...)
Wall-E's girlfriend, EV- (is it E, or A...)
I noted "Koans" to discuss, but for the life of me cannot remember why...
Speaking of Ignorance, Herod sent the Magi? I thought they just followed a star...
(Was not sure I should post that, sure to cause more discussion than this Blog allows...)
Anywho, I had at least 4 WAG's circled to look into, but I left the dang
thingie upstairs. Probably will eschew them in to the night.
(Hmm, eschew seems to be the wrong word, I meant they will regurgitate in my sleep...)
My thoughts on this puzzle...
& if I told the truth without thinking about it...
Hmm, I had to replace both links due to intrusive websites attached,
but I think you get the Gist...
No paper today, Misty! I had to download the Xwd from online.
Almost finished, except I didn't know that TAKE A BALK wasn't a thing urged by trainers.
(And just as obviously don't know my Malcolms, not a Loeb from a LOEW!)
~ OMK
____________
DR: I thought I'd do well harvesting the one diagonal from the mirror side, but it turned out to be the worst anagram material so far. Yech!
Only two consonants in a sea of vowels!
If I didn't know better, I'd suspect this was just a great big ...
"TEASE"!
I did the same thing!! Cups and colors!!
Today was kind of tough! But I love looking at it throughout the day when I dontd have time to sit and complete it all at once.
I had CUPS and COLORS as well!!
So sorry to hear about your paper, Ol'Man Keith. Mine came on time this morning, so I'll really hope that yours arrives tomorrow and that there's no problem with your carrier. Glad you could get the puzzle online.
Interesting puzzle. No I didn’t finish but enjoyed it. Thanks. MB, the eco was good.
Owen, the last few days have been great!! Thanks!!
Dare I try to post again? That was supposed to be EXPO, mb. Thanks
Not a speed run which is good. Watch only a few TV shows (no movies unless on cable), so I needed help with SPENCE, WALL-E/EVE and LARS - I wait for easy perps for questionable answers since I don't have Wite-Out (D-O!). We've had KOAN before so I vaguely remembered. Know the band, "Heart," but never knew their names. I always associate Sutherland with "Kelly's Heroes" - forget KLUTE, his subsequent movie. Hawaii 5-0 was my favorite show, but is FIVE-O now a mainstream "handle" for police?
SAKI or SAKE hesitation can be blamed for a frequent cw clue: pen name for H.H. Munro. I never buy seasonal OREOS, but the Lemon Oreos are so addictive, with the shortbread (not chocolate) cookie.
NCIS - I'll have to rewatch the end. I do remember that Bishop went to the hospital to confront the kidnapper and read Ziva's letter and he said it's already been read to him. But I can't reconcile the torn page from the journal - wasn't it in the journal the whole time? Yeah, back to "Recorded" shows, "Play" "FF".
MB, thanks for the fun recap - I remembered and loved the Chastain photo and link. And HG, thanks for the funny MAGI link. Though Anon-T's seen it before, I never have.
Inanehiker, stay safe in West Africa, and only positive thoughts for your brother.
MB - "... I remembered the famous Chastain photo and loved the link."
FIVE-O is common to me. Also Twelve or AdamTwelve, Sipowicz, Ranger Rick, Chips or Ponch, Seven Mary Three and Four and many other.
Very late to the party. Thanks for the fun, Blake and melissa.
WEES by this hour. I had problems with the NE and SW corners. I'll blame it on being tired after a long day.
This Canadian did not know MAC DeMarco.
My tea holders were Pots, then Bags, then Cups. I toyed with Urns but they are for coffee. My Red Rose comes in boxes not TINS. Proper tea in my house is made with freshly boiled (still boiling) water poured over tea bags in a tea pot (pre warmed with some of that boiling water) and steeped for 3 minutes. Tea must be served in a cup not a mug; I am glad that none of you were trying to get that word to fit.
I did not know SACCO, and CARA was not remembered (and it was appropriate for the Valentine season too).
We always have Alda, but not ARLENE.
Best wishes for a safe, worthwhile medical mission trip, inane hiker. And thoughts and prayers for your brother and upcoming Sx.
Good night all.
Lem - thanks for the link to C.C.'s puzzle. WO: at "TAGALONGS."
I was thinking of the movie where the guy was in love w/ Siri (I only know these things from ads / hear-say) so I looked it up... LARS and the Real Girl [trailer 2:24]. I suppose it could be good if I had two hours to burn. Speaking of, ibid WALL-E. :-)
Barnaby J. - Don't watch Chips the Movie... That was another waste of forty* minutes [I caught the last bit 'SLEEPing' b/f RealTime once].
So no Snoopy "Blah"s for the Kettle Corn OREOS?
DW texted this morning "Happy Valentines!" I said she was early 'cuz they don't celebrate that in Russia :-) I sent her eFlowers [Rose emojis]. We got to talk tonight for a few minutes as she prep'd for the flight to Novosibirsk, Siberia. T-minus four days 'till she's home.
R.I.P. Opportunity. [xkcd said it best].
Cheers, -T
OK, who took the 'u' out of four when times-ing by 10? I just noticed that as spell check underlined me 3 times in a row; I thought I just mistyped. #DyslexiaSucks!
A whole puzzle with hints to my biggest problem and I slept thru commenting time. Did the puzzle at midnight. Oh well!
Inanehiker: Prayers for a successful mission and full recovery for your brother.
Tony: prayers for your wife's safe return.
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