The Monster Mash: The first word of each theme answer is a CREATURE, but not necessarily a monster.
43-Across. * Bookmark, in a way: DOG EAR.
46-Across. * Frame style of some vintage glasses: CAT EYE. This is an apropos clue. Just last week, the Google Doodle celebrated the 116th anniversary of the birth of Altina Schinasi (Aug. 4, 1907 ~ Aug. 19, 1999). She was an artist, inventor, and designer of the distinctive cat-eye glasses. I find it fascinating that at the time, she was working as a window dresser for the upscale Bonwit Teller department store and collaborated with Salvador Dalí (May 11, 1904 ~ Jan. 23, 1989).
3-Down. * Speaker at a protest?: BULL HORN.
7-Down. * Spout shape for some kettles: GOOSE NECK.
11-Down. * Fan-shaped breakfast pastry: BEAR CLAW. Yummers!
And the Unifier:
60-Across. Monster movie, and what the answer to each starred clue has?: CREATURE FEATURE. [NOTE: Sometimes when writing the commentary, I get lost in the forrest and miss the trees. That happened today. Many thanks to Jinx in Norfolk, who pointed out that each theme answer is actually a two word construction. The first word is the Creature and the second word is a Feature of that Creature.]
Across:
1. Student __ relief: DEBT. It's been in the news a lot
recently. Enough said.
5. Copperfield field: MAGIC. Not the Dicken's character, but
the American magician whose birth name is David Seth Kotkin (b. Sept. 16,
1956). [Name # 1.]
10. Reading basics: ABCs.
14. Grad: ALUM.
15. Sweet smell of success, at a bakery: AROMA.
16. "Drag Me to Dinner" judge __ Patrick Harris: NEIL.
Patrick Neil Harris (b. June 15, 1973) is best known for his comedic
roles in sit-coms, such as Doogie Howser, M.D., and How I Met Your Mother. [Name # 2.]
17. Grocery section: DELI.
18. Subway map dots: STOPS.
|
| The London Tube map. |
19. Spanish cat: GATO. Spanish for Hahtool. Hi, JD.
Do you still do the crossword puzzles?
20. Oft-torn knee pt.: ACL. ACL = Anterior Cruciate Ligament. This injury appears with some frequency.
21. Pattern with teardrop shapes: PAISLEY. Paisley Park was the home of Prince.
23. Seeded bread: RYE. Yummers!
24. Biblical "you": THEE. Only if one is referring to the
English translation of the King James Bible. A brief history of
the King James Bible.
26. Have a look at: SEE.
27. Per person: EACH.
29. Pitchfork projection: PRONG.
30. Gasteyer of "American Auto": ANA. Ana Kristina Gasteyer
(b. May 4, 1967) is probably best known for being a cast member on Saturday Night Live. She starred in the recently cancelled sit-com American Auto. [Name # 3.]
31. God of Islam: ALLAH.
33. Civil offenses: TORTS.
34. Mario Bros. console: NES. NES = Nintendo Entertainment System.
35. Item held by Lady Justice: SCALE. It's said Justice is
Blind, meaning that it should be impartial and objective.
36. Latin years: ANNI. Today's Latin lesson.
37. Knight clubs: MACES. Cute clue.
39. Parliament members: OWLS.
40. Powder on a gymnast's uniform: CHALK DUST.
50. Charlottesville sch.: UVA. As in the University of Virginia.
51. Prepare cocktails: MIX.
53. Cloud location: SKY. We had a powerful thunderstorm here
last week, that caused lots of rain, wind and wide-spread power outages.
54. Org. that issues Challenge America grants: NEA. NEA
= National Endowment for the Arts. According to the NEA website, Challenge America Grants are designed to offer "support primarily to small
organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach
of the arts to groups/communities with rich and dynamic artistic and cultural
contributions to share that are underserved."
55. Fill-in worker: TEMP.
57. By the book: LEGAL.
59. Michelangelo's "The Creation of __": ADAM. The Creation of Adam is a fresco on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel. It was painted by Michelangelo (né Michelangelo di Lodovico
Buonarroti Simoni; Mar. 6, 1475 ~ Feb. 18, 1564) sometime between 1508 and
1512. He had been commissioned to paint the ceiling and it took him
about 4 years to complete the project. [Name adjacent]
63. Attach, as a trailer: HITCH.
64. Individual: ONE.
65. Preserves in brine: CORNS. Before there was
refrigeration, people used salt to preserve food, such as beef.
Think Corned Beef. The name came from the corn kernel-sized grains of salt in which the
meat would be packed and stored.
66. French head: TÊTE. Today's French lesson.
67. Strikes (out): XES.
68. Mimics: APES.
Down:
1. Father, in baby talk: DADA.
2. Subatomic particle in a cloud: ELECTRON.
4. "No more details pls": TMI. Textspeak for Too Much Information.
5. Tortilla dough: MASA. It's made of ground corn.
Everything you wanted to know about MASA, including a recipe, but didn't know to ask.
6. Like some farmers market products: ARTISANAL. What are
ARTISANAL farmers market products? They might be breads, cheeses, fruit
preserves, cured meats, oils, and vinegars that are home made.
8. "That makes me very happy": I'M PLEASED.
9. Suffix with suit or brief: CASE.
|
| I've had this experience! |
10. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG. Before it was a
movie, Life of Pi was a novel by Yann Martel (b. June 25,
1963). The book was adapted to the 2012 movie directed by Ang Lee (b.
Oct. 23, 1954). [Name # 4.]
12. Local wedding venue: CITY HALL.
13. __ gin fizz: SLOE. Everything you wanted to know about
a Sloe Gin Fizz, but didn't know to ask.
21. Labels (as): PEGS.
22. Votes in favor: YEAS.
25. Tempt: ENTICE.
28. "Little Women" novelist: ALCOTT. Louisa May Alcott (Nov.
29, 1832 ~ Mar. 6, 1888) wrote a number of books, but is best known
for Little Women. The novel is a coming of age story roughly based on her own life. [Name #
5.]
29. School fundraising org.: PTA. The Parent Teacher Association makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.
32. The Chiffons' "__ So Fine": HE'S. And now a musical
interlude ...
37. Actress Henner: MARILU. Although she has a long list of
film and TV credits, Marilu Henner (b. Apr. 6, 1952) is probably best known
for her role as Elaine O'Connor Nardo in the television
sit-com Taxi. [Name # 6.]
38. Nurse: SUCKLE.
41. Sandwich meat: HAM. Not in my sandwiches.
42. Utter aloud: SAY.
43. __ oven: cast-iron cookware: DUTCH. I have one, but
rarely use it.
44. "So done with that": OVER IT.
45. Cell produced by meiosis: GAMETE. // 58-Down.
Chromosome part: GENE. Today's biology lesson. From
the National Human Genome Research Institute: "Meiosis is a type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that
reduces the number of chromosomes in gametes (the sex cells, or egg and
sperm). In humans, body (or somatic) cells are diploid, containing two sets of
chromosomes (one from each parent)."
47. Live through: ENDURE.
48. Hankers (for): YEARNS.
49. Namesake of an iconic chair: EAMES. Charles (né Charles Ormond Eames Jr.; June 17, 1907 ~ Aug. 21, 1978) and
Ray (née Ray-Bernice Bernice Alexandra Kaiser; Dec.. 15, 1912 ~ Aug. 21,
1988) Eames were a married couple known for designing industrial / office
furniture. They were known for groundbreaking contributions in the
field of architecture, furniture design, industrial design, manufacturing
and the photographic arts [Name # 7.]
52. Photocopier brand: XEROX.
53. Strongboxes: SAFES.
56. Treaty: PACT.
59. Upon: ATOP.
61. Specifying article: THE.
62. 2010 healthcare legislation initials: ACA. ACA
= Affordable Care Act.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
“Labels as” - Tags? Dubs? Oh, of course, pegs! Thus went my thought process. That was one of the few “puzzling “ moments in this otherwise eminently solvable puzzle. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteGuess who overslept this morning? Finished this one without reading the full reveal clue, and without noticing all the creatures. Par. It was an enjoyable romp through the grid -- very Tuesdayish. Thanx, Rebecca and Hahtoolah.
SKY: Ours has been hot, dry, and rain-free for the past month. The lawns have now progressed beyond crispy, and the residents beyond cranky.
OWLS: There's a barred owl in our neighborhood who's been showing at our birdbath for a 7PM drink. We've heard him for years, but only recently got a glimpse of him.
SuitCASE: My travelbag failed to make in on a Houston-to-Dubai (UAE) trip. I went to the Suq (shopping center) in Sharjah and learned you can't buy underwear there. Apparently the men go commando in those parts. It only took PanAm a week to get the bag to me.
ADAM: There's a local Michaelangelo street. [sic] The enterprising city secretary ordered new street signs with the correct (but incorrect) spelling. We've also got some residents who ordered mailbox signs spelled "Michealangelo." Only in Texas.
Took 6:56 today for me to finish, which is my creature comfort.
ReplyDeleteLet's just say I may have incorrectly parsed "artisanal."
I didn't know masa, anni, NEA, the "iconic" chair, or corns (I was not thinking corned beef; but, now I am).
I also had the same hesitation (tags v. pegs) as SubG.
So, anyway, I finished it right, so "I'm pleased."
FIR. I too tried to put tags before pegs and thou before thee, so I was at a loss in that area for a while.
ReplyDeleteNever got the theme till i got here. Got hung up on horn, neck, and claw and didn't see the animals themselves.
This puzzle just zipped along . Although none intersected, fun to have theme answers both horzontal and vertical.
ReplyDeleteThe Chiffons song will be this morning's earworm
Thanks Hatoolah and Rebecca!
Musings
ReplyDelete-Grilled cheese on RYE bread? Yes!
-A parliament of OWLS took a while to suss.
-I made $11K as a TEMP last year
-I was happy to learn about CORNS as a verb
-TMI: “I asked Bill what time it is and he told me how a clock is made” :-)
-We paid $9 for a small “ARTISNAL” jar of meh jelly last spring.
-There are only about 100 people in the world with MARILU’s gift
-Our recent SKYS have given us lovely temps and lots of rain. It is not always thus on the Great Plains!
-He’s So Fine…
-Fun write-up as always, Susan!
-FORE!
A parliament of OWLS once met
ReplyDeleteTo calculate each species DEBT.
They set a SCALE
For moose to snail,
But haven't tried collecting yet.
FIR, but erased tags for PEGS, eye for SEE, and two doubles: anos->anns->ANNI and maze->mase->MASA. Never heard of the chair guy. All my office chairs were designed by Steelcase. Steve Steelcase, I think he was.
ReplyDeleteI had a different take on the theme. DOG EAR, CAT EYE, BEAR CLAW and BULL HORN are features of creatures. Both words.
I'm confused. Who is Ann Lee? Hahtypolah?
Student DEBT relief. More accurately, student DEBT transfer to the National DEBT.
I always thought gymnasts used rosin. Huh #1.
DNK farmer's market ARTISANAL items. I always thought the only artistic things farmers grew were barley and hops.
Michelangelo forgot the caption. It was supposed to say "Pull my finger!" (First dad, er Father, joke.)
I know a lot of classic authors and their books because I used to play a card game where I had to match book and author. Way before I could read at the level of any of those books.
Today is:
NATIONAL PICKLEBALL DAY
INTERNATIONAL INFINITY DAY
NATIONAL CBD DAY
INTERNATIONAL CAT DAY (cats everywhere will ignore it)
NATIONAL FROZEN CUSTARD DAY (on the same day as CBD DAY? Coincidence?)
Thanks to Rebecca for a fun Thursday-on-a-Tuesday challenge. And thanks to Ha2la for the chuckle-inducing tour.
FLN - Good to hear from you again, Vid. Hope you continue to get better.
Good Morning, Crossword friends. Jinx: You are probably right that each theme answer depicts a feature of the creature.
ReplyDeleteD-O: Maybe the street name is for the Michael Angelo brand of Italian frozen foods
.
I hope those of you who lost power due to the storms in the northeast are getting it back.
QOD: Too many people don't do things for fear of falling. You'll never get good unless you fall. Experiences and new accomplishments are feelings we should never lose. ~ Robin Quivers (née Robin Ophelia Quivers; b. Aug. 8, 1952), American radio personality
Went back after posting to read what went before, and see our sherpa for the day only caught half the theme. It was in full CREATURE FEATURE. The second word is a feature of the particular creature. For instance, Cathorn wouldn't work, because cats don't have horns.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI thought this had more crunch than a usual Tuesday but, then again, norms have changed, haven’t they? Although most of the C/A were straightforward, a few were definitely above the Tuesday pay grade. But, I guess these variances are allowed if the perps are fair, so it seems. I liked the theme and the reveal, but was a little surprised to see Owls included, considering the creature theme. I went astray, like others, at Thou/Thee and Tags/Pegs but, overall, a smooth solve.
Thanks, Rebecca, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for your animal-centric cartoons and the detailed review.
FLN
Vidwan, so nice to hear from you after such a long absence. I’m sorry to hear of your ongoing health issues but hope you’ll feel well enough to join us often for support and encouragement. Best wishes to you.
Anon T, enjoy your convention and watch out for those Black Hat desperadoes! (Interesting facts about heavy licorice intake, but I don’t have to worry because I despise licorice-flavor, in any form.)
Have a great day.
Happy forever after ∞/∞/2023.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this CW. I liked the variety of starred clues, some across, some down, I liked the theme with extras such as GATO and OWLS, and icing on the cake, no unknown names.
ReplyDeleteAt first I too had THou, but soon remedied that error.
CAT EYE style glass frames are still available as I found out when I was shopping for a new pair recently.
I’ve always loved PAISLEY designs.
Hahtoolah, I loved the apes aping humans cartoon.
FLN: Vidwan, so glad you’re posting again. Best wishes for a successful recovery.
A-t: Happy Trails.
IJBOL. Look for these initials some time soon in a CW. I just read on NY Times web site that these initials are replacing LOL.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jinx. I gave you credit for the correction.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle today. FIW after figuring out how to spell artiasans, (untie!), changing tines to prong, and tag to peg. Hatoolah, I agree with the QOD in most cases, but "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not the sport for you." -Good to have you back, VidWan!
ReplyDeleteVery easy, not at all crunchy. Only MARILU was new to me and guessable from a few perps. Jinx and OKL, I agree with your take on the theme.
ReplyDeleteWe played Authors as a family when I was a kid. It's the only game my dad played with us. Mostly due to that game, in my senior year I was first for the literature award, but since I won another award, they gave it to the second place winner.
I loved my Dutch oven for pot roast. I browned the meat on top of the stove and then baked the pot roast in the oven, adding potatoes and carrots at the end. I wish I had kept the Dutch oven when I downsized to come here.
DO, I used to pack a few items like a little underwear in my carryon just in case my suitcase didn't follow me.
MASA, CSO to Lucina with her holiday tortillas.
Artisanal means made by hand in small batches. At our local farm, they sell pies and other desserts made by hand.
Artesian refers to wells where water rises due to natural pressure.
Our store advertised artesian bread. LOL It must be quite soggy.
BTW I prefer the old LOL. IJBOL is too long.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteWhat a neato puzzle today! Although it started with DEBT, the animal menagerie made up for it.
When my daughter was growing up we had a cat, two dogs, a snake and a gold fish. She is an animal lover and one of her Chihuahuas recently died but she has one left.
I'll take a CSO at MASA. We usually buy abut 60 lbs to make Christmas tamales. It is combined with meat broth to MIX. At one time it was MIXed by hand but these days we use an electric mixer. Hooray for progress!
It's strange to see CORNS as a verb but it has appeared before and I recall the consternation over it. It might have been a Saturday puzzle.
Very interesting about MARILU Henner. Thank you, Gary.
Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!
Thank you, Susan, for the entertaining commentary!
ReplyDeleteGood morning. This was a very enjoyable puzzle and appropriately Tuesday’ish IMHO. Loved the misdirection of OWLS. I’m fascinated with the naming of groups such as Exaltation of Larks, Murder of Crows, etc.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rebecca, for the crossWORD puzzle, and thank you Hahtoola for the great tour. I chuckled at the cartoons and I dove into the article about The King James version of the Bible. I know newer versions are more accurate, but the gorgeous language of The King James is incomparable.
Fun Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Rebecca. And thanks, too, for your commentary, Hahtoolah.
ReplyDeleteI too liked seeing all those CREATURE FEATURES that Jinx already pointed out to us, especially that DOG EAR and that CAT EYE.
But it was the DELI whose AROMA from the DUTCH OVEN enticed me most in this puzzle. Along with some HAM and CORN, we were given some SLOE GIN to enjoy. A pretty nice lunch, I'd say.
Have a delightful day, everybody.
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteFIW due to a spelling error; I spelled ARTISANAL with a second "I", which made ANA INA. Which is fine, because I knew not Ms. Gasteyer, and unlike MARILU Henner, my memory stinks so I probably won't remember her the next time she shows up in a puzzle
Today's puzzle was not too difficult (compared to yesterday); I finished it in less than half the time. The answers were not that hard, so this one earns a score of 2.8 on the MOES hardness scale
If you notice, the grid today has no rotational symmetry. The black squares aren't necessarily "randomly placed", but alas, our dear poster Old Man Keith won't be able to find a diagonal anagram
Oh - welcome back Vidwan. Continue to progress in your recovery. Enjoy the support this group offers whenever you can.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDoable with an easy theme
Inkovers: thou/THEE, suck at/SUCKLE (as I “suck at" doing some LAT crosswords 😄)
NEIL or Neal? hadda perpwait . OWLS: “Parliament members? Ah, like a “murder of crows”. Have heard of tortoise shell frames but not CATEYE (another CREATURE FEATURE). CORNS as a method of preserving with salt? explains “corned beef “ though
Now adays “Cloud location” is in some server in the SKY
For many an uptight painter or sculpture…….. ARTISANAL
Crowded…. PACT
Dreidel…. ATOP
With “Freezone” lift ____ of…. CORNS
FLN
Great to see you back Vidwan 👍
National Pickleball Day? I spent all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday working our big pickleball tournament. We had 350 players. And guess what? I came down with COVID. Who knows who the person was who started it there. We had people from Los Angeles Dallas Houston Memphis Pensacola Little Rock Jackson Mississippi and other parts unknown.
ReplyDeleteThis weekend the Drew Brees Foundation his hosting a pickleball extravaganza and Drew Brees will play John McEnroe in a singles game and then he and McEnroe will play against two pros. And I can't go watch it. Boo
The puzzle? It was an easy fill and I had zero unknowns.
Student DEBT relief? You borrow it, pay it back
ReplyDeleteReally good puzzle, I think. Love the grid, which allows for so much theme material. Well done. Thanks to Rebecca and Hatoolah.
Wadaya know? For a change, I DID FIR in my usual time for the day of the week. Very nice, fun CW. There was a bit that I thought was gonna cause me to fail, but eventually it all worked out. And, guess what, I actually did see the theme today for a change. No W/Os!! Thanx RG for the fun, and thanx Hahtoolah for the sparkling write-up
ReplyDeleteI was raised with the King James Version of the Bible. It is not absolutely the most accurate, but is still among the most highly accurate. It is surely the most beautiful and literary of the translations.
ReplyDeleteIn college I was a PK whose Bible professor knew my father was a Lutheran pastor. To trap me, totally out of context, he asked, Miss ___, what does it mean, "in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee," (the archaic King James language.) I immediately answered " come before", using context and Latin. He was stunned. He tried twice more throughout the year to no avail. Don't pick on a PK.
I liked the clever theme and Susan's review. Easier than Monday's puzzle.
Today we celebrated someone's 106th birthday. We have several centenarians and many others in their 90's.
Yellowrocks:@10:52. I agrée LOL is much shorter, I hope IJBOL doesn’t catch on.
ReplyDeleteI too would always put some clothing and essentials in a carry on in case of lost luggage.
Hahtoolah does her usual amusing job, this time presenting a Goldstein PZL.
ReplyDeleteToo bad these upright theme answers are not diagonals!
HAM !
Back in The Day touring Europe, one grew accustomed, country after country, to ordering a un sandwich jambon et fromage, prosciutto e formaggio, Schinken und Käse; usw, usw.
~ OMK
Copperfield's magic show V8ed its way into numb skull
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of NUMB
My middle finger has become swollen since Saturday morning. Update: went to emergency and they are admitting me. I just finished the IV
Parliament of OWLS on a Tuesday? Great clue. Indirect reference to Chaucer
WC
Diagnosis : Spider bite Very painful with danger of amputation
DeleteI liked this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteWC, how awful. I've had a swollen courting finger before, but that was back when I was playing a LOT of pickup basketball (like two sessions a day during the week, and one session either Saturday or Sunday.) I would frequently injure one of those or the other, but played through the pain.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever had a spider bite, but I worried about the numerous black widows in and around my houses in California and Arizona. Scorpions too. Both are beautiful and dangerous, like some of my partners my mom tried to warn me about (got burned a few times there, but never bitten.)
This ranting is kinda a test message following upgrading my laptop to Windoze 11. I've had it on my main desktop for a month or so, and although I'm having some growing pains it's nothing insurmountable. (My other desktop will be recycled when µsoft ends Win10 support.)
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your kind words.
Although we are an infinitesimal speck in this world, yet infinite in number, like grains of sand, it's nice to know that we leave a dint of a scratch in other people's minds ...by our mere absence.
I was in therapy most of the day, but after reading the commentary, I was determined to give a small posting.
Thank you Hahtoolah, for your interesting commentary. I find your discourses very charming.
I even checked your link, and read the history of the King James Version of the Bible ... with great enthusiasm ... which to a normal non-B reader was even more engrossing. Without going into this forbidden subject on the blog, I would like to say that I am glad that there is enough democracy in this religion to permit for various versions of the holy book to peacefully coexist ... elsewhere and on other religions, entire peoples, tribes, and nations have been hounded and persecuted, for less...
***************************
On your QOD: Too many people don't do things for fear of falling ....
Are you sure or is Robin, that she meant 'Falling' and not 'Failing' ???
I went through a six hour seminar over two weeks, of how dangerous it is for seniors to NOT take the risk of falling, seriously...
Over 55 percent of seniors, will fall, some with very traumatic consequences. They will never recover their health again, despite all palliative and corrective surgery. Falls reduce the lives of senior citizens more than two decades of smoking cigarettes ?!!!!!!
1. Never try to put on, or take off, your underwear, your pants or pajamas, while standing up. Always sit on a bed or a chair or a stool.
2. Never stand on a stool after a certain age, if you can at all avoid it.
3. Avoid changing clothes in a shower or a bathtub.
...And a 101 other simple and common sense laws should be followed to avoid FALLS.
A few years ago I fell or rather tripped and fell at the airport while awaiting my flight. Needless to say, I missed the flight and the trip and was taken to the nearest hospital. Luckily it was not fatal but with unhappy results. Nowadays I request a wheelchair when at the airport.
ReplyDelete