Saturday Themeless by Jamey Smith
This is my eighth Saturday Themeless Puzzle of Jamey's I have blogged. He is a former Texas University employe and always supplies a puzzle full of charm and learning. I fished around for a while for a start and then the gimme long fills in the SE corner sent me firmly on my way to the finish. My only bad cell was at TOMAT_LLOS/CI_. I had no idea about that CIA school and my spin of the vowel roulette wheel failed me.Across:
1. Mark for good: ETCH.
5. Toon canary's foe: PUDDY TAT - SYLVESTER had one two many letters for Tweety's nemesis
13. NYC nabe: SOHO - An area south of Houston (HOW stun) St. in Manhattan
14. Grand Canal conveyance: VAPORETTO - We rode on a gondola and VAPORETTO (background) in Venice but had no idea of the name of the latter.
15. Fill: LOAD - Here are some railroad cars getting LOADED with coal that may wind up in my town to keep my a/c going. 🔌
16. Crime fiction by Jo Nesbo, e.g.: NORDIC NOIR - Little by little this unknown made sense to me. Spelling his name Nesbø might have helped. The title of this book translates to Cockroaches in Norwegian.
17. Sushi order with avocado "scales": DRAGON ROLL.
19. Bankable vacation hrs.: PTO - Paid Time Off. Since we're not likely to see farm equipment here, I thought I'd offer a different PTO.
20. Book with "Solitude" and "The Pond in Winter" chapters: WALDEN - This classic Thoreau book struck me when I carefully reread the chapter names. Pond - duh!
21. Happy cry: YAY.
23. Wipe: ERASE - I love this drawing I found while subbing last year!
23. Wipe: ERASE - I love this drawing I found while subbing last year!
24. Pipe choice, initially: PVC - Poly Vinyl Chloride. Quite a difference.
31. QB mishap: INT - One measure of good QB's is their Touchdown/Interception ratio. Here are the leaders through this past year
32. First name in the Basketball Hall of Fame: KAREEM - In high school, college and his first years as a pro Kareem Abdul Jabbar went by the name of Lew Alcindor.
35. River in a Best Picture title: KWAI - The Colonel Bogey March from Bridge On The River KWAI is one of the best movie themes ever and can be a genuine ear worm.
36. After-dinner talk?: WHAT'S FOR DESSERT 😀
39. Time pieces: EONS.
40. Convincing: COGENT.
42. Fighting words?: IT'S ON.
44. Govt. agent: FED.
45. Change one's pants?: ALTER 😀
47. G, in the key of C: SOL 😀
44. Govt. agent: FED.
45. Change one's pants?: ALTER 😀
47. G, in the key of C: SOL 😀
50. Sound of reproof: TSK.
53. Salsa verde base: TOMATILLOS - Despite the name (tomatillo means “little tomato” in Spanish), tomatillos are not tomatoes but a separate species
57. Bird that appears on the Australian $20 banknote: KOOKABURRA - No emus or ostriches here
59. Ceremonial promises: I DO'S
61. "Gorgeous!": OOH PRETTY.
62. Mar liquid: AGUA - Spanish for seawater is AGUA de mar
63. Skittish sorts on TV?: SNL HOSTS 😀 Some are definitely not ready for prime time but are simply the celebrity de jour.
64. Catches: NETS.
61. "Gorgeous!": OOH PRETTY.
62. Mar liquid: AGUA - Spanish for seawater is AGUA de mar
63. Skittish sorts on TV?: SNL HOSTS 😀 Some are definitely not ready for prime time but are simply the celebrity de jour.
64. Catches: NETS.
Down:
1. Common adult ed offering: ESL.
2. Cole Porter song whose lyrics mention the Kinsey Report: TOO DARN HOT.
According to the Kinsey Report, ev'ry average man you knowMuch prefers his lovey-dovey to courtWhen the temperature is lowBut when the thermometer goes 'way upAnd the weather is sizzling hotMister, pants for romance is not
3. Mountebanks: CHARLATANS - late 16th century: from Italian montambanco, from the imperative phrase monta in banco! ‘climb on the bench!’ (with allusion to the raised platform used to attract an audience). You're welcome. 
4. San Diego burger chain whose name comes from surfing slang: HODADS - Name for ones who don't surf but hang out on the beach pretending to be surfers.
5. Vikander's "Firebrand" role: PARR - Alicia Vikander plays Catherine PARR, the sixth wife of Henry VIII the only one who outlived him. Two weeks ago Catherine PARR was referenced here as one of the characters in the stage play Six.
7. Lacy mat: DOILY.
8. Inspector Gadget's nemesis: DR. CLAW - I had no idea but it slowly worked itself out.
9. Craving: YEN.
10. Muscle car feature: T-TOP - I had TACH for a long time.
11. Quarreling: AT IT.
12. Fatty cut at a sushi bar: TORO - Toro in Japanese literally means the bluefin tuna's fatty, expensive belly region
14. Word in some German names: VON.
16. Partisan leader?: NON - Is there a NONPARTISAN leader around?
18. "Freaks and __": short-lived sitcom with a cult following: GEEKS.
20. Multimedia artist and activist Ai: WEI WEI - In front of his work entitled Forever Bicycles.
22. Himalayan herd: YAKS.
24. Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play about a mathematical genius: PROOF - Synopsis
25. Periphery: VERGE.
28. Structure for some Indigenous spiritual ceremonies: SWEAT LODGE - Here's a local one
29. Allocates: PARCELS OUT.
30. Raga instruments: SITARS - From July 4 puzzle: 58. Indian lute: SITAR. Ravi Shankar (April 7, 1920 ~ Dec. 11, 2012) is probably the most well-known sitar player to many Westerners.
33. Titans' gp.: AFC - When we were in Memphis, the Cumberland River had flooded the American Football Conference Tennessee Titans' stadium.
34. Dudes: MEN.
37. Takeout menu possessive: TSO'S.
38. TV journalist Lesley: STAHL.
43. "One Mississippi" creator/star Tig: NOTARO.
46. "The Cat Who ... " series writer's first name: LILIAN - Here's a few
48. Spots for studs: LOBES - A spot for earrings not walls or horse stables
49. Sch. based in Hyde Park, N.Y.: CIA - A group of their chefs lined up outside the Culinary Institute of America. Who knew?
50. MMA calls: TKOS - Mixed Martial Arts is very brutal sport. It is one where you are allowed to continue to hit an opponent who has been knocked to the mat.
51. "Too __?": SOON.
52. Eyeliner option: KOHL - No idea.
55. The "A" of STEAM: ARTS.
58. Metric speed meas.: KPH - This is in British Columbia and converts to 75mph
60. Carrier to Oslo: SAS - I could handle their business class accommodations to Oslo!
34 comments:
Here’s the thing about me, friends. I never “totally “ give up on a crossword puzzle. Occasionally, however, I may “TITT” and turn on the “red letters “ for a puzzle that remains stubbornly obdurate. That’s what I did today, to complete “vaporetto” and “Nordic Noir.” I’m not totally “happy “ about this, but I am glad I was able to complete this puzzle (though not without “help.”) If any of you were able to do better than this , I salute you!
Good morning!
So it wasn't SCAR at 1a. (Have I ever mentioned...?) That center section remained white for some time until WHAT'S FOR DESSERT popped out. That also changed my BAD to HOT and suddenly Northern California was filled in. It all came down to one letter TOR_/PT_. Guess who guessed an S? Bzzzzzzt. The only PTO d-o knew about was the one in Husker's photo. Thanx, Jamey and Husker.
VERGE: Britishism for the side of the road.
SAS: I used to fly KLM to Amsterdam and then SAS to Stavanger. Both were good airlines back in the day -- maybe still are.
DNF, but got more that I expected. Filled 51, 44 correctly. Almost got HODADy and WordS FOR DESSERT. I gave myself speling creativity points for KuckABURRA. Filled enough to erase gets (like catches COVID) for NETS and nfl for AFC.
Speaking of creativity, how did "arts" worm its way into STEM? Since when is the nation short on educated artists? Sounds like a joke. "Name four careers and a wish." Life would be drab without the arts, but is the country currently endangered by a shortage of folks with an arts education? Is a great education in arts a nearly certain ticket to escape poverty?
I guessed Freaks and GEEKS because when I was in college, you kinda had to choose to affiliate with the GrEEKS or the freaks. (I chose the freaks. As Gomer said, surprise, surprise, surprise!)
Are TTOPS a muscle car feature? I had a Capri with them. It was sporty, but not a muscle car.
I'm pretty sure that Jack Nicholson once yelled at Tom Cruise "the PROOF? You can't handle the PROOF!" Or something like that.
FLN: WC, we checked out the World Equestrian Park RV Resort when it first opened. More than $100 per night, or > $3,000 per month. For a place to park. A very nice place to park, but still a place to park. Ocala ain't exactly NYC.
Thanks to Gary for another fun review.
I try to never give up on a puzzle, but I work it in ink on the newspaper page. Way too many unknowns to be able to finish. And no red letters to help
FIW. Too many areas to list my failings with this puzzle. But the worst for me was the SW. Kohl as an eyeliner? That doesn't even Google.
This Saturday CW was too ridiculously hard.
Took 25:03 for me to guess incorrectly at taro/toro (and had considered tero).
Another less than fun Saturday puzzle, despite some good ones (kookaburra, sweat lodge, Kwai, and even Dr. Claw). I didn't know: kohl, sol, Hodads, etc, vaporetto, & nordicnoir.
NFL before AFC, but couldn't think of any NBA HOFer's name that started Kn....
Good Morning:
There were far too many unknowns to list here but, little by little, P and P saved the day. Almost saved the day, that is, until faced with the unheard of Toro (as clued) and PTO, which meant a DNF. Props to Jamey for lots of fresh, sparkling fill but, with a couple of exceptions, the cluing could have been more playful and clever, IMO. I believe my only w/o was NFL/AFC and trying to squeeze Sylvester into Puddy Tat’s territory. I also tried to squeeze Lillian in until I realized there were only 2 Ls, not 3. This was a shock to me as I read every one of The Cat Who . . . Series (Koko and Yum Yum, Siamese sleuths), and that odd spelling never registered with me. I was saved at Wei Wei as I had just seen his name the day before in that other paper’s puzzle.
Thanks, Jamey, and thanks, HG, for the grand tour and the always appreciated eye candy photos. I well remember that Save/Don’t Delete drawing because you tested us on why it was so “timely”. I also remember that I flunked the test! 🤣
Have a great day.
I'm with the crowd today. This was a tough puzzle. Most of the puzzle filled in but the NE was maddening. Had PUDDYTAT in place and figured out VAPORETTO and even had ATIT in place but could not come up with TTOP or TORO. Had oTs for 19A and nothing made sense. DNF.
My praise to Jamey for a fine offering and Gary for his erudite explanation. Have a great day, all.
Your quote for Jack Nicholson is Truth, you can't handle the truth!
Had it not been for the missing O of TORO and PTO, I would have had a FIR. I really liked this puzzle because so many long answers were familiar to me like Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series I’ve read. A new one just came out this year. I actually knew KOOKABURRA and VAPORETTO.
I really liked the clue for WHAT’S FOR DESSERT.
Oh, there were quite a few unknowns like WEI WEI, NOTARO, and PROOF as clued, but perps took care of them.
I agree it’s TOO DARN HOT.
Needed Google a lot today to FIR. Coulda been VAN or VON. TSOS used a really devious clue; after it filled via perps I looked at it and still didn’t get it until HG ‘splained it. W/O = NFL:AFC. VAPORETTO also filled via perps and had me thinking, oooo, kaaay, yet something else that COULD BE but I never heard of. KOHL???? Overall this CW was tough even for a Saturday. Quite the workout, JS, lots of clever clues, lots of obscure names. Excellent write-up, HG. Thanx for the musical staff to ‘splain G in C. And also ‘splaining TOMATILLOS. It is, in fact, too darn hot.
Sylvester ---> Puddy Tat. Same journey here.
The SW with Kohl, Notaro and how-the-heck-is kookaburra-spelled was the last to fall.
The Truth. We can handle the Truth (and I always felt that Nicholson's character was correct despite the ensuing bit of preaching in the flick).
This was a challenge, but slowly doable. Needed perps for WEI WEI and HODAD's - I have heard of PEI WEI an Asian food chain.
Many of you are retired, if you weren't, PTO would have been a gimme, as many employers who aren't government related no longer have sick leave and vacation leave separate - they just combine them into PTO - paid time off. Upside if you are generally well you can take more vacation time the downside is that people don't want to take time off for minor illnesses because they consider it all vacation time and don't want to lose any of it being off sick.
I remember TOO DARN HOT from the musical "Kiss me Kate" It's not here this weekend as a front went through and the high today is supposed to 80 degrees low of 66 - YAY
Which I'm sure the Swifties are happy about- they came from all over the country to her concert at Arrowhead stadium last night and tonight
Thanks HG for the fun blog and Jamey for the puzzle!
And KOHL is the thick heavy eyeliner used in the Middle East and south ASIA which given the definitive line of the eyes which women of those ethnic descents use here as well - only they have to use a substitute, as KOHL is not allowed in USA to buy or sell due to it's heavy lead content
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohl_(cosmetics)
What a fun and challenging Saturday puzzle! I had Saigonroll for Dragonroll. Oops! My only cheat. After that, the NW area fell into place. Finally. Thank you for a great puzzle!
Funny how others know answers I don’t (WeiWei, Nordic Noir, Dr Claw) and I know some others didn’t know (Kohl, Toro,TTop).
CIA has very good restaurants with food prepared by students in training. Some of the best chefs in the USA graduated from there.
DIid you ever sing this at camp?
‘“KOOKABERRA sits in an old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh KOOKABERRA, laugh KOOKABERRA
Gay your life must be.”
Happy day, all.
Opps —-it’s KOOKABURRA!!!
Couldn't get 'er done today. Too many clues not found in my data bank. No time to chase them all down this morning. Kudos to folks who are familiar with them! Enjoyed HGs making sense of them.
Two many unknown P&P though I should known WALDEN, I used to drive by it all the time when I lived in Concord
I had ELSES for those fighting words but CIA as a Sch eluded me
Gary, "Skittish" refers to the skits not the nerves
Dnk HODADS. I worked for Howdies in 66.
I thought it had something to do with tuna. I thought the Partison "leader" referred to the Pee.
TSO'S eluded me too as did DRAGON for that roll. I knew STAHL but not NOTARO
Hmm, when I had __BES I should have got LOBES
Re. MMA Violence. If it's on the up and up which I doubt
IM you FIW I DNF. I thought of staying away and working the xword all week online
WC
Greetings! I had fun with todays puzzle. Thanks, Jamey! And H. Gary for your review.
No expectation for perfection today, so the heat was off. Nice!! Had some help & verification from Google.
Learned some new things – always good. And happy with how much I got on my own.
Ear worm & fav fill: KOOKABURRA sits in the old gum tree…..
Other ear worm: Do, a deer, a female deer, re, a drop……Thanks, Gary for making the connection, else I never would have gotten to SOL.
A DNF for me. I’m a life long learner and enjoy Jamey’s fresh material even if I only finished 80% of the puzzle. kkFlorida
Challenging but still fun Saturday puzzle, many thanks, Jamey. And I loved all your pictures, Gary--always a great treat. Many thanks to you too.
Well, I always start by looking for food in puzzles, and this one didn't quite give us a LOAD, but we did get a DRAGON ROLL early on, maybe with some TORO along with the sushi and some TOMATILLOS for the salsa. But that was just about it. Hey, WHAT'S FOR DESSERT?
I also looked for critters when I saw PUDDYTAT. This time the DRAGON served a different purpose, and we also got some WASPS (ouch!), and that KOOKABURRA we never heard of. But at least we got a MUTT.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
Lee, some folks say that when they hear me say "I'm pretty sure," they know that the next thing out of my mouth is going to be a whopper.
Speaking of Whopper, my first job was at a McDonald's. (Well, I couldn't say "speaking of Big Mac could I,) regardless of how sick a person was, the owner (who ran the day shift) and his son-in-law (who ran the evening shift) tried to talk the person into coming in to work. "I know you feel awful, but you may as well be miserable while you make some money." I was convinced to come in when I was maybe the sickest I have ever been (probably the flu). I wonder how many people I spread it to while I was making burgers.
And during the end of my tenure at Verizon, they issued a policy that required employees to consult with a company nurse before taking a sick day. Terrible to have to spar with them when all you want to do is go back to bed. It was as though they wanted folks to spread respiratory illnesses. I would have made out like a bandit had we had PTO in lieu of sick days. I had the maximum accrued sick leave (6 months) when I retired, and was paid for none of it.
Wilbur @ 11:33 ~ Actually, it was a DNF because I left PT_ and Tor _ blank, not even resorting to an alphabet run. By then, I had run out of gas, so to speak. 🤭
Not a good puzzle today,
Husker Gary brings us this J Smith construction...
And what a happy one it is--a perfectly do-able Saturday XWD!
I wasn't sure of the spelling of KOOKABURRA (I mean, who is?!), especially when it crossed that unfamiliar version of CIA at the end.
So I allowed myself a little room on that one.
OTOH, I got KOHL right away, even though it puzzled HuskerG.
I very much appreciated the inclusion of the "A" in STEAM. It has become so popular these days to insist our kids learn just STEM subjects that the ARTS are regularly being de-funded throughout the land.
This makes absolutely NO sense because it has been shown time and again that the ARTS--from Fine Arts to Performing Arts, and now Computer Arts--are what keep many kids in love with school and their studies.
Two quick examples: Music is a prime way to teach Math, and writing Computer Games teaches both Technology and Logic.
One more: Acting roles in plays teaches Psychology and (depending on the dialogue level) both Grammar and Phonetics.
The ARTS (that good ol' "A") are often the most enjoyable way of reviewing and applying the lessons of STE-M.
~ OMK
Ali Wei Wei had an exhibit at The Getty Museum in LA several years ago. He is an amazing artist who manages to survive as a dissident in China.
Ai Wei Wei
Hola!
Whew! I'm late again! Still dealing with the A/C people. Apparently a repairman came at 7:40 A.M. and, of course, I did not hear the knock. The back door, where almost everyone comes, has a doorbell but not the front.
So, off and on, between phone calls, I worked on the puzzle which, as almost everyone agrees, was particularly obscure in its cluing. However, lately, the puzzles also seem geared toward the younger generation or TV watchers, neither of which I fall into. Some TV, but mostly PBS.
And even having been on a VAPORETTO in Venice I did not know the name. I know it as a GONDOLA.
WEI WEI is another unknown as is DRAGON ROLL. I'm not a fan of sushi.
TOMATILLOS. si, si. I know that one.
KAREEM has recently been seen in an AD for Afib.
When talking to my friend, Kathy, as soon as I said KOOKABURRA, she started singing that song!
ARTS, as Keith said, is vital to education. It also contains English and literature as well as other languages. My degree is in Liberal Arts, English with a minor in Spanish and psychology.
I learned about KOHL for the eyes when reading about Cleopatra who apparently used it extensively.
Hopefully, you are all enjoying a pleasantly cool Saturday!
Let's just say I got the SE today. DNF. Too many unknowns to be able to get them. TOO DARN HOT, KOHN, VAPORETO, NORDIC NOIR, Tig NOTORO, Ai WEIWEI, DR. CLAW, PARR, TORO, PTO, ACA, LILIAN. Not a prayer, no way, nada, nope, uncle.
At least I filled PUDDY TAT, WALDEN, SWEAT LODGE, WHAT'S FOR DESSERT and KOOKABURRA.
T-TOP the fill hangs around but Corvette quit making them 41 years ago in 1982
After my PVC pipe from the AC drain got loose last week, I'm dreading the repair costs to the ceiling on upstairs and downstairs. The insurance adjuster came yesterday but it will be a mess repairing it. I pulled out the wet fiberglass insulation but I'll pay somebody to put the new stuff up.
This was a tough one and I had to get help from Google a few times. CASSAWARY wouldn't fit where KOOKABURRA did. SCAR had to become ETCH. Never heard of a VAPORETTO (GONDOLA was too short) nor NORDIC NOIR. The "Pond" in the clue revealed WALDEN. I knew TORO because we just had a nice sushi lunch with our son and as he ordered TORO he explained to us what it is. My brain took too long to resolve TOMATO LLOS into TOMATILLOS. IDOS became VOWS which reverted back to IDOS because of PARCELS OUT. Never heard of KOHL but now I know what it is. I noticed TKOS and TSOS. Clever clue for SNL HOSTS. To me INT will always be a computer term.
Good wishes to you all.
Tough Saturday DNF! Thanks, Jamey, for the challenge. We don't seem to read the same books butI like the look of your grid. FAVs: High style and After dinner talk?
I like what Parsan @ 11:10 said, "Funny how others know answers I don’t ... and I know some others didn’t know.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has an Australia Walkabout area where you can buy for $1 a popsicle stick with bird seeds stuck on with peanut butter. The birds know the drill and come to your hands to eat. IIRC, I fed KOOKABURRAS there. So fun!
H-Gary, thanks for taking time out of your busy golfing week to give us such an excellent recap!! This time I needed you to explain SOL. Also, thanks for motivating me to learn more about WEIWEI's "Forever Bicycles".
Hi All!
DNF but I did a heck of a lot better than I normally do on a Saturday. >85% finished correctly!
Thanks Jamey for a puzzle to play with on-and-off between pre-PTO (read: vacation) to-dos. Very nice grid with a few learning bits (eg. 14a, 53a, 57a) and thing guessable from the clues (WALDEN, PROOF, KWAI, etc).
Thanks HG for finishing off TOMAToL_OS, and other holes in my grid (making it whole). Great expo ta'-boot.
Fav: DR CLAW. I loved Inspector Gadget (cartoon) and always thought Don Adams giving Get Smart's The Claw a PhD was funny ;-)
Runner-up: Clue for TSO's
CIA (I didn't know it's in Hyde Park) xing TOMATILLOS is cute even if I didn't fill it :-)
Hand-up counting out Sylvester and then waiting for PuttY or PUDDY.
Tante Nique: talk about wheel-houses - you knew 16 & 57a while we use PTO (inanehiker - it's Personal Time Off for us - sick is still separate from PTO (vacation, personal / mental days*, and floating holidays)) at the office and I love TORO (when I can find it).
In early 2000's DW & I went to Walden in the dead of winter - we made snow angels On WALDEN Pond ;-)
Enjoyed reading y'all while DW worked out! Time to run.
Cheers, -T
Thought initially “Ehh, this is gonna be a skate for a Saturday as I dashed through PUDDYTAT (big ‘toons fan as a kid) and, being a SoCal boy, HODADS was a quickie…and then came to a screeching halt at VAP___R_TTO and ______NOIR. So much for an easier Sat. x-word. At least I did know how to correctly spell that silly bird from Oz, which helped perp the SW. Appreciate that the clueing was clean, not the usual exercise in obfuscation we’ve come to expect on a Saturday.
And yes — as soon as KWAI was filled in, I started whistling that music…still stuck in my head hours later 😝
====> Darren / L.A.
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