The circled letters spell four different grains, SPELT, RYE, WHEAT, and RICE. Whole grains A-Z. Because they're all downs, they're FALLING.
We've seen Katie Hale's puzzles before, but this appears to be Jason Reich's debut at the corner. We hope we hear from one or both of you.
Across:
1. Droops: SAGS.
5. Future yearling: FOAL. A yearling is a male or female horse, between one and two years of age.
9. Lengthy test answer: ESSAY.
14. Furrow maker: PLOW. Not BROW.
15. Off course: AWRY.
16. __ lazuli: LAPIS. Intense blue, semi-precious stone. Considered the alternative birthstone for the month of September, together with Sapphires.
17. To whom Rick says, "The Germans wore gray. You wore blue": ILSA. Casablanca.
18. Commits an email faux pas: REPLIES ALL. I once had a (female) boss who accidentally "replied all" with some comments about the sender that should not have been public. I was so glad it wasn't me. Also know a woman who accidentally sent a picture of herself flipping off her cheating spouse ... to everyone on her contact list. The pitfalls of technology are many.
20. Wannabe: COPYCAT.
22. Inscribe: ETCH.
23. Lamb nurser: EWE.
24. Unaccounted for, for short: AWOL. Away without leave.
26. Prop for Gandalf: STAFF. All FIVE Of Gandalf's Staffs (& When They Appear).
29. Reader's Digest co-founder Wallace: LILA.
31. Stink: ODOR.
33. Battery size: AAA. Unless I'm missing something, this couldn't be anything else, since AAA is the only battery size that has three letters (with no numbers). List of battery sizes.
35. Space bar neighbor, on a PC: ALT KEY. The space bar has many neighbors, because of its width. On a Mac, it's labeled "option."
37. Crowdsourced source, briefly: WIKI.
38. Sass: LIP.
39. Tempter of Odysseus: SIREN. Sirens in The Odyssey were alluring creatures who sang beautiful songs that could drive a man mad just by hearing them. The sirens were one of the first ordeals Odysseus and his crew had to pass through so they could continue on their journey home to Ithaca.
40. Unit of resistance: OHM.
41. Matches a bet: CALLS. Poker.
43. Post-op area: ICU. Intensive Care Unit in a hospital.
44. Challenge: DARE. So many activities turned into a challenge now, like a decluttering challenge. Everything has to be a contest. Remember when cooking shows were just people cooking regular food? Like Julia Child's The French Chef, Jeff Smith's The Frugal Gourmet, and Graham Kerr's The Galloping Gourmet. I would sit in front of PBS on Saturdays, pre-internet, with a pad of paper to write down the recipes.
46. Undoing: DEMISE.
47. Didn't need to be let out: FIT. Ohhhh ... as in altering clothing. I was thinking dog. Cats of course always need to be let in or out, wherever they're not.
48. "Mamma Mia!" pop group: ABBA.
49. Rider's strap: REIN. Horse rider.
50. Actress Birch: THORA. First I remember paying attention to her was in 1995's Now and Then. On the left below. Melanie Griffith played her adult counterpart.
52. Greenish blue: TEAL.
54. Gimlet liquor: GIN.
57. Classic PC game: MYST.
59. Words of apology: I'M SORRY. My son and I have been watching Curb Your Enthusiasm from first season to current. We're up to season 9 now. Larry David apologizes in virtually every single episode. Warning: language.
61. Salisbury Plain megaliths: STONEHENGE. This is what the Salisbury Plain looked like before Stonehenge.
65. Michigan, for one: LAKE.
66. Justice Sotomayor: SONIA. “There are uses to adversity, and they don’t reveal themselves until tested. Whether it’s serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths.”
67. Adderall target, briefly: ADHD.
68. Plan from a nutritionist: DIET.
69. Lack of musical talent: NO EAR.
70. "Roar" singer Perry: KATY.
71. Stops: ENDS.
Down:
1. Rub component: SPICE.
2. Greenlight: ALLOW.
3. Undeniably accurate statement: GOSPEL TRUTH.
4. Convince: SWAY.
5. Like a dreamy look: FARAWAY. Faraway vs. far away.
6. Have because of: OWE TO
7. Dadaism pioneer Jean: ARP. Jean (Hans) Arp.
8. Crocodile in Bernard Waber children's books: LYLE.
9. Fish that shock prey: ELECTRIC EELS.
10. Beyoncé's "I Am... ___ Fierce": SASHA. 6 facts you might not know about Beyoncé's 'I am... Sasha Fierce'
11. Place for some "me time": SPA.
12. Feel off: AIL.
13. DKNY rival: YSL. Fashion houses. Donna Karan New York and Yves Saint Laurent.
19. Generous response to 59-Across: IT'S OK.
21. January 1 to December 31: CALENDAR YEAR.
25. Like sous vide cooking: LOW HEAT. What is Sous Vide?
28. Stops working: FAILS.
30. Barinholtz of "The Mindy Project": IKE.
32. Not so bright: DIM.
34. Semicircular church area: APSE.
35. "Dream on": AS IF.
36. Permitted by law: LICIT.
40. Poetic sphere: ORB.
42. French pal: AMI.
45. Embarrass: ABASH. Only see this word in crosswords and books.
46. Hybrid genre: DRAMEDY. Drama+comedy.
51. Labor __ vincit: Oklahoma motto: OMNIA. Latin phrase meaning "Work conquers all."
53. Small cube?: EIGHT. A cube number is the result when a number has been multiplied by itself twice. The symbol for cubed is ³. 8 is a cube number because it’s 2 x 2 x 2 (2 multiplied by itself twice); this is also written as 2³ (“two cubed”). The first ten cube numbers are 1, 8, 27, 64, 125, 216, 343, 512, 729 and 1000.
55. Got to: IRKED. Verb - annoyed.
56. Russian refusals: NYETS.
58. Hardwood used for pricey salad bowls: TEAK. What is teak wood and why is it so great?
60. Shoppe adjective: OLDE.
61. Oft-redacted ID: SSN. Social Security number.
62. In addition: TOO.
63. Number of players needed to play solitaire: ONE.
64. Secret-protecting doc: NDA. Non-disclosure agreement.
This puzzle seemed to me to be quite a bit easier than yesterday’s. By the time I solved a couple of the themed fills, I sussed the gimmick and found the puzzle was pretty much straightforward from there. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteForgot to look at the circles, but actually read the full reveal clue. That's an improvement, isn't it? Those vertical 11s and 12s and horizontal 10s are nice. Thanx, Jason, Katie, and Melissa Bee. (I remember Thora as Jack Ryan's daughter in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. If you like "how to cook it" shows, you should watch America's Test Kitchen and/or Cook's Country on your local PBS station.)
FIR, but erased wifi for WIKI. DNK that SPELT was a grain, and lots of other stuff.
ReplyDeleteSilly me, I thought "Labor OMNIA vincit" was Latin for "Sooners: Beat Longhorns".
Took a while to get "feel off" for AIL. I usually hear "feel up", and in a different context.
I remember THORA for her role as the brooding goth in American Beauty.
Thanks to Jason and Katie (not KATY) for the fun challenge. And thanks to melissa for another sparkling tour.
FIR, but the theme seems a little weak. I get falling grain, but why fallin' rain? It seems a stretch to me.
ReplyDeleteO h joy, circles.
ReplyDeleteA gree with the others above/earlier.
T ook me 5:45 to get this one to fall.
S tuck for awhile at the intersection of today's actress crossing a foreign word/phrase.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteThe reveal and theme itself would have been much more satisfying and challenging without those spoiler circles. There are some mid-week puzzles that need the circles for either clarity or emphasis, but this required neither, IMO. That said, I did enjoy the solve and thought the revealer with its double parsing was clever. My only w/o was And/Too but I needed perps for Lila, Ike, Sasha, and Omnia.
Thanks, Jason and Katie, for a fun solve and congrats on the debut, Jason and thanks, Melissa, for an informative review. Scenes from Casablanca are always welcome.
Sunshine has been a rare commodity these past weeks but so has snow and frigid temps, so I guess we shouldn’t complain. Sooner or later, Old Man Winter will show us who’s boss! 🌨️❄️☃️
Have a great day.
Fun Puzzle, easy theme.
ReplyDeleteI have known abash for ages, but almost never hear or say it. IMHO it is a "read only" word, seen very often in print, but not in everyday speech.
Speaking of ABASH: I know someone who intended to send a racy note to his fiancée but sent it to his mom's email address.
I agree that too many shows on TV are contests. I dislike elimination contests. I abhor and will not watch those where the contestants vote someone off.
I, too, used to like the cooking shows mentioned.
I know about spelt flour, but do not use it. It seems harder to work with.
I must try to tame my paperwork pile today. The first 15 minutes are the hardest before momentum takes over. I keep putting it off. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Grumble, grumble. A slip up near the bottom gave me a FIW. I didn't notice I put STONEHEdGE, though I questioned dDA, the perp. Should've thought about it more. Otherwise a fine puzzle, Jason and Katie. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melissa B, for your very capable review which straightened me out. I knew all the grains, but appreciated the circles unlike IM, since finding them otherwise would have been a slow process. FALLINGRAIN. OK. I saw how to parse it.
A few WOs: REPLY to ALL, elenA (what was I thinking!), ABASe, and AcHe. Easily fixed with perps.
Good one today, Anon @ 7:36 AM. My favorite grain for breakfast.
Enjoy your Wednesday, everyone!
DNF, I got caught by LILA/ IKE. Otherwise smooth puzzle. I saw the theme quickly. I think AWRY is a strange word.
ReplyDeleteGood morning! Thanks Jason & Katie for your puzzle. I liked the theme & the reveal.
ReplyDeleteHad some Naticks, but w/ a few WAGs got them: LoLA/LILA which gave me (UKN) IKE. THORA/OMNIA.
Thanks, Melissa for your review & explaining the math for the "small cube." I kept thinking ice or dice.
It was an eye opener about the Apple keyboard - think I'll stick w/ my PC.
Yellowrocks, I too refuse to watch those cooking competition shows. I was so disappointed when Alton Brown switched to them. Don't understand the lure.
D-O, I'm a long-time fan of ATK. I like how they explain the science for doing their method, and the kitchen gadget/tool/product reviews.
FIR in the cardiologist waiting room. Looks like DW is headed for a new valve and a pacemaker but a needs a bunch of tests first.
ReplyDeleteWrong kyna rub, I had SALVE first. And brow would be more Saturdayish than PLOW for "furrow maker". The dog already peed on the carpet so "doesn't need to be let out "...🙄..."Undoing" DEMISE?..meh
Have gone back (ancient times to 2017) to binge "The Mindy Project" back when a season was 25 episodes not 8 or 10 like now...still on the first season. Has a "30 Rock" vibe. Skip the credits so didnt need know IKE.
Inkover: PTSD/ADHD, fawn/FOAL.
The Rhythmn of the FALLING RAIN"
SIREN, Circle and Medea all fit (cept the last was a squeeze of Jason not Oddyseus.) TinEAR too long. "small cube" EIGHT?
Didn't suss the theme but cute idea: Vertical FALLING GRAINS.
Circe not circle...
ReplyDeleteAs an erstwhile constructor under Will Weng's editing, I believe I have the right to opine with frustration that I have noticed a diminution of quality of these puzzles since the new editor. I could not bother finishing today's offering.
ReplyDeleteToo many bizarre clues and word crosses of equally bizarre words have been rearing their ugly heads of late. I believe overall that today's offerings of crosswords in general are, perhaps because of computers, on the whole better than ever, but the same can't be said for The L.A. Times.
--- With apologies to desper-otto, Jinx in Norfolk, and Irish Miss.
Rats. FIW! 67A I put ACHE. Questioned NCA, and DRAMEEY, but sometimes CW contain words i don’t know, so let it slide. Adderall. DOH!! ADHD, of course, not ache. Again…..RATS. I struggled with other areas of the CW too. 18A I have so many W/Os in there I don’t even know what all I had in there before finally getting REPLIESALL. Only knew 5 of the 11 proper names, so needed lots of perps. And after all that….ACHE got me a FIW. Nice CW, though, JR&KH, thanx. And as usual a very nice write-up from Melissa Bee, thanx.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-Patti’s assistant editor, Katie Hale, teams up with Jason Reich for a great puzzle that had a very clever gimmick, obscure/gettable fill (IKE Barinholtz?) and enough SPICE to make it a challenge.
-REPLY ALL can lead to an awkward conversation or the unemployment line
-Unlike dogs, our kitty never needs to be let out and we are expecting 7 – 12 inches of snow today, so…
-I had one student that was out of control without his meds
-My pickup battery FAILED last month but at least it was in my garage and not 40 miles away
-UNABASHED seems to be more familiar like unfurl/furl
-Labor OMNIA vinci – some find a way around that but this 76-yr-old will be moving a lot of snow today
-How many celebrities employ NDA’s before a date?
Hola!
ReplyDeleteI always love a reference to Casablanca and ILSA was my first fill. That is the GOSPEL TRUTH.
However, I had COLT before FOAL. LYLE, LYLE, crocodile set me straight. And I've never watched any of the Harry Potter movies but have learned all about them in puzzles so prop for Gandalf, STAFF, was a guess.
Visiting STONEHENGE many years ago was like being inside a church; the STONES inspire awe just from their immense size as well as their formation.
Thank you, Melissa, Jason and Katie for this wonderful Wednesday puzzle.
Have a great day, everyone!
Stonehenge has been fully commercialised!
DeleteYR, "I know someone who intended to send a racy note to his fiancée but sent it to his mom's email address." With my luck, I would have sent it to HER mother.
ReplyDeleteAGM, we each like what we like. You are entitled to your opinion (which I mostly share). I have noticed that the USA Today puzzles are following a similar path these days, so I don't think it is only Patti.
Lucina, Gandalf is a character from the "Lord of The Rings," not Harry Potter.
ReplyDeleteI found this one a little dicey for a Wednesday as it took me almost 20 minutes for the FIR, but no complaints, some CW’s are harder than others and I accept that. Thank you for the fun and challenging puzzle Jason and Katie!
ReplyDeleteLast fill was a WAG on the O in the OMNIA/THORA crossing of which I knew neither. I also never heard of SPELT as referring to a grain, although it’s been cultivated for several thousand years 🤷🏼♂️. First thought about the future yearling was FAWN, thinking of the movie “The Yearling”, which sort of traumatized me as a young kid when the boy had to euthanize his pet deer after his mother shot and wounded it because it was eating all the corn the family needed for subsistence 😔.
Always look forward to the days that Melissa explains it all...nice informative write up M!
Jinx ~ speaking of USA Today, did you happen to attempt Monday’s puzzle?? Clever theme on MLK Day, but I found it impossible, got about half of it.
ReplyDeleteHG @ 10:29am: With respect to your dead battery, I would recommend a DBPOWER Car Jump Starter, 1600A Peak 17200mAh Portable Power Pack or something like it. It's not very big but has enough juice to jump start a big truck. It has saved me and you don't need jumper cables. Also a good backup to charge your phone.
Big Easy here.
ReplyDeleteIt was a did not finish today. The THORA, MYST, OMNIA intersections were just unknown by me. I had never heard of any of them. I don't play video games, and the first thing I do with a new computer is to delete all games. Not interested.
The FALLING GRAINS were easy to spot in the circles but I had never heard of a grain called SPELT. That's the GOSPEL TRUTH. WIKI, SASHA, IKE, LYLE,and DRAMEDY we're unknown as clued and fill by perps. Sous vide cooking was unknown but I just put in WHEAT after OHM was filled.
Anonymous@12:41
ReplyDeleteNow you know which movies I don't watch! Thank you. I just took a wild guess on those as I'm only vaguely familiar with them.
Speaking of movies, I'm looking forward to seeing those four grand ladies, Rita, Jane, Sally and Lily in the upcoming movie, 80 for Brady which starts here on February 3rd. It looks like fun.
Because of the pandemic and therefore unable to attend movies I still have tickets from my birthday and Christmas in 2020!
I medium-liked this puzzle. I took a guess at the I crossing IKE and LILA, because AKE, EKE, OKE, and UKE seemed less likely as someone's name, although one can never be sure what someone might be named or sure of how someone's name is spelled. For all I know, that guy's name could just as well be UKE, and LULA really is a name.
ReplyDeleteARP showed me that that future yearling was a FOAL, not a COLT.
LYLE was filled solely by all 4 perps.
I do like the new ways EWE and FIT were clued, but I have no idea whom I am praising for it.
I learned the tempter of Odysseus was not SYBIL but was SIREN.
I have no musical talent, but nevertheless have a pretty good ear for music.
Good wishes to you all.
Y-Phil, I get the USA Today puzzle through the Ocala Star-Banner, and it runs a couple of weeks late. The USA 14 days ago puzzle theme was "kk", four fills that have double Ks.
ReplyDeleteOC4, HG: The battery in my CRV died this summer when I had just arrived at our assigned camp site about 10 miles east of the big city of Advance, NC (population 1,823). My trusty hot shot jump starter didn't work, so I had to manipulate my 40 ft diesel pusher RV into a position where my jumper cables would reach (without hitting the car.) Started right up, and I kept it running until I got to an O'Reilly's and had them install a new battery. That was the first time the hot shot let me down, and I don't know whether the old car battery was shorted, or the hot shot has gone bad. Worries me a bit, because I think the hot shot runs on lithium batteries, and I'm a little afraid of the fire potential.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThree vowel guesses all correct, so I'm happy (with apologies to SubG).
Thanks Jason & Katie for the fun grid with a cute theme. Congrats on your LAT debut, Jason.
Thanks for the expo, mb. STONE HENGE article was interesting.
WOs: started LEGAL b/f I was wheeled into the ICU
ESPs: SASHA | LAPIS, LILA | IKE, THORA | OMNIA
Fav: FARAWAY Eyes [Rolling Stones]
Sous vide is fun - when the steak is cooked to the exact-right temp, you get to play with a blow-torch!
//you gotta do that or it still "looks" raw.
mb, Good Eats is another great cooking show.
RosE - The original Iron Chef was kinda cool - the new one (with Alton Brown) not so much.
Jinx - LOL. Boomer Sooner!
IM - I needed circles for SPELT - never heard of it.
@6:55a - it's Fallin' Grain when "parsed another way"
SpeedySolver - Nice Fallin' OATS.
oc4 - I got this one. It's probably overkill but when the 1000A one wouldn't jump DW's Alfa Giulia, I went all out. //covid lockdown caused a few dead batteries as we didn't use the cars for a couple of months :-)
I also found out during The Big Texas Freeze that it will charge cellphones > 3 days.
Jinx - I found I have to "top off" the NOCO about once a month.
Back to work.
Cheers, -T
I liked the GRAIN theme but DNF due to 50A/51D/57A. FAVs: Didn't need to be let out (I was thinking of a pet, too.) & Small cube? Also, points for ENDS in the bottom, right corner.
ReplyDeleteIf you take a tour bus from Bath to STONEHENGE, be sure to take the purple bus. Very entertaining!
Thank you, Melissa Bee for your expert review. The CYE clip was perfect. Also, learned something about FARAWAY.
Thanks to the Reich/Hale team for today's neat XWD.
ReplyDeleteYep, SPELT puzzled me too. Funny name for a grain....
Lotsa proper names needed today; not my favorite kind of cluing.
But I was happy to see a cherished line from Casablanca.
Man, Rick is so-oo cool. Almost up to the Thin Man's level.
~ OMK
____________
DR: Just one diagonal, on the back end.
It gives us a couple of options anagram-wise (12 or 13 of 15), depending on which small word we choose to tack on to the front of the technical term for the body's daily cycle of sleep/wake; exercise/rest; eat/fast, etc etc.
If you happened to have a strong & sturdy health-supported cycle, you may have an...
"IRON BIORHYTHM,"
and if you also happen to be a down-under marsupial, we may be speaking of your...
"ROO BIORHYTHM"!
Hi - thank you all for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed it and hope to become a regular contributor. Special thanks to Katie Hale who saw potential in a previously-rejected puzzle and generously reached out with her suggestions and an offer to collaborate. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI didn't think of BROW re. Furrow
ReplyDeleteI left __NIA blank but I would have known MYST if I'd run threw the alphabet. So, FIW (2 in a row
-T you know your music. I actually listened to the whole thing
WC
Been running around a lot, did the puzzle on a plane today.
ReplyDeleteLanded at Newarks brand new Terminal A!
Everything is brand spanking new, and they have lots of fancy seating. but if you get the end gate, I swear the walk is even further that the other two term8nals now...
Oh, and the operator couldn't steer the new fangled jetway, show we were trapped on the plane while our luggage escaped...
The puzzle?
All I remember is looking at "lo-wheat" thinking it must be some dietary restriction thing.
(Low heat? Must be a frawnch th8ng. Time to go crank up the Barbie!)
desper-otto ~
ReplyDeleteI'm just catching up from two days ago. Yes, I remember Arlene Francis on What's My Line.
But also Arlene DAHL!
At least the one time in the mid-'50s, as the Mystery Guest. I was a regular fan. My two favorite shows while in high school: What's My Line & Your Hit Parade!
But check it out - April 25, 1954.
~ OMK
Intriguing Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Jason and Katie. And thanks for the delightful commentary, Melissa.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw FOAL and PLOW and EWE, I figured we were on a farm today, a place where you could grow RYE and WHEAT and RICE or some other kind of GRAIN that would work well for your DIET. But since I'M SORRY to say I'm not much of a farmer, I figured I'd better check into the arts, and think about maybe writing an ESSAY about animals, or ETCH a sculpture of some ELECTRIC EELS or even compose a DRAMEDY. How would that ENDS? I'll let you know in another CALENDAR YEAR.
Have a great evening, everybody.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Jason (glad you dropped by) and Katie, and melissa bee.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed with a few inkblots and WAGs (those same vowels everyone else has listed). And I did get the FALLIN’ RAIN theme (and I knew SPELT was a grain, as we sometimes get spelt bread- yummy).
Somehow, I could not spell CALENDAR properly (had the A and E reversed), but perps corrected me.
Plus I had Lapus instead of LAPIS, but AIL fixed that. (I can Untie with Jinx today!)
I feel better that ATLGranny entered Elena like this Canadian. But SOFIA was soon found.
Like Ray-o I thought of Salve for that rub at first.
Misty- you could have added a COPY CAT to your farm animals.
I noted FAILS under AIL, YEAR crossing NO EAR,
ENDS was appropriately located.
Wishing you all a good evening.
I DID NOT like this puzzle at all --- until I DID!!! I fought with it on and off all day long. I was all set to come here to the Corner with a DNF, because I just couldn’t suss the NE corner --- AND THEN I DID! Well, except that I still had another one-square FIW. This time it was the A in LAPIS/SASHA. I didn’t know either of them, so I settled for a U.
ReplyDeleteOh, Kizzy. Order another truckload of Wite-Out. I used a bunch of it today up in the NE. I kept putting stuff in there, and then I kept taking it all out again.
Thanks (I think), Katie and Jason, and thanks for stopping by, Jason. Thanks, Melissa. Nice expo.
I’ve never heard of SPELT. I saw the other three grains, so I kept looking for an error in the NW corner, but I couldn’t find one. Being the contrarian that I am, I LIKE the circles. I would never even take the time to figure out IF and WHAT the themes are without them.
I love your thinking, Jinx and -T! Before I moved to Texas, I didn’t understand the problem, until my boss in San Antonio (a U of Houston grad) explained it to me. Since then, I’ve watched that school DESTROY three (or is it four now) NCAA football conferences. Luckily, none of the family has ever gone there. My last granddaughter starts at Texas A&M this fall.
I knew ABASH, because there used to be a certain magazine that had an “Unabashed Dictionary” feature in every issue.