You're just a Hop, Skip, and a Jump away from completing today's puzzle. The first word of each theme answer can follow a word in the unifier (in the order of Hop / Skip / Jump) to provide a new concept.
18-Across. * Whisky with ice, say: SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS. HopScotch.
28-Across. * Course for a first-year student, maybe: INTRO CLASS. Skip Intro.
52-Across. * Decathlete who throws a metal ball: SHOT PUTTER. Jump Shot.
And the unifier:
67-Across. Trivial distance, or what can be paired, in order, with the starts of the answers to the starred clues: A HOP, SKIP, AND A JUMP.
Across:
1. Eucalyptus eater: KOALA. Everything you wanted to know
about Koala bears but didn't know to ask.
6. "Oh, come on!": PSHAW.
11. Chutzpah: GALL.
15. Baltimore's __ Harbor: INNER. Finding your way around
Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
16. Like baggy pants: LOOSE.
17. Off-Broadway award: OBIE. The Obie Award is more
formally known as the Off-Broadway Award.
21. Mailed: SENT.
22. Molecule part: ATOM.
23. Wild West search parties: POSSES.
24. Ballpark fig.: EST. This idiom originates from the game of baseball. The ball park has a set number of seats. On the day of the game, the commentator would estimate the number of people attending the game. That estimated figure became known as the ball park figure.
26. Rubella spot, familiarly: MEASLE.
32. Sunny spot for a potted plant: LEDGE.
36. Monopoly cube: DIE.
37. P-like Greek letter: RHO.
38. Sunblock letters: SPF.
40. The Bee __: "Saturday Night Fever" group: GEES. I'll
spare your ears. [Name # 1.]
41. Fretting: IN A STEW.
43. Tastefully stylish: ELEGANT.
45. Pixar clownfish: NEMO. [Name # 2.]
46. Hi-__ monitor: RES.
48. Dot or rom follower: .COM
49. Untruth: LIE.
50. Tiling job supply: GROUT.
55. [Is this microphone working?]: TAP TAP.
57. Tire inflation abbr.: PSI. Another Greek letter ...
or Pounds per Square Inch?
58. Vietnamese sandwich: BÂNH MÌ. Bánh mì is Vietnam's answer to the submarine sandwich. You can get a
good bánh mì in New Orleans.
61. Donburi grain: RICE. While we are still eating Asian
food, let's now move to Japan for a nice Donburi bowl. I make these all the time, I just didn't know what they were called.
63. Black-eyed __: PEAS.
70. Fiery volcanic output: LAVA.
71. Top-tier: ELITE.
72. Educator Montessori: MARIA. Although Maria Montessori (née Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori; Aug. 31, 1870 ~ May 6, 1952) was
a physician, she is best known for developing a new philosophy of teaching
young children. [Name # 3.]
73. Caesar's "vidi": I SAW. Today's Latin lesson.
74. Sport with clay targets: SKEET. This must be the word of the day. Yesterday it was just a Shooting Sport.
75. Nudges: PRODS.
Down:
1. Foil-wrapped Hershey's chocolate: KISS.
2. __ and for all: ONCE.
3. Mystery writer, briefly?: ANON. Fun clue.
4. Pen pal product: LETTER.
5. Curved shape: ARC.
6. "The __ thickens!": PLOT.
7. California wine valley: SONOMA.
8. Chaotic yet appealing person: HOT MESS.
9. Blonde shade: ASH.
10. Cries: WEEPS.
11. Slangy zero: GOOSE EGG.
12. Pre-K basics: ABCs.
13. Take a shine to: LIKE.
14. __ is more: LESS. Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
(Mar. 27, 1886 ~ Aug. 17, 1969) adopted the philosophy of Less is More in his
designs.
19. Actress Teri: HATCHER. Teri Hatcher (b. Dec. 8, 1964)
appeared on Seinfeld. [Name # 4.]
20. Breadbasket item: ROLL.
25. Arrange by color, say: SORT.
27. Characteristic: ASPECT.
28. Naming names, briefly: ID'ING.
29. Bay Area NFLer: NINER. [Name Adjacent]
30. Spanish "I love you": TE AMO. Hi, Lucina!
31. Most shameful: LOWEST.
33. Gave out, as cards: DEALT.
34. Wish-granter in Aladdin's lamp: GENIE.
35. Perfume compound: ESTER. Esters are organic compounds
that are derived from carboxylic acids. Want to know more?
39. Went belly-up: FLOPPED.
42. Lefty: SOUTHPAW.
44. Kangaroo Island birds: EMUs. Even if you never heard
of Kangaroo Island, I bet you knew it was off Australia. Much of the island is protected
in nature reserves and is home to sea lions, koalas and numerous species of
birds, including Emus.
47. Marker brand: SHARPIE. They come packages Sorted By
Color.
51. Scottish hats: TAMS.
53. Morphine, for one: OPIATE.
54. Container near a cash register: TIP JAR.
56. Colorado's __ Peak: PIKES. Pikes Peak was named in honor
of Zebulon Montgomery Pike (Jan. 5, 1779 ~ Apr. 27, 1813). He was a United States Army
officer who led two expeditions in the lands acquired through the Louisiana
Purchase. It was on his second expedition that he traversed through what
is now Colorado. He was later killed in the War of 1812. [Name
adjacent.]
58. Indonesian island: BALI.
59. "I got it!" cries: AHAs!
60. __ Scotia: NOVA. Nova Scotia, which means New Scotland,
is one of Canada's Maritime provinces. My family used to vacation in
Nova Scotia when I was a kid. There was a massive explosion in Halifax,
Nova Scotia in December 1917. If you want more information about this
event, I highly recommend the book The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and
Extraordinary Heroism, by John U. Bacon.
64. Continental currency: EURO. The Euro coin has been in
use for over 20 years. The coins have a common reverse side, which
outlines a map of Europe. Each country using the Euro has its own design on the obverse side.
65. Surrounded by: AMID.
66. Mani-pedi spots: SPAs. Hi, Lucina!
68. Category: ILK.
69. Band's sound booster: AMP.
And now for the Grid:
חתולה
Happy Purim to those who celebrate.
38 comments:
Lately, I’ve noticed that my comments seem “contrary “ to what many others on this site are saying, i.e. when I think a puzzle “easy “, others think it “difficult “ or vice versa. But I think most people would agree with me that today’s puzzle was relatively “easy” or it certainly seemed that way to me. So, in spite of the fact that there now appears to be a consensus that difficulty levels are near-arbitrary these days, I would say that today’s puzzle is a good example of a “Tuesday level “ puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
The theme made that whooshing sound as it sailed over my head. (I've gotta learn to read the entire reveal clue.) Still, it came together quickly, and d-o enjoyed the outing. Thanx, David and Hahtoolah. (The "Skip Intro", "Nemo" and "Pen Pal" cartoons were hilarious. Your "ballpark figure" link was blocked by Malwarebytes -- Trojan.)
Good Morning, Crossword Friends.
D-O: the idiom for Ballpark Figure originates from the game of baseball. The ball park has a set number of seats. On the day of the game, the commentator would estimate the number of people attending the game. That estimated figure became known as the ball park figure. [I deleted the link.]
QOD: People who love reading are often called bookworms ~ but that’s the wrong way around. It’s not you that worms into a book; it’s books that worm into you. ~ Amanda Craig (b. 1959), British novelist
Thank you, David P. Williams, and thank you, Hahtoolah
Clever little theme, but I thought the second one was SKIP CLASS until I read the review. Then I read the reveal again. It does read "... with the starts of the answers to the starred clues..." Had to look up SKIP INTRO to see what it is. Oh, like the option at the start of a movie. Skip the intro.
Under 7 minutes today, and I don't type all that fast.
During the previous reign, this would have been a Monday puzzle. But I think Patti is intent on following her own set of rules, and not just following suit because "that's the way it was done in the past".
David needs a Monday, a Wednesday and a Friday to complete the LA Times bingo card.
Desper-otto, I didn't get a warning at the link for EST, and I also tested it with:
https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search
which said "No Unsafe Content Found" as of March 3rd. I suspect it was a false positive.
FIR, but erased loaf for ROLL.
Interesting origin of ballpark fig. In modern times, "turnstile count" is used by MLB teams. It is important, because the visiting teams get paid a per-attendee fee. Back in the days before my divorce from MLB, I remember when a cellar-dweller lost a several run lead in the ninth. That caused the owner to take to the PA system, apologize to everyone on behalf of the team, and telling them to bring their ticket stubs to the next day's game for free admission. The announcer (Vinnie, maybe) explained that the owner probably didn't remember that every one of those free tickets would be money out of his pocket because "turnstile count" includes comped attendees.
Thanks to David for the fun, although I'm not too sure that "off-Broadway award" for OBIE is kosher. And thanks to Ha2la for another fine, colorful review.
Take a SHOT at SKEET,
Meet the ELEGANT ELITE,
PSI and RHO
Are Greek I know.
PSHAW, I SAW a crossword treat!
Would you save a KOALA
From a river of LAVA?
Keep your cool,
Avoid that pool --
You'll make an ASH of yourself if you holla!
{C, C+}. Holla is a real word I found while looking for a rhyme.
Definition of holla:
noun: a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)
FIR. Easy Tuesday CW. I got hung up a little on "skip intro", not a phrase in my vocabulary, but the other two theme answers were clear.
FIR in a bit over usual Tuesday time. RES/DEF = always hafta wait for perps. I liked DPW managing to get “shotputter” into the CW. I did manage to miss the theme….again. Rats. Appreciated the scarcity of proper names; and i knew most of the few that were there. Thanx DPW for this fun CW, and thanx too to Hahtoolah for the wonderful write-up.
Took 4:26 to leap to the conclusion today.
I agree with my friend SubG that this was easy (10 seconds quicker than yesterday for me), although I had idea about the Vietnamese sandwich (especially crossing an Indonesian island and another part of a foreign country) or Montessori's first name.
Favorite answer was ... anon.
Several years ago I was interested in how knowledge was arranged. Rogets thesaurus, Dewey decimal, Library of Congress classification systems. I even contacted the LoC to ask how Thomas Jefferson (who sold his library to the government as the seed for the LoC) classified his library. The answer? By height to fit his shelves, and beyond that by color.
PSHAW was Nero Wolfe's trademark expression
I'll take a CSO on GOOSE egg. I've got two laying up a storm. Softboiled they take 5 minutes
I'll spare you tales of the iconic SOUTHPAW Lefty Sprocket
I grok'ed the reveal but, like KS, SKIP INTRO was a bit obscure
Unusually easy even for Tuesday. No i/o's
WC
As the Bangor Bulletin put it :
" That souse? PSHAW"
And, Lefty was drinking his wine from his PORT Side
Good Morning:
I really liked the freshness and execution of this theme. I’m always impressed by well-hidden themes in early week puzzles because that adds a bit of a challenge to an otherwise walk in the park solve. IMO, the cluing and fill was a mixed bag of straightforward and mildly challenging. I knew Banh Mi but not the spelling and Donburi was completely unknown. The singular Measle was a tad jarring but overall, a pleasant solve.
Thanks, David, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, Hahtoolah, for keeping us informed and amused. I loved all of the cartoons and visuals but the Elegant Elephant and The Plot Thickens were my favorites. Thank you for the time and effort you expend to find the perfect illustration to match the clue/answer.
I’m hoping PK’s extended absence from the Blog is due to some computer problems or some other non-worrisome circumstances.
FLN
CanadianEh and Tante Nique, I’m glad that my Bichon candle struck your fancy! It was a gift from my step-daughter and TTP was 100 percent correct in surmising that it will never be lit!
Have a great day.
Musings
-SKIP INTRO seemed foreign to me and then I realized I have been using it a lot in my binge watching
-The midrange JUMP shot in the NBA is now a RARE BIRD
-Husker football games have been “sold out” since 1962. However, you can get a ballpark EST by looking at the empty seats during these last two decades of mediocrity.
-Virtual SKEET Shooting used to be in every bar
-Great golfers are experts at controlling the ARC of their shots
-LESS IS MORE is an Apple design philosophy
-FLOPPED – I know, we’ll name it after Henry’s son Edsel!
-I left a $1 tip for a $2 roll this morning at the bakery
-I suspect you could buy a TAM in NOVA Scotia
-Name changes for two track events: 1) HOP, SKIP and JUMP is now the Triple Jump, 2) Broad Jump is now the Long Jump.
It's a Tuesday treat from David today! FIR. There was some ELEGANT fill, and the theme worked for me though SKIP INTRO was a learning moment. I was reminded that in Boulder CO some local bus routes were named Hop, Skip, and Jump, which I found amusing. Thanks, David.
Hahtoolah, I thoroughly enjoyed your review with its many cartoons and explanations. Thanks! Your time and effort is appreciated.
Some WOs due to the usual problems of not checking perps first (uRgeS/PRODS), sloppy spelling (KaoLA/KOALA), and word mixup (PSf/PSI). My aim for a perfect grid is seldom realized. Oh well, I can adopt YR's tactic instead. Thanks, YR.
Enjoy your day, everyone!
Hola!
Thanks to David and Hahtoolah today for the fun! I actually finished the puzzle at 6:30 A.M. then promptly returned to bed. I slept some more and even dreamed which hardly ever happens.
Thank you for the CSO, Susan.
INTRO CLASSes are common in college as some of you might recall. They are usually cursory for those who don't want to delve deeper into the subject but need the credit. Mine was INTRO to psych and a couple of others which I now don't recall. My daughter, however, loved psychology and majored in it and is now a counselor.
I love the word ELEGANT and all it conveys. Audrey Hepburn comes to mind as does Grace Kelly. Cary Grant, too, but I'll let Irish Miss comment on that.
I love the paucity of proper names in this puzzle!
I remember visiting a coastal area in Baltimore but I don't recall the name. It was beautifully developed with dining areas and recreational activities. It was one of my late brother-in-law's choices when we went on long car trips.
BANHMI was all perps.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Thank you Hahtoolah for "splainin".
I got the "hop" part, was confused by the jump part as there is no jump in shot put .
there might be a move that could be called "the chicken scratch?"
But it wasn't until you explained skip intro that it made sense...
Jeepers! And I use that skip intro button all the time!
I do have one nit, that has now blossomed into a problem.
(Nothing to do with the Blog, it's the Ads!)
THIS IS NOT A VIETNAMESE SANDWICH!
FIR. Lovely CW. I liked the fact that there were so few proper names.
I filled in the last part of the reveal first and I kept seeing a PANDA and was confused until the SW corner filled in, then I had my AHA moment.
Subgenius, I agree with you, fairly easy Tuesdayish puzzle.
Hahtoolah as usual regaled us with keen info and fun cartoons.
Several years ago a colleague and I drove up Pike’s Peak one morning after an ice storm and the trip was surreal. We started off under dark clouds, then half way up we came out of the clouds and the sky appeared piercing blue contrasting with the bright white ice on the trees. We were attending a conference and both had flown in from warm spring-like Georgia for her and Louisiana for me. What an experience.
My small collection, three tall shelves, of books was originally arranged in alphabetical order but since my granddaughter took over that bedroom the system is now chaotic.
Thank you David for a definitely Tuesday level puzzle.
And thank you Hahtoolah for the review and especially the nice link to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. We've been there several times lately to take the kids to the National Aquarium (be sure to visit the Archer fish in the Australian exhibit) and also the Science Center. However I wouldn't advise going to the Inner Harbor at night because those places are closed.
Some favs:
18A SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS. What's not to like.
28A INTRO CLASS. I intended to major in Philosophy in college until I took the INTRO CLASS. The TA cycled through the major schools of philosophy, building an air tight case for each one, and then refuting it. "I see a pattern here", I thought, and switched to English, and after dancing around several other majors ended up with a BA in Psych with a minor in Ceramics.
38A SPF. I never used to worry about SPF numbers until I had a bout of skin cancer. I still don't. I just don't go outside any more.
50A GROUT. Phil GROUT is a friend and one of my favorite photographers.
8D HOT MESS. Like the Blonde in the next clue.
Cheers,
Bill
Fun Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, David. And your comments and pictures were a delight, Hahtoolah, thanks for those too.
Well, I would guess that the party suggested in this puzzle was for the ELITE dressed in ELEGANT clothes, not LOOSE baggy pants, and ready for some SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS when they arrive. Looks like a fancy lunch is being served with a STEW with PEAS and RICE and ROLLs. On the way out we should probably leave a EURO in the TIP JAR. Lots of choices for what to do afterwards, maybe take an INTRO CLASS, or play some SKEET or some games with a SHOT PUTTER, or just go and take a soak at the SPA. PSHAW-- why not?
Have a good day, everybody.
A nice, easy, Tuesday FIR. But they're all easy when the answers are neatly tucked away in my personal Wheelhouse! Pikes Peak- going up is the easy part. Driving back down will elevate adrenalin levels, especially in the old drum brake days. Smokin'!
Charlie Echo made me look...
Piles Peak, turn by turn...
Greetings, Thanks, David for a pretty slick puzzle today. Only ESP was the BANH MI sandwich. Liked the theme reveal, a long remembered but infrequently heard expression. Kinda SKIPped over the theme fills.
Thanks, Hah2lah, for your recap. I remember the Inner Harbor in the days it was a thriving and fun destination. Not so much anymore.
Loved the Bee Gees music. Wouldn't have minded a link to a tune. Surprised at your comment.
Happily, I'm a southpaw, much to the displeasure of my 1st grade teacher many moons ago.
Mystery writer. Agatha Christie wouldn't fit but liked the fill when it revealed itself.
Sad morning. Final visit to a friend in a NH, so couldn't find a smile in some of the content.
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, David and Hahtoolah.
I FIRed in good time and saw the HOP, SKIP AND JUMP theme. (I am more familiar with Step, and it might have given a better second themer than SKIP INTRO).
I started my exercise off on the wrong foot by blithely entering Panda at 1A. Perps did not work. Oh silly bear (not!), pandas eat bamboo; you need KOALA.
I wanted Folded but it was too short. FLOPPED fit.
Thankfully BANHME perped.
I waited for morphine to be an OPIATE or an Opiod. Correctly, it was OPIATE (naturally derived, like codeine). OPIOD refers to natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic forms.
I thought of the Black Eyed PEAS “I’ve Got A Feeling”.
Also Sherlock Holmes with “The PLOT Thickens”.
I have too many flowers to sit on a LEDGE. I have a large flower rack in a south window. My violets, pothos, spiders, poinsettia, amaryllis, kalanchoe, elephant ears,, etc. were all enjoying the sun today.
Several favourites today - GOOSE EGG, HOT MESS, IN A STEW.
CSO to Tinbeni who would not want his SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS.
ANON for all our Anons.
NOVA Scotia is in Canada, but many kilometres from my location. (Yes HG, they would sell NOVA Scotia tartan TAMS. We even have some Scottish stores here that sell them.)
Happy Purim.
Wishing you all a great day.
Tante Nique- I see you had the same Panda problem.
Ach- I had a FIW, It wasn’t Banme but BANMI. I had Step before SKIP, which gave me Pete’s Peak, which sounded as good as any name. I corrected to K and thought Peke’s PEAK was a good homophonic chuckle. I read Hahtoolah’s link to learn that General Pike was killed in the Battle of York (Toronto) in that War of 1812. Perhaps I will remember him now with that Canadian connection.
RosE- sorry about your sad visit. I lost a friend this week too, unexpectedly. It rem8nds me to appreciate my days and those around me.
FIR. Found the hop, skip and jump after getting the reveal. I, too, thought skip intro was odd, just part of a sentence. "Our guest is so well known and loved by each of you that we we will skip the intro." Thanks HG, for noting it is a prompt when binge watching.
Measles is a disease, not the spots or bumps. The clue says familiarly, but it's not something I use or hear.
I saw a twenty something with pants so low his belt was around the tops of his thighs. He walked with difficulty. There was a half moon out.
I thought of PANDA, but he eats bamboo The KOALA eats eucalyptus.
BANH MI was all perps. I have heard of it, but couldn't recall or spell it, or even describe it.
Tante Nique- now I see where you saw that Panda, and it wasn’t where I had it. - Hop Ski PANDA Jump. I love it. Parsing is everything.
And your Pike’s Peak visit must have been outstanding.
I liked this puzzle for many of the same reasons that Irish Miss did.
Always a pleasure to read what you all post.
Good wishes to you all.
C-Eh! Yes, my panda was lost in the phrase. And, yes that trip up Pike’s Peak was outstanding. I keep a list of what I call magical moments of life and this is one of them.
Canadian Eh
You must have a really green thumb! And I'm jealous. With all the sunshine available here I should have a beautiful garden and at different times of my life I have. Just now, though, I don't have the energy to care for it. My jade plant, though, which I've had for many years is out of control and the three pots of ferns are also thriving as is the rosemary plant.
CanadianEh!, thank you for your kind words. Friends are precious. And,to you,sympathies for your loss.
Thanks to David for his fun solve and to Hahtoolah for all the bonus fun!! FAV clue was Mystery writer and FAV cartoon was the Nemo one.
I noticed the grid was 16X15. One extra column can add a lot of fun options, but no diagonal fun for OMK.
PIKES Peak is nicknamed "America's Mountain" because after taking in the view from the top, Katharine Lee Bates was inspired to write "America the Beautiful". Pretty awesome!
CED. LOL at your hopscotch cartoon!
Hi All!
Thanks you David for a good start to my day. Thank you Hahtoolah for adding giggles to my day.
WOs: N/A
ESP: MARIA
Fav: With all the sparkle, it's hard to pick. I'll go with GOOSE EGG.
Mystery write's ANON was really cute.
{B+, B+}
RosE - sorry to hear about your friend and this being your last trip.
C, Eh! - sorry to read you lost a friend unexpectedly. No time to prepare...
With a large Vietnamese population in Houston, a BANH MI is only a stone's throw away. Outside of a Muffuletta [2:26], or an Italian sub, Banh Mi is my favorite.
My understanding is the French-roll of a Banh Mi is from French colonization -- the fill is all Vietnamese.
Our main bookshelves are in no particular order. I remember where I put mine and DW remembers where she put hers. We both have additional bookshelves around the house - remembering which room has the shelf I want, however...
CED - Oh, hell no! I will take that Pike's Peak road at 10mph or less.
Back to work - things have calmed since understanding the scope of the attack but still work to be done.
Cheers, -T
FIR. Thanks, David and Hahtoolah!
Hahtoolah, your Slug Posse cartoon has to be your best one yet!
Back in the day, I preferred my Scotch neat, but I’ve been known to take it on the rocks. Oh, and I only drank CHEAP Scotch.
Our house in Aurora, CO, had an unobstructed view of Pike’s Peak. I never made it to the top. It was always on my To Do list. I did make the trek to the top of Mount Evans a few times. It's just a little bit higher.
Needless to say, I loved that house, but I’m not sure I miss the snow and ice anymore. These days, 90 and 90 (degrees and humidity) suit me just fine. That’s why we have air conditioned houses and cars.
I meant to ask Hahtoolah earlier but forgot, what is the meaning of Purim. I guess I'll just look it up.
Earlier this evening I spoke with my sister who lives in Highland, near San Bernardino, CA and asked about their situation in re the weather. She said she and her family are fine, not too much snow but her grandson and his wife who live on Big Bear are snowed in. Luckily they stocked up on food and other supplies. I guess if you live up there you know how to prepare and my grand-nephew is a seasoned outdoorsman so I am not worried about him and his wife.
Even though it was about 60 years ago that I lived in Denver, I still recall the snow and ow cold it can be. And I don't miss it one bit.
Lucina: I sent you an email in answer to your query.
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