Theme: once again I have to defer to the unifier.
36 A. Functions perfectly, and what can be said about the starts of 17-, 23-, 46-, and 57-Across: WORKS LIKE A CHARM. I'm uncertain if this is referring to charms in the mystical-spiritual sense, or as a jewelry item that can be found on a charm bracelet. Let's check it out.
17 A. Pride symbol: RAINBOW FLAG. A rainbow is a meteorological and optical phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the Sun. The rainbow flag represents the intersectional diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2-S) communities. A rainbow charm symbolizes optimism and silver linings.
23 A. Arachnid relative that resembles a crustacean: HORSESHOE CRAB. Horseshoe crabs are marine and brackish water arthropods of the family Limulidae and the only living members of the order Xiphosura.Despite their name, they are not true crabs or crustaceans: they are chelicerates, most closely related to arachnids such as spiders, ticks, and scorpions. I did not know this. The horseshoe represents luck, prosperity, and protection on your travels. Many styles and colors of charms are available.
46 A. Minty frozen treat at McDonald's every March: SHAMROCK SHAKE. A mint flavored confection.
A shamrock is a young sprig, used as a symbol of Ireland. Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. The name shamrock comes from Irish seamróg ([ˈʃamˠɾˠoːɡ]), which is the diminutive of the Irish word seamair and simply means "young clover".
As a charm it symbolizes good luck, and traditionally was believed to ward off evil.
57 A. Nutty-tasting winter vegetable: ACORN SQUASH. Acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo var. turbinata), also called pepper squash or Des Moines squash, is a winter squash with distinctive longitudinal ridges on its exterior and sweet, yellow-orange flesh inside. Although considered a winter squash, acorn squash belongs to the same species (Cucurbita pepo) as all summer squashes (including zucchini and crookneck squash).
The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera Quercus and Lithocarpus, in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns are 1–6 cm (1⁄2–2+1⁄2 in) long and 0.8–4 cm (3⁄8–1+5⁄8 in) on the fat side. As a charm it represents wealth, strength, happiness in marriage,
Hi, Gang. JazzBumpa here; charmed to be your host today. Looks like this might be Yu-Chen Huang's maiden voyage in the L.A.T. Crosswords. Congrats, and welcome!
1. Hint of color: TINCT. As defined.
6. Biblical tower site: BABEL. The Tower of Babel (Hebrew: מִגְדַּל בָּבֶל, Mīgdal Bāḇel) narrative in Genesis 11:1–9 is an origin myth and parable meant to explain why the world's peoples speak different languages. According to the story, a united human race speaking a single language and migrating eastward, comes to the land of Shinar (שִׁנְעָר). There they agree to build a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Yahweh, observing their city and tower, confounds their speech so that they can no longer understand each other, and scatters them around the world.
11. Inquire: ASK. pose a question
14. Play area?: ARENA. A level area surrounded by seats for spectators, in which sports, entertainments, and other public events are held.
15. Greek salad fruit: OLIVE. A small oval fruit with a hard pit and bitter flesh, green when unripe and brownish black when ripe, used as food and as a source of oil.
16. Sushi topper: ROE. The mass of eggs contained in the ovaries of a female fish or shellfish, typically including the ovaries themselves, especially when ripe and used as food. I had shad roe once. Once.
19. Texter's "Hang on a sec": BRB. Be Right Back.
20. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" director Lee: ANG.
21. No-frills font: ARIAL. A sans serif font. It looks like this.
22. Wee bit: IOTA. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet ( Ι, ι ), transliterated as ‘i.’. The words iota and jot share a lot more than just a common meaning—both ultimately derive from the same word. When Latin scholars transcribed the Greek name of the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet, they spelled it as either iota or jota (the letters i and j were simply variants of each other), and these spellings eventually passed into English as iota and jot. Since the Greek letter iota is the smallest letter of its alphabet, both words eventually came to be used in reference to very small things.
27. Sex therapy subject: LIBIDO. A concept originated by Sigmund Freud to signify the instinctual physiological or psychic energy associated with sexual urges and, in his later writings, with all constructive human activity.
29. Helpful supporter: ALLY. A person, group, or nation that is associated with another or others for some common cause or purpose:
30. Loads: A TON. Figuratively, any large amount. Imagine, if you will, a ton of iotas.
31. Give in a little: BUDGE. To move slightly; begin to move. Hence, to change one's opinion or stated position; yield.
33. Irritate: VEX. Annoy.
40. Brief alarm?: SOS. Brief in the sense that it consists of only three letters; not that whatever causes the alarm is of short duration. These are the letters represented by the radio telegraphic signal (· · · – – – · · ·) used, especially by ships in distress, as an internationally recognized call for help.
41. Fake: POSER. One portraying himself as something he is not.
42. Singer India.__: ARIE. India Arie Simpson [b 1975], also known as India Arie, is an American singer and songwriter. She has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 23 nominations, including Best R&B Album.
Not a poser
43. Gargantuan: HUGE. Enormous. Derived from Gargantua, the name of a giant king in François Rabelais's 16th-century satiric novel Gargantua, the second part of a five-volume series about the giant and his son Pantagruel.
44. "The Country Girls" novelist Edna: O'BRIEN. The Country Girls is a trilogy by Irish author Edna O'Brien [b. 1930]. It consists of three novels: The Country Girls, The Lonely Girl, and Girls in Their Married Bliss.
51. School year division: TERM. A fixed or limited period for which something lasts or is intended to last.
52. Swarms (with): TEEMS. As defined.
53. Noble __: GAS. The noble gases make up a class of chemical elements with similar properties; under standard conditions, they are all odorless, colorless, monatomic gases with very low chemical reactivity. The six naturally occurring noble gases are helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and the radioactive radon.
56. With 11-Down, Michigan college town: ANN. Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the fifth-largest city in Michigan. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Washtenaw County.
44. "The Country Girls" novelist Edna: O'BRIEN. The Country Girls is a trilogy by Irish author Edna O'Brien [b. 1930]. It consists of three novels: The Country Girls, The Lonely Girl, and Girls in Their Married Bliss.
51. School year division: TERM. A fixed or limited period for which something lasts or is intended to last.
52. Swarms (with): TEEMS. As defined.
53. Noble __: GAS. The noble gases make up a class of chemical elements with similar properties; under standard conditions, they are all odorless, colorless, monatomic gases with very low chemical reactivity. The six naturally occurring noble gases are helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and the radioactive radon.
56. With 11-Down, Michigan college town: ANN. Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the fifth-largest city in Michigan. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Washtenaw County.
Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan. The university significantly shapes Ann Arbor's economy as it employs about 30,000 workers, including about 12,000 in the medical center. The city's economy is also centered on high technology, with several companies drawn to the area by the university's research and development infrastructure.
Ann Arbor was founded in 1824, named after the wives of the village's founders, both named Ann, and the stands of bur oak trees.
61. Sounds from happy cats: PURRS. Cats will purr when they are in a relaxed environment, sending out waves of calmness. This may also occur when you stroke them, and if this is the case, your feline friend is feeling happy or sociable.
62. Loosen, as a knot: UNTIE.
63. Storm center: EYE. A region of mostly calm weather at the center of tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area, typically 30–65 kilometers in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the most severe weather and highest winds occur.
64. Borden spokescow: ELSIE. Elsie the Cow is a cartoon cow developed as a mascot for the Borden Dairy Company in 1936 to symbolize the "perfect dairy product". Since the demise of Borden in the mid-1990s, the character has continued to be used in the same capacity for the company's partial successors, Eagle Family Foods and Borden Dairy.
65. Utopias: EDENS. An imaginary location, community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members.
Down:
1. Actress Reid: TARA. Tara Donna Reid [b. 1975] is an American actress. She played Vicky in the films American Pie, American Pie 2, and American Reunion, and Bunny Lebowski in The Big Lebowski. In 2013, she starred as April Wexler in the television film Sharknado, and went on to reprise the role in five sequels.
2. Setting of the graphic novel "Persepolis": IRAN.
3. People next door: NEIGHBORS.
4. "Erin Burnett OutFront" channel: CNN.
5. Knight's tunic: TABARD. A type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleeves or shoulder pieces.
6. "Ziggy Stardust" singer David: BOWIE. David Robert Jones [1947-2016], known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s.
7. Some Italian sports cars, for short: ALFAS. Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. It was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy as A.L.F.A., an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. The brand is known for sport-oriented vehicles and has been involved in car racing since 1911.
8. Star of HBO's "Barry": BILL HADER. William Thomas Hader Jr. (b. 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director. Hader first gained widespread attention for his eight-year stint as a cast member on the long-running NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2005 to 2013, for which he received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Peabody Award. He became known for his impressions and especially for his work on the Weekend Update segments, in which he played Stefon Meyers, a flamboyant New York tour guide who recommends unusual nightclubs and parties with bizarre characters with unusual tastes.
9. Actress Longoria: EVA. Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón [b. 1975] is an American actress, producer, and director. After a number of guest roles on several television series, she was recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, on which she starred from 2001 to 2003.
10. Part of a race: LEG. In track and field, leg is a term used to describe one of four equal parts of a relay race. Each leg is run by a different runner, who must pass a baton to the next runner in order to complete the race.
11. See 56-Across: ARBOR. Michigan City.
12. Kinda: SORTA. Approximately.
13. Shish __: KEBAB. Shish kebab is a popular meal of skewered and grilled cubes of meat. It can be found in Mediterranean cuisine and is similar to or synonymous with dishes called shashlik and khorovats, found in the Caucasus region. It is one of the many types of kebab, a range of meat dishes originating in the Middle East.
18. Approximately: OR SO. Kinda, sorta.
22. Slippery, as a road: ICY. Glazed with frozen water.
24. Barnyard sound: OINK. Piggish vocalization.
25. Actress Kurylenko: OLGA. Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko [b. 1975] is a Ukrainian–French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for her role as Nika Boronina in the film adaptation of the video game Hitman.
26. Utility abbr.: ELEC. Electric.
27. Newton trio: LAWS. Newton's laws of motion are three basic laws of classical mechanics that describe the relationship between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it. These laws can be paraphrased as follows: A body remains at rest, or in motion at a constant speed in a straight line, unless acted upon by a force. When a body is acted upon by a force, the time rate of change of its momentum equals the force. If two bodies exert forces on each other, these forces have the same magnitude but opposite directions.
28. "Am __ early?": I TOO. It's so hard to be just early enough.
31. Dividing lines: BISECTORS. Straight lines that divide lines, angles or shapes into two equal parts.
32. Luau strings, briefly: UKE.
33. Diversify, in a way: VARIEGATE. Alter in appearance, especially by adding different colors.
34. Ohio border lake: ERIE. South of Canada.
35. Marvel mutants who battle Magneto: X-MEN. In the Marvel Universe, mutants are humans who are born with a genetic trait called the X-gene which grants them natural superhuman abilities. Due to their differences from the majority of humanity, mutants are subject to prejudice and discrimination and many X-Men stories feature social commentary on bigotry and justice. The X-Men have fought against a variety of enemies, including villainous mutants, human bigots, supervillains, mystical threats, extraterrestrials, and malevolent artificial intelligences.
37. Egg (on): SPUR. Goad or urge someone else to do something,
38. Macy's red star, for one: LOGO. A symbol or other design adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc.
39. Literary "Listen!": HARK. To listen closely or give attention to something:
43. "I wonder ... ": HMM. Indication of pondering.
44. Units of resistance: OHMS. Electrical resistance.
45. Language from northern Spain: BASQUE. The language of the Basques: people sho are indigenous to, and primarily inhabit, an area traditionally known as the Basque Country — a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.
46. Utter: STATE. Give audible expression to; speak or pronounce.
47. "Atlanta" actor Brian Tyree __: HENRY. Brian Tyree Henry [b.1982] is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta, for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
48. Golfer Palmer, to fans: ARNIE. Arnold Daniel Palmer [1929-2016] was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and the circuit now known as PGA Tour Champions.
49. Beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist __ Walsh Jennings: KERRI. Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings [b 1978] is an American professional beach volleyball player, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a one-time Olympic bronze medalist. She is the beach volleyball leader in career victories as of 2016 having won 135 international and domestic tournaments.
50. Pick up: SENSE. Become aware of or realize something, although it is not very obvious.
54. Spelling clarification phrase: AS IN. Frex, G as in Gila monster.
55. Wally Lamb's "__ Come Undone": SHE'S. the 1992 debut novel by Wally Lamb. The novel was selected as the fourth book for Oprah's Book Club in December 1996. Lamb's novel was named a finalist for the 1992 Los Angeles Book Awards' Art Seidenbaum Prize for first fiction. She's Come Undone has been translated into eighteen languages.
57. Imitate: APE.
58. __-de-sac: CUL. A street or passage that is closed at one end.
59. German conjunction: UND. Meaning "and."
And so it ends. Were you charmed?
Cool regards!
JzB
ReplyDeleteThere once was a girl from ANN ARBOR,
Who visions of greatness did harbor.
Greatness passed by,
But she fell for a guy,
And now she's engaged to a barber!
With a RAINBOW FLAG as their LOGO,
The Pride of a nation will forgo
Intimate relations
With hetero populations.
For the liberation of their LIBIDO!
I sussed the theme quickly this time. And even though I haven’t heard of an “acorn “ as a lucky charm before, it makes sense. I didn’t find this puzzle overly difficult. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteHand up if you put TINGE at 1a after getting the TIN__. (Have I ever mentioned...?) I agree with Subgenius on the ACORN business. I think only squirrels find ACORNs charming. That R in POSER was my final fill. I recognize the word, but have never used it. Jinx, did you enter UNITE at 62a? Cats also PURR when they're badly injured and near death -- dunno why. Thanx for the outing, Alexander and Huang. Very erudite expo, JzB.
Nothing but proper names.. P.U.
ReplyDeleteFIW. 1 across stumped me. I put down tinge but could make no sense of the down clues. I knew they were wrong, but tinct just wouldn't come to me. The theme is a stretch to me. Rainbow, horseshoe, and shamrock can be charms, but acorn? I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI echo SG and DO re acorn being a lucky charm. And, yes, Do, Tinge before Tinct. Also, Irk/Vex, Aide/Ally, and A Lot/A Ton. Tabar, Olga, X Men, and Henry all needed perps. The theme wasn’t evident until the reveal, which gave me Shamrock Shake, a drink I’ve never heard of. Fun to see Anon T’s Alfa again.
Thanks, Alexander and Yu Chen and congrats to Yu Chen on the debut and thanks, JazzB, for the most informative review. I loved Wally Lamb’s “I Know This Much is True” but I gave up on “She’s Come Undone” but can’t remember why. I just read a synopsis which leads me to believe that the story line was too depressing, although IKTMIT was no laugh-a-minute romp, either.
FLN
Welcome back, Lucina.
Have a great day.
Good morning. I never noticed the 'lucky charms' in the theme clues, and with ACORN SQUASH I wouldn't have. Lucky ACORN as a charm was unknown. Agree with Sub, I.M., & -d-otto. I remember the lucky RABBIT'S FOOT.
ReplyDeleteNo problems to FIR today, with a few unknowns, proper names. O'BRIEN, TARA, BILL HADER, OLGA, HENRY. ELSIE, ANN, ANG, OLIVE, BOWIE, EVA, ARNIE, and KERRI add to the Tower of BABEL of proper names today.
Knew KERRI, just not the spelling. My next-door NEIGHBORIS is Kary, there's CARY Grant, I had a customer named KERRY, KERI Lotion, and I'm sure there is somebody name CARI.
"SHE'S Come Undone"- why that's a song by The GUESS WHO, whose music will still be playing long after history forgets India ARIE's music. The book? SHE'S was a guess.
HORSESHOE CRAB- their blue blood is harvested for medical purposes
LIBIDO- to keep their fantasies up women read trashy novels and men go to strip clubs. Interesting fill considering the constructor Liebeskind's name could loosely be translated from German to English as LOVE (liebe) CHILD (kind) if the 's' were missing.
FIW, missing my alphabet run WAG @ TINCh x hABARD. Yup, I had TINge before CNN ruined all that fun. Also erased stage for ARENA (hey, it's a play area, right?), and irk for VEX. Yup, I had to pause at unite/UNTIE.
ReplyDeleteWally Lamb? The She's Come Undone I know is by Canada's Guess Who.
Oh c'mon, JzB. EVA is known more as one of the Desperate Housewives than a couple of years on a soap opera. How do you spend your afternoons, anyway?
I'm ashamed to admit that "Newton's three" came hard. I got stuck thinking about figs.
Electronics got a double shoutout with OHMS (resistance) and HENRY (inductance).
ALFAs are getting as common as ERIEs as trite crossword fills. At least the lake and the sports car are both distinctive.
Thanks (I think) to Alexander and Huang for the Thursday puzzle a day early. And thanks to JzB for another fun tour.
I shan’t list all the unknown names in this CW, which is disgustingly filled with them. Hand up for TINGE before TINCT. Other W/O FUDGE:BUDGE. Also DNK TABARD. Never figured out the theme. ☹️ I did manage to FIR in reasonable time, but must restate how much I dislike CWs filled with obscure names. JzB your write-up was encyclopedic! So much info! Thanx for all the time and effort u put into your review today, JzB.
ReplyDeleteJB, thanks for a very interesting and informative blog.
ReplyDeleteI learned a horseshoe crab is an arachnid relative. But with H--------CRAB, it had to be the answer.
TINGE before TINCT. I was fairly sure there is no channel that begins with G.
STAGE would be a cute misdirection for play area.
I like most sushi, but not with roe.
Acorn is a British charm.
Reader's Digest says, "The English oak tree is the national tree of England and epitomizes strength and endurance. It’s also abundant in English folklore and history, from Celtic religious leaders worshipping in oak groves to lovers reciting their wedding vows under its sturdy branches. The tree’s admirable reputation may explain why the Brits called acorns “the fruit of the oak” and carried them in their pockets for good luck and health."
The many names seemed intimidating, but perps were kind, so no prob. Using names enlarges the constructor's list of fill possibilities, but is it necessary? Why don't they take the time to find more interesting fill?
Took 5:25 to get there without the need of a talisman.
ReplyDeleteI had tinge before tinct, aide before ally, and irk before vex.
I didn't know many of the proper nouns today, and yet I also knew many of the proper nouns today.
Today's FIR continues my pattern this week: FIR every other day. I wondered about tinge but didn't write it in since I didn't know of a channel starting with G. I did write irk/VEX. And I expected a rabbit's foot rather than ACORN. My last fill was the R in POSER. I see many of you early birds had the same ideas. Thanks, Alexander and Huang. Nice debut, Huang.
ReplyDeleteJazzB, all I can say is Wow! Your review is rich with information and well researched. You also expanded on the theme to include a charm bracelet, which reminded me of one I had years ago. Anyone else?
FLN, I'm glad you're safely back from your trip, Lucina. You are amazing!
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
Reading all the comments somayu implied this puzzle "TINCT" 😆.
ReplyDeleteEven with Good Luck Charms FIW, refused to change tinge to TINCT which sounds like a verb not a noun ("hint of color") ... and never heard of "Kurylenko", KERRI or HENRY. Perpwaited on the spelling of KEBAB.
Never hoid of VARIEGATE (sounds like a government scandal.)
Bill Hader's Stefon
Inkovers: irk/VEX, Ferber/OBRIEN, lap/LEG, (Part of a trip: LEG, "part of a race": LAP),
Complains when he doesn't get a ringer: HORSESHOECRAB
____ McBeal..ALLY
One way to divide a district.....BISECTORS
Despises invoices... BILLHADER
After some sight seeing in Canada Eh's Ontario side Niagara Falls , RAINBOWS created by the Falls mist crossed the RAINBOW Bridge back to the US
While there got to visit the incredible Butterfly Conservatory and then "Bird Kingdom", the world's Largest Free-Flying Indoor Aviary where I hope, cough, I didn't catch , cough, cough, bird flu, cough ...🦜🐦😳🕊
Hola!
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle from Alexander and Yu-Chen. Thank you.
Hand up for NOT starting with TINCT and I can't tell what it was. TABARD is found in stories from Medieval times.
Also I started with ANNE Reid, a British actress, then TARA emerged.
I've never had a SHAMROCK SHAKE but it sounds good.
I have a CHRM bracelet with gold CHARMS from many of the countries I have visited.
OLIVEs are prolific in Greece and bowlfuls of them can be found at every table including some unusual varieties not usually found here.
One of our convents had a cat who purred so much she was called General Motors.
AtlGranny, thank you. I have three good friends with whom I travel and since they are younger than I am (in their 70s), they are very solicitous of me.
Have a beautiful Ash Wednesday, everyone!
Yup, yup. I too entered tinge so DNF. I also missed the theme between not knowing ACORN is a charm and looking at HORSE instead HORSESHOE. Of the many proper names I knew only BOWIE, ANG, and ARNIE. Pretty pitiful. To make matters worse, at first I spelled VARIaGATE. All in all this CW didn’t WORK LIKE A CHARM for me.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the struggle nevertheless and the very informative review. So not a HUGE loss.
It was news to me, also, re: ACORN as a charm and I traveled the same TINGE / TINCT trail as others here did. I knew roughly half of the proper nouns but had to perp the others. One (two, as it turned out) that I did know was ANN ARBOR. Go Blue!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the very thorough and entertaining write-up, JzB.
I also started with TINGE and then changed it to TINCH with HABARD going down (from a dim memory of the word Halberd, which was a combined ax/spear weapon).
ReplyDeleteAnd I never did figure out the CHARM connection.
BTW--we have a number of acorn charms in the house. It is all oak trees here and there is one section of my lawn where in some years so many acorns fall it is like walking on a field of ball bearings (the tops come off when they land, leaving just the oval nuts).
WEES!
ReplyDeleteExcept my final fill was a letter at the trisection of three names.
That she's come undone song is pretty good, makes me want to take another look at The Guess Who's greatest hits to see if I am missing anything.
Hmm, works like a charm... I dunno...
I bought a WIFI wall switch a couple of years ago, and finally DW found found a place to put it. If it controls the driveway lights, DW can turn them on and off from anywhere in the country. So I opened up the the box to discover the single switch is affixed to its faceplate, and the switch I want to replace is part of a gang of three. I called support, and they said basically that I can break it away from the faceplate and still use it if it fits in the triple wall plate. Not only that, in addition to the green ground wire, white neutral wire, this thing has two, (count 'em, two?) LIVE WIRES? (one black is live, and the other black is load?)
Hmm, maybe I should order some special installation tools for this job...
TTP! Wish me luck!
And I better watch that installation video again. But before I do,
Spock finds out that Cats are not the only animals that purr...
But, I did learn one thing, as shown at the end of this clip. so, I better get outta here...
I was not charmed. Way to many names, yuk.
ReplyDelete24 names by my count. Should have said too many.
ReplyDeleteWell this was a fun challenge - I started with TINGE - thinking the G might be GSN - Game Show Network which is a cable channel. But the show didn't sound like a game show! So ended up with TINCT - wonder if the word's origin was from tincture.
ReplyDeleteI solved from the bottom up for once - so after I got SHAMROCK and the CHARM in 36A - I thought that the all the themes might be the original marshmallow shapes in Lucky Charms- but no
Had to change from disectors to BISECTORS to get the BUDGE. Neat to have a word like VARIEGATE in a puzzle.
Thanks JzB for the informative blog and to Alexander & Yu-Chen for the puzzle
TINCT (Even autocorrect adds ure to make tincture) didn’t seem right but I knew CNN and TABARD, so I looked it up and yes it is a word. Spelled KEBAB kabob before the down clues called for a correction. With X-MEN, VEX was obvious although it took GAS to get the G IN VARIEGATE.
ReplyDeleteYELLOWROCKS@7:48 - thank you for the ACORN info. The theme was.apparent early but couldn’t figure out the connection.
BIGEASY@ 7:26. A favorite aunt - Carrie.
Lucinda@ 9:05 A CHARM bracelet is a wonderful reminder of past events. I got one on my wedding day with symbols of the bride and groom and a charm of a small suitcase that said “ oh boy”. Many charms have been added over the years with the last ones of my 3 grandchildren.
IrishMiss- The Sunday episode of “All Creatures Great And Small” brought me to tears. I just read a good book about 2 sister, WW1 and WW2 and a little Jewish girl sent to safety during the London blitz. “When I Was Yours” by Lizzie Page. A similar narrative. I’m hoping “Seaside Hotel” comes back with a new season.
Informative write-up, JzB. Thanks!
Musings
ReplyDelete-Lucky ACORN?
-The Stalin/Hitler game. First Stalin was an ALLY and then he was an enemy.
-PURR – Joann is an expert in sounds made by our little kitty of BABEL
-TARA – Frankly Scarlett, today’s constructors/editors don’t give a damn
-I feel that I am on the last LEG of my race to recovery.
-KEBAB – I play vowel roulette every time I attempt this word
-Newton’s LAWS may have been supplanted by quantum physics but they still dominate for ordinary people
-KERRI has stated she is comfortable in the “uniform” she wears for beach volleyball
Edward in Los Angeles:
ReplyDeleteWorking top-down got me practically nothing.
But solving from bottom up worked like a charm!
Good Morning! Enjoyed today's CW, Thanks, Alexander and Yu-Chen!
ReplyDeletePleased as punch to have a no WO day, then, Bam!, hit with a spelling error..., the dreaded vowel decision, KABOB, KABAB, KEBOB or KEBAB...because I verified the perp for the A, but not the E. ARG! It's a word that pronunciation doesn't help.
Perps for BILL HADER, HENRY, OLGA, KERRI and UND.
JazzBumpa, your recap was like lingering over an entertaining copy of Reader's Digest. Thanks for all the info and links.
TNT clue, my first thought was the cable channel, and Newton, I went right to fig. Well, they are a small cookie, so three would be a reasonable bite! LOL! Luckily, I waited for the perps.
Parsan:
ReplyDeleteWhen I started my CHARM bracelet, many, many years ago in Portugal, gold was relatively inexpensive so adding to it was not too bad. Now, I think it might be worth a fortune.
JazzB:
I think I forgot to thank you for a job well done. You always add so much interesting information to your analysis.
Parsan @ 10:29 ~ Yes, that episode was quite poignant, as were several others. I’m not familiar with Seaside Hotel as I don’t have PBS Passport. I’m looking forward to the final episodes of The Gilded Age which I’ve really enjoyed, especially seeing all of the Troy landmarks. The DVD from Netflix should arrive in a day or so.
ReplyDeleteThanks, JzB, for your illuminating review! I always learn so much on your days. The IOTA / jot connections was interesting.
ReplyDeleteROE, when you put it that way....
For some reason CNN came to mind first so avoided the TINCT issues.
I've read the graphic novel Persopolis and recommend it!
FAV: "Pick up" for SENSE.
BE@7:26. You can add Joni Mitchell's song "Carey" to your list.
FLN, Welcome back Lucina. I'm happy to hear you had a good time with your friends.
Neat Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Alexander and Yu-Chen. And always enjoy your commentary, thanks for that too, JazzB.
ReplyDeleteWell, that TINCT was a nice opening for the color OLIVE coming right up--and so we were prepared for a RAINBOW of colors, though sadly we didn't get many more, though I bet that SHAMROCK SHAKE might have been green. Speaking of food--starting with OLIVE again--we got a number of animals here who might be up for a snack or too, beginning with that HORSE and that CRAB, who probably don't serve as an ALLY to each other, although they might have an APE as a NEIGHBOR. Do any of these critters PURR and do any of them live in an ARENA? No, they wouldn't find any ACORNs there. Do they live in an ANN ARBOR? Probably not, unless they go to college. Well, let's hope they all find their EDEN some day.
Have a good day, everybody.
Unlike others, I waited at TIN__ then checked the crosses for TINCT/TINGE. Despite all the names, the puzzle flowed like a Monday to me. No real snags, unlike yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alexander L. and Yu-Chen Huang for the enjoyable work-out. Thanks, JzB, for the informative write-up. Even though I had several red letters, it was a fun puzzle.
ReplyDeleteHand up for tinge/TINCT, stage/ARENA, KEBoB/KEBAB, irk/VEX, ferber/OBRIEN. Whew!
Ann Arbor was a gimmee. DW and I met at UM Hospital in the Finance Dept. Initially we had offices in former married student housing, then a garage/office space was built and we moved there. I never had to go into the hospital and try to find my way around. I hope residents of the area are safe; my radar shows you getting freezing rain and an ice storm is in the forecast.
That SHAMROCK SHAKE doesn't sound appealing at all. I don't like mint.
I hope everyone who is affected by this storm is safe, no damage to person or property. Sounds like it could be bad.
72* in February? Mother Nature and Ol' Man Winter are obviously shirking their responsibilities. I'm sure we'll pay for it in the near future. Have a great day!
I always try to work the short fills first, as they make the longer unknowns easier to complete. I remember Erin Burnette from CNBC and always wondered why she would leave being a lead midday anchor who got to interview all the top CEOs and richest people in the US to work for CNN. So TINGE never entered my mind after TINC__ was filled.
ReplyDeleteKERRI, CARY, KERRY, KERI, CARI, and now Parsan has added CARRIE and sumdaze added Joni Mitchell's CAREY. Are there any more?
If not, 'carry' on.
We hear so much tragic and heroic news from IRAN.
ReplyDeletePlease watch this gentleman Tom from IRAN climb into a high cave.
DW and I were in Los Angeles repeatedly for her immigration and we tried to make the best of it. On this trip we were trying to find a cave, but no one had any idea what they were talking about. Tom from IRAN not only knew the way, he took us there himself. And then did this extraordinary climb.
If you read the comments on this video, you will see that his daughter was delighted to find this.
As for the puzzle today, learning moment about an ACORN being a CHARM. NW was pure Thumper.
From Yesterday:
Thanks again for all of the shouts out about me and my UNICYCLE activities.
Hi Gang -
ReplyDeleteI'm usually away from the house most of Wednesdays, but today, like Ann Arbor, we have freezing rain. So we stayed home and battened down the hatches.
Speaking of AA - my grandson Nate was born there in '02 at Mott's Children's Hospital. He had transposition of the great arteries, and they saved his life. He's doing fine now. Hooray for modern medial science!
I had the same nits and miscues as most everyone else.
I do a lot of googling when I blog, and Wikipedia is my best friend.
Cheers!
JzB
Wednesday workout. Thanks for the fun, Alexander and Yu-Chen, and JazzB.
ReplyDeleteOfficially a FIW, although I did get the CHARMed theme. (Thanks YR for explaining the British ACORN charm- this is not used in Canada.)
The bench is not long enough to hold all of us who entered Tinge. I got it changed to Tinch (hi Bob Lee) but not TINCTURE (yes, inanehiker, it comes from Latin “tinctus=dye” as does tincture).
But I also see that I had Poset instead of POSER (HADER is unknown to me, as were a lot of other names that perped thankfully).
I did get the BIKE LANES (hey, they are dividing lines) corrected to BISECTORS.
And like HuskerG, I played Russian roulette with the vowels in those KEBABs.
I know enough to not enter my Canadian U into NEIGHBORS, but I see that ANN ARBOR is missing it too.
I noted ARIE crossing ERIE. ARIE and ARNIE too.
And SPUR and PURRS.
IOTA crossing SORTA is not so cute.
If you give in a lot, is that a HUGE BUDGE?
Thanks Big Easy and Jinx for SHE’S Come Undone by the Guess Who.
Ray-o- sounds like you had a great time on the Canadian side of the RAINBOW bridge, viewing the HORSESHOE Falls. You just missed the Festival of Lights. The Floral Greenhouse is beautiful too. Come back soon.
Welcome back Lucina.
Our predicted storm has started - snow first, but ice coming with accretion (love the sound of that word but not the reality) of 10-20 mm (that’s 2/5-4/5 of an inch for you non-metric folks). Add the expected high winds, and we may lose power.
I may not get here tomorrow.
Wishing you all a great day.
Lucina @ ll:05 - Yes, a very valuable bracelet. My late Mother-in-law had a lovely gold one. I removed the charms she had for each of my daughters, put them on chains and gave the necklaces to them. A way to remember their grandmother.
ReplyDeleteIrish Miss @ ll:12 - It’s nice to see a series about adults. Seaside Hotel, most popular show in Denmark, has the same cast of patrons and staff for 9 seasons. With subtitles, it began in the 30’s and has run through the occupation of the hotel by the Nazi’s in WW11.
Yes, Troy looks great in The Gilded Age.
Well, I did manage to solve this puzzle without needing to look anything up. I like the word VARIEGATE. Edna FERBER turned out to be Edna O'BRIEN.
ReplyDeleteOkay, about names. Here they are:
Singer India.__: ARIE
"The Country Girls" novelist Edna: O'BRIEN
Actress Reid: TARA
"Erin Burnett OutFront" channel: CNN
"Ziggy Stardust" singer David: BOWIE
Star of HBO's "Barry": BILL HADER
Actress Longoria: EVA
Actress Kurylenko: OLGA
"Atlanta" actor Brian Tyree __: HENRY
Golfer Palmer, to fans: ARNIE
Beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist __ Walsh Jennings: KERRI
Wally Lamb's "__ Come Undone": SHE'S
and the fictional
Borden spokescow: ELSIE.
We had a 7-hour power outage yesterday so I was unable to comment about the puzzle.
Good wishes to you all.
I was trying to fit TRI into TV station TNT
ReplyDeleteI tried to fit Halberd but I see it's a weapon
Oops, I had HAlEy thus BUlGE,POSEy(?)*
Along with ALFA a CSO for UNTIE(Jinx)
Shame? I needed perps for Newton's LAWS
Interesting juxtaposition of HG 's volleyball comment and anon@1054
From Joyce's list I knew five and several needed a perp or two. Five were all perps
WC
** From Id they came
Of cartoon fame
The Wizard and the Jester
Playing a riddle game
That had no name
The Wizard POSEd this tester
CrossEyedDave. Did you ever end up making the Aloo Matar recipe Waseeley gave us in his Feb. 9 blog? I finally got around to it this afternoon. It came out pretty good. I adjusted a couple of things and I also added a package of tempeh to give it a protein.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteBro (Army) and I FIW in the same square - TINCH. Oh, well.
Thanks Alexander & Yu-Chen for the lucky puzzle. I missed the theme at 1st 'cuz I had WORKS LIKE A CHAmp.
Thanks for the in-depth review, JzB. Enjoyed the learning.
WOs: TINCe -> TINCh -> FIW; CHAmp -> CHARM
ESPs: EVA, HENRY, KERRI, OBRIEN
Fav: We had ALFA yesterday, I don't want to echo Jinx with LAWS, OHMS & HENRYs, so David BOWIE it is ;-)
For the record [tee-he-he], The Guess Who's song is simply Undon [sic]. But yes, I thought of it immediately at 55d and wondered what instrument Wally Lamb played.
Ray-O beat me to Stefon.
YR said: "Acorn is a British Charm." The penny drops: That's why the Channel full of BBC goodies is called Acorn!
YR - our family carries buckeyes in our pockets and swap them when we get together.
IM - Here, if we donate at least $5/mo to PBS or NPR (both are umbrellaed under Houston Public Media) we get Passport. Maybe you get the same deal there?
Gotta run - helping a buddy with his home computer tonight (a drive in his RAID failed).
Cheers, -T
Seriously! It's getting worse.
ReplyDeleteSumdaze,
ReplyDeleteno, I didn't make the aloo matar.
Where on earth did you find those exotic ingredients?
CED. It said you can leave out the kasuri methi if you don't have it. I used fresh ginger instead of the paste and I had everything else in my pantry.
ReplyDelete= )
Well, DW and I were supposed to spend the night at a Hampton Inn in ANN ARBOR tonight, en route to Florida from the north, but due to blizzard conditions and I 75 being an ice sheet we had to stop 100 miles north of there, 30 mph wasn’t getting it, and numerous vehicles in the ditch didn’t instill much confidence. So I did the CW when we got here, FIR but didn’t get the theme at all till the expo, but still don’t get acorn 🤷🏼♂️. Made the same mistakes as others, Tinge, Irk...
ReplyDeleteJzB ~ thanks for making sense of the whole thing!
Anon T @ 5:27 ~ My TV doesn’t support Passport and I don’t like watching shows on my iPad. Thanks, anyway! 😉
ReplyDeleteYooperPhil @ 7:21 ~ Safe travels!
CanadianEh, thank you for the welcome. It's good to be home.
ReplyDeleteUnpacking is taking too long. But I had to babysit my gr8tgrandson and he needs eyes on him at all times! While his mother and I weren't looking, in a matter of minutes he removed the CDs from the player!
I came home with a box of See's candy but they have to stay in the freezer until Easter. Something to look forward to!
Seriously now ... ALL of you knew at once that a knight's tunic was a TABARD? Rather long odds, that.
ReplyDeleteAs Anon-T can explain, one can "project " (casting) from a PC, smartphone etc TO a TV
ReplyDeleteOne needs decent internet which I don't have in West Central Fla.
WC