Good Morning. Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee, here, with today's puzzle recap.
Today's puzzle setter is frequent-contributor Joe Deeney. Our friend above is engaging in a bit of overkill as we don't actually need an abacus to figure out today's offering. At four places within the grid, Joe has broken up the word EVEN. A straightforward theme and a bit of a help in that, once we grasp the theme, we know that each long answer in going to start with E, and end with N. We also know that other two letters (V and E) will be in sequence and will fall adjacent to the beginning and/or ending letters. Here is the reveal:
54 Across: Neither lose nor gain... and a hint to four long answers: BREAK EVEN
Here are the long answers to which the reveal refers:
15 Across: "Snow White" antagonist: EVIL QUEEN She wanted to get rid of Show White and so, she was convinced, remain the fairest of them all. Pretty unfair.
22 Across: Relatable female character: EVERYWOMAN. In High School lit classes the teacher often said that a given character represented Everyman. I always thought that the term included all humans but these days we clarify a bit further.
33 Across: Toy sold with cake mix packets: EASY BAKE OVEN If I recall correctly, the heat source was a 100 watt lightbulb.
45 Across: Title teen in a 2015 musical: EVAN HANSEN
Here are the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:
1. Conventioneer's freebie: SWAG BAG. We often see TOTE or TOTE BAG.
8. Slightly: A BIT. Sometimes A TAD.
12. Energy snacks whose flavors include Carrot Cake and Cherry Pie: LARABARS.
14. Complete: DONE.
17. Shot, perhaps: DOSE. Not a firearms reference. Not a drink. Not an attempt. Not a photograph. An inoculation.
18. Galileo's birthplace: PISA.
19. Words said with a shrug: BEATS ME.
21. Holiday when one might eat bánh chung: TET. The first possibly obscure food reference. A traditional Vietnamese food item served for the holiday.
25. Nearly four octaves, for Freddie Mercury: RANGE.
Live Aid - 1985
27. Traditional springerle spice: ANISE. Centuries-old German cookies. . . and the second possibly somewhat obscure food reference.
28. Shook on it: AGREED.
32. Floors: KOS. Knocks out. Shouldn't it be KSO?
37. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT. A computer reference.
38. Salt's savior: ST ELMO. AKA Saint Erasmus.
39. Query rendered moot by laughter: GET IT. Get it? If they "got it" (the joke) then they're laughing.
42. Doesn't hold back: VENTS.
49. Go bad: ROT. Why can't Bugs Bunny drive anymore? Because he has Car ROT.
51. Level: ECHELON.
52. Winter festival: YULE.
53. Huber of tennis: ANKE.
Anke Huber
57. Ratings unit: STAR.
58. Adjusted one's schedule (for): MADE TIME.
59. Villainous literary alter ego: HYDE.
60. Atypical: DEVIANT. See Above.
Down:
1. Nodded off: SLEPT.
2. Not as straight, as hair: WAVIER. The word looks as if is should be WAIVER.
3. Milli Vanilli label: ARISTA. Milli Vanilli was an unmitigated, lip-syncing fraud. For this ARISTA answer my sea mammalian friends tell me that they would have gone with a clue along these lines:
4. Bash: GALA.
5. Common beach party, briefly: BBQ. Often clued with reference to patio.
6. Non-pro sports org.: AAU. Amateur Athletic Union
5. Common beach party, briefly: BBQ. Often clued with reference to patio.
6. Non-pro sports org.: AAU. Amateur Athletic Union
7. Diving bird: GREBE. A possibly obscure avian reference.
Great Crested Grebe
8. Expands, with "to": ADDS ON.
9. Audio setup involving a horizontal pole: BOOM MIKE.
10. Like farmers' market produce: IN SEASON. We will save the animal husbandry lessons for another time.
11. Kickoff aid: TEE. A football reference frequently found in our puzzles.
13. Fortuneteller: SEER.
16. Old-style uh-uh: NAY. Often clued with reference to a parliamentary vote.
20. Former flier: TWA. Was Joe trying to sucker us into going with SST?
22. Like custard: EGGY. What do you call a custard when it goes bad? Off-pudding.
23. Rank and file, e.g.: VERBS. NOUNS would have fit both the clue and the allotted space.
24. Mario Bros. console: NES. Nintendo Entertainment System.
26. "Too Many Rappers" rapper: NAS. Being somewhat limited in my knowledge of rap music, I tend to rely on remembering previous rap-related crossword answers. Interesting juxtaposition with NES.
A Chow Down
30. Manage, with "out": EKE. Interesting juxtaposition with EAT.
31. Conduct exhaustive research (into): DELVE.
33. "I am __-one today!": Bilbo Baggins, a year after his 110th birthday: ELEVENTY. A LOTR reference.
34. Smear campaign tactic: ATTACK AD.
1964 - LBJ's "Daisy" Ad
35. Comet, to some: OMEN. Or, a kitchen cleanser.
36. Super Bowl 50 MVP __ Miller: VON. A Super Bowl L winner with the Denver Broncos and, more recently, a Super Bowl LVI winner with the Los Angeles Rams.
Von B'Vsean Miller, Jr.
37. Spend time in a cellar, maybe: AGE. Wine or cheese? Both, please. . . and some Mary's Gone Crackers crackers.
40. "Psst" follower: IN HERE
PSST
41. Not just any: THE. Specific.
43. Splenda alternative: TRUVIA. "Artificial" sweeteners
44. Sincere, as an oath: SOLEMN.
46. Edmonton's prov.: ALB. ALBerta is one of the provinces of Canada. The official Canada Post abbreviation is AB.
47. Benchmark: NORM.
48. Golfer nicknamed "The Slammer": SNEAD. It's too soon to reuse the Sheikh Snead joke.
50. Article of faith: TENET.
52. Apt cooler brand: YETI. Named after the Himalayan version of the Abominable Snowman.
53. Incomplete combustion product: ASH.
55. Fruity cooler: ADE. A drink frequently quaffed in our puzzles.. Lime ADE. Lemon ADE. Orange ADE. Etc.
56. Fred Savage's "The Wonder Years" role, informally: KEV. KEVin Arnold.
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FIRight! Wouldn't have done so on paper. Lack of a ta-da tipped me that I still had errors to correct. First cOc to KOS, then LAvABARS to LARABARS, which got me my ta-da!
ReplyDeleteFilled in the reveal before I had really looked for the gimmick. I'm sure I would have found it on my own, tho. I already had enough filled in that the reveal didn't help me any. EV/EN, EVE/N, E/VEN, EV/EN, /EVEN. Yep, every permutation including the one in the reveal.
I think that I have never seen
A grid of fifteen by fourteen!
Rich has changed his NORM,
How a crossword is formed.
What next? Will rebuses join the team?
When the EVIL QUEEN meted out a DOSE,
Did her innocent victim become comatose?
No, poison's lethally harming,
So when Prince Charming
Gave her a kiss, it was a zombie that arose!
{B, A-,}
Like MalMan predicted, I first put "SST" for "TWA." And, fortunately, I remembered Kevin from "The Wonder Years" or I would have never gotten "deviant." In the end, FIR, so I'm happy
ReplyDeleteAnd also, I never heard of "larabars" but I knew "Arista" so I got it anyway.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteSay it ain't so, Joe. Yup, d-o chalked up another DNF. Started right off with TOTE. (Have I ever mentioned that I hate it when I need Wite-Out for 1a?) Stumbled through the rest without erasure, but thought Alberta was ALTA, so I put ALT. Couldn't remember Fred Savage's name; DEV seemed as likely as KEV. That resulted in TREAD EVEN. Bzzzzzt! Enjoy the lovely parting gift. Thanx, Joe and Mal-Man. (Off-pudding. Cute.)
CHOU: There's one on my Thursday M-o-W route. He knows the sound of my car, and shows up for a doggie-treat on my way in, and another on my way out.
YETI: Shouldn't it be spelled $YETI$?
FIR. Hand up for erasing sst and tote, as well as ken for KEV and nae for NAY. If there's nae {one crapstorm or another] there's no golf, therefore no need for a TEE. DNK LARABARS, springerie, EVAN HANSEN, ANKE, Bilbo Baggins, VON and TRUVIA.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading another Lucas Davenport novel. One of his sidekicks is a guy named Del Capslock.
Dusty Springfield sang:
Takin' time to MAKE TIME
Tellin' me that he's all mine
Learnin' from each other's knowin'
Lookin' to see how much we've grown and
The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Thanks to Joe for a toughie that even I could get. And thanks to our MalMan for the fun, especially the kitty picture.
Tomorrow is a long travel day, so I might not get to the puzzle until late afternoon. Gotta go out and get a few estimates on a tankful of diesel too. Then go to a surgeon to have an arm or a leg removed to pay for it.
FIW, didn't notice I put Ken instead of Kev. Tough puzzle tho.
ReplyDeleteThis took me 7:05 to get even.
ReplyDeleteDidn't see the theme, but recognized a frequent use of the letter "V".
I also started with tote bad, and I didn't know grebe or Ms. Anke Huber.
Yes, a Joe Deeney FIR! A bit slow in places as expected on Thursday but my only WO was Sammy/SNEAD. Saw the EV openings and got suspicious. The reveal confirmed it. With the first three themers I wondered if there was a sub theme relating to women. Thanks, Joe.
ReplyDeleteMalMan, you did it again. An amusing and full-of-information review. Thanks! I especially liked the raccoon beginning. There are days like that....
FLN: Sincere condolences to you and your wife for losing your father-in-law as a result of COVID, Picard. Thanks for including the picture.
I MADE TIME to write my comment early today, now off to start our tax return.
Slower going than yesterday; AAU was a big winter track meet at Boston Garden c. 1950-70. Globe provided extensive coverage and I was there when young Bruce Kidd from C-eh country won the 10K
ReplyDeleteMy inkover was sst/TWA. DNK AVISTA(*oops cancel that FIR), GREBE(not egret), EVAN HANSEN. I don't trust fake sugar, lite anything(re. TRUVIA)
Liked the Bilbo clue and think of BBQ as a backyard event(as does maloman)
Just enough LHF to perp to the FIR(*c above)
I had an inclination that Galileo was from PISA
The SEERs are infesting the web; there's a biblical omen on every page
I don't recall the Sheikh Snead joke
Owen, A on #2, B+ on 1
Jinx, the original NAE wind/NAE Golf was never truer than at the Honda in Palm Beach
WC
*Everyone knows ARISTA but not SNEAD
FIW - 3 Naticks: LAVA BARS/AVISTA; ATTACKED/STER; KEF/DEFIANT. Oops
ReplyDeleteOne w/o: IM HERE/ IN HERE
I didn’t fall for the SST - I let the perps form TWA
Anyone who knows high school basketball and the kids who play for AAU teams during summer leagues know that it might as well be professional. Lots of $$$ to be made getting your son to the right college program
Two “Joe’s” for the price of one today! Although our this Thursday blogger prefers Joseph. Excellent work by you both. BTW to Joseph: did you find a copy of the puzzle or should I send it?
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a fairly easy Thursday with only one stumble, Dozed/Slept and one unknown, Anke. Liked the duos of Done/Dose, Hyde/Deviant, (who is in that picture?) NES /NAS, and Solemn/Tenet. CSOs to Ray O and Anon T (Pisa), CanadianEh (Alb), Lemony (Ade), and All Golfers (Snead). Speaking of golfers, did anyone watch Tiger’s Hall of Fame Induction ceremony last night? His daughter and son were so poised and proud of him, likewise his Mom. He related some interesting stories, particularly ones about his early exposure to and obstacles he faced in the world of golf.
Thanks, Joe Deeny, for a fun solve and thanks, MalMan, for the commentary, chuckles, and eye candy, especially those of our furry friends.
FLN
Picard, Condolences to you and Merlie on the loss of her beloved father.
Have a great day
Thursday Tie (neither lose nor gain - GET IT?). Thanks for the fun, Joe and MalMan.
ReplyDeleteOfficially a FIW with my personal Natick cross of LARA BARS and ARISTA. I WAGged incorrectly and entered V instead of R. I see that I am not the only one.
But I got the theme.
That bench will not be long enough to hold all of us who entered SST before TWA.
Fortunately perps helped to solve the unknown ANKE, VON, KEV.
We had a YETI cooler and ADE fruity cooler. I had Icee in the cooler at first.
I wanted Stevia for the unknown to me TRUVIA. I see that is a brand name for stevia.
ST ELMO and ATTACK AD took a while to parse.
I will defer my CSO and pass it on to lfromAlberta. d’o- Alberta may be abbreviated as ALTA or ALB; Canada Post uses AB. We already had ALT at 37A.
Spitzboov would have enlightened us on springerle and ANISE. RIP.
Wishing you all a great day.
Took a little work but I FIR in a little under 14 mins. Some nice clueing Joe, thank you for the Thursday challenge! DNK ANKE and 🖐 up for also having LAVABARS/AVISTA before changing the V to R, I thought ARISTA was right but never heard of LARABARS. Have never read LOTR but I remembered the name Bilbo Baggins cuz I think it was a theme answer in a puzzle within the last couple weeks?
ReplyDeleteMM ~~ as usual, a very entertaining picturesque review, thanks for your time and effort! I never had an EASY BAKE OVEN, but did have its cousin, the Creepy Crawler maker - take a disgusting mix of sugar and dye, put it in a hot mold to make bug shaped “candy” that was pretty much inedible, and I think every kid burned themselves on the bubbling mass.
Picard ~~ sorry to hear of you FIL’s passing, condolences to you and yours.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Joe is a supply chain manager in Mass. and I’ll bet he is having issues these days
-BREAK EVEN – We got $9,000 from an investment last month and this month we’re installing $8,900 worth of carpeting
-VENTS – BB coaches at referees. Just don’t go too far.
-I always wonder how long that guy on the BOOM MIKE can hold his arms up
-April farmer’s markets here usually have horrible sweet corn shipped in from Texas or Florida
-ELEVENTY? I’ve never heard of it but it made sense very quickly
-ATTACK AD – The attacker can say his opponent voted for something that was a very small piece of larger legislation. Then were into “did so”, “did not”, “did so”, ad nauseum
-My favorite NORMS
-Slammin’ Sammy SNEAD hit a golf ball 270 yds which was 20 yds farther than anybody else then. Today he would be at least 30 yds behind an average pro golfer
Gary @ 10:16: can you imagine if players like Sam Snead had the same drivers and golf balls as today’s players? He would easily be among the longest. While his swing looked effortless, it was damn near perfect
ReplyDeleteFLN - Picard, if you didn't see my post yesterday, allow me, as your friend, to offer my sincere condolences on the loss of your father-in-law. It sounds like he was much loved, and deservedly so.
ReplyDeleteYup, I put in SST even though I never liked Springerle for their anise flavor. But I was reluctant to put in ASH when I already had STAR and HYDE down. Soot is an incomplete combustion product, ash is not. Very, very unusual to see a faulty clue.
ReplyDeleteWees, on SST, Larabar?
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle actually gave me a hard time...
One thing that got me that no one else has mentioned
was "apt cooler brand."
I don't know why I was looking for an abbreviated air conditioning
name for apartments?...
After watching that LBJ Ad,
I think we are all screwed...
Actually, after eating the pizza, I am sure you will realize you lost something special if they were kind enough
to break it to you in such a delicious way....
Hand up this was tough for me. Never heard of LARABARS and was sure it must be wrong. But I was mistaken. FIR. Also never heard of AAU, but I had heard of GREBE and the TET treat. SE just as difficult with clue for SNEAD and unknowns KEV, YETI, TRUVIA, VON MILLER.
ReplyDeleteGot the BREAK EVEN reveal as my first fill. Thought the theme was a bit weak.
Here I was at a CONVENTIONEER'S BEACH PARTY BBQ
This was on the last night of a work CONVENTION in San Diego. For many attendees this was a very exotic experience.
Yesterday and Today:
ReplyDeleteSubgenius, Vidwan, RayOSunshine, ATLGranny, Irish Miss, YooperPhil Thank you for the condolences on the passing of DW Merlie's father Merlin. I think it is difficult for her to sort out many mixed feelings. She had many unhappy memories of him growing up, but he had a second chance to raise his grandchildren and got it right with them.
He was pleasant with me. Unlike DW mother who enjoyed visiting the US, Merlin preferred to stay on the farm and not venture far from it. I think his generation was still traumatized by being a child during World War II and he probably had enough "adventure" in his life. Happy to be in his quiet, safe space.
Vidwan When DW did her citizenship test just last year, they still asked if she had ever been a Communist. I think they are stuck in the wrong era of who is a threat. I was puzzled by your comment that you would not dream of demonstrating on the ELLIPSE? I grew up with this as part of what it meant to be a good citizen. But maybe I am misunderstanding?
HG - Slammin' Sammy would be eleventy oh if he were still alive, so he probably WOULD hit it much shorter than today's bombers. The equipment accounts for a lot of today's extra distance, but I think the computer analysis and simulation plays a role too. Also, the purses are so much bigger now, even measured in constant dollars, that upper-tier players can afford to have putting coaches, swing coaches and sports psychologists on staff.
ReplyDeleteWC I watched that final on TV. I couldn't help thinking that I would be lucky to break 200 there Sunday. Even from the "senior" tees.
CED - I think that REM ("End of the World As We Know It") and Barry McGuire ("Eve of Destruction") may have it right. Very scary times.
Nope. DNF. Too many unknowns to list, and SST stopped me cold in the NE. Dopey me filled SNEED instead of SNEAD, which buggered up that area. After 25 minutes I had only about half the cells filled, and was stumped on the rest, so threw in the towel. This seemed very difficult for a Thursday.
ReplyDeleteWas easier than yesterday. My sister had an easy bake oven. A light bulb was used for the cooking.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle almost defeated me, but I managed to solve it unaided. ELEVENTY is an interesting and original entry. I also like DEVIANT, SOLEMN, and DELVE as sparkly answers. I never heard of LARABARS and I was sorely tempted to put in SARALEES, but SLEPT and BBQ were solid. I also did not know ANKE Huber or VON Miller. We used to make springerle cookies every Christmas so I knew ANISE and therefore avoided answering SST for former flier. The word bánh in the clue gave me the answer TET right away. Like Gary I have sometimes wondered how long the guy holding the BOOM MIKE can maintain that posture. Movie making can be grueling work.
ReplyDeleteGood wishes to you all.
So,
ReplyDeleteyou wanna run the boom Mike?
Followed by,
boom mikes revenge...
Ah, by George I've got it..oops.no I don't, FIW,☹ was sure it ARISTA but didn't think LARBARS was right, probably LAvABARS so changed R to V (just the opposite from Subgenius but the same as Youper)...Got the theme though.. BREAKEVEN, the word EVEN is broken up in a number of clues. (DEVIANT DEVIATES cuz of the A)
ReplyDeleteSWAG is a tote filled with goodies. I expect one next week when I show up at a conference.
Have progressed form Sweet-n-low to Equal to Splenda tea and coffee sweetener but TRUVIA has an awful aftertaste.😝 I'm drinking coffee out of a YETI thermal mug as I write this.
"Not just any" but I need THE correct answer. "Springerle"? A designer dog? Springer spaniel / collie mix? Had the B so it hadda be ALB for Canada Eh's Edmonton.
Front door of a Halloween cheapo...EGGY ("off pudding", love it)
"Mr. Brynner, yes, _____ get the part of the Pharoah"...YULE..
Crossword tennis great....ASH.
Not dissonant....ANKE
Straight from the horses mouth...ABIT.
60s and no snow to 30s and a blizzard with plows prowling the streets and tree's weighted down with snow again. Treacherous March.
Fun PZL from Mr. Deeney, not quite as hard as it first appears.
ReplyDeleteMM answered it well, choosing excellent illustrations--as, for example, his choice for VENTS!
I wonder:
if the formal name for the sailors' patron was Erasmus,
d'you suppose they called him ELMO just to get his goat?
~ OMK
____________
DR: An asymmetrical grid, 14x15. No diagonals.
Uncle Fred, there was a golfer named (Ed) Sneed.
ReplyDeleteSome found it hard, others easy. Oh well, it'll be unanimous tomorrow (hard)
Then again, I never can tell
ReplyDeleteThank you Joe Deeney for a challenge Thursday puzzle, which I enjoyed solving. Many of the names and some of the cluing was very esoteric, but thats Thursdays. The long answers helped. I remember The Wonder Years, but it was not our favorite TV show, so we did not watch much of it.
Where is DEAR LUCINA ??? and why has she not posted in such a long time ??
Thank you MalMan for a very catchy review with a lot of fun filled items. The raccoon and the cat picytures brought a lot of smiles... and added to the fun of the review.
Onto Friday, tomorrow, ... unfort I will be in the hosp OR again, so maybe G-d willing, I will see you, all, on Monday.
Have a great day and great evening all.
Over and out.
Vidwan, Lucina left on a trip March 2nd.
DeleteBest wishes for a good result tomorrow on your medical procedure.
Dave: LOVE the Boom Mike Revenge clip. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteVidwan827, Lucina has not been posting because she is travelling.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteAtl Granny, and all others, thank you for your good wishes. The 'procedure', BTW, is a relatively low risk drainage, with laprascopy under camera, under Gen Anesth. .FIW.
I am writing this note, because, I actually wanted to discuss a point for Picard.
This is regarding the rights of 'born' citizens( BC's) and 'naturalized' citizens.(NC's)
Theoretically,, they are supposed to be the same ... BUT ...
... and I am not a lawyer, but,
A born C cannot be kicked out of the country even for sedition or espionage or worse.
A Natrlzed C can be denaturalized ... under certain extenuating circumstances ... and can be permanently exiled to his former nationality / country of origin.
Hence a Natr Cit has to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his natural life...
Witness in history, the way Chinese coolie citizens were thrown out, and the treatment of Japanese citizens during the WWII. And this had the full approval of SCOTUS.
Demonstrating at the Ellipse or such other matters may invite unwanted attention,
and open a can of Pandora worms, for no purpose at all ....
or the FBI may start a 'file' on you ... like NIxon's enemies had files on them ...
Discretion and tact, may be the best asset of diplomacy ... it is also a great asset in leading an untroublesome life ...
I hope you can read between the lines ... to each their own.
Good night .....
Luckily for me my local CVS has an end cap filled LARABARS and I am married to an Asian lady so I know Bánh chưng is similar to Thai dishes combining mung bean, sticky rice housed in banana leaves. There are many variations and sticky rice made well is excellent. I am prejudiced by my wife's cooking.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle had many witty and tricky clue fill combos and the audience continues to add to the joy of malman's write-up by chipping in their own humor. My contribution, I was banned from the local park for arranging the squirrels by height. They do not allow critter sizing.
Tomorrow awaits, don't forget DST is also on the way for most
FWIW, both ARISTA and AVISTA are record companies.
ReplyDeleteThere are six different saints "Erasmus", with one whose feast day is June 6, the hieromartyr "Erasmus (Elmo)." No idea why the two names.
Vid good luck with your procedures.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point about naturlized citizens but even native born Japanese citizens were interned... from Wikipedia "About 80,000 were Nisei (literal translation: 'second generation'; American-born Japanese with U.S. citizenship) and Sansei ('third generation',the children of Nisei). The rest were Issei ('first generation') immigrants born in Japan who were ineligible for U.S. citizenship under U.S. law.
No minority US citizen native born or not is truly protected from government sponsored oppression. Remember the attempts at internment of people with HIV and still decades later now "Don't Say Gay" laws...legal gerrymandering to suppress voting.
As you say always "looking over your shoulder"
'HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NANNA! 69 TODAY? NO, NOT TODAY. GRANDPA'S PUT HIS BACK OUT
ReplyDeleteGroan to the max😁
Delete