Saturday Themeless by C.C. Burnikel
A very nice puzzle by our beloved blogmistress! I asked her permission to use this picture and she said okay and remarked "that was when I had long hair." I had to abandon some fills that I thought were good but all's well that ends well.
Across:
1. Winter sports park activity: SNOW TUBING.
11. National Humor Mo.: APR - Well, it starts with April Fool's Day so...
14. Game that typically has hard-to-get tickets: HOME OPENER - The Twins HOME OPENER in Minneapolis was pushed back due to some, uh, unfriendly baseball weather.
15. California roll ingredient: CRAB - Crab or imitation crab and avocados
17. Line from one cutting it close: AM I TOO LATE? If you were TOO LATE to see Halley's Comet in 1986, it won't be back until 2061 (I'll be 115).
18. Emerald City visitor: TOTO - TOTO and Dorothy were definitely not in Kansas anymore
19. Scandal sheet: RAG - 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for this 1952 movie.
20. Part of a bang-up job: TNT π Oppenheimer did not fit.
21. Got ready for: AWAITED
23. Promises that end engagements: I DO'S π
25. Fish with transparent babies: EELS.
27. Nancy, to Fritzi Ritz: NIECE - The last bid on this 1948 comic was $1,008.
28. Target area: AISLE π
30. Like the top of most refrigerators: DUSTY.
32. Part of a routine: GAG - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis didn't get along but they made millions with their GAGS. They ended their relationship ten years to the day from when they started and didn't talk for 20 years.
33. Ashram sound: CHANT.
35. Free __: REIN - Something veteran teachers do not give to a study hall full of kids.
36. Org. with an Office of Water: EPA.
37. Starting points for pro golfers: BLACK TEES - Golf holes can have many different colored markers for where you TEE off. The BLACK TEES are usually the farthest back and the red tees are usually closest.
40. Library warning: SHH.
43. Jelly in some boba: ALOE - This consists of aloe vera that is peeled, cut into mini cubes, and cooked with some sugar.
44. Lab kit supply: SWABS - Many of us endured these SWABS in the last few years.
48. Parents: REARS - A verb. The toughest job in the world.
50. Bad blood: SPITE.
52. Remove identifiers, on social media: UNTAG - I might UNTAG you if you want to use FaceBook for political opinions.
54. Exam taken in "Legally Blonde": LSAT - Reece Witherspoon's character celebrating.
56. Bourguignon, for one: STEW - Bore-green-YONE
57. Ingredient in many a 56-Across: BAYLEAF - Can you see any above?
59. Haul: LUG.
63. Court figures: LITIGATORS.
66. Company with a hedgehog mascot: SEGA.
67. Perk up?: PRIVATE JET π This would be a "perk" when you need to go "up" in the air.
68. Shape of orecchiette pasta: EAR - Literally "small ear" in Italian. Γ΄riΛkyedΔ or oh-reck-ee-ET-tay
Down:
1. Law in some Gulf States: SHARIA.
2. Like some Mongols: NOMADIC.
3. "Holy smokes!": OMIGOSH.
4. Just out of an onsen, say: WET.
5. Traffic sound: TOOT.
6. Barely ahead: UP ONE - If your team is only UP ONE in the ninth inning, a bad bullpen can doom you.
7. Socked: BELTED.
8. "Modern Comfort Food" writer Garten: INA.
9. Type of value calculated for mutual funds: NET ASSET.
10. Rose: GREW.
11. When Romeo and Juliet have their balcony scene: ACT II.
12. One under a wing: PROTEGE.
13. Cause of limited interest, perhaps: RATE CAP - Here ya go
16. "In the Heights" shop: BODEGA.
22. Question of status: ANY NEWS?
24. Chunk: SLAB.
26. Sneaky types: LURKERS - or passive types
31. No-win situations: TIES - The most famous/infamous TIE in college football history
34. Spinner's yarn: TALE.
38. Underground blaze that emits toxic gases: COAL FIRE - This one is burning underground in China
40. Takes a deep dive, maybe: SCUBAS.
41. Land where Puff and Jackie Paper played: HONALEE - I have sung this song that is set in "a land called HONALEE" many times.
42. Practice with sweaters: HOT YOGA.
45. Customizable avatar app: BITMOJI - One of mine is shown here and my usual one at the very bottom of this write-up.
46. Took control: STEERED - What the heck, I'll throw in another BITMOJI.
49. Spitball need: SALIVA.
51. Target of some recycling drives: E-WASTE.
53. Union station?: ALTAR π
55. Pull on: TUG AT.
58. New Zealand's Southern __: ALPS.
60. Flight assignment: GATE.
64. Element with the shortest name: TIN.
65. PG Tips, e.g.: TEA - A likely choice for our constructor who is also a TEA connoisseur
40 comments:
They now have senior tees. I could tee off with a 7 wood
I loved seeing CC 's name but that didn't mean "easy" just doable
the Heights is BC 's nickname
Notre Dame's recently departed Johnny LuJack played on the famous 0-0 tie with Army in 1946
FIR sans CBD smart gummy
WC
When I saw “winter sport activity “ I figured the answer would start with “snow” and end in “ing” and I was right, so I was off to a good start. I agree with Wilbur Charles that the puzzle was “not easy, but doable.” Getting the “j” in “bitmoji” was a little difficult but when “private jet” popped up, I knew I was right, Other than that, I don’t have too much to say about this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning. Thank you, C.C., and thank you, Husker Gary
FIR in good time for a Saturday
I had "prepare" at 21A: Get ready for. I reread that clue when perping answers weren't working out. Oh. Got, not get.
Also started with LITIGAnts before LITGATORS.
The 9th hole at Turtle Bay pictured in 37A... The text in the image starts with "This sharp dogleg right Par 4..."
What is the connection supposed to be with 59A Haul:LUG and the image?
A COAL FIRE has been burning under Centrailia, PA since 1962. 61 years. One projection has it continuing to burn for another 250 years.
Puff the Magic Dragon was the first earworm song for me. It was played constantly. By the way, I think it is spelled HONAH LEE.
Never heard of PG Tips. The answer perped.
I saw a picture of Reese Weatherspoon and her daughter Ava the other day. I had to do a double take to see who was who.
Good morning!
FIR, but have no idea how long it took. The computer decided to reboot at the halfway point, and there was a lot to reenter. It's always pleasant when there's no theme to suss, and no reveal to miss. Thanx, C.C. and Husker. (My first thought was that those EELS looked like fingers. D'oh!)
STEW: Hadn't heard of Beef Bourguinon until our H.S. French teacher decided that would be the entrΓ©e for the end-of-the-year French Dinner.
NET ASSET Value: That's usually the price you pay to purchase a no-load mutual fund. The NAV is determined at the end of each trading day.
FIR in 40 minutes and 8 seconds. This is the second Saturday in a row that I FIR with no red letters needed. It’s going to be a great weekend.
Took 14:18 today for me to cross the Southern Alps.
I didn't know: the tea; what an onsen was; Sharia; the Southern Alps; Nancy, her uncle/aunt, or their relation; bitmoji; how rag is a Scandal sheet; or, the stew.
I had "rate dip" before "rate cap."
I didn't get the haul/lug photo connection either. Over my head.
Very good puzzle.
FIR. Nice Saturday workout.
Last to fall was the NE when I had an aha moment and wrote in gag at 32A. ProtΓ©gΓ© just wouldn't come to me before that.
Good Morning:
We’re all more familiar with CC’s themed puzzles which highlight her creativity and craftsmanship, not to mention productivity. Since she has ventured into the themeless Saturday arena, IMO, her skills truly shine as she continually raises the bar for herself. I thought today’s cluing was outstanding and Silkie-esque, i.e., deviously tricky, but eminently fair. In addition, the fill was fresh and lively, pop culture was almost non-existant, there was no dreck and the three letter word count was a modest 14. I finished in 26+ minutes, a good Saturday time for me, and with only one w/o, Pelted/Belted. I needed perps for the unknown Bitmoji and for Aloe, Wet, and Tea, all as clued.
Thanks, CC, for a satisfying and truly enjoyable solve and thanks, HG, for always teaching us something new and for the bright and dazzling visuals. I’ve always enjoyed your Bitmojis, even more so, now that they’ve been explained. Thanks for including the lovely picture of CC among the beautiful flowers. Also, I hope any storm damage is minimal and that Darling Lily is safe and sound.
FLN
Pat, I rest assured that those pooches are in good hands and receive much loving care and attention. I hope they all find a forever home soon. Give Squish a tummy rub fro me! π
Chairman Moe, welcome home! Your trip sounds wonderful and exciting and exhausting! I’m sure you and Margaret are glad to be back home, despite the sweltering heat. And we’re glad to have you back and can’t wait to be regaled with Moe-kus!
A while back, Lucina, and I believe, sumdaze, praised Tea With Mussolini so I ordered the DVD and watched it last night. I enjoyed it very much, thanks mostly to the talented trio of the incomparable Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Joan Plowright. Cher and Lily Tomlin had minor roles but, not surprisingly, the three Brits owned the screen, from beginning to end.
Have a great day.
Congratulations C.C. for constructing the type of puzzle I like- very few proper names. I started slowly with SNOW but could see SKIING would allow INA to fit but not other perps. WET for an 'onsen' unknown. Ditto for "In The Heights"'s BODEGA.
BITMOJI and TEA- 100% perps for those unknowns.
In past years the NET ASSET Value for mutual funds was abbr. as NAV in the newspapers.
HONALEE- heard the song thousands of times but had no idea how it was spelled.
Top of the fridge- DUSTY or DIRTY?
The unknowns Bourguignon was either SOUP or STEW.
EAR was a perp for the semolina's shape.
NANCY and Sluggo- been a long time since I've seen them
BAY LEAF- always used in NOLA for the Red Beans & Rice.
BLACK TEES- at the local TPC the pros start farther back than that. I've seen red, white, yellow, purple, and black tees on some courses.
BTW, despite it being impolite to brag, I’m going to do it anyway! π€
I just reached my 200th consecutive win in Phrazle. Phrazle is Wordle on steroids. Instead of one word, there are phrases comprised of two to several word phrases and, like Wordle, you have six tries to get the correct phrase. My results:
1-1 (Pure luck. The phrase was Go Bananas)
2-32
3-80
4-62
5-21
6-4
Okay, brag over! π€£
FIR, but erased o my gosh for O MI GOSH (and I thought I couldn't spel,) hana lee for HONA LEE, and snow turing for SNOW TUBING.
SCUBA divers don't do deep dives. Few dive more than 150 feet. I maxed out at about 90, IIRC. That happened when I dove the sister ship to Jacques Cousteau's Calypso off Anacapa Island.
I was gonna point out that tournament pros don't play from the black tees. The backmost part of the teeing area is their usual spot, called "the tips." But tournament organizers often move them up to improve the playability of individual holes, based on weather and/or pin locations. There is only one tee choice in a tournament, and they usually play homage to the sponsor, like the little green tractors used in the recent John Deere tournament.
Thanks to CC for another wonderful challenge that even I was able to get, and to Gary for another interesting tour.
Honah Lee is correct, TTP. I checked the spelling on the lyrics websites.
FIR with help. Got most of the puzzle filled, but couldn't break the NW. Had to Google the mutual fund phrase; NETASSET. That broke the dam.
Like SubG, I figured that the winter sports would include SNOW and the BI led me to mobile. NOT! Wouldn't fit with AMITOOLATE.
Always read the Nancy comic when I was a kid so I knew Fritzi was her aunt.
Congrats to C.C. for their fine collaboration of creation and elaboration today.
Lee, HONAH LEE is correct.
It is spelled HONA LEE in the puzzle.
I also had to look up the lyrics. Despite being an earworm, I couldn't remember the opening verse in its entirety. That's when I saw that it wasn't spelled correctly in the puzzle.
Good Morning! Thanks, C.C. for a (WEES) challenging but doable puzzle. But not without some bumps in the road & I had to set it down & walk away 3x before it all came together. Isn't it curious how a fresh look will help see things anew...?
WO: O M_ GOSH: Y -> I & honk -> TOOT
WAGS: WET, BODEGA, ALPS, TEA, BITMOJI
INA Garten used to have a frozen food line, and her Beef Bourguignon was the best I ever had!! There was a brand name dispute (IIRC), and she ended it…π₯. I’ve tried making it, but nothing compares to the flavor.
Thanks, H.Gary for your recap. Fun & enlightening.
Lee and TTP, I've found it spelled HONALEE, HONAHLEE, and HONAH LEE at various on-line lyric sites. No foul.
What a superb CW from CC. IM☘️ as usual wrote a perfect assessment of it.
Question of status really had me stumped, then Eureka I came up with ANY NEWS. That sneaky CC. LOL.
What I was not familiar with, CC made sure if I paid attention perps and WAGS would take care of my ignorance.
For a while HONAh LEE would not come, then unbidden this little tune crept into my brain. What magic.
HG. I love your BITMOJIs.
IM ☘️Congratulations on your Phrazle streak. I do Wordle every day and sometimes Worldle. So I’ll now have to look into Phrazle. What a name.
Fun Saturday puzzle. Should tnt have been an abbreviation?
Thanks for an fun and appropriate Saturday outing and tour, C.C. and Gary. The puzzle brought to mind Merl's "twisted but fair" motto. You're not (yet?) as twisted as MR was but who is? π
Thank you C.C. for a very clever puzzle and a rare Saturday FIR (with Teri's help!).
Thank you Husker for another fine review and thanks for explaining your cool BITMOJIS -- I've often wondered how you do that. FLN I'm glad to hear that there was no major damage done by that freak storm.
Some favs:
1A SNOWTUBING. Started with ICE SKATING. As D-O would say ... But at least I picked up on the gerund ending and called for Teri for help with 8D, as she had worked for 20 years for a mutual fund company. Unfortunately she worked in IT, so she didn't know NET ASSET, which I was eventually able to suss.
But Teri was hooked and so we pushed on ...
27A DUSTY. Decided to verify this empirically, but please don't tell Teri. She's got enough other things on her mind at the moment, like 4 granddaugthers who will arrive here next Wednesday and stay for 3 days.
23A IDOS. An old crossword trick.
30A NIECE. I read NANCY by Ernie Bushmiller for years and when she finally retired the hapless illustrator who thought this deceptively simple looking cartoon was -- well, simple -- was in for a shock. A succession of artists have continued it and apparently it's still in syndication.
33A CHANT. OM was too short.
61A MEA. A Latin pronoun often recited by Catholics.
1D SHARIA. By this time we were back to the NW and it dawned on me that we were not in Louisiana anymore - ".HARIA" made it obvious that ICE SKATING had to go and then the rest of the fill up there fell into line.
Cheers,
Bill
Super Saturday. Thanks for the fun, C.C. and HuskerG.
I FIRed but not without a few inkblots.
I agree that this CW was hard but doable.
My North-central area was a mess. I had My before Mi in that OMG phrase.
I was SNOW racING before TUBING which had the crowd Roar-ING and gave me Pelted before BELTED. (Hello IM).
My HOMEr final changed to HOME OPENER.
Over on the east, I confused Prodigy with PROTEGE until perps finally amended.
I liked the duo of ALTAR and I DOS.
Great clue for TNT.
I noted TEES and TEA (unknown to me as clued).
The PRIVATE JET clue was meh for me.
Beef Bourguignon is so tasty (the secret is searing the beef cubes and deglazing the pan with your favourite red wine).
I like this Slow Cooker recipe
BeefBourguignon
On a pronunciation note, I believe the French pronunciation sounds like boor-gee-nyawn. There is no R in the second syllable.
Wishing you all a great day.
Game of the Century 31D No-win situations - TIES
I was glad to see the scoreboard pic for the blog for this famous game and tie. I was there, a senior at Michigan State at the time and remember it well.
.
.
"The 1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game is considered one of the greatest and most controversial games in college football history played between Michigan State and Notre Dame. The game was played in Michigan State's Spartan Stadium on November 19, 1966. Notre Dame was coached by Ara Parseghian and Michigan State was coached by Duffy Daugherty, both school legends. Michigan State entered the contest 9–0 and ranked No. 2, while Notre Dame entered 8–0 and ranked No. 1.
Notre Dame elected not to try for a score on the final series; thus, the game ended in a 10–10 tie."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_Notre_Dame_vs._Michigan_State_football_game LONG
Always delighted for a CC puzzle. Even more so on Saturday. Great job. I really enjoyed this one. GC
Hola!
WEES. You all have commented grandly and I have very little to add. Just a thank you to C.C. for a mostly doable Saturday puzzle.
CHANT, of course, takes me back to my convent days when we CHANTed the Divine Office three times a day.
SNOW TUBING is not a desert activity!
My ALOE plants received some much-needed moisture when it rained a little this week. I only hope my ferns will survive.
I, too, will have an EAR worm all day with Puff, the Magic Dargon's, HONALEE.
SENATE PAGE was replaced with SENATE AIDE.
Changing the GATE for a flight can be disastrous especially if it's all the way across the airport! It happened in Frankfurt, Germany and also at O'Hare. However, in those days I could run.
A TALE of Two Cities is one of my favorite novels.
I like the clue for ALTAR.
Have a sensational Saturday, everyone!
Just came across an article for some of the tee markers used at professional tournaments.
Irish Miss: This was in my daily email about today's adoptions. Squish entertained several families during appointments today before choosing her furrever family. Our little girl went home with her new parents and two young human brothers. They love the name Squish and said they are definitely not changing her name.
I didn't get a chance to give her tummy rubs but it sounds like she'll be getting a lot of them. Thought you'd like to know!
I loved this puzzle.
I like the name Squish.
Hi All!
Whoot! A C.C. puzzle! Not that I was able to finish a Saturday without a few HG-nudges but it was fun.
Thanks HG for the hints and the mighty-fine expo.
WOs: RAP (sheet) -> RAG, tons->A LOT, put SAUNAS in 40's squares after reading 42d's clue. Seat -> GATE (HG's nudge #3)
Fav: PRIVATE JET's clue. Took almost ESP before the V8 hit.
IM - I never heard of Phrazle. Sounds interesting. Do you play Spelling Bee? I can't recall if you need an NYT subscription or not, but (brag ahead) I've gotten Genius > 5 times. At first I didn't know there was a rating for how many words you get so I just stopped playing after I figured out the pangram. While at breakfast at a hotel in Austin (apartment hunting for Youngest), I struck up a conversation with someone I noticed playing Spelling Bee. His wife told me about the ratings and the highest is Queen Bee (getting every word that can be made). I've come close only once missing just one word.
TanteNique - Youngest plays WorlDle with her AP Geo friends. Those kids are good! (and I suck).
Lucina - Oy! on your GATE changes. I had one on a flight back from SPI earlier this year. The fam sprinted through DFW only to see the plane departing the Gate as we were two gates away. AA was not helpful so we just rented a car to get back to HOU.
Pat - thanks for the update on Squish. Heartwarming. //not that it needed warmed today - I was out in 101F cutting up a part of my fig tree that broke off in the last storm ;-)
Well, back to "work." I'm trying to update a Pi3 I built into a firewall so I can put my corp-Widows box safely on the networks at Blackhat / Defcon. I haven't played with it for 4 years (last IRL Defcon for me) so I have to re-learn what I did. //I really should keep a notebook of these (all legal!) "hacks."
I can hear a few of you asking so... Yes, I have a burner laptop for "naked hacking" but I still have to keep in touch with $Corp on their system.
Y'all have a wonderful Saturday evening.
Cheers, -T
Anonymous T, I play Spelling Bee every day. But I have my own personal rule that the words have to be at least 5 letters. Happy if I get to 50, but often get to 100. There are a lot of 5-letter-plus words out there!
I play Worldle too. A lot of fun, even if sometimes frustrating.
A-t and Sandyanon. Where do you play Spelling Bee? I don’t subscribe to NYTimes but I get a news letter that includes the Spelling Bee, but when I play the game it cuts me off way before I have finished.
Well, I do subscribe to the NYT, so have no info on other possibilities for Spelling Bee. Sorry.
Delightful Saturday puzzle, C.C., and loved the picture of you with the beautiful long hair. And many thanks for your always helpful commentary, Gary, and your wonderful pictures, too.
What intrigued me most in this puzzle was the word HONALEE. It right away set off a melody of a song in my head and I finally had to look it up to remember the Puff the Magic Dragon background. Amazing the way memories from our youth can just stay in our heads like this.
The word DUSTY triggered memories. I had two sweet dachshunds who were sadly taken out by coyotes in our back yard at different times. I named them DUSTY and . . . yes, MISTY. Guess I took on her name to remember her. Never got any more dogs because I just couldn't bear the fear of losing them. Earlier in life I loved cats too, but they always managed to get out over the fence and were run over by cars on the road. I now have only the large turtle my sweet late husband acquired when he was 22 years old, and she still lives in her big pen in the back patio. Her name is GOPHIE (species 'Gopherus Agassizzi) and thankfully coyotes have no interest in her whatsoever. Her turtle species apparently can live up to close to 100, so she may survive me.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
TanteNique - I have the NYT App on my iPhone. Again, though, I have an NYT subscription so that might make a difference.
SandyAnon - get the 4-letter words for if just for high-score!
Cheers, -T
Thanks Sandyanon and A-t. The subscription is what makes the difference.
A-T, the fun for me is trying to find 5-letter-+ words in Spelling Bee.
Hey, I also do 7 Little Words, more analytic, I think, than creative, but fun also.
"Hanalei is the town on the island of Kauai. Honahlee is the (made up) word featured as the mystical place Puff and Jackie Paper frolicked."
Bonus trivia:
" It was on the island of Kauai, in the southwestern town of Hanapepe, that Sanders and DeBlois felt they'd found Lilo, Nani and Stitch's home. Hanapepe inspired Lilo's hometown."
Thanks for the great Saturday offering, C.C.— a challenge but free of unnecessary obfuscation in the clueing. Not a cake-walk by any means, but it was still a fun romp, along with H. Gary’s run-through π
Wordle may still be available as a free app somewhere; I can still somehow do it on my iPhone without the NYT subscription, but think I d/l’ed the app onto my iPad way back when they bought the game from Mssr. Werdle as a “just in case”.
====> Darren / L.A.
Thank you DesirΓ©e and Jeff for your DOUBLE PLAY: your recent nuptuals and your first appearance on the Corner. Teri and I wish you many happy returns!
And thank you C.C. for your enlightening and as usual, spot-on, review. I finished the puzzle shortly before departing for church this AM and arrived here thinking I'd gotten a FIR. Had I taken a closer look at my filling of RIVOT and wondered what a DWADO was, I might have. But I did love all the old songs. ALAS.
I'll sign off with that, as an impending 4-granddaughter TSUNAMI this Wednesday looms on the horizon. I may be keeping a low-profile during the coming week.
Cheers,
Bill
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