Theme: BLAH BLAH BLAH
17. Watch straps: WRISTBANDS.
27. Chardonnay-based wine: WHITE BURGUNDY.
45. Reverse chin lock, for one: WRESTLING HOLD.
61. Verbose, and what the circled letters in this puzzle literally are?: LONG WINDED.
Melissa here. See how WIND is stretched out LONG across the theme answers? AND Circles! I know some people don't like them, but I like an extra layer in a puzzle.
Across:
1. Moving at a snail's pace: SLOW.
5. Wedding invite enclosures: RSVPS. French phrase, "répondez s'il vous plaît," directly translates to "Respond, if you please."
10. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" Oscar winner Michelle: YEOH. I've heard so many good things about this movie, but have yet to see it.
14. Campaign staffer: AIDE.
15. Not as sweet: ICIER. Cold as ice.
16. Event with demos: EXPO. In my area there is a home show every 3-4 months that is very popular. You can buy everything from professional quality blenders, to local spirits, to tiny homes on wheels, and they all have demos or tastings or tours.
19. A-line line: SEAM. Here is a pleated, a-line skirt.
21. Outdoor gear co-op: REI. Recreational Equipment, Inc., sells camping and hiking equipment and clothing. It's hard to get out of there without going broke.
22. Go by bike: CYCLE.
23. __ and cheese: MAC. So many restaurants have specialty versions now. A favorite lunch spot in Florence (on the Oregon coast) has add-ons of pesto, bacon, roasted veggies, pork chili verde, pot roast or fried brussel sprouts & sriracha.
25. Baja vacation spot, familiarly: CABO. Cabo San Lucas, a resort city on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.
33. Too clever __: BY HALF. I like this phrase. It means annoyingly proud of one's intelligence or skill and in danger of overreaching oneself. It was coined in George J. Whyte-Melville's 1858 book, ''The Interpreter.''
35. Many a Mideast native: ARAB. Originally from the Arabian peninsula and neighboring territories, inhabiting much of the Middle East and North Africa.
36. "You Only Love Me" singer Rita: ORA.
37. Oboe insert: REED.
38. TV spot seller: AD REP.
40. Eurasia's __ Mountains: URAL.
41. Paddle kin: OAR. Paddle Vs Oar: The Difference Between Oar And Paddle Explained
42. Continental currency: EURO.
43. Many a chalet: AFRAME. I feel claustrophobic just looking at some of them.
48. Poker stake: ANTE.
49. __ Center: Chicago skyscraper: AON. Chicago’s third-tallest building stands out in Chicago’s skyline, distinctively different from its steel-and-glass peers. Its history is rather more colorful than the stark white stone in which it is clad.
50. Old photo finish: SEPIA. Sepia is a reddish-brown color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish Sepia.
53. Pa: DAD.
55. Quai d'Orsay's river: SEINE.
60. Zero-shaped: OVAL.
63. Modest meal: BITE.
64. Accurately pitched: TUNED.
65. University list-maker: DEAN. The dean's list is a comparative award at many universities, awarded to the top percentage of students rather than everyone who earns a certain GPA. During a particularly competitive semester, where many students earn high grades, the GPA you need to qualify for the award may be higher.
66. Vehicle pulled by huskies: SLED.
67. Data for sabermetricians: STATS. From the Society For American Baseball Research (SABRE): As originally defined by Bill James in 1980, sabermetrics is “the search for objective knowledge about baseball.” James coined the phrase in part to honor the Society for American Baseball Research.
68. Singer-songwriter Bareilles: SARA.
Down:
1. Tree topplers: SAWS. No Nonsense Guide to Tree Felling. How to cut down a tree safely.
2. Italian 42-Across predecessor: LIRA.
3. Norse god played by Anthony Hopkins: ODIN. Marvel: Sir Anthony Hopkins says Thor role was 'pointless acting.'
4. "__ Side Story": WEST.
5. Barbecue bone: RIB.
6. Hard to find: SCARCE.
7. Climbing plant: VINE.
8. Spa menu item: PEDICURE.
9. Next year's alums: SRS. Seniors.
10. "Who else would I be talking to?": YES YOU. That was a little tricky.
11. Corp. bigwig: EXEC.
12. Fall birthstone: OPAL. October.
13. "__ Front": Kristin Hannah novel about a military family: HOME. I've never read anything by Kristin Hannah but she sure is popular.
18. Sri Lankan language: TAMIL. Tamil is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia.
22. Bygone NYC punk venue: CBGB. Founded on the Bowery in New York City by Hilly Kristal in 1973; CBGB was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and new wave bands like the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Misfits, Television, Patti Smith Group, The Dead Boys, The Dictators, The Cramps, and Joan Jett.
24. Guilty: AT FAULT.
26. Indigenous people of Colorado and Wyoming: ARAPAHO. Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota.
27. "__ was I?": WHERE.
28. Owned: HAD.
29. Noble rank below viscount: BARON. A member of the lowest order of the British nobility. The term “Baron” is not used as a form of address in Britain. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, but lower than a viscount or count.
30. U.S./Canada defense letters: NORAD. North American Aerospace Defense Command is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Canada and the continental United States.
31. Small drink: DRAM. "A wee dram to ward off the winter chill."
32. New Haven university: YALE.
33. Forehead: BROW.
34. Calendar interval: YEAR.
39. Dehydrated: DRIED OUT.
40. Link letters: URL.
42. Sicilian peak: ETNA.
44. "Despacito" singer Luis: FONSI. Puerto Rican singer.
46. Breezed (through): SAILED.
47. Thingamajig: GADGET. Whatsit. Doodad. Thingamabob. Gizmo.
50. Blubbers: SOBS.
51. Malicious: EVIL.
52. Mushroom spread: PATE. Usually made with meat. French term that loosely translates to paste. Paté is a savory filling of meat and fat that is baked in a terrine (an earthenware vessel) and served hot or cold. The most famous pâté is probably pâté de foie gras, made from the livers of fattened geese.
54. Paquin of "The Irishman": ANNA.
56. Wraps up: ENDS.
57. Concept: IDEA.
58. In the area: NEAR.
59. Novelist Ferber: EDNA.
61. Mil. officers: LTS. The time Gary Sinise first saw his missing legs in ‘Forrest Gump.’
62. OED entries: WDS. Oxford English Dictionary entries = Words.
Note from Melissa: Two pieces of NCR (Not Crossword Related) News:
Jaelyn and Harper will be joined by baby #3, also a girl, in late November or early December of this year.
Some of you know I married in 2017. I met my husband Jacob through my work, he is an incarcerated activist in Washington state who I started working with in 2016, when he organized a fundraiser by prisoners (who make no more than 42 cents an hour) to raise money for our website. We recently received the wonderful and unexpected news that he is coming home soon, in time to meet our new grandlove. He is already being courted by various prison reform, legal, and legislative organizations that he has worked with over the last 10 years. We are over the moon.
43 comments:
The most difficult parts of this puzzle to me were the three letter words “REI,” “Aon,” and “Ora.” Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
No drama. No Wite-Out. No theme. Oops. Had the circles, and forgot to look at 'em. Still, it was a nice slide from the top of the hill to the bottom. Thanx, Alan and Melissa Bee. (Congrats on your good news -- double good news.)
CBGB -- Originally stood for Country, Bluegrass, and Blues.
I’m definitely getting slower at solves, but I did manage to (eventually) FIR. Looking at my DNK list: REI, FONSI, AON. The theme was sussed early and easily; unlike some others I appreciate the circles as they help me see the theme and move forward with earlier theme fills. Only W/O = AIRER:ADREP. Thanx AO for the fun. And thanx too to Melissa for the terrific write-up.
FIW, missing my Natick FOsSE x AOs, but getting the one at YEOH x HOME. No erasures.
The first atomic explosive device was called "the GADGET." It led to Little Boy, then Fat Man.
I had only heard of liver PATE, but it was pretty easy fill.
Noticed URL crossing URAL and aline and AFRAME showing themselves.
Loggins and Messina sang
You hop into the backseat where you know it's nice and dark
You're just about to groove, and you're thinking it's a breeze
Then there's a light in your eye, and then a guy says
"Out of the car, Longhair"
in their hit Your Mama Don't Dance.
Thanks to Alan and melissa for the fun.
From Irish Miss:
To my fellow Cornerites who thought the Piggy Bank was cute, take a peek at my furry friend Smart Phone companion! ��
exhibit A
exhibit B
FIW. Had an "L" instead of an "N" since I didn't know the skyscraper or the singer and AOL seemed reasonable to me instead of AON. Luis who?
The theme was easy and I had those filled in early.
Melissa, how wonderful that Jacob is coming home and with good prospects. Another granddaughter, how delightful!
One bad cell. I never heard of AON Corp or Center. I see it is a major company. I wrote AOL, instead. FONSI does make more sense than FOLSI. Otherwise this was not that difficult. HI, KS.
I have heard of mushroom pate. I looked up recipes and most contain walnuts, too. I would like to try it. I love most liver pate, including chicken liver.
I never heard of white burgundy. I see it is chardonnay made from grapes grown exclusively in Burgundy. Pricey, not for my budget.
Not as sweet=icier. It must be speaking of personality.
We never call it mac and cheese, always macaroni and cheese, a favorite dish. We don't care for the variations, just tons of cheddar.
I just chose Kristin Hannah's The Nightengale from the library. It looks good. I have too much paperwork to read it this morning.
I am having an EKG this afternoon. I liked when it involved a single visit where the cardiologist's office performed it. Now you have to see the cardiologist who sends you out for the EKG and then back to him to discuss the results. Does the very large practice or The insurance company demand it? You would think this would be more costly. And, the insurance company almost always demands you have an X-ray before an MRI, even when the doctor is sure you will need an MRI.
CED, it looks like that thing should be thumping on the Energizer drum.
Good Morning:
First of all, many thanks to CED @ 7:39 for humoring me and my attraction to quirky novelties. 🤗
The WIND theme was obvious immediately due to the circles and I thought the reveal might be The Wayward Wind, but Alan’s Long Winded was spot on. No serious stumbles but the Fonsi/AON cross was a total WAG. We’ve had AON before but not often enough to remember. CBGB is another occasional entry that is also tricky to remember. Other than that, the solve was smooth and enjoyable. And, IMO, today’s circles were necessary to illustrate the theme visually.
Thanks, Alan, for a mid-week treat and thanks, Melissa, for an informative review. Congratulations on the new addition to the family and thanks for sharing the monumental news about your husband’s release. Best wishes to you both for many years of happiness.
I’m taking advantage of having the Apple TV app in my new Smart TV repertoire by binging on Ted Lasso. So far, I’m enjoying it very much, although the language could be toned down a bit.
Have a great day.
Windy Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Alan and mellissa bee (congrats on the upcoming family addition and homecoming of Jacob).
I should have SAILED (is that an Easter Egg to the theme?) through this CW, but I ran aground on the middle of the east (not WEST) coast. I’ll blame it on Canadian disadvantage. I did finally get ARAPAHO with perps (although I am more familiar with Mohawk and Cree), but I could not remember CGGB and guessed a P instead of B in CABO. Then I entered A shApE instead of FRAME (D’uh!). AOL sounded like a good company to sponsor that Chicago skyscraper, and I had no idea about FONSI. Ah well, I see that some of you America’s the same problems.
I can never remember your REI company and always need perps. Our equivalent would be MEC.
I noted OAR and ORA.
I was thinking of Tarter as the opposite of Sweete, and ICIER did not ring true. Thanks melissa for noting that it refers to demeanour.
I’ll take a CSO with NORAD.
SANTA brings memories of our own Santa RIP.
Wishing you all a great day.
I'm with you, KS. The crossing was unfair. You must know both to get it right.
Ok, let’s edit that last post. Stupid autocorrect!
“some of you Americans had the same problem”
“Tarter as the opposite of Sweeter”
I should learn to reread before posting eh!
I stumbled with pedal/CYCLE and ham/MAC; also mani/PEDI(CURE)
Oops, 1BW strikes again. I had AOl/AON and FO?SI could have been anything.
Talk later
WC
FIW, as noted above. Rest of the grid filled easily. Saw the theme after the reveal filled in.
Thank you Allen for the interesting theme and Melissa for the excellent review.
Musings
-Natick, thy name is AO_/FO_SI. Oh well…
-The only thing we can be sure that one grandson will eat is MAC and cheese, even at Thanksgiving.
-The OBOE is a perfect instrument for some pieces of music (e.g. I Got You Babe) but not in a marching band. I just read: The small, pointed REED can cause damage to your mouth if you get jostled around while marching.
-0 and O – Yeah, I guess so.
-This movie was based on sabermetrics
-NORAD’s WOPR computer nearly caused WWIII in War Games
-The assembly and detonation scenes of “The GADGET” in Oppenheimer were amazing, especially the silence between the blinding light and the arrival of the shock wave/sound miles away.
-Congrats on the great news, Melissa!
How about a nice game of chess?
Good Morning! Oh, my! Another name from the past – Alan Olschwang! This is the 34th of his puzzles I have worked going back to Sept 2008. Thanks, Alan!
I was one letter away from FIR – like KS, my Natick was AON crossing FONSI. I knew neither one and went with L instead of N.
DNK : REI or CBGB
URL: Clue brought to mind fond memories of TV host, Art LINKLETTER.
Comment: Yellowrocks, It’s called the business of medicine. Lotta backscratching going on….
Thanks, Melissa, for your review.
WEES about this CW. ICIER?, AO? crossing FO?SI, but the rest sweet and smooth.
Just when I thought the arcane references to baseball, a mystery game to me, had been exposed, here comes sabermetricians. Really!
congratulations Melissa on your good fortune and thank you for exposing the difference between OAR and paddle. I never stopped to think about that.
Right now I’d like to be in a CHALET in the cool Alps.
IM☘️ what a cute bunny.
Good morning. Thank you, Alan Olschwang, and thank you, Ms Melissa.
Melissa, congrats to you and your loved ones on both good news items!
Easy-peasy today. Except for unknown FONSI, but that was easily solved. No problems with the crossing answer of the AON Center building. I used to commute downtown and it is easily recognized. As well, I knew the company as a customer from work, and if that weren't enough, the building is always pointed out on the architectural boat tours.
We had WHITE BURGUNDY today, and a few days ago we had RED BURGUNDY. I think. It may have been the answer in a crossword I solved at some other site.
From yesterday:
1) Reference adding personal photos in your comments. If you have a Google or Gmailh account, just use Google Photos. You already have access to it. Enter Google Photos on your search bar. It's pretty easy to figure out on how to get an image on your computer uploaded to Google Photos, and from there you can create a link to share it with others. Then use the HTML linking format in Waseely's Step 6 (July 25, 11:26) to embed the Google Photos link into your comments.
2) Ray O swapped out his Android for an iPhone and can't stay signed in. He asked for any suggestions. I know, swap out the iPhone for an Android :>). Seriously though, I don't know very much about the Applesphere. You might look for an option that says "Keep me logged in on this device" or something like that. That's my one and only guess. Maybe try the Genius Bar at the Apple Store.
Correction, we had RON BURGUNDY the other day. Somewhere.
TTP, I must be mistaken. I thought it was you who guided me through the (fairly complex) process of re-establishing my avatar on this blog after I switched from an Android device to an iPhone. But if it wasn’t you, who was it?
Hi All!
Nope - two empty squares at aFrame xing aoS... I could only think of Willis (nee Sears Willis) Tower.
//I still call Williams Tower in Houston the Transco, so, yeah... I'm getting old.
Thanks Alan for the puzzle - other than my DNF area, a normal Wednesday SLOW suss.
Wonderful news re: Jacob, mb. Also a wonderful expo to read as I licked my wounds.
WOs: N/A
Fav: NORAD (aka Crystal Palace). Not only do they annually track SANTA, they were key in WarGames (which inspired me to hack (and get a fun career in CyberSecurity!)) HG knew WOPR ;-)
As a fan of '70's new-wave/punk, CBGB was a gimme.
CED - those fuzzy ears don't tickle your nape when talking on the phone?
IM - Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent) talks like that in real life. A real potty-mouth, him.
TTP - RON BURGUNDY was in the 7/22 (Sat) puzzle.
I don't want to be LONG WINDED so...
Cheers, -T
Alas, an ABC run would have given me a real name, FONSI. I have omitted the ABC run and failed before. Will I ever learn?
Hola!
Thank you, Melissa, and congratulations all around! What wonderful news for you and your family.
I had to check the calendar to insure today wasn't Monday. This puzzle filled very quickly and with circles, the theme was not a mystery.
WHITE BURGUNDY is unknown to me. In fact, it seems contradictory as colors go.
ANNA Paquin was such a cute and wonderful child actress and I read recently that she is 41 years of age! WHERE did those years go?
A few years ago, on a visit to my friend who lives in Connecticut, we toured around YALE U and it was impressive to see all that red brick as well as to observe that it is not a high rise.
SANTA does bring back sad memories of our dear departed one.
I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful day! 102 degs already at 10 A.M.
Hand up for AOL and FONSI. It looked okay.
Delightful Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Alan. And many thanks for your great commentary, Melissa, and congratulations on your wonderful news about your husband's return home.
This puzzle suggested a great journey taken by a BARON, or maybe his AIDE, who maybe SAILED down the SEINE. They had enough EUROS and LIRA to get a nice lunch with a BITE of PATE, along with some WHITE BURGUNDY. Sounds like a pretty nice trip, doesn't it.
Have a cool day, everybody!
Thanks, Alan & Melissa.
My son's family just returned from a week in CABO, so for once I got some good out of their vacations if only to fill my cw trip.
Subgenius, It Wasn’t Me
Dasd T, thx. I knew I had it as an answer somewhere. Thought it may have been in the Evan Birnholz Sunday puzzle at WaPo.
Did CBGB remind anyone else but me of that cuddle bunny GBGV (Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen?)
Bayou Tony - My BIL's car brand of choice is Nissan. I rarely miss the chance to ask him of he still likes his Datsun. I also refer to DW's hair "conditioner" as "creme rinse." Old habits die hard.
Jinx - in the '80's I had a (used) Nissan 280Z. ~1/2 the parts in it still had Datsun stamped on 'em. LOL "cream rinse" - a real throw-back ;-) -T
PK, similarly to your CABO, yesterday I watched the film Yesterday (trailer), and in the background of one scene were two handbills on the wall advertising upcoming music acts at CBGB.
Ray-O I have an iPhone and don't have any problems staying signed in, but perhaps scrolling all the way to the bottom of the blog comments and clicking on "View web version" would help.
Anon T @ 11:42 ~ CED is safe from any tickling from those fuzzy ears because their home is on my phone. IMO, the entire cast of Ted Lasso is potty-mouthed except Ted (he slips once in a while) and the kids. I finished watching Season 1 this morning, so two more to go. I’m learning a little about soccer/football, a totally foreign sport to me.
Jinx & Anon-T, you mean it's no longer called cream rinse? I must've missed the memo.
I’m with the rest who called a Natick at AO_/FO_SI.
YR….not sure how an alphabet run would’ve helped…lots of letters would fit.
Like others, the L made the most sense.
Congratulations on your good news (X2), Melissa!!
I'm so happy for you, Melissa!
About the puzzle: WEES.
Subgenius, you got your new iPhone on July 17th, 2022, and posted a comment as Anonymous. The next day you posted a comment (at 4:09AM) as Anonymous again, writing,
"This is “Subgenius.” Hopefully, this will be the last time I have to blog as “anonymous “ because I should be able to register my “Apple ID” for my new I-phone by computer today and then this blog (and every other site) will recognize me. Now, on to the puzzle. It started off rather inauspiciously with “mochi” (apparently a Japanese term) but quickly settled down into the usual Monday walk in the park. FIR, so I’m happy. (And I ‘ll be even happier as soon as I can get my phone to recognize me!)"
I don't know what that means. I am not a member of the Applecore (see what I did with that heterograph? :>)
Anyway, I suggested to you that based on previous testing I had done on my Android, that it might be an issue with your iPhone browser and a setting in it. I suggested you download a new browser, such as Chrome, and try to access the blog using it.
I'm not sure whether you did or didn't, or whether it was the Apple ID thing, whatever that is, but it started working for you after that.
I would suggest to Ray-O that he check into the Apple ID thing, or download a different browser, but he might not know what that is, and he would come up with some line like:
"The barber to Eugene Levy - You want me to trim your ______? browser
Busy day. Late to the party, so I won't be LONG WINDED.
Thank you Alan for a fun puzzle and fun theme, and thank you Melissa a fine review. Wonderful news about JACOB!
As for the puzzle FIW by one square. I filled AOL for AON and I'd never heard of the artist Luis Fonsi or his work - now I have and I like them.
Cheers,
Bill
BTW, IIRC We've had AON in a previous puzzle, because the name rings a bell, but FONSI didn't so I went with AOL.
I, FONSE, Happy Days. DUH!
Took 5:53 today for me to unWind.
Short on time. Been traveling/sightseeing this week.
Oh joy, circles!
There's a storm brewing so that means he monsoon has started! I need to close in case we lose power.
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