Saturday August 26 2023 Themeless by Hoang-Kim-Kim Vu
Posted in 2021: Hoang-Kim Vu works on a global malaria research project in Washington, D.C. His crosswords have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. When he's not solving or constructing, Kim enjoys collecting passport stamps, spending too much money on pet nats, and trying his best to raise a one-year-old daughter and a pitbull with bad knees with his wife/co-constructor/forever editor Jess.
Across:
1. Words for private relaxation?: AT EASE 😀 For corporals, et. al.
7. Wallach of "The Magnificent Seven": ELI - Here are some clips of the movie with its wonderful theme in the back ground. BTW, ELI was the bad guy not one of the titular Seven.
14. Ninth animal in the Chinese zodiac: MONKEY - Guess what letter I used incorrectly when I had _ONKEY.
15. Rock's __ Lobos: LOS - Their version of La Bamba was used as the title track for the bio-pic for Ritchie Valens who also had a big hit with it.
16. Argentine tango figure: OCHO - The figure 8 dance
17. "Can't do it": NO DICE.
18. Recipients of disaster relief: EVACUEES - The Maui tragedy had many
20. "Come on already!": I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY.
22. One who's all thumbs: OAF.
23. "Praising You" singer Rita: ORA.
24. Bacalhau or klippfisk: COD - Bacalhau is Portuguese for COD
25. Big name in pickups: RAM.
27. Allows: LET'S - Fall In Love, a hit for 43. Fitzgerald who also recorded 2-Down: ELLA - 2. Porter classic: TOO DARN HOT.
Birds do it, bees do it Even educated fleas do it | It's Too Darn Hot I'd like to sup with my baby tonight …but it’s Too Darn Hot |
29. Connect with: TIE TO.
33. Poet Sexton: ANNE - A Saturday ANNE
33. Poet Sexton: ANNE - A Saturday ANNE
36. Bit of beach house decor: SHELL.
38. Before, in verse: ERE - I thought I'd class up my Saturday blog. 😀
39. "Life's Better Together" site: EVITE - Electronic invitations
40. European harbor with an eponymous wine: PORTO.
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47. Born: NEE - As in Diana (NEE Spencer) Mountbatten-Windsor
49. Alternative to the prayer hands emoji: THX - Give prayerful computer thanks
50. Grads, almost: SRS.
52. Source of comfort for those expecting: PREGNANCY PILLOW.
49. Alternative to the prayer hands emoji: THX - Give prayerful computer thanks
50. Grads, almost: SRS.
52. Source of comfort for those expecting: PREGNANCY PILLOW.
58. Send off: DISPATCH.
59. French star: ETOILE - "Regarde cette ÉTOILE qui brille" ("Look at that brilliant star")
60. Palo __: ALTO - "Tall Stick" in Spanish is the home of Stanford University.
61. Burj Khalifa's fed.: UAE - The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building and it is located in Dubai which is part of the United Arab Emirates Federation.
62. Rid of suds: RINSED.
63. Ticket choice: SEAT - Other than that, Mr. Rood, how did you like the play?
64. Helpers on set: Abbr.: PA'S - Here are assorted Production AssistantS working on the set of The Big Bang Theory
65. Trypanosome vector: TSETSE - Definition of trypanosome
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| TSETSE flies carry this which can cause "sleeping sickness" |
Down:
1. Midterm exam, familiarly?: AMNIO 😀
3. Closing time?: END OF AN ERA - and beginning of another
5. Dissenting body: SECT.
6. Mask element: EYEHOLE - There are none in this portion of a TV show of my yute.
7. Presentations that are up-and-down?: ELEVATOR PITCHES - Okay, you've got 5 floors. Go!
8. __ language: LOVE.
9. Designer Mizrahi: ISAAC - He did 19. Outfit: CLOTHE many
10. "No need to ask me twice!": WOULD I EVER - "Gary, would you like to go into space?"
11. Latte option: ICED.
12. First stop on the Beatles' second U.S. tour, familiarly: SHEA - No one heard any of the music above the screaming and didn't care. The sound was recorded to be 38 decibels louder than a jumbo jet 100' overhead.
26. Finest of Lovely Lady Liberty's recipes, per a "Schoolhouse Rock" song: MELTING POT - Here's the video
28. Vague: SKETCHY.
30. Fundraising group that supports female political candidates: EMILY'S LIST.
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| Hillary with Emily's List's president Stephanie Schirock |
31. Othello and Hamlet: TITLE ROLES.
32. High class?: ONE-A - A dreaded designation for some young men in the 1960's and 1970's.
33. Once-sacred snakes: ASPS.
37. Hall of Famer Ochoa: LORENA.
42. Dan Savage, notably: SEXPERT.
48. Devour: EAT UP.
51. Alicia Vikander, e.g.: SWEDE - An actress born in Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden. She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2016.
52. Blackberries, e.g.: PDA'S - I read that these Personal Data Assistants are now officially unsupported and not usable
53. Bug: RILE.
54. Spanish pronoun: ESTA.
55. Org. with conferences: NCAA - The Big Ten Conference will soon have 18 members
56. Terse confirmation: IT IS - "Is this the next to last clue?"
57. __ Star State: LONE.
36 comments:
Haven’t taken this one on yet, because I’m trying to get the motorhome ready for our return home and don’t want to fall down a Saturday rabbit hole. It’s less than a two hour drive, but it is gonna be hot today and I have about an hour of work after we get there to put it to bed. In any case, today is:
NATIONAL GOT CHECKED DAY (for breast cancer)
NATIONAL CHERRY POPSICLE DAY (some folks don’t know when they’re licked)
NATIONAL WOMEN’S EQUALITY (so there wouldn’t be a need for…)
NATIONAL WEBMISTRESS DAY (Where do you find a mistress? Like in a dictionary, between a mister and a mattress)
NATIONAL DOG DAY (every day is dog day in my house)
I found this to be a challenging but often enjoyable puzzle, particularly with such long fills as “I haven’t got all day.” There was the usual misdirection of a Saturday puzzle, including one across, which somehow I got right away, as well as many others of like ilk. Nevertheless, I persevered and managed to FIR, so I’m happy; you might almost say I’m ecstatic for being able to solve this “toughie” correctly!
Good morning!
So 1a wasn't MANTRA? (Have I ever mentioned....?) Stumbled around on this one, but finally made it to the finish line. Those stacked vertical 10s really helped with the solve. Thanx Hoang-Kim Vu and Husker. (Yes, d-o almost made a DONKEY of himself, too.)
Jumbo Jet -- There weren't any jumbo jets when the Beatles performed at Shea in '65. But it was just a loudness comparison, Husker didn't say there was a jet was above Shea.
ONE-A -- Yup, remember that -- not particularly fondly. My 2-S deferment was rescinded in spring of my senior year. Had to report for a physical before the semester was over, and spent that summer in boot camp.
Good Morning:
Well, this was certainly a challenging mental workout but the rewards were well worth the struggle. I thought the cluing was tough but clever and fair, the fill was outstanding, and the grid design allowed for oodles of long fill which helps with the solve and which also minimizes the three letter word entries. (12) Perps were needed for Etoile, Tsetse, Ewok, and EVite but I had only two stumbles, Koi/Cod and Write/Hem In. (Hi, HG!) Hem In was tricky to parse as I was focused on a one word answer. I particularly liked the very relatable phrases, I Don’t Have All Day; Would I Ever; Are We On, but there were also numerous other entries to admire, as well. For me, the solve had Silkie overtones, indeed, a compliment of the highest order to Hoang-Kim.
Thanks, HKV, for this most satisfying solve and thanks, HG, for the sparkling summary and also bright and cheery visuals and links. I’m glad you included that Pét Nats link as I was thinking the reference was to Pets, as in Darling Lily, who doesn’t look too happy in that photo!
Have a great day.
I got off to a slow start with this puzzle. Twenty minutes in, the grid was still mostly white. I considered bailing, but then, one by one the long clues came in to being, and 38 minutes and 23 seconds after beginning, I FIR. All in all a challenging and enjoyable puzzle. A fine way to start the weekend.
Sorry, I misspoke. It wasn’t “ I haven’t got all day,” it was “I don’t have all day .” But I’m sure all of you knew that already!
FIR, but it was a challenge to say the least. Breakthrough for me was "would I ever". That section just wouldn't make any sense until then. With that 20A fell into place and I suddenly saw the military use of 1A.
For a while I was staring at a lot of white squares. But persistence paid off. Nice Saturday CW.
First pass- sea of white with AT EASE, ELI, LOS, LORENA, SHEA, ETOILE, and about nothing else filled. Then the WAGging took over and I managed to FIR. My GMC became a Dodge truck that is now called RAM. NO TIME became NO DICE. The rest just worked out in about 25 minutes.
OCHO- no idea; thought it took "two to tango"
COD for the fish I'd never heard of-perps
EWOK, ANNE, EVITE, THX, PREGNANCY PILLOW, ISAAC, EMILY'S LIST, SEXPERT- perps for those unknowns.
NCAA and the new Big 10- football's one thing but they didn't consider the real students who play the non-revenue producing sports. The four west coast teamsmight as well hold classes in Indiana to hold down travel costs.
TOO DARN HOT could be a description of the last month but really, it's always too darn hot in August down here. That's why I did my hard bike ride at 630 this morning, then mowed the lot (riding mower), and was back inside by 8:00.
Yes, challenging, but the fun kind that didn’t rely on proper names to defeat me. I really enjoyed this clever puzzle.
Before HEM IN I had write and stuck to it too long, making that section the last to fill. ELEVATOR PITCHES left me puzzled even though I entered it correctly.
HG I liked that impatient dog image, and loved ANNE Sexton poem.
Yes, it’s TOO DARN HOT. We’re told rain is in our future. I hope so, our lawn is turning brown and our water bill is going up.
Overall this had its challenges - but slowly fell in place like a Silkie-esque puzzle should. Mostly could say- whatever Agnes said (IM)
Took a minute to remember that Warwick Davis was an EWOK - with the costume rendering the actor unrecognizable. I remember him more from playing the title character in the movie "Willow" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_(film)
TSE TSE as a Trypanasome vector was a gimme - one of my closest friends from training years is in the non-malarial parasitic disease division of the CDC. So Sleeping sickness in Africa and Chagas disease in Latin America is one of her areas of focus.
Also on the infectious disease front, "Ring around the rosie, pocketful of posy, ashes, ashes, we all fall down" has some folklorists relating it to the Great Plague - where those who were affected would get this rosy rash, those who had it would have pocketful of flowers like potpourri to ward off the smell, but almost everyone who got it died. So a rather morbid, but cheery way for kids to cope with the awfulness surrounding them.
Alicia Vikander is a gifted actress - I just remembered she was from Scandinavia - but had to look at the # of letters as to where she was a SWEDE vs Dane or Finn or Norwegian.
Thanks HG for the fun blog and HKV for the challenging puzzle!
Since I knew that the Blackberry was a PDA, the the first word of 52A had to be PaternitY, right? UH UH. Well, on second thought, I sheepishly filled in PREGNANCY and PILLOW filled right in.
I also struggled with RAM vs gmc for the pick-up. IT'SI turned into ITIS, and ANNA became ANNE. Couldn't think of OAF for the life of me. The est was a piece of cake (stale and hard) but I got finished
Salutations to HKV for his hard work in creating this masterpiece and to HG for his excellent review.
GO PHILLIES!
This one was waaay above my pay grade. That said, I stuck with it for a long time, as the answers I was able to grok were extremely clever! I failed, but didn't fail to enjoy the challenge. Just not enough Witeout in the bottle today.
When I saw HKV was the constructor, I almost ENDed it and went back to bed. He and I live in very different word worlds. However, it is cooler and raining this morning, so I felt somewhat energized and dug in. Groan! Filled it, but there were a lot of unknowns--names and stuff.
TSETSE: My niece caught malaria despite supposedly taking anti-malarial meds during a mission trip to Africa. She still takes meds to keep the disease dormant these past 12 years. She has also taken missions to Tibet, India, Thailand. In each country she almost died of some disease we don't have in the USA. She keeps going. She keeps smiling. The rest of her family does all the worrying about her.
Thanks, Gary, for once again promoting understanding.
Thank you Vu for today's challenge. I guess it was easier than yesterday because I got a FIR (😀). It was slow and steady for the first 2 thirds, but then I blocked, so I walked away for an hour or so to let my subconscious work on it. When I came back it finished itself. The long phrases really helped and the puzzle was so tight that I knew it had to be right before I came here.
And thank you Husker for spoiling us with your usual stellar Saturday review.
Some favs:
1A AT EASE. The NW was A TEASE in the beginning, but then it perped in at the END.
16A OCHO. ASTOR wouldn't fit. He invented the tango.
20A I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY. What dog whisperer trained that pup to "sit up and give orders" Gary?
23A ORA. I think this is the 3rd or 4th time we've heard from Rita in the last 6 months.
33A ANNE. DNK Ms Sexton, but I liked her poem.
34A EWOK. I remember the EWOKS, but DNK one of them actually had a name.
45A NICE. A rare clue where NICE is not a French lesson.
47A NEE. But we did get this.
59A ETOILE. And this.
1D AMNIO. Cleverest clue.
2D TOO DARN HOT. It certainly is. All over the place it seems.
52D PDA. I remember when the UMAB faculty/administration was stricken with "Blackberry madness", and we IT folks had to support them, despite not having any of our own.
Cheers,
Bill
Can't go to Venus, it's TOO DARN HOT!
Try to cook a meal there, you'd have a MELTING POT!
Mars is too cold,
Jove's gravity's too bold,
Guess staying on Earth is what I'll OPT. 😔
COME ON ALREADY,
I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY
We should be in the car,
And half-way on our way!
I know why you're so slow,
You suspect I'm up to tricks
But I promise you the vet
Just wants to see you fixed!
Hola!
A surprising Saturday finish! Often, I give up on these, but the long fill really helped.
TOO DARN HOT is our motto here in the southwestern US. Already it's 104 degrees and it's not even noon.
EVACUEES certainly brought to mind the citizens of Maui.
I have visited PORTO and toured the winery there.
As a matter of fact, I do HAVE ALL DAY.
Dan Savage is unknown to me, so I did not know SEXPERT. Really?
Ah, French. ETOILE just emerged and crossed SWEDE which I also did not know.
EMILY'S LIST is often in my mail asking for funds.
"LOVE, Actually", is one of my favorite movies.
Just north of here is SHEA Boulevard where my granddaughter works.
I think I've mentioned that one of my sisters and a friend visited Burj Khalifa where they paid $300 each for a drink! As a conversation topic, it's priceless.
I hope you are all enjoying your Saturday!
OwenKL @12:39 PM {A,A+}
The second one reminds me of this classic Farside cartoon.
The puzzle clues and construction were brilliant and challenging. That being said I got stuck on “hem in” and my Saturday being my day off work I threw in the towel and dropped into the Corner for the answers. Thanks Hoang-Kim for an enjoyable and worthy DNF
…. kkFlorida
Had to do lots of looking things up to solve this bad boy.
Someone please clue me in; what’s a Silkie?
HOT here in the foothills of Tucson, but not TOO DARN so. High of only 101 today due to some clouds here and there.
Anon@2:23 For years we looked forward to Saturday puzzles created by Barry Silk. At first they looked impossible...then tough...then maybe...then done. The cluing was clever and tough, but fair. A few years back he apparently got sick of creating puzzles. We miss 'em.
Anonymous @2:23 & D-O @2:41 PM
Apparently he stopped around 2016, for the NYT at least.
Here's an interview C.C. conducted with him 2009.
And here's a sequel later that year.
FIR, somehow. Seems like I knew almost none of the harder clues, but the long fills gave me the foothold. Hand up for erasing GMC for RAM; also pinot for PORTO, and omg for TNX, which is also used as a ham radio Morse code abbreviation.
I thought that a PREGNANCY PILLOW was used to make someone look pregnant who isn't. And that's all I have to say about that.
We may have a better chance of convincing the US Army to change the meaning of AT EASE than we have of convincing Patti that she uses it wrong.
I tell my project management students that they should always have an ELEVATOR update on any project that has executive visibility - a 30 second, executive level briefing that they have down pat and can give as though it's off the top of their head.
Thanks to Vu for the puzzle that even my dumb mass could struggle through, and to Gary for the fun expo. Methinks that the doggie picture was Photoshopped.
Thanks, Husker G, for filling in today's PZL.
I can claim maybe 15%-20% on my own; it's just that tough.
And, unfortunately, there are no diagonals to help me finish the job.
Even the easier fills are rendered obscure today by misleading clues. Don't get me wrong. I LIKE hints with multiple meanings, like "Dissenting body" & "French star."
Yet WHY add "vector" to the already odd "Trypanosome"? I used vector for years in teaching playwriting and stage directing--meaning in my context the "direction" of a plot line aroused in readers'/audience's imagination by characters' intentions.
But what does "direction"--in any sense--have to do with a TSETSE fly? (Except where a human victim might wish the *#@! fly to fly away!?)
~ OMK
From rxlist.com: "Vector: In medicine, a carrier of disease or of medication. For example, in malaria a mosquito is the vector that carries and transfers the infectious agent."
And who can forget What's our vector, Victor?
I had a one-box FIW because I went too meta and thought Hamlet and Othello could be ROsES. In my defense, it takes thinking outside the box to solve one of HKV's Sat. puzzles. He's a very clever constructor!
Bacalhau is a traditional Christmas Eve meal in some cultures. Growing up, I was not a fan. I dubbed it "baca-yuk". Perhaps pairing it with some PORTO would help....
Lucina @ 1:36. I always enjoy reading how the puzzle answers TIE TO your life.
H-Gary. Thank you for your fun & informative write-up! FAVs: Magnificent 7 clips (Those horse stunts took some planning!) and the RINSED cat.
Thinking of that cartoon is what inspired my poem. I even intended to use the same punchline, but couldn't fit the phrasing and poetizing together.
sumdaze
LOL! It makes more sense to me if I can somehow relate to the fill/answers. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't but it's fun to search for a connection.
HGary
I forgot to thank you for the commentary. I like that you try to help us understand even the most obscure fill.
Tonight my daughter and her husband will participate in a dance demonstration. They have been taking ballroom lessons for several weeks and now is the culmination of all that. I believe I've mentioned that she is a superb dancer, having taken lessons from a very young age. It should be fun!
A very doable Saturday puzzle with some great longies — but jeez, fifteen multi-word fills!! That’s gotta be some kind of world record for a 15x15 grid…but FIR so I won’t gripe. At least the proper-names count was way down on this one. Plus I always enjoy @Husker Gary’s reviews; lots of enlightening cross-references (is that a pun?) for Mssr. Vu’s enjoyable clueing.
Oh, just FYI, I doubt many, if any, of the crew in that production still of “Big Bang Theory” are PA’s; during live shooting, usually only essential production personnel are present. The PA’s get relegated to the back of the set…
====> Darren / L.A.
RIP, Bob Barker. You were a great friend to animals, and the best Price is Right host ever.
sumdaze @ 5:19 Roses? 🌹- that's precious!
Cheers,
Bill
Jinx: I do know that mosquitos carry malaria & TSETSE carry sleeping sickness. My mind skipped some beats in posting because of the African connection with my niece.
Took 13:33 today to finish this one.
Good, fair Saturday puzzle, though I didn't enjoy the French word on top of the awfully obscure clue for tsetse, both crossing the nationality of today's actress.
Porto crossing the female golfer wasn't the best intersection either.
Tieto and Hemin on top of each other were tricky.
I know that it's Sunday evening already, so I am just posting for posterity.
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