Theme: GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES
17. Compact: MAKEUP CONTAINER.
39. Compact: FORMAL AGREEMENT.
62. Compact: SMALL AUTOMOBILE.
Three grid-spanning theme answers, all with the same clue. Most of the fill was gettable, thankfully. The English language is full of words that have multiple, sometimes unrelated, meanings.
Across:
1. Twinings products: TEAS. Can never remember now many n's in this brand name. Speaking of tea brands, I've noticed that tea brands seem to have changed over the years. Specific flavors that I've had for years just don't taste the same.
5. Wolf pack leader: ALPHA. Alpha dog.
10. Oft-misused pronoun: WHOM. Grammarly.
14. Hall of Famer Donovan, first woman to coach a WNBA championship team: ANNE. 2011 interview.
15. One-piece dresses: SARIS.
16. Georgetown athlete: HOYA. The Georgetown Hoyas are the athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University in college sports. The team name is derived from the mixed Greek and Latin chant "Hoya Saxa" (meaning "What Rocks"), which gained popularity at the school in the late nineteenth century.
20. Outshine: ECLIPSE.
21. Codgers: GEEZERS. Funny word.
22. Shorthand writer, for short: STENO. Stenographer. Steno- a combining form meaning “narrow,” “close,” used in the formation of compound words.
23. Haus husband: HERR. Learned from crosswords, finally remembered.
24. "Apollo 11" org.: NASA.
27. Solution for contacts: SALINE.
32. Decides: OPTS.
36. Attended, as college, with "to": WENT. My grandmother and her sisters, all from Texas, used to say "What went with the ____?" when they were looking for something.
38. Fibula neighbor: TIBIA.
42. Thumb one's nose at: FLOUT. Openly disregard (a rule, law or convention).
43. Air Quality Index factor: SMOG.
44. Old flames: EXES.
45. Bench-clearing brawls, e.g.: SETTOS. Another word I only see in crosswords, or old novels.
47. Big fusses: ADOS.
49. Grammar, in grammar: NOUN.
51. Slices in a pie, often: OCTAD. Recently seen on CBS.
56. Christmas show: PAGEANT.
60. Nutritionist's unit: CALORIE.
64. Soaks (up): SOPS.
65. Aptly named 1955 and 2019 Disney dog: TRAMP. Aw.
66. Oboe vibrator: REED.
67. Tupelo, e. g.: TREE. The most expensive honey in America.
68. Chips in a chip: ANTES.
69. Mixes in: ADDS.
Down:
1. Subdues: TAMES.
2. Make into law: ENACT.
3. Common sprain site: ANKLE.
4. Welcome at the door: SEE IN.
5. Snakes in hieroglyphics: ASPS.
6. Bodice trim: LACE.
7. In favor of: PRO.
8. Depend (on): HINGE.
9. Daisylike fall flowers: ASTERS.
10. Zoom (by): WHIZ.
11. Refine, as skills: HONE.
12. Open hearing, in law: OYER. Heard quite a bit of late.
13. "24K Magic" singer Bruno: MARS.
18. Familiar with: UP ON.
19. Force gas into: AERATE.
23. Word-guessing game: HANGMAN.
25. Cobbler's tool: AWL.
26. Swell places?: SEAS. Nice clue.
28. Margarita garnish: LIME.
29. Goat with recurved horns: IBEX. Recurved - bent or curved backward.
30. Start of many a workday: NINE.
31. Revived Alton Brown cooking show "Good __": EATS.
32. Rip-__: thefts: OFFS.
33. Olympic vaulter's need: POLE.
34. Home run pace: TROT.
35. Indecent matter: SMUT.
37. Stepped heavily: TROD.
40. Without a musical key: ATONAL.
41. Self-awareness: EGO. Ram Dass (who passed away December 22, 2019) said you need just enough ego to to remember your Buddha Nature and your social security number.
46. Piano __: SONATA.
48. 46-Down, often: SOLO.
50. Difficult move in a busy intersection: U-TURN.
52. One leading a charmed life?: COBRA. Great clue.
53. Made an attempt: TRIED.
54. Needed to skip work, perhaps: AILED.
55. Closing documents: DEEDS.
56. "Hey, you!": PSST.
57. Deity with a bow: AMOR.
58. Stare in amazement: GAPE.
59. Otherwise: ELSE.
60. "The best is yet to __": COME.
61. Concert gear: AMPS.
63. Bit of body ink: TAT.
From C.C.:
Melissa said "jaelyn fell and broke her collarbone yesterday. she was really brave getting her x-ray."
Still smiling in her sling. Get well soon, Jaelyn!
Melissa said "jaelyn fell and broke her collarbone yesterday. she was really brave getting her x-ray."
Still smiling in her sling. Get well soon, Jaelyn!
TWININGS by the bagfuls sell TEAS,
ReplyDeleteThey say that they're good without CALORIES.
They'll make you a WHIZ
In the urinal biz!
(Well, that last bit is just a tease!)
This forum has a lot of GEEZERS
Who think most crosswords are breezers.
But the smarts they FLOUT
They mostly found out
From cruciverbial teachers!
There was a lad from Namibia
Who skinned his shin o're his TIBIA.
He'd tried to TRAMP
Up an angled ramp
But TROD on some slippery amphibia!
The spiral horns of a mountain IBEX
Reveal it's of the masculine sex.
For mating ADOS
It has SET-TOS,
While the females keep an index!
{A-, A, B, B-.}
Carol and I FIR in 34:35 min.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Cornerites.
Thank you MaryEllen Uthlaut for your enjoyable Wednesday CW.
Thank you melissa bee for your excellent review.
Ðave
Smooth sailing this morning. When I got my first personal computer, a TRS80 Model 1 in 1979. I made a HANGMAN game with 48 states because of the 4K of RAM memory.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased greet for SEE IN, eros for AMOR, and had to fix ASToR (UNTIE!). DNK twinnings, or that AMOR was a god. For that matter, I always thought one guessed letters when playing HANGMAN, not words. Didn't know the song, but "singer Bruno" is enough for MARS. Still don't know squat about any cooking show.
ReplyDeleteIn You Shook Me All Night Long, ACDC sang "she told me to COME but I was already there". Sinatra's usage was prettier, but ACDC's was funnier.
Our new WiFi is down, so I'm back on Verizon's 4G service. Guess I shouldn't be surprised since the system is so new, but it is aggravating.
DW and I are taking Zoe to Leesburg for lunch at a hole-in-the-wall Italian joint we found years ago. It's supposed to be 76 degrees on the patio by noon. I don't know how the big chains stay in business with all the wonderful little Italian joints in the area.
Thanks to MaryEllen for another fun puzzle, and to mb for another fine review.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteGotta love a puzzle from a constructor whose name begins with UT. :) Yay, no problem searching for the in-your-face theme. Finished in good time, so life is good. Thanx, MaryEllen and Melissa Bee. (Young bones heal quickly...and completely. I'm sure Jaelyn'll do fine.)
Geezer: Yup.
OYER: Another name for a Yiddish mother.
NINE: My workday never, ever began that late. It always was in the 5-6:30 AM range. I'm still out of bed before 6 every morning, sans alarm.
Taxing day, plus dw flies in this evening, so I've got lotsa chores to do before then. Gotta run...
In HANGMAN you guess letters, but only on the way to guessing the final word.
ReplyDeleteOnly knew Tupelo as Elvis’ birthplace
Enjoyed the theme today. Finished in 7:47.
ReplyDeleteI thought all dresses were one-piece. Didn't know oyer.
Enjoyed the puzzle and the expo. Easy one today.
ReplyDeleteCSO to Gary at NASA.
In one sense, EGO does not involve self-awareness. Many egoists do not perceive how they are regarded or what their own faults are.
"I am perfect. I am even very humble."
My students liked playing hangman on the chalkboard at recess on snowy days.
I predict that soon using WHO in place of WHOM in informal situations will become totally acceptable. Going out on a limb, I surmise that by the time any great grandchildren become adults, or maybe in the following generation, WHOM will not be needed in formal settings, either.
Link text
Two piece dresses often consist of a skirt and top sold together, like the bottom and top of a bikini. Two piece dresses used to mostly be made of the same fabric, but these days that is not necessarily so.
I am off to pick up the guardianship report paperwork from Alan's agency. The financial transition to the group home was rocky and irrational, but the personal care transition was A+. I suppose that is for the best, because the personal care is life long and the financials only involve 2019.
On the way back I will drop in to see Alan who is housebound with bronchitis and sinusitis.
Poor little Jaelyn. I hope she heals quickly.
AWL this GEEZER hoped was to finish but the northeast letter "Y" did me in; not even a good WAG. As DO says..OYE!(er)
ReplyDeleteToo bad because I guessed at the three long answers before I saw the clues.
Some corrected perps.. SARI but had "Aline"first. So many recent Astor answers I spelled the flower with an "O"
I had Atonic before ATONAL. Guess I was thinking of my favoite drink Tanqueray without the mixer.
Solution for contacts?..."Lasek"
Thought a FLOUT was a musical instrument?
...A young woman sits outside her house dressed in rags warming a can of beans over a makeshift fire. Inside her mother-in-law berates her son. "I told you she was a TRAMP before you married her!"
"Lasik"..sorry... before the blog police attack. (Have a optometrist cousin Lasek always co fuse the two.)
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-COMPACT AUTO – Smart Cars were the hit of the Auto Show a few years ago. Now, Daimler doesn’t sell them in North America
-Wolf leader - A _ _ _ _ is not AKELA
-Do you really say, “To WHOM does this belong?” rather than “Who does this belong to?” (wrong pronoun case and ends a sentence with a preposition)
-I thought GEEZER had a connection to Giza but Mr. Google says no
-If you FLOUT a law or convention, don’t whine about the consequences
-This experiment I had kids do to determine CALORIES in a peanut set off fire alarms once
-Success in the NFL seems to HINGE on getting the right QB
-Merv Griffin’s Wheel Of Fortune turned HANGMAN into a lucrative career for Pat and Vanna
-Vaulters who let that POLE throw them 20’ in the air are fearless
-Teachers who AILED? Created a $140 job for me
-I love your attitude, Jaelyn!
Ouch!
ReplyDeleteBroken Collarbone?
Alton Brown of Good Eats broke his Collarbone
in a Motorcycle accident, & claimed it was the most painful
break ever!
Definition, New vs Old Motorcyclist: Been down/Going down...
(Best wishes for a speedy recovery Jaelyn!)
(oh, & when you grow up, drive the motorcycle, don't be a passenger!)
(this way you can only blame yourself...)
FIW!
(Bloody Natick!)
(not to make light of Jaelyns injury,)
(I think I can fix this...)
At the crossing of 12D & 16A I threw in a "P" in desperation,
Because, I don't know sports, & legal stuff gives me agita...
However, it could be fixed!
Simply change the "Y" to an "L"!
16A becomes hello in Spanish,
& 12D becomes smell in Spanish, but
you didn't need to know it, because everyone knows Hola!!!
(I am an Editor, & didn't know it...)
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy this type of theme because it's fun to figure out how each themer is going to be described. It was also fun starting off with Teas (Abejo) and soon following up with NASA (HG). My delightful duos were Cobra ~ Asps, Set tos and Ados, right next to each other, no less, and Trot ~ Trod. Also noted the mini-mini musical theme of Atonal, Solo, and Sonata. Learning moment was that Tupelo is a tree.
Thanks, Mary Ellen, for a mid-week treat and thanks, Melissa, for an informative and entertaining review. I hope dear Jaelyn's pain and discomfort are short-lived. Judging by her smile, she'll be a good little trouper!
Have a great day.
MB, healing thoughts for your sweet, little granddaughter. While children's bones do heal quickly, both my brother Barry and my son Aaron their wrists while young, and they suffered long after. Be careful out there!
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maryellen Uthlaut! This took very little time to solve and it was amusing to see how "compact" would turn out.
ANKLE/TIBIA and ASPS/COBRA were fun twosomes. The first and only time I have ever seen a COBRA in action was in Tangier, Morocco; a turbaned man sitting on the sidewalk playing his flute(or some similar instrument). The snake rose as the music played. It was a fascinating sight. Since that was in 1973 I wonder if it still happens.
I noted the CSO to Abejo at TEAS and to Gary at NASA.
Lady and the TRAMP was always a favorite movie with my daughter and granddaughters so I have viewed it numerous times.
HOYA and OYER are terms I have learned doing CWDS. Hand up for learning that TUPELO is a tree.
Any attempt at a SOLO by me would definitely be ATONAL.
Thank you, Melissa Bee, for your entertaining review. I wish Jaelyn a quick recovery.
Owen:
Your poem made me chuckle.
d-otto:
I just now got your reference!
Have a happy day, everyone!
Regarding "one-piece dresses," which gathered some comments above, most dresses are made of several pieces of fabric stitched together, but a sari is a single rectangle of cloth, wrapped around the body. It truly is one piece.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your puzzle, May Ellen, many thanks. But it was a bit of a Wednesday toughie for me, especially the northeast where I first put THEM instead of WHOM, and that created problems. I did get STENO early on and that helped with that corner. And it's not hard to get GEEZERS when you're over 70. TIBIA gave me IBEX which gave me EXES. Liked getting PAGEANT, and I remember "Lady and the Tramp" fondly too. But I still don't quite get OYER, and TUPELO and TREE were new to me too. Still fun, thanks again, Mary Ellen, and best wishes on little Jaelyn's recovery, Melissa.
ReplyDeleteLiked your third poem, especially, Owen.
Hope Alan recovers soon, Yellowrocks.
Lucina, I came to this country on a boat when I was 10, and it stopped in Morocco for a day on the way to the U.S. I too still remember watching a man with a flute getting a snake to rise up. Fascinating.
Have a good day, everybody.
Fun Wednesday puzzle. I enjoy 15 letter answers, and they can’t be easy to construct.
ReplyDeletei realized i confused oyez ("hear ye") which is a call for silence and attention, with oyer - also used in court.
ReplyDeletedesper-otto: oyer = yiddish mother, haha
lucina, misty, et. al., have you seen the
new lady & the tramp? i have not, but it looks cute.
naomiz - appreciate the clarity about sari, perfect explanation - thank you.
yellowrocks - i care for my elderly aunt who has advanced dementia, and we consider almost daily her need to be in a care facility, which is likely inevitable. blessings to you and alan, i'm glad to hear the transition has gone well.
and thank you to all for the comments about jaelyn, she's hanging in there :)
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, MaryEllen Uthlaut, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Melissa Bee, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteWell, got started with a bang! I knew 1A real well. I buy a lot of bagged Earl Grey tea so I can take it with me wherever I go. Much of what I buy is Twinings. The other is Bigelow. At home I drink bulk tea that I buy by the pound. Earl Grey, of course.
The three long answers were pretty easy once I had a few letters.
Did not know TUPELO was a tree. Four perps helped.
Remembered IBEX. Amazing.
U TURN was a tricky answer.
Hope Jaelyn heals up quickly and painlessly.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
They live a charmed life for COBRA was the best clue I've seen in ages.
ReplyDeletedesper-otto ~
ReplyDeleteFLN: Looks like you and I got censored yesterday! Sorry to see that, as I thought your "Caucus" post was a bit of innocent humor. Made me laugh anyway.
But then, we don't have our hands on the red chair lever...
I enjoyed today's pzl. I usually get a kick out of the several different definitions that can attach to a single word or phrase. If there were room, I would have added a 4th fill: TO SQUASH GARBAGE.
Misty ~ Glad you got GEEZERS right away. And, no, I don't take offense...
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal on each side, crossing (naturally) in the "G" of AGREEMENT.
The nearside diagonal's anagram honors the cartoon version of either the famous "Mother" of nursery rhymes or the most "Loosey" of barnyard fowl, that cute...
"TOONIE GOOSE,"
and the far side diagonal offers a characterization of a run-down, over-insured wreck of a warehouse, one that sits several yards from the nearest occupied dwelling. I mean an...
"ARSON MAGNET"!
Since this BLog is a place of learning,
ReplyDeleteHow to Charm a snake...
Wait a sec,
that looks more like how to get bit by a snake...
Do they have trained snakes?
Oh well, I didn't learn much,
(except maybe watch out for the one that got away!)
Wait another sec!
ReplyDeleteIn the how to video,
the charmer breathes on each snake basket
before starting.
(I wonder if Garlic is involved...)
I dunno about you,
but as much as I love garlic,
I would hesitate to bite anything
that smelled that bad...
Hmm,
curious fact,
Garlic does not smell until you bite it...
ReplyDeleteThis Wednesday puzzle went quickly.
No write-overs either.
Broke my collarbone when I was 3 falling/rolling off the bed. Broke it again when I was 13. It hurt more then.
I worked with an Englishman (when I was working). One day he comes by, asks what tea I’m drinking, so I give him a few Tetley British Blend tea bags. He comes back 15 minutes later and tells me it’s the best tea he’s had since he left England, and it would hold up there. I asked him about Twinings, he smiled and said ”English tea for Americans”.
See you tomorrow.
Misty:
ReplyDeleteWhat a surprising stop to make on your way to the USA. As a young child you likely were as unschooled in the culture of Morocco as I then was since that was my first trip to the area and was a side trip from Spain.
Jinx, I must've seen a Leesburg sign in greater Ocala but I'd have to check a map to find it. We hit Golden corral twice over the weekend, one Ocala the other SW from villages (44/41)
ReplyDeleteJaelyn is taking the collarbone break better than Boston fans when Ted W broke his circa 1954.*. I'll bet Jaelyn is a faster healer than even Ted
Misty, I was just talking to an (ex?) Austrian that came over when she was 19. She learned her English in Boston (c FLN). I should have asked her to say "Fork in the road". And... I thought of GEEZERS too but I'd never think of you as one even if we're both posting in 2035**
MB, I was expecting a Z too.
OMK, talk about ARSON MAGNETs: that area south of north end in Boston was torched (,Old warehouses) in 71-72 probably by the Mayor hisself
Well I've posted enough for this go-round
WC
**"On the first day of spring training in 1954, Williams broke his collarbone running after a line drive.[116] Williams was out for six weeks. Williams returned to the Red Sox lineup on May 7, and he hit .345 with 386 at bats in 117 games,"
***As does OMK, methinks
I liked this puzzle. Hand up for thinking the clue for COBRA was awesome and learning that TUPELO is a tree. THEY morphed to THEM which morphed to WHOM.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Maryellen and melissa bee.
ReplyDeleteI started this CW this morning, but then had a busy day and did not get a chance to finish until now. Straightforward solve with only two inkblots (For changed to PRO, and Them changed to WHOM).
I appreciated the full U TURNS rather than Ueys or Uies.
Favourite was the COBRA clue. Swell places=SEAS was runner-up.
The Tupelo TREE and OYER perped, thankfully. Hand up for thinking of Oyez.
Besides IM's duos, I noted REED crossing DEEDS.
SETTOS are really big ADOS.
Ray@9:14 - thanks for the smiles.
HuskerG asked "Do you really say, “To WHOM does this belong?” rather than “Who does this belong to?”" - No, I would just reword and say "Who owns this?"
Yes, my son did pole-vaulting in high school. I could not watch him HURL (Oh that was from yesterday!) himself into the air. Same son broke his collarbone playing hockey; it healed well and has caused no problems. The hardest part was getting him to wear the sling after the first week; DH caught him playing baseball (swinging the bat no less) with sling up around his neck! Hope Jaelyn heals quickly.
When same son got married, his bride wore a gorgeous pink SARI for the reception.
Good evening all.
Hand up learning moment that Tupelo is a TREE. Hand up took ESP. I am usually not fond of these puzzles where the same clue is used multiple times. But I appreciated the construction effort to make all three theme answers span the entire puzzle exactly. So, I enjoyed the challenge and FIR!
ReplyDeleteHere we were enjoying the total ECLIPSE in 2017 in Oregon.
I have shared those photos before, but I thought this was a chance to share them again. If you have never experienced a total solar ECLIPSE I urge you to experience one. It is absolutely astonishing even for a science person who understands it all intellectually.
From Yesterday:
JJM, TTP, BillG thank you for the kind words and further explanation about the new Los Angeles Times puzzle web site. The old one was really nasty, with aggressive ads. And forced video ad watching. If you used an ad blocker it would lock you out. I repeatedly complained to the LA Times. Perhaps it had some effect. The new one is very user friendly with no aggressive ads at all.
AnonT thank you for sharing the Blazing Saddles scene with the Native American chief speaking YIDDISH. There are so many brilliant scenes in that film. It is still my favorite film ever!
And thank you for sharing your stories of the tarantula SPIDERs during your basic training. You have inspired me to share one more of my photos; I have quite a few.
Here is a photo of a tarantula SPIDER on my left hand as I took the photo with my right hand!
It is funny how tarantulas have been used in spy movies as a way to kill someone. I don't think it is possible. By the way, I once had the chance to eat one (cooked). It was delicious. It tasted just like... No. Not chicken. It tasted like good soft shell crab.
RIP Kirk Douglas
ReplyDeleteHi everybody.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember how I ended up with a tarantula in a glass aquarium, but I did. I found him (it?) fascinating. It seemed to enjoy crawling up my arm. I took it to share with my math class and they enjoyed it once they got over their trepidation. Unfortunately, I thought it would be a good idea to take the aquarium outside in the sun. It got too hot and my little buddy got cooked. I felt really guilty. It made a fascinating pet while it lasted.
Fun puzzle.Thanks Mary Ellen and MB. Sending good thoughts for healing.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been reading (and working ) the puzzles/blog all week and I know Im late to the political discussion. ( No, No Tom I NOT going to discuss politics!).
It occurs to me it is humor we need to be careful of . Many of the questionable? Objectionable? comments recently weren’t so much political as misunderstood humor. If I say something I think is funny, it is only funny to you if you understand what I mean. I’m trying to be funny, but you may be offended.
I’m certainly not suggesting we stop being funny!! But Maybe we all need to try to understand where a comment is coming from.
Not certain where this is going. Just an observation.
Owen, you are always funny!
Wilbur, how kind of you not to think of me as a geezer. You've made my day.
ReplyDelete