Theme: Carb-on Footprints. The word "CARB" is found in three theme entries.
Grouch Alert: The following blog contains grumpiness.
18A. Speculation before awards season: OSCAR BUZZ
43A. Lima family legumes that yield vanilla: MADAGASCAR BEANS. No. Flat-out wrong. Madacascar beans are lima beans, but vanilla does not come from a lima bean, the vanilla bean is a completely different legume. Yes, the best vanilla beans are grown in Madagascar, but that doesn't excuse the error here.
21D. Kids' furniture that may have checkered-flag sheets: RACECAR BEDS
26D. Bane of a ketogenic diet, and what three long puzzle answers contain: HIDDEN CARBS
Let's get straight to it. I can't see the point of this puzzle. The grid has mirror symmetry only, presumably to cope with the single 15-letter themer, which itself is clued completely wrong, and all this to conceal twelve letters in two across entries and one down entry? I'd have put the grid-spanner in row 8, or find another 15-letter entry to balance. SCARBOROUGH FAIR would have fit the bill. And sprinkled a few more CARB's around.
And the reveal? "three long puzzle answers" so forget SHANIA TWAIN and THESE DREAMS which apparently are there just to take up space.
I do hate having to put on my Oscar the Grouch hat, but the concept of this puzzle left me cold. I would love it if I'm missing something clever and someone can point out the error of my ways. I even squinted at the grid pattern to see if it looked like the chemical structure of a carbohydrate, so I did try. I think I'll just move right along and I'll wait for someone to take me to task for my theme-ignorance.
It's a shame, because there were some nice moments in the fill:
Across:
1. Order to go: BEAT IT
7. Settle early: PREPAY
13. Nuts: BANANAS
15. Heat sources: BOILERS
16. Fireplace sound: CRACKLE
17. Like some mice: OPTICAL. I'm using one right now, in fact I had to change the battery because it just died this morning. There'a little on/off button on the bottom, but I never remember to use it.
20. Part of AMPAS: ARTS. Did you know this acronym? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They award Oscars (the non-grouchy kind)
23. Take by force: USURP
24. 1975 Wimbledon winner: ASHE
28. With 28-Across, sad trombone sound effect: WAH. I like this little entry, I don't think I've seen a self-referential clue like this before.
29. Labyrinth-building king: MINOS
30. Friendly exchanges: HI'S
31. Crushed, as a final: ACED
33. __ Plaines: Chicago suburb: DES
34. Fistfuls of dollars: WADS
35. "That makes sense now": YES I SEE
38. Equal rival: SPLENDA
41. Surrendered: CEDED
42. American Eagle intimate apparel brand: AERIE. Makes sense. The Aerie line is new to me (BTW, American Eagle is the brand), but didn't take long to figure it out with the help of some crosses.
48. Bruins legend: ORR
49. Taunting phrase from internet trolls: U MAD BRO? I think this was my favorite fill today. Rich tends to be pretty conservative with new "in the language" phrases but they can give the fill sparkle.
50. Horned Frogs' sch.: TCU. Texas Christian in Fort Worth.
51. Past pudgy: OBESE
53. Back again: FRO. I'd like to try to order a "To and Fro" air ticket and see what the agent had to say. Or return from a trip and say "Hi! I'm Fro!" and see what the reaction is.
54. Pacifist's demand: NO WAR
56. Candidate's goal: SEAT. After all that campaigning, stumping, kissing babies, knocking on doors, striding about stages at debates and orating at town halls, you need to take a seat, that's for sure.
57. Crystal-filled formation: GEODE
59. Stable parent: MARE
60. Type of computer monitor cable: HDMI. Of course the nerd in me had to go and look up the acronym. High-Definition Multimedia Interface if you're interested.
61. High points: ACMES
62. They're put to paper: NIBS. Ah, the fountain pen, bane of a grammar schoolboy's existence. You'd put it in your blazer pocket, the cap would come loose, and ten minutes later you've got a huge ink stain all over your shirt. You got in the neck from the teacher of the next class as you had to beg some ink for a refill, and you got it doubly in the neck from your mom when you got home and she had to try to wash your shirt.
63. Mir launcher: Abbr.: U.S.S.R.
64. Group of associates: POSSE
65. Part of MIT: Abbr.: INST.
Down:
1. "Doctor Who" network: BBC
2. AirPod spot: EAR. I've said before, this is one of those inventions that Apple should have left on the drawing board. And have you seen the price of the things? People walk around with them stuck in their ears so they don't lose them and just look silly.
3. Gasteyer of "Wine Country": ANA. Good cast, bad reviews.
4. Stuffed shells: TACOS. Food! I slow-roasted and smoked a beef chuck last weekend for barbacoa. I've got a little left over for tacos tonight. I love the little "street taco" size tortillas, some chopped onion and cilantro, a dab of smoky chipotle salsa, a squirt of crema and a squeeze of lime juice. I'm making myself hungry!
5. Tattoo artist's array: INKS
6. Friction-reducing substance: TALCUM
7. Infield fly rule flies: POPUPS
8. Big name in crackers: RITZ
9. "Hamilton" role for Tony nominee Phillipa Soo: ELIZA. Eventually, I'll get to remember the character names and the Broadway cast of "Hamilton", but for now it's crosses all the way.
10. Delt neighbor: PEC. I had "LAT" first which held me up a little.
11. Hall of Famer Parseghian: ARA. The legendary head coach of Notre Dame Football, and, often forgotten, Northwestern before that. Ara brought the Notre Dame football program back from the brink of extinction.
12. DKNY competitor: YSL
14. Boardwalk location: SEASIDE
15. Painter known for "happy little trees": BOB ROSS. Never heard of him, nor his trees. Certainly a cultural thing, as Google turns up a ton of stuff and links to videos on YouTube. Solid crosses helped here.
19. Mysterious letter: RUNE
20. Not home: AWAY
22. Heart hit song with the lyric "Every second of the night I live another life": THESE DREAMS. Not a big "Heart" expert, but this was reasonably easy to deduce.
25. "Come On Over" singer: SHANIA TWAIN
27. She, in Italy: ESSA
32. __ double take: DID A
34. "We __ Soldiers": 2002 Mel Gibson film: WERE. The book on which the film is based is titled "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young". Joe Galloway, who co-authored the book with Col. Hal Moore worked as a reporter for UPI in the early days of the Vietnam war in 1965 and was awarded the Bronze Star for his bravery during the Ia Drang battle. He, David Halberstam, Neil Sheehan, Malcolm Brown and Peter Arnett together did an incredible job to get the truth of what was happening in Vietnam out to the world, all the time working to support each other while competing for news.
36. "That reminds me ...," e.g.: SEGUE
37. Mild cheese: EDAM
39. "The Incredibles" family name: PARR. Thank you, crosses.
40. Simon of Duran Duran: LE BON. He, along with fellow crew-members and the skipper were pulled out of the English Channel by a rescue helicopter when his racing yacht "Drum" lost its keel and capsized in severe weather during the Fastnet race in 1985. Le Bon was trapped below when the boat turned over. His hair didn't look this good:
43. Chinese pork dish: MOO SHU. Food! 木須肉 first started appearing on Chinese restaurant menus in the USA in the 1960's.
44. Seattle's former __ Field: SAFECO. Now called T-Mobile Park. You lose a little romanticism when you cash in on the stadium naming rights. Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Camden Yards and others have some cachet. Minute Maid Park? T-Mobile Park? Anycorp Stadium presented by EvilCorp?
45. Data media: CD ROMS
46. Quarters: ABODES. Abodes tend to be "humble" in screenplays and novels. Here's the Duke of Marlborough's abode in Abingdon, just north of Oxford in England. Nothing too humble about this place, and that's just the house. The grounds are not humble either! Winston Churchill was born here, and the place was saved from ruin by the 9th Duke who married Consuela Vanderbilt, her of a quite large railroad fortune. I'm sure the Duke had no idea of her wealth. (ya right!)
47. Like the best bet: SUREST
52. Swizzle: STIR
55. Old Dodge: OMNI
57. Break: GAP
58. Minneapolis-to-Milwaukee dir.: ESE
And with that, I think it's a wrap - like the moo shu pork! Here's the grid:
Steve
Grouch Alert: The following blog contains grumpiness.
18A. Speculation before awards season: OSCAR BUZZ
43A. Lima family legumes that yield vanilla: MADAGASCAR BEANS. No. Flat-out wrong. Madacascar beans are lima beans, but vanilla does not come from a lima bean, the vanilla bean is a completely different legume. Yes, the best vanilla beans are grown in Madagascar, but that doesn't excuse the error here.
21D. Kids' furniture that may have checkered-flag sheets: RACECAR BEDS
26D. Bane of a ketogenic diet, and what three long puzzle answers contain: HIDDEN CARBS
Let's get straight to it. I can't see the point of this puzzle. The grid has mirror symmetry only, presumably to cope with the single 15-letter themer, which itself is clued completely wrong, and all this to conceal twelve letters in two across entries and one down entry? I'd have put the grid-spanner in row 8, or find another 15-letter entry to balance. SCARBOROUGH FAIR would have fit the bill. And sprinkled a few more CARB's around.
And the reveal? "three long puzzle answers" so forget SHANIA TWAIN and THESE DREAMS which apparently are there just to take up space.
I do hate having to put on my Oscar the Grouch hat, but the concept of this puzzle left me cold. I would love it if I'm missing something clever and someone can point out the error of my ways. I even squinted at the grid pattern to see if it looked like the chemical structure of a carbohydrate, so I did try. I think I'll just move right along and I'll wait for someone to take me to task for my theme-ignorance.
It's a shame, because there were some nice moments in the fill:
Across:
1. Order to go: BEAT IT
7. Settle early: PREPAY
13. Nuts: BANANAS
15. Heat sources: BOILERS
16. Fireplace sound: CRACKLE
17. Like some mice: OPTICAL. I'm using one right now, in fact I had to change the battery because it just died this morning. There'a little on/off button on the bottom, but I never remember to use it.
20. Part of AMPAS: ARTS. Did you know this acronym? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They award Oscars (the non-grouchy kind)
23. Take by force: USURP
24. 1975 Wimbledon winner: ASHE
28. With 28-Across, sad trombone sound effect: WAH. I like this little entry, I don't think I've seen a self-referential clue like this before.
29. Labyrinth-building king: MINOS
30. Friendly exchanges: HI'S
31. Crushed, as a final: ACED
33. __ Plaines: Chicago suburb: DES
34. Fistfuls of dollars: WADS
35. "That makes sense now": YES I SEE
38. Equal rival: SPLENDA
41. Surrendered: CEDED
42. American Eagle intimate apparel brand: AERIE. Makes sense. The Aerie line is new to me (BTW, American Eagle is the brand), but didn't take long to figure it out with the help of some crosses.
48. Bruins legend: ORR
49. Taunting phrase from internet trolls: U MAD BRO? I think this was my favorite fill today. Rich tends to be pretty conservative with new "in the language" phrases but they can give the fill sparkle.
50. Horned Frogs' sch.: TCU. Texas Christian in Fort Worth.
51. Past pudgy: OBESE
53. Back again: FRO. I'd like to try to order a "To and Fro" air ticket and see what the agent had to say. Or return from a trip and say "Hi! I'm Fro!" and see what the reaction is.
54. Pacifist's demand: NO WAR
56. Candidate's goal: SEAT. After all that campaigning, stumping, kissing babies, knocking on doors, striding about stages at debates and orating at town halls, you need to take a seat, that's for sure.
57. Crystal-filled formation: GEODE
59. Stable parent: MARE
60. Type of computer monitor cable: HDMI. Of course the nerd in me had to go and look up the acronym. High-Definition Multimedia Interface if you're interested.
61. High points: ACMES
62. They're put to paper: NIBS. Ah, the fountain pen, bane of a grammar schoolboy's existence. You'd put it in your blazer pocket, the cap would come loose, and ten minutes later you've got a huge ink stain all over your shirt. You got in the neck from the teacher of the next class as you had to beg some ink for a refill, and you got it doubly in the neck from your mom when you got home and she had to try to wash your shirt.
63. Mir launcher: Abbr.: U.S.S.R.
64. Group of associates: POSSE
65. Part of MIT: Abbr.: INST.
Down:
1. "Doctor Who" network: BBC
2. AirPod spot: EAR. I've said before, this is one of those inventions that Apple should have left on the drawing board. And have you seen the price of the things? People walk around with them stuck in their ears so they don't lose them and just look silly.
3. Gasteyer of "Wine Country": ANA. Good cast, bad reviews.
4. Stuffed shells: TACOS. Food! I slow-roasted and smoked a beef chuck last weekend for barbacoa. I've got a little left over for tacos tonight. I love the little "street taco" size tortillas, some chopped onion and cilantro, a dab of smoky chipotle salsa, a squirt of crema and a squeeze of lime juice. I'm making myself hungry!
5. Tattoo artist's array: INKS
6. Friction-reducing substance: TALCUM
7. Infield fly rule flies: POPUPS
8. Big name in crackers: RITZ
9. "Hamilton" role for Tony nominee Phillipa Soo: ELIZA. Eventually, I'll get to remember the character names and the Broadway cast of "Hamilton", but for now it's crosses all the way.
10. Delt neighbor: PEC. I had "LAT" first which held me up a little.
11. Hall of Famer Parseghian: ARA. The legendary head coach of Notre Dame Football, and, often forgotten, Northwestern before that. Ara brought the Notre Dame football program back from the brink of extinction.
12. DKNY competitor: YSL
14. Boardwalk location: SEASIDE
15. Painter known for "happy little trees": BOB ROSS. Never heard of him, nor his trees. Certainly a cultural thing, as Google turns up a ton of stuff and links to videos on YouTube. Solid crosses helped here.
19. Mysterious letter: RUNE
20. Not home: AWAY
22. Heart hit song with the lyric "Every second of the night I live another life": THESE DREAMS. Not a big "Heart" expert, but this was reasonably easy to deduce.
25. "Come On Over" singer: SHANIA TWAIN
27. She, in Italy: ESSA
32. __ double take: DID A
34. "We __ Soldiers": 2002 Mel Gibson film: WERE. The book on which the film is based is titled "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young". Joe Galloway, who co-authored the book with Col. Hal Moore worked as a reporter for UPI in the early days of the Vietnam war in 1965 and was awarded the Bronze Star for his bravery during the Ia Drang battle. He, David Halberstam, Neil Sheehan, Malcolm Brown and Peter Arnett together did an incredible job to get the truth of what was happening in Vietnam out to the world, all the time working to support each other while competing for news.
36. "That reminds me ...," e.g.: SEGUE
37. Mild cheese: EDAM
39. "The Incredibles" family name: PARR. Thank you, crosses.
40. Simon of Duran Duran: LE BON. He, along with fellow crew-members and the skipper were pulled out of the English Channel by a rescue helicopter when his racing yacht "Drum" lost its keel and capsized in severe weather during the Fastnet race in 1985. Le Bon was trapped below when the boat turned over. His hair didn't look this good:
43. Chinese pork dish: MOO SHU. Food! 木須肉 first started appearing on Chinese restaurant menus in the USA in the 1960's.
44. Seattle's former __ Field: SAFECO. Now called T-Mobile Park. You lose a little romanticism when you cash in on the stadium naming rights. Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Camden Yards and others have some cachet. Minute Maid Park? T-Mobile Park? Anycorp Stadium presented by EvilCorp?
45. Data media: CD ROMS
46. Quarters: ABODES. Abodes tend to be "humble" in screenplays and novels. Here's the Duke of Marlborough's abode in Abingdon, just north of Oxford in England. Nothing too humble about this place, and that's just the house. The grounds are not humble either! Winston Churchill was born here, and the place was saved from ruin by the 9th Duke who married Consuela Vanderbilt, her of a quite large railroad fortune. I'm sure the Duke had no idea of her wealth. (ya right!)
47. Like the best bet: SUREST
52. Swizzle: STIR
55. Old Dodge: OMNI
57. Break: GAP
58. Minneapolis-to-Milwaukee dir.: ESE
And with that, I think it's a wrap - like the moo shu pork! Here's the grid:
Steve
52 comments:
FLN
Hold on-T, perhaps you were deciding on what kind of sandwich and just "happened" to spot that SAUERKRAUT. Speaking of… Something CC related had me reading Speer's Nazi book. I hadn't read it since at least 2016. That's as Political as I dare.
When I see pop-cul rear it's millennial head I shudder. I truly feared a massive white out. Then I inked Dart / Tech and heard Mr S say "U MAD BRO". Talk about a revolting one man POSSE.
But SHANIA was a big help and then I grok'ed the CARB thingy which gave me those BEANS. Let's see it's Thursday, it must be Steve. Let's see if LEBON was a fortuitous WAG.
Let's see if I'm first to officially wish Ms Shankers a fab hbd. I wonder how CED's doing with that Cake.
So… Has anyone seen C-Moe, Limerick Larry and haiku Harry in the same room. Other than this one .
Steve, I LIU and that's an astute call on the beans. There's Madagascar (Lima) beans and Madagascar vanilla beans. The latter part of the orchid family and expensive.
Bane? NIBS?? Try the 1953 inkwell and writing Palmer style left-handed. Now it's all over the paper and the cuff of that shirt. Drove Sister Kevin crazy. I think she considered exorcizing me.
Wow, FIR out of that mess. Now I know how the non-sports types feel. ORR doesn't count although he still counts big in BEAN Town. The
Home of the bean and the cod
Where the Lowells speak only to Cabots
And Cabots speak only to God
Enough
WC
Carol and I FIR in 42:14 min.
Good morning Cornerites.
Thank you Christopher Adams & Michael Sharp for your enjoyable Thursday CW.
Thank you Steve for your excellent review.
Ðave
FIR, but UMADBRO was a shaky wag. ARA went for the tie in 1966 and I can’t root for Notre Dame ever since. Hold a grudge? U bet.
Good morning!
It's usually not a good sign when Wite-Out is required for 1a. Today was no exception. BEGONE yielded to BEAT IT. I've never heard of TALCUM without the accompanying "powder," and I've never thought of it as friction-reducing, just moisture-absorbing. My TEFLON was friction-reducing, but wrong. I still had a chance at a successful finish, until I put in TRO (as in retro) instead of FRO (as in fro). There were just too many WAGs required to complete Oklahoma. MADAGASCAR and U MAD BRO? (Wha?) never did appear. [sigh] DNF. Grumpiness abounds. Thanx, Christopher, Michael, and Steve.
to Shanker's DW.
With Greetings from Tina Turner 🍾
https://youtu.be/nJNDxlP5aV4
I guess my grumpiness factor is much lower than Steve's today - I thought the theme was fine having the HIDDEN CARBS - but I did agree that since there were other equally long clues, the clue for it might have been worded "three of the long clue answers" implying there were others that did not.
Other than that, I had OSCAR HYPE before BUZZ, but ELIZA from "Hamilton" corrected that. One of the songs "The Schuyler Sisters" emphasizes the three sisters names in the lyrics: Angelica, ELIZA (who marries Hamilton), and Peggy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqqJO0nTBbQ
Thanks Steve and Christopher & Michael!
This one just did not drip easily off my pen. It took a lot of work. Friday-like. BTW we didn't use pens in elementary school. In HS we used fountain pens with reservoirs that were filled from an ink bottle. It was a relief when ink cartridges became available.
I liked order to go/beat it.
I read that "Vanilla comes from 'beans,' long thin bean-like pods, but vanilla is not at all a bean (legume, plant family Fabaceae), but an orchid (plant family Orchidaceae)." 43A could have said "seed pods that yield vanilla."
DART & TECH before OMNI and INST.
ARTS was a lucky guess. BOB ROSS was all perps.
MADAGASCAR BEANS was half perps and half wags.
The hardest fill was U MAD BRO, all perps. I didn't know PARR and LeBon, both lucky wags.
I enjoyed the puzzle. The theme was okay.
Ray's TINA TURNER .
Inanehiker's HAMILTON LINK .
I really have enjoyed Christopher Adams' puzzles but this collaboration with MICHAEL SHARP was puzzling as a Thursday effort. Many may remember when Michael who is best known for his REX PARKER GRUMPY REVIEWS was a regular poster at the Corner.
Must work, thanks to Steve this was fun.
Had to google Le Bon to finish, so a technical incomplete.
There is more than a smidgen of irony in a less than stellar review of a puzzle half built by Rex Parker. His karma ran over his dogma.
I got through this one in 7:38. Never heard of Madagascar Beans before, originally had Midas for Minos, somehow recalled Le Bon, and thought the 28-across (wah) clue referring to itself was an "obvious error."
CSO to C-Moe(Wine Country) who's becoming a regular again.
Unlike my son and y'all, the extent of my seasoning is the occasional salt and pepper on an ear of corn
In Boston it was the reverse: A product named for the Park(Fenway Frank's.
HM, that was a bigger game in 1966 than the Superbowl the following Jan. That and Clay-Liston I, enormous interest. I was at a BC game that afternoon.
Oh, that Michael Sharp. That explains the modern slang and pop-cul.
WC
Musings
-I had turmoil deep in the heart of Texas but enjoyed the random positioning of themers
-A twist on “Order to go” was a fun start
-PREPAY - $!,000 up front and I can play golf for the rest of the year
-As you can see here I can’t use my OPTICAL mouse when it’s charging
-My criteria and the AMPAS criteria for OSCAR BUZZ don’t seem to match up
-U MAD BRO? It’s usually a fool’s errand to try to change minds on the internet
-HDMI cabling allows me to show great audio and video from my MacBook Pro at school
-I know/understand the Infield Fly Rule. Does that make me a baseball nerd?
-Yes, HM, some best remember ARA for not trying to win a game
-Omaha’s big downtown arena is on its fourth sponsor
-Good catch, Steve! Those orchids must grow in profusion with all the vanilla around.
I thought it was a fine puzzle. Needed a lot of perps. I don’t think many people have heard of MADAGASCARBEANS, so the wrong definition is really moot. Several sports references, including old standbys ASHE and ORR, which always helps me.
Strange....I got all of the long fill correct, but I did not know UMADBRO, LEBON,& PARR.
Vaguely familiar with keto CARBS.
Confidently filled MIdaS. After all, a muffler contains a labyrinth. I know of PBS BOB ROSS. Did not correct a to O.
WAH WAH. The camera zooms in on Dhani singing at the 2002 concert for George.
I will probably never pay attention to puzzle symmetry. I have a hard enough time just trying to fill the answer squares.
Good morning everyone.
Like Anon @ 0857, too many obscure artists for me. So DNF. The Vanilla bean stuff was a concern but not what did me in. I guess I'm too provincial for this one. Sigh. The good part was there were bright spots and I did get 90%.
DES - CSO to our Northern Illinoisans. (Not to be confused with Illinoian which was a glacial stage preceding the Wisconsin.)
BOILERS - Our DD had four marine boilers supplying 60000 SHP, permitting 36 knots. 600 psi and 850º superheat.
Today, in 1942, the crucial Battle of Midway was fought and won.
I fizzled out on this one today. Not familiar with womens underwear-,AERIE, nor "The Incredibles"-PARR, and especially with whatever the hell "U MAD BRO" is doing in a puzzle. I guessed the correct spelling of Simon LEBON but the 'eagle's nest' cross didn't make sense.
I guess I 'don't know BEANS' because MADAGASCAR was basically filled by perps. I knew the song THESE DREAMS but not 'Come on Over' but I knew MARK TWAIN wouldn't fit. BOB ROSS & ELIZA were all perps. ARTS was a WAG.
1975 Wimbledon winner-ASHE; 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, & 1980 winner?-BORG
AirPod spot- last week my grandson ordered some new ones from Amazon (with his own money) because he LOST his. They came in Saturday but the case was EMPTY. He got his replacement yesterday at no charge. My wireless ear buds have two important features- a wire between them and a clamp to attach to my shirt. If you are riding a bicycle you do not want them to fall out.
TALCUM- some ambulance chasing lawyers have convinced gullible jurors in CA that it causes cancer. They claim asbestos was in the talc but it took an electron microscope to find any evidence. Every one of us has more asbestos in our lungs from breathing break dust over the years.
Hungry Mother- I NEVER rooted for Notre Dame (or the Yankees).
I, like OMaxiN, could not get UMADBRO, LE BON and PARR.
Had U MADE ME as the troll taunt, saw that AeODES was wrong and just didn't care. ABODES should have been obvious for quarters but by then all I could think of was currency units, game periods and tournament levels, and a butcher's task.
First puzzle I've given up on in months and months, if not years.
"Come On Over" as a song was sung by SHANIA, but I couldn't get "Come on over" as a verse in the Paul Davis song Cool Night
Good Morning:
I agree with every word in Steve’s intro and I heartily agree with Avg Joe’s (8:31) astute and accurate assessment. If this puzzle had been constructed by someone else, Rex Parker, AKA Michael Sharp, would tear it to bits. His first criticism would be the weak, overdone theme. The next would be that it skews old, i.e. what century are we in? Bob Ross? Ara Parsegian? These Dreams? His head would explode at the word Obese and the No War entry. I don’t have the energy or interest to mention everything else he would sneer at but, suffice it to say, Steve’s review was an example of an honest and fair critique, unlike the undeserved, unwarranted negative and nasty attacks Mr. Parker is famous for. Irony, indeed!
Shankers, Happy 80th Birthday to your DW. 🎂 🎁 🎈 🎉 🎊
Stay safe, all.
Calling it quits early so a Thor's Day DNF Too busy at work, no breaks to parse out the puzzle or contribute groan-worthy repartee.
Learning moments: Did not know that 🍌BANANAS🍌 are a part of the nut family and that there are institutions of higher learning for 🐸amphibians🐸 (Horned toad school). Fascinating
Hi Y'all! Wow, Steve, tell it like it is, man! This whole puzzle felt like something I just didn't quite get.
I'm usually grumpy with Thursday puzzles, so didn't expect different with this. I did get the theme and found those hidden CARBs, so that's a good thing.
I did get SHANIA TWAIN's song right away although that has to be from 30+ yrs. ago. Never knew Heart or THESE DREAMS. Anything about "Hamilton" is a mystery to me. Didn't know most of the puzzle names WEES.
Last to fill with much red-letter runs: SAFECO, CD ROMS, ABODES section.
OPTICAL? OPTICAL? has something to do with mice? Doesn't OPTICAL mean something you can see? I see 'em. Don't like 'em. Use a remote one for my computer.
I took the "vehicle route" to reduce friction with "grease". BZZT! Never used TALCUM except on babies to reduce "odor".
Hola!
Interesting. I did not find this puzzle as abhorrent as the rest of you. Yes, it was awkward in places, like UMADBRO, which I did not get. CHROMS instead of CDROMS ruined that, did not know PARR for the Incredibles, and certainly did not know LEBON.
Other than that, the rest of it was finished accurately.
BANANAS, BOILERS and BEATIT made me laugh. Stretching MADAGASCARBEANS all the way across was impressive.
The acronym AMPAS did not mean anything to me but I've heard of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences; I believe they sponsor the OSCAR awards.
BOB ROSS was my late DH's hero. He watched him every day on PBS and learned painting techniques from him. He became a quite good painter as a result.
Most of my nephews had RACECARBEDS growing up.
Yay! I knew HDMI! You all have taught me that.
Having read the biography of Alexander Hamilton I knew his wife was named ELIZA so that was easy. ANA Gasteyer makes occasional appearances in puzzles.
ACMES or peaks? I have to wait for at least one letter to emerge. EDAM is CWDs favorite cheese. Of course, if it has five letters, it's gotta be gouda.
Shanker, happy birthday to your DW!
Thank you, Steve, for today's critique and I'm glad you got some food, too.
Have a pleasant day, everyone! WARM wishes from AZ.
Thanks to Christopher Adams and Michael Sharp, too.
Well, I got chunks all over the west, but the east was tough and I needed a lot of help there. But some fun clues. I laughed when NUTS turned out to be BANANAS. 'Group of associates' was funny for POSSE (associates?). And FRO for 'back again' was cute.
So, thanks, Christopher and Michael, for this Thursday toughie.
Have a good day, everybody.
PK, if you can, take a look at Husker Gary's link to see what the underside of the mouse looks like.
Speaking of mice, I just came upstairs from my painting project to have a cup of coffee. Looking out the window to what outside looks like, I saw this large mouse moving through the lawn with this up and down motion. Turned out it wasn't a mouse. It was the head of a crow. Guess it's time to cut the grass again.
Break time is over. See all y'all later n'at.
Definitely a Thursday worthy puzzle,
but maybe because I never saw (or knew) about the carbs.
Really enjoyed 28A, because, when I 1st saw the clue,
I said to Daughter3#, "There's a typo in the puzzle!"
28A can't refer to 28A???
& when I read her the clue, she came back with "WAH" immediately,
& it all made sense!
(a multi person double AHA moment - Woohoo!)
On the other hand, deep retrospection resulted in the delayed
(very delayed) expose' of nut=banana...
I could not see it until all of the letters appeared,
which made me think,
could I not see it, because,,
just like crazy people don't know they are crazy?
(deep thought ensued...)
The fill = Dida?!?!
& you left it in?
Well hats off to you for finding a dumb clue for a stupid fill...
(Thumper stepped away for a moment...)
Talcum is a lubricant? (I was thinking Graphite.)
Stable parent=Mare,
well, OK, but I think the clue stable parent is an Oxymoron,
like "giant Shrimp."
This is what happens
when you stay up all night to make a cake...
Oh well, Shankers DW, even at 80, don't forget,
to enjoy a cake like you used to!
First, and most importantly, I want to sincerely thank all you dear Cornerites who have chimed in to offer you best wishes to my DW of 53 years on the occasion of her 80th BD. She can run circles around women half her age believe me. The puzzle was going fairly well until reaching 43 and 49A and 39 and 40D where it came to a screeching halt. It took the longest time staring at the empty spaces, but inexplicably came together for a FIR. Once again, a great big MWAH to everyone from my DW.
This was one tough Thursday go...it IS Thursday, right? Haha.
My only criticism of the clues is there were a lot of celebrity names. But this was certainly doable.
But not without...
Write-overs...ESSE/ESSA, YESIREE/YESISEE.
See you tomorrow. Stay safe.
Shankers, wishing your DW a very happy birthday. BTW, what is her name?
Only one letter wrong today, so FIW but not so terrible! The NE began to fall when I changed Oscar pool to OSCAR BUZZ. Like others, I conflated Kings Midas and MINOS, coming up with Minas. Should have seen that I had Bob Rass instead of the patient painting teacher Bob Ross. If I'd known anything about vanilla bean botany, I'd have been just as mad as Steve, bro!
For the record, I'd just like to mention that I had no idea about the Rex Parker connection with this puzzle, and while I was writing up the intro I was having misgivings that I was sounding way too much like one of Rex's blogs.
It was the "Madagascar Bean" thing that got me. I know others are more forgiving about inaccurate cluing, but we rely on accuracy for a "fair" solve, so a clue that is completely wrong, to me that's a no-no, and that's what made me pick apart the rest of the theme.
As I said, there was a lot of good stuff in the fill.
Why is everybody complaining about the puzzle? It's supposed to be challenging and obviously it was. That doesn't bother me in the least.
IMHO, U MAD BRO sounds like a completely made up saying by an ignorant English speaker. I guess the constructor was stuck in that area, threw it in and for some unknown reason Rich allowed it. I could have never filled that area and had to change PANEL to POSSE so that SAFESO, CD-ROMS, & ABODES allowed at least "_MADB_O" to make it onto the grid.
Thanks, Steve, for a fine write up.
BTW, the Duke of Marlborough's estate is known as Blenheim Palace, so named after the 1st Duke's victory in the 1704 Battle of Blenheim in Bavaria during the War of the Spanish Succession.
In those days, if you did well on the field of battle, the crown might reward you with a title and a huge estate.
Nowadays, of course, the emphasis is on negotiation and de-escalation, probably because they're running short of land.
~ OMK
Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Christopher Adams & Michael Sharp, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Steve, for a fine review.
Started this puzzle at 2:30 this morning. Did not get too far. Laid back down.
Worked it later in the day while on my way to the doctor's office. Finished about noon.
Once I got a couple footholds, a lot of squares filled in. CRACKLE helped me in the NW. BOILERS in the NE. RACE CAR BEDS in the SW. SHANIA TWAIN in the SE.
AERIE was easy. I knew that is an eagle's nest.
Got all the theme answers once I knew what to look for. CARB
MADAGASCAR BEANS came slowly. I had enough perps to get the first word. And the a few more helped with BEANS.
Well, I am signing off. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
( )
I felt about this puzzle much as Steve did. Had lots of write-overs, too many to bore you with. I have often put PEN to paper but I don't believe I, nor anyone I know, have ever referred to it as putting NIB to paper.
Our son's favorite Sesame Street character when he was little (and the show was relatively new) was Oscar the Grouch, so much so that we began to call him John Oscar. As he grew older that nickname morphed to John-O and he will still suffer to be called that, but only by his closest relatives. Have a rotten day!
Re. ND-MSU 1966 viewer demand:
"At first, ABC wasn’t going to show the game at all, but 50,000 fans wrote letters and signed petitions in protest and the network changed its mind. And the reversal paid off: The game got higher ratings than the next year’s (67)first-ever Super Bowl did"
The Sunday NYTimes was a week behind insert on my TB-Times. I became familiar with Rex via the write-ups. He's like Bobbi who drops in here: entertaining. Having a write-up is an incentive to solve.
WC
Yellowrocks, DW's first name is Beverly. She says hello!
Hi Beverly, hope you had a great day. Yellowrocks (hugs) from Kathy.
We use internet slang here, LOL, ROTFL, IMHO. So I won't diss the use in a puzzle of another internet slang expression that has been around for a while, but I would strongly object to its use in a post. Too snarky and mean.
"'U mad bro', is a noteworthy internet expression because it is simultaneously a meme, a form of trolling, and a form of flaming all at once. Along with its common variants 'u mad', 'you mad' and 'you mad bro', 'umadbro' is a type of taunt that says 'hey, you're starting to lose your temper' and 'I've obviously struck a nerve with you'. You would use the umadbro expression when you want to insensitively enrage the other person during an argument. Since 2003, users have been using the umadbro phrase to troll other users and goad them into more arguing and frustration online."
I have had a chronic sinus infection since the first of the year. These infections usually come and go and do not last too long, but after a constant five months I still have pain and sometimes a low grade fever. I went to the doc today and have a prescription for an antibiotic. Maybe I will get back my get up and go.
Day over finally 😷...whew. Just had my glass of wine 🍷
With all the controversy surrounding today's puzzle I'm kinda glad I had to give up early. Never seen IM get her Irish up.. UMADSIS! 😠
YR:
Those can be so annoying. I hope you feel better.
Abejo:
Your symptoms sound a lot like my late DH's when he began losing weight drastically. The diagnosis was cancer. Have you been checked for that? I sincerely hope it is not so but it's best to have it checked.
There is no cure for Diabetes or HIV. no politics, no religion, no quackery
Puzzling thoughts:
So, let me get this straight: Michael Sharp and Rex Parker are one-in-the-same? If so, I don’t feel so bad about Haiku Harry and Limerick Larry ... just sayin’ ... and WC, I have seen Haiku Harry and Limerick Larry on separate occasions, and outside of this blog. They’re pretty cool dudes. One speaks only in anapestic tetrameter, and the other can’t utter more than 17 syllables. Weird guys ...
Regardless of the construction, I thought the puzzle was at least a “meh”+. As others have said, stretching MADAGASCAR BEANS across the grid was pretty clever, despite the improper clue. But my highlight of the puzzle was Steve’s recap. Bravo!
Speaking of construction, today’s haiku hits on this:
Crossword writer’s theme
‘Bout scarves, choked me up. He’s a
Boa’s constructor ...
Mini CSO to JazzBumpa for the WAH / trombone connection.
My bad NIBS stains can be seen at: USUAL BUZZ/OSCAR BUZZ, and SHANYA /SHANIA which led to AERYE/AERIE. I, too, never heard of brand of intimate apparel, nor did my SO. I used a fountain pen briefly; it may have been a PARKER pen, interestingly. It had the plastic cartridges instead of dipping into an ink well. But they stained ones shirt pocket equally, if you weren’t careful
Lots of perps helped. I can see TALCUM as a friction-reducer, but I rarely, if ever, use it
While it’s good to be back I’ll probably take some hiatuses this summer. I became a first-time Grandpa last week and plan on driving east to visit my daughter, SIL, and grandson, along with other friends and family...
Moe
MOE: congratulations on the new grandson! Such a sweet time, we'll excuse you for that. Always like your posts tho.
TTP: I looked at Gary's mouse. It is just like mine except his has a cord which apparently lets him recharge it. Mine has an opening into which I must feed batteries to keep it happily working. I still don't know what "optical" has to do with this.
@Big Easy - you miss the point. It wasn't whether it was challenging or not; that's not the point. The point is the theme was lame and the main theme entry was clued incorrectly. The rest of it was a puzzle.
"Challenging" is in the eye of the solver, everyone's mileage will vary.
PK - My mouse seems to be the same as Gary's. It doesn't have rollers like they did years ago to tell the pointer how far to move. It 'sees' the pad or surface over which it is moved and then moves the screen arrow or cursor a proportional amount in the same direction. It 'talks' to the computer by blutooth radio-frequency; not a cord as in years past. This style is offered by Apple as an option. I have to charge up about once a month and, like Gary says, you can't use it while charging (from a USB port.)
_________________________________________________________________________
On Vanilla, I went down various rabbit holes a bit. Steve is right. Madagasgar bean is a lima is a legume. I found no information that it is used to make vanilla or its flavors. The vanilla bean is in the orchid order; quite different.
Vanilla flavors can be made artificially. One sometime ingredient is from the anal excretions of beaver butts. (Wonder how they'll work that into a puzzle.)
I'm late to the Thursday party. Thanks Christopher and Michael for the workout, and Steve for explaining. Put me in the OSCAR group today.
I did not get a chance to work on this CW until late afternoon, and I thought perhaps my brain was tired. I started out poorly, thinking of Takeout, then Dine In, for my "order to go". I found the CARBs but wondered about the 22D and 25D not continuing the theme.
YES I SEE was not part of my response today.
I still don't get Nuts=BANANAS unless it is just an expression of frustration. But then I would expect an exclamation mark! (Or does it have something to do with men's anatomy?)
Hand up for Midas before MINOS, and Pens before NIBS. Plus 28A, I thought was an error, before I saw how it repeated. (But it did not bring a smile.)
AERIE was a WAG associated with Eagle. I noted ANA and ARA (but originally had Ina and Ira until perps corrected me).
My best bet was the Safest before the SUREST.
But really, it was the multitude of unknowns requiring Google help that spoiled the fun today and made it seem like a Saturday slog. This Canadian did not known TCU, LEBON, SAFECO Field, ELIZA, BOB ROSS; plus CDROM and UMADBRO never did parse properly. But I hang my Canadian head in shame for not recognizing SHANIA TWAIN sooner. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.
Happy Birthday to Shankers' DW, Beverly.
Congrats C Moe on the new grandson.
Lucina - you can have company?! We had a driveway visit (separated by 6 ft. in the fresh air) and felt very adventurous today.
Dave - good to hear from you and Carol.
Wishing you all a good evening.
He's nuts, he's bananas, he's crazy.
Spitzboov: Thanks for your explanation. I now see the "eye" on the bottom of that mouse and understand OPTICAL.
Hah! It seems that Michael Sharp's almost daily habit of dissing constructors has turned around and bit him in the ass! Karma sucks, doesn't it.
Hi All!
Being ignorant of what a MADAGASCAR BEAN is kept me from getting sore as Steve. I was, however, sore that there were no CARBs in 22 and 25d - I kept looking for anagrams, CARB's synonyms (or breads?) forwards & backwards. Didn't look in OSCAR BUZZ 'cuz it was only 9 letters.
Thanks Christopher and Michael for the puzzle. I kinda liked the left-right-only symmetry.
Steve - brilliant on SCARBOROUGH FAIR. Fun expo too.
WO: TSU
ESPs: ANA, ARA, ARTS (as clued), PARR, ELIZA
Fav: loved the cluing on WHA -- very cute.
Anyone who listens to Market Place knows Kai mistakenly uses WHA WHA Trombones when the market is down.
Knew LE BON - Brother was a fan of Duran Duran while I was more KISS Army.
U MAD BRO was 6/7th perps. I've seen it. TALCUM - I was thinking like chalk in a pool hall.
WC - Hummm.... nah, I'll keep it real. I went to look 'cuz SOUR had too few letters.
Nice to see you D4. Everything still good?
Misty - In Hip Hop culture, your POSSE are your associates / friends. See History section in this POSSE-cut explanation.
PK - [As Spitz already explained*] Your mouse has a little light on the bottom that reflects back into the "eye" of the mouse - hence 'optical.' Early Optical Mice [Wiki] required a reflective mouse-pad w/ a fine 'grid.'
Congrats C. Moe! Stay safe getting back east.
AveJoe - LOL! I love'd that turn of phrase.
More on Rex, AKA Michael [2:03]
Cheers, -T
*hey, at least I refreshed b/f posting [wow - I started this draft >2 hours ago?]
Today was a RED letter day for me! I went for a pedicure and nail fill! All the regular nail techs were there busily working their emery boards and wearing masks. Customers were in and out; the place was busy. It seems that all business is opening.
Canadian Eh?
Yes, my family came for dinner and fortunately no one in either the immediate or extended family has been sick. Not even my vulnerable sister who usually catches everything. Obviously we don't wear masks in the house but are otherwise conscientious of it.
Dave 4 and CMoe, it's good to hear from you.
Thanks YR. I don't hear BANANAS used that way here.
Steve, I agreed with your assessment and I thought it was fair without piling on. The asymmetry plus the haphazard theme entries made this one a disappointment for me. There's also too much glue (INST, ESSA, BBC, YSL, ARA), especially for a constructor who delights in ripping others for similar shortcomings.
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