Theme: TEA TIME
3D. "Peanuts" girl who calls Charlie Brown "Chuck": PEPPERMINT PATTY. PEPPERMINT TEA. From the Fandom site: Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt is a major female character in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. An outgoing and sporty girl, she has a crush on Charlie Brown (whom she always calls "Chuck") and is almost always accompanied by her best friend Marcie after the latter's introduction in 1971. Shultz wrote: Peppermint Patty, the tomboy, is forthright, doggedly loyal, with a devastating singleness of purpose, the part of us that goes through life with blinders on.
5D. Add interest: SPICE THINGS UP. SPICE TEA.
11D. Formal social events: BLACK TIE AFFAIRS. BLACK TEA.
19D. Party device filled with liquid soap: BUBBLE MACHINE. BUBBLE TEA. The bubble tea is so popular - but I've never had it myself. Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the United States in the 1990s. It most commonly consists of tea accompanied by chewy tapioca balls. Make it at home.
27D. British afternoon tradition, and what this puzzle's four longest answers literally have?: HIGH TEA.
Melissa here. The first word of each Down answer can precede "tea." I have to admit, this theme did not jump out at me and I had to ask C.C. After getting all the theme answers, 19D not having a T at all threw me off. Thanks, C.C.!
Across:
1. Meal: REPAST. The word “repast” literally translates to “to eat.” This was a common Latin word for mealtimes. However, over the years, it's become associated with funerals. Now, it's a tradition for breaking bread symbolically as a family after the passing of a loved one. Repasts are usually informal affairs.
7. Near mist?: FOG.
10. Old PCs: IBMS.
14. Syria's most populous city: ALEPPO. Syria is not an entirely safe country to visit due to the ongoing civil war in some regions. However, tourists can visit government-controlled areas such as Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, and Maaloula. Syrian Civil War.
15. "Blessed __ the peacemakers": ARE. From Matthew's Beatitudes, "for they will be called children of God.”
16. Large number: SLEW.
17. Accepts a driver's offer: HOPS IN.
18. Cell boundary: MEMBRANE.
20. Quick kisses: PECKS. Types of Kisses And What They Mean.
22. Corvallis sch.: OSU. Just down the road for me.
23. Windy City commuter org.: CTA. Chicago Transit Authority.
24. The ones here: THESE.
26. Comedian Margaret: CHO.
28. "Sweet Love" singer Anita: BAKER.
30. __ Lingus: AER.
31. Bangkok residents: THAIS. Second Thai reference (after 19D).
33. Data units: BYTES.
34. "And there you have it!": BAM. I just read that Emeril's son has followed in his footsteps.
35. Suspend: HANG.
36. Inouye Airport arrival gift: LEI. Hawaii. The airport is named after Honolulu native and Medal of Honor recipient Daniel Inouye, who represented Hawaii in the United States Senate from 1963 until his death in 2012.
37. __ Lanka: SRI. Formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia.
38. Trisected: IN THREE. Divided into three parts.
41. "You get the idea" abbr.: ETC.
46. Glossary entry: TERM.
47. Long, long __: AGO.
48. Remove one's username from, on social media: UNTAG.
51. Aromatic tree: FIR.
52. Areas that may be irritated by shirt tags: NAPES.
56. K-12 support gp.: PTA. Parent Teacher Association.
57. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's country: Abbr.: UKR. Who is he?
59. Conductor Zubin: MEHTA. Indian conductor of Western classical music.
61. Devices for reproducing signatures: AUTOPENS. Ten facts about the autopen.
64. __ star: RISING.
67. Old PC screens: CRTS. Cathode Ray Tube - How it Works.
68. Narrow waterway: RIA. A ria is a coastal formation that was once a river valley. It is found along an unglaciated land, which is an area that has not been formed by glaciers. Today, these river valleys are flooded and open into the sea. The flooding was likely caused by one of two reasons. The first reason for river valley flooding is that world sea levels have risen (eustatic). The other reason for this flooding is that the land has sunk below sea level (isostatic).
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69. Get-up-and-go: ENERGY.
70. Florida vacation destination: KEYS.
71. Stop on the road: INN. Noun, not verb.
72. __ tickets: SEASON.
1. "Yay, team!": RAH.
2. "Xanadu" gp.: ELO. Sung by Olivia Newton John for the soundtrack of the musical film of the same name.
4. Cathedral niches: APSES.
6. Honky-__: TONK. A bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments.
7. Mom, dad, sibs, etc.: FAM.
8. Cookies for breakfast?: OREO OS.
9. Tiara twinklers: GEMS. Some very pretty ones here.
10. Syr. neighbor: ISR. Syria and Israel.
12. Protégé: MENTEE. A person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person.
13. Takes an oath: SWEARS.
21. Barely enough: SCANT.
24. Bar bills: TABS.
25. Pick up: HEAR. That was tricky.
29. "Yes," on Talk Like a Pirate Day: AYE.
32. "The Summer I Turned Pretty" novelist Jenny: HAN. Book and now a movie.
39. Break a peace treaty, perhaps: REARM.
40. Make a mistake: ERR.
42. Pre-weekend shout: TGIF. Thank Goodness It's Friday.
43. Center: CORE.
45. Dubai's fed.: UAE. United Arab Emirates.
48. Prepare to stay a couple nights, say: UNPACK.
49. Inherent character: NATURE.
50. Informal greeting: MORNIN'.
55. Clueless: AT SEA. We sure do see this a lot.
58. "The Americans" star Russell: KERI.
60. "¿De dónde eres?": ERES. "Where are you from?" in Spanish.
62. WWII spy org.: OSS. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II.
63. Word with Jose or Juan: SAN.
65. Private aid prog.: NGO. Non-governmental organization. A nonprofit organization that operates independently of any government, typically one whose purpose is to address a social or political issue.
66. OB-__: med. specialty: GYN. Obstetrics and gynecology. One day when my daughter was three and I was expecting my second, I told her that we were going to go see the baby doctor. She thought for a bit and replied, "Is he little?"
38 comments:
There was a possible Natick at the intersection of “Mehta” and “eres “ but I got through it. And that was not the only one, making this puzzle the most difficult one of the week, so far, IMHO. Anyway, I sussed the theme with no problem (sorry, Melissa!) and managed to FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Once again, d-o missed the reveal, but managed to get the theme anyway. PASSES/SEASON was the sole Wite-Out-Moment -- somebody should've noticed that leading underline. Hmmmm. Thanx for the diversion, Prasanna and Melissa Bee.
UAE: I've traveled to Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi, but it was many years ago. That area has seen so much change that I'm sure I wouldn't recognize anything.
BUBBLE MACHINE: I immediately thought of this Stan Freberg golden oldie.
FIR in very good time (for me) today, but in spite of looking never saw the tea theme. And I managed to finish with no W/Os too. It was also a big help to me that I thought of the 4 long vertical answers immediately. Very nice fun CW, thanx PK. Very nice write up, tooMelissa. Melissa, is spice tea not a type of tea?
Finished in normal Wednesday time. I was in a rush and didn't look for the theme, though it is a good one.
MEHTA is often on NPR.
When I worked I didn't say TGIF. It was followed by Saturday, a stressful day of trying to fit in all the household chores.
I didn't know OSU, but OREO and CHO were necessary. I pondered the OO in OREOOS. Oh, there was space in there, OREO OS.
I don't understand the no write over meme here. I intentionally pencil in trial letters, knowing they might change. It helps suggest possible perps. On the computer, do solvers also wait to type in trial letters so they can claim no changes?
C ouldn't finish this one in under 7 minutes; took 7:02 today.
H ad no idea about "Conductor Zubin."
A nd the streak continues, not knowing today's author.
I didn't see the theme either. But, hey, no circles!
FIR. Good Wednesday puzzle. I went down a blind alley when I threw down pend instead of hang, and this set me back for a while, but I finally saw the light and finished. Never saw the theme, but that was no problem.
FIR without erasure, and guessing both my personal Naticks OREOOS x OSU and MEHTA x ERES. I still don't understand OREO OS. Android OS version 8 was called "OREO", so I guess that's an OREO OS, but I never ate one (but my LG G5 on OREO OS bit the dust).
I remember that the true test of IBM PC compatibility was whether it would work with Microsoft Flight Simulator.
I love the KEYS. Just a bit too spendy for my means these days.
Despite common understanding, "arr" is NOT a pirate's favorite letter. A pirate's favorite letter is "P", because a pirate without a P is irate.
I remember a parking tower downtown Cincinnati using what I called an AUTOPEN to relay which car was to be delivered from the cashier on the ground floor to the valets on other floors. May not be the right use of the term, but I sorta remember that being the brand name of the device. It was more of a "pen repeater", I guess. I was a little kid, but I remember it being like magic to me.
Thanks to melissa for the fun review.
Today's puzzle was a real treat to solve. FIR with no WOs for a change. (Sorry YR, but it so rarely happens for me.) Thanks, Prasanna, for a puzzle that was just right. Not too easy but with some twists instead.
I did find the themers after the reveal and was familiar with all the types of tea. The theme fill went smoothly. OREO OS is new to me but had solid perps. Thanks, MelissaB for an extensive review. I appreciate the time you spent on it.
My last fill was KERI and UKR. I don't have favorites but often thought "oh sure!" when I figured out fill.
Hope you all have a fine day!
Hola!
Thank you, Prasanna Keshava, for this midweek puzzle which I found just a bit odd but finished it fairly quickly. And thank you, Melissa, for the analysis which erased any doubts I had.
OREOS OS looks very odd to me since I don't recall seeing that before. I almost missed it because I have no idea where Corvallis is located. That was a near Natick for me. MENTEE was also odd.
I have to say the long downward fill does SPICE THINGS UP.
I used to love getting those welcome LEIS at the airport.
HOPS IN. When I was seven and stayed with my grandmother in Concho for a year she wanted me to go to Holbrook and stay with my aunt and uncle. When a salesman came with a new supply of gas she asked him to take me there which he did. Can you imagine that happening now?
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Wikipedia says, "Oreo O's was a breakfast cereal made by Post Holdings which consisted of Oreo-flavored O-shaped pieces of cereal." I vaguely remember seeing it on supermarket shelves, but now it's discontinued. I do not care for cold or hot cereal, so I don't pay much attention to it.
Good Morning! A challenging but doable puzzle today! Thanks, Prasanna.
One WO: HOPS oN -> HOPS IN which I saw when I got to SPICE.
One Natick: OSU crossing OREOOS. I guess I'm a cereal snob, and never pay attention to the sugary stuff. And not familiar with Corvallis OR.
Thanks, Melissa for your recap. I'm very curious about BUBBLE TEA. Until it's advent, I was only familiar with the small white pearls used in pudding. Interesting link, but I'm not sold on wanting to try it.
My first computer experience was working on a CRT, so that fill was a fun reminder of the "old days"!! Have only been a user in all the years since, so I'm mighty impressed with all the computer knowledge of the poster here. Hats off to all!
YR, I do the CWs pen-on-paper. Why don't I use a pencil to avoid W/Os? I just don't like the way pencil-on-paper looks, but more importantly, since I do the CW lying on my stomach in bed, I don't want eraser crumbs in my bed. I'd rather put up with an occasional W/O mess, although I admit that once in a while, if I guess wrong twice, it turns into a real mess. But still....no eraser crumbs.
Musings
-A nice, enjoyable humpday offering!
-HOPS IN – I can’t remember the last time I saw a hitchhiker, let alone ones like Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert
-Our HOA says you can not HANG wash out on a line to dry
-AUTOPEN – that might be Mickey Mantle’s signature or it might not
-A student teacher is a MENTEE and I have counselled some out of the profession unless they make some adjustments
-Pick up/HEAR – My new hearing aids came yesterday and I am off the acoustical desert island!!
-UNL has dropped SEASON ticket prices by 28% to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium. It might also be to placate fans after 20 years of mediocrity.
-REARM – The Treaty Of Versailles forbid Germany to do that but…
On this Ides of March I managed to FIR without being a non-Spanish speaking coffee or TEA drinker who doesn't eat cereal and milk in the morning. ERES, CAFFE, and OREOOS were unknowns filled by perps. Margaret CHO shows up all the time but Jenny HAN? New to me.
Did I catch the HIGH TEA? Nope.
DETAG or UNTAG? USO or NGO? Had to wait for the perps.
RIA-"The first reason for river valley flooding is that world sea levels have risen (eustatic)." Uh, last I checked the Mean Sea Level has risen close to FOUR HUNDRED FEET since the end of the las Ice Age .
Will the AI software be able to use an AUTOPEN if a professor demands that students write in pen and ink?
Good Morning:
This was a pleasant enough solve with strong, in-the-language themers and a spot-on revealer. However, the reveal placement gave away the theme too early and the inordinate number, 30, of three letter words was distracting. My two unknowns were Han and Eres and my only w/o was Latte/Caffe, which brought Bill G to mind with his fondness for macchiatos.
Thanks, Prasanna, for a mid-week treat and thanks, Melissa, for a thoroughly enjoyable and informative review, starting off with that stunning photo of the mist/fog. I really enjoyed the excerpt on Emeril’s son. What poise and promise he exudes, especially for a a young man just approaching 20. I also enjoyed learning more about Ben Stiller’s life journey, with and without his famous and talented parents. The frosting on the cake was seeing Zubin Mehta, a long-time favorite conductor. Thanks for adding so much to my day.
YR @ 7:24 ~ My personal definition of no w/os means that I didn’t have to change any entries. As noted above, my only w/o today was changing Latte to Caffe.
I’ve lost count of how many great-great nieces and nephews I have but the newest one arrived this morning: Francesca.
Have a great day.
Ray-O,
Can you pls unembolden the Blog?
High Tea?
(for Irish Miss...)
Hmm, Sri Lanka/high tea?
Reminds me of a place I would like to visit for its amazing megalithic works, Sigiriya.
A unesco world heritage site.
A few weeks ago one of my nieces invited us to her home for HIGH TEA. It was a FORMAL AFFAIR at which we ladies wore hats. It was great fun!
JJB: Nice puzzle for a weds. Helped to. Know the names (Aleppo, Baker, Mehta) for a change. Being a lifelong Peanuts reader 3d came quickly. Also remembered the “bubble machine” from the Freberg satire of Lawrence Welk, which my dad wouldn’t let me play when he was in the house! Been to a few black tie affairs. LATimes sudokus also easy today.
Beware the Ides of March! Et tu, Prasanna? Actually, a nice puzzle with an FIW brought on by bad proof reading. RIO, instead of RIA, leaving SON instead of SAN. Oh, well. The theme was AWOL until Melissa 'splained it, too!
Neat Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Prasanna. And very much enjoyed your commentary, Melissa, thanks for that too.
Well, when I saw REPAST I figured we'd get a party here in the puzzle, and there it was, a BLACK TIE AFFAIR, but where's the food and the drinks? Well, okay, we did get some CAFFE at least, but that was about it. Didn't make for a good MORNIN, so it might be best to stop and just hope for a better day ahead. Sorry there wasn't more stuff to give us the ENERGY to SPICE THINGS UP.
Have a good middle of the week, everybody.
Oh no!
Ray-o!
I didn't mean delete your comment,
I thought you knew how to do the bold/normal thing...
The blog is back to its normal typeface, but I thought we figured out what was causing it a couple of months ago?
Anywho, I hoped you saved a copy of your post, because I do enjoy reading them.
CED @ 10:52 ~ You sure know how to put a smile on my face! Thank you! 🤗
Lucina @ 11:35 ~ Your niece’s “High Tea” afternoon sounds lovely. I’d have to decline, though, as I don’t own any hats.
IrishMiss
Luckily I had bought a cute hat several years ago for another AFFAIR we had attended. It was also a HIGH TEA at the Biltmore Hotel for my sister-in-law's birthday. Gone are the days when women were required to cover their heads although a few women at our church choose to wear head coverings for some reason. They wear mantillas, not hats.
Several years ago I attended a funeral at an AME Church and all the women wore fancy hats. It was an impressive sight and the men all wore elegant suits. It all added to the solemnity of the occasion.
In re no write overs. IM, mine are not entries, they are trial balloons, some with a less than 50% chance of staying. I do not attempt to avoid changes. Instead of waiting on perps to confirm, I lightly pencil the words in so that when I get perps I can recall my first thought, if needed. When I solve online without red letters I tentatively type in wild guesses to be changed later. Many guesses succeed. Other times I am happy for the remembered prompts.
My sister has a high tea as a fund raiser at her church. All the ladies wear hats just for fun.
In Scotland we went to a cream tea. (Not dress up for us tourists.)My friend thought the clotted cream went in the tea, not on the scone. Since I like neither milk nor cream in my tea, I was not tempted to ERR.
My avatar has disappeared.
Thank you Prasanna for a HIGH TIME this morning. Loved the puzzle and loved the light REPAST.
And thank you Melissa for the entertaining review. Loved all the Kisses! 💗💗💗
A few favs:
7A FOG. My term for the computer "Cloud". Some of my files have gotten lost in it.
18A MEMBRANE. Most people think of this as just a simple barrier between inside and outside the cell. It's a lot more complicated than that.
37A SRI. Sadly I learned today that "The Good Karma Hospital" was not renewed for a 5th season, to the disappointment of its many fans. The series was set in India, but actually filmed in SRI LANKA. Easter Egg: It was formerly named CEYLON, another variety of tea.
59A MEHTA. One of the greats. Mahler's Symphony No. 2 (the "Resurrection") is one of my favorites. Thanks for reminding me MB!
6A TONK. My Father liked "Honky Tonk" music, but he preferred to play "Old Timey Music": a medley - you'll have to stop it when you've had enough!
32D HIGH TEA. One of my favorite memories is HIGH TEA in Bermuda to celebrate my Mother's 80th birthday at the The Crown & Anchor at The Hamilton Princess Hotel. Veddy British!
26A CHO & 62D SAN. Or CHO CHO SAN, aka Madama Butterfly. This aria always tears me up!
Cheers,
Bill
A Keshava PZL expanded upon by melissa bee...
ALEPPO. This fill reminded me that I often confuse ALEPPO with (the Gulf of) Lepanto, both locales of the former Ottoman Empire.
Wasn't sure how to spell MEARA, so missed the perp for a DNF.
Anybody else notice how easy it is to conflate the plural of modern-day Siamese with Alexander the Great's companion, THAÏS?
~ OMK
___________
DR: One dagonal, near side.
Its anagram (12 of 15) identifies an aggressive sexual type, possibly a transgressor, but one who takes care not to inflict attentions on anyone of a lower social position, nor indeed of higher status.
I speak of a...
"LETCHING PEER"!
Thank you, Prasanna, for your tea-themed puzzle and thank you, Melissa Bee for your TEAriffic write-up!! FAVs: Kissing Class & MEHTA music
Iris Miss @ 10:03. Congratulations on your new member of the FAM!
OMK @3:42 PM I saw a performance of THAÏS once where the soprano flashed her TETONS. Shs was pretty spicy, but I don't think she was Thai.
Hi All!
AYE, the Ides of March got me. FIW at MaHTA | aRES.
Thanks Prasanna for the puzzle with some fun / interesting cluing.
Thanks mb for the informative review. I still have more links to click tonight :-)
WO: mTA->CTA
ESPs: KERI + two FIW
Fav: The clue "Near mist?" tickled me
We had Boba yesterday and called it BUBBLE Tea today.
FLN: I saw on Twitter today that yesterday's puzzle was Brian's LAT debut.
Thanks for (briefly available) Blessed ARE the Cheesemakers, Ray-O.
Gotta run. Enjoyed reading everyone!
Cheers, -T
Power was out all day yesterday and some of the night, so couldn't do the puzzle yesterday. Gonna go do today's now and read your comments.
FIW on ERES/MEHRA(HI -T) Natick. Not up on my Spanish all I know is what I've gleaned from Lucina and CC. I thought of Buenos A(i)res
I D-Otto 'ed the theme. Didn't study the clueing(ie. TEAS)
A Russell beginning with K that's not Kurt?. W/o's, I think of them as inkovers and merely conversation.
BTW, I was in Gainesville for VA and the Sun had a CC xword
It's not HIGH TEA but here's sone of those Ladies hats as described by Curtis
WC
Remember Gary Johnson's presidential Waterloo? When asked about ALEPPO, he responded "What's ALEPPO"? The correct answer was "my team's analyzing it and I'll have more to say in a day or two".
'Course, that leads to the Newark problem. Seems that officials in Newark were initially thrilled to become a sister city to the Hindu nation of "the United States of Kailasa." The problem? After the ceremony, they were chagrined to discover that the country doesn’t exist. Also, can a sister city even be a country? Maybe some staffer or intern could have been assigned to do some background research.
I liked this puzzle. Only after filling HIGH TEA did I get the theme, which is pretty nifty. LW and I won't drink BUBBLE tea; it is altogether too easy to choke on those tapioca balls.
Enjoyed reading all your comments and following the links.
Our power came back on sometime during the night last night, but unfortunately for our neighbor friend they are still without power. It was pi day without pie.
Good wishes to you all.
unclefred - well i messed that comment all up. i had the reveal and knew it had to be something about TEA or T. i meant 19D (not 5D) had no T in it. (fixed it, thanks)
waseeley @4:39 ~
That was probably character-appropriate, at least for the first act.
Something for the audience to Meditate on, before the finale...
~ OMK
Enjoyed Zubin Mehta at age 85 conducting the LA Phil playing Mahler for 1 1/2 hours without a score. Amazing!!!
OMK @7:47 LOL 🎻
Earlier we had a monster storm that lasted only a few minutes but it dumped some much needed rain. Luckily the power stayed on.
I accidentally came upon an old "Lassie" movie with a very young Elizabeth Taylor(7 or8 years old) and equally young Roddy McDowell. Both were so poised at that age. Elizabeth was already a beauty then.
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