UP, UP, and Away.
14-Across. * Like birdies and eagles: UNDER PAR.
23-Across. * Expert in community development: URBAN PLANNER.
40-Across. * Publisher of scholarly journals: UNIVERSITY PRESS. Everything you wanted to know about a University Press but didn't know to ask. Books published through a University Press are generally peer reviewed. Here's a list of books published by various University Presses around the country.
53-Across. * India's most populous state: UTTAR PRADESH. A few interesting facts about Uttar Pradesh. It borders Nepal and is also the home of the Taj Mahal.
70-Across. Presumptuous newcomers, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have: UP STARTS. Each theme answer is a two word phrase where the first word Starts with the letter U and the second word Starts with the letter P.
Across:
1. Loving murmur: COO.
4. Generic dog name: FIDO. Which United States President had
a dog named Fido? *
8. Short __: pancake orders: STACKS.
16. "Très chic!": OO LA LA.
17. Pride and joy: EMOTIONS.
18. Snapped: LOST IT.
19. Perfect Sleeper company: SERTA. [Name # 1.]
20. Short race, for short: ONE-K. As in a race that is One
Kilometer. One Kilometer is 0.621371 miles.
22. Even one: ANY.
27. Nonkosher sandwich, briefly: BLT. As in a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. It's the Bacon that makes it Treyf (unkosher).
30. Distress call: SOS. The letters SOS in the distress call don't actually stand for anything.
 |
| We got to listen to the song in yesterday's puzzle. |
31. Baseball Hall of Famer Sandberg: RYNE. Ryne Sandberg (né
Ryne Dee Sandberg; b. Sept. 18, 1959) played baseball for 16 years. He
was a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. [Name #
2.]
32. Folk wisdom: LORE.
34. Feel poorly: AIL.
36. Paul of "Breaking Bad": AARON. Paul Aaron (né Aaron Paul
Sturtevant; b. Aug. 27, 1979) won several awards for his portrayal of Jesse
Pinkman on Breaking Bad. [Name # 3.]
44. Make a dance club version, say: REMIX.
45. Animal park: ZOO.
46. "Note to __ ... ": SELF.
47. Swarm (with): TEEM.
50. Montero Lamar Hill, __ Lil Nas X: AKA. Montero Lamar
Hill (b. Apr. 9, 1999) is a rapper who became know with his country rap
song Old Town Road. [Name # 4.]
52. Almost empty: LOW.
58. "No seats" sign: SRO. Standing Room Only.
59. "Moonstruck" Oscar winner: CHER. Before she got into
acting, Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) teamed up with Sonny
Bono (né Salvatore Phillip Bono; Feb. 16, 1935 ~ Jan. 5, 1998) and were a
popular 1960s duo. [Name # 5.]
60. Madeline Miller novel about an "Odyssey" witch: CIRCE. I
have read neither the original Odyssey nor the more
recent Circe. Madeline Miller (b. July 24, 1978) has an
advanced degree in the Classics, and has written several novels based on
ancient Greek mythology. She is probably best known for her 2011
novel The Song of Achilles. [Name # 6.]
64. Bluster: HOT AIR. Hot Air helps balloons go UP.
66. Monopoly space with a police officer: GO TO JAIL.
69. "Despite that ... ": EVEN SO.
71. Begin to blush: REDDEN.
72. Greek vowels: ETAs. Uppercase/Lowercase: Η η
73. Private __: EYE.
Down:
1. Sticks for pool sharks: CUES.
2. "I'll pay for dinner": ON ME.
3. Off-putting smell: ODOR.
4. Franciscan brothers: FRIARS.
5. Nasdaq debut: IPO. As in Initial Public Offering on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations. Nasdaq vs. Dow.
6. "SNL" alum Aykroyd: DAN. Dan Aykroyd (né Daniel Edward
Aykroyd; b. July 1, 1952) portrayed many characters on Saturday Night Live,
including one of the Coneheads, and Elwood Blue of the Blues Brothers. He also starred as one of the original Ghostbuster. [Name # 7.]
7. Director Welles: ORSON. Orson Welles (né George Orson
Welles; May 6, 1915 ~ October 10, 1985) caused quite a stir in 1938, when his
radio adaption of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds, which
caused some listeners to believe that a Martian invasion was in fact occurring. [Name # 8.]
8. Only: SOLELY.
9. Recharged, in a way: TOOK A NAP.
10. Racers Unser Jr. and Unser Sr.: ALs. Father (Alfred
Unser, Sr.; May 20, 1939 ~ Dec. 9, 2021) and Son (Alfred Unser, Jr.; b. Apr.
19, 1962) from the famous Unser racing family, which began with Louis Unser,
Jr. (Mar. 16, 1896 ~ Oct. 18, 1979), the patriarch of the racing family. [Names # 9 and 10.]
11. Board game with the tagline "Trade Build Settle": CATAN.
I wasn't familiar with this game, so I am glad that Sumdaze explained it to me yesterday. The board is an interesting
shape.
12. Kevin of "Dave": KLINE. Dave was a 1993
comedy movie about a small business owner named Dave who unwittingly became
President. Dave was portrayed by Kevin Kline (né Kevin Delaney Kline; b.
Oct. 24, 1947). [Name # 11.]
13. Goat-legged deity: SATYR.
15. Legendary rebuke: ET TU. Today's Latin lesson. Did
you remember this from last Tuesday?
21. Broadcaster with pledge drives: NPR. National Public Radio appears with some frequency in the puzzles.
24. Tusked beast: BOAR.
25. Flaws and all: AS IS.
26. Zeros in on: NEARS.
27. Become hazy: BLUR. Like being at the optometrist ... is
it clear on the right or on the left?
28. Unaccompanied: LONE.
29. Add lace to, e.g.: TRIM. RBG wore lace collars.
33. Musical set in Buenos Aires: EVITA. The musical was
loosely based on the life of Eva Perón (May 7, 1919 ~ July 26, 1952).
[Name # 12.]
35. Claiborne of fashion: LIZ. Anne Elizabeth Jane Claiborne
(Mar. 31, 1929 ~ June 26, 2007) was an American fashion designer who was born
in Belgium to American parents. She has ties to Louisiana: her ancestor,
William C.C. Claiborne (1770s ~ Nov. 23, 1817) was the first governor of
Louisiana after the state gained statehood. [Name # 13.]
37. React to a shock: REEL.
38. Home of the Norwegian Military Academy: OSLO. Norway
traces its military forces back to the Vikings.
|
| Cold Response Training by the Military |
39. Warning that might prevent a click: NSFW. Textspeak
for Not Suitable For Work.
41. Work out: EXERCISE.
42. Bumpy-skinned amphibian: TOAD.
43. Joining device: YOKE.
48. "You've Got Mail" writer/director Nora: EPHRON. Nora
Ephron (May 19, 1941 ~ June 26, 2012) was a journalist, writer and filmmaker.
She also wrote and directed When Sleepless in Seattle.
In addition to rom-coms, she also wrote Silkwood, a dramatic
film based on the life and death of Karen Silkwood. [Name # 14.]
49. GI's field ration: MRE. Meals Ready to Eat.
51. Fancy neckwear: ASCOTS. A brief history of the necktie.
53. Theater guide: USHER.
54. Treasure stash: TROVE.
55. Schlepped: TOTED. Schlep can mean either to carry or to
take a tedious journey.
 |
| Only the penguins can schlep to Antarctica. The Polar Bears schlep north. |
56. Squabble: ARGUE.
57. Daughter, in Spanish: HIJA. Today's Spanish lesson.
61. Hardly ubiquitous: RARE.
62. Selma or Salem: CITY. One is in Alabama and the other is
in Massachusetts (or Oregon if you are west-coast oriented.)
63. Instead: ELSE.
65. "Is there more?": AND ... Tell me more!
67. Make a call: OPT.
68. Agcy. that X-rays shoes: TSA. With Global Entry,
the Transportation Security Administration no longer requires one to remove shoes.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
I found this to be a very doable puzzle, with a bit of crunch as befits a Tuesday (Hija, anyone?). Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteI don't remember a "Go to Jail" space on the Monopoly board. Didn't it just say JAIL, and around the outside border, "Just visiting?" There was a Chance card which read "Go to Jail. Go Directly to Jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200." That was a long time ago; maybe things have changed. As Subgenius said, this one was very doable, but then Doug Peterson is a real pro. I'd expect it. Hahtoolah, thanx for the explication.
ASCOTS -- Our company dropped the tie requirement back in '96. Haven't worn one since.
TSA -- Remember when they had these machines at your local shoe store?
I used them to sell shoes in the 1950's. Not sure about any radiation exposure.
DeleteFIW, missing UTTARPRADESt x tIJA. I like Doug's puzzles, but C'MON!!! I also erased yolk for YOKE - guess I was thinking of breakfast.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL JOHNNY APPLESEED DAY (his apple trees produced nearly inedible apples)
NATIONAL DUMPLING DAY (a term of endearment, or, as I’m told, food)
NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY (CSO @ 8a, and yet another mere conduit for butter and maple syrup)
NATIONAL SHAMU THE WHALE DAY (was retired after biting and refusing to release a woman at a photo shoot)
NATIONAL SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DAY (you can have a smart phone or situational awareness, but not both)
I knew it wasn't "ryan," but had to wait for rine/RYNE.
I remember DAN. Those were the days when SNL was actually funny!
The three best things in the world: A drink before and a NAP after. Right, guys?
Still didn't remember CATAN. Still won't tomorrow.
Crossword logic: Oreo:cookie :: OSLO:Norway
NEARS is not what "zeros in on" means. "Focuses" would have been better. "Zeros in" is a weaponry term. When an aimed weapon is first picked up, the user needs to test fire it, then adjust the aiming device (sights, scope, laser dot, etc.) Repeat until all aiming error has been removed. The weapon is then "zeroed in," meaning zero error. (Not done on shotguns - you "aim" a rifle; you "point" a shotgun.)
FLN: Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Bayou Tony. May you have many more.
Thanks to Doug for the fun puzzle (except for that awful Natick.) And thanks to Ha2la (without exceptions) for another fine review.
FLN: Dash-T, congrats on 35 yrs together -- a worthy accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteFIR, with only one W/O = PBS:NPR. By my expansive count, 16 names. I call 11D a name: the NAME of a board game. Didn’t we just have CATAN as a fill? I’m not a big fan of CWs with so many names. Hahtoolah counts 13, by my count 16. Anyway, other than that, an okay CW. I got the theme, although I thought it might be referring to Michigan’s UP, until the reveal. DNK = NSFW, RYNE, or many of the other names. I’m gonna hafta look at a map to see if OSLO is the only city in Norway, as it’s the only one that ever appears in CWs. Thankfully, no cities from Iceland make an appearance. So, anyway, thanx DP for the entertaining CW. And thanx Hahtoolah for the informative and entertaining write-up. BTW, Hahtoolah, you have a typo at 29D Trim. You wrote RGB; I’m sure you meant RBG.
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, a CW about Iceland might make an interesting Saturday entry. I’m sure there would be plenty of bellyaching, since the Icelandic language is so difficult regarding spelling, the CW would be very difficult.
ReplyDeleteThis was a super fast Tuesday for me, probably because of several gimmes:
ReplyDeleteI played the part of CIRCE in my 6th grade's portrayal of The Iliad and the Odyssey.
We lived in Chicago during part of RYNE Sandberg's time with the Cubs. A friend named one of his kids after him. When I was there I went to more White Sox games and only one Cubs game because at that time Wrigley didn't have lights for night games. As a medical resident I didn't have many daylight hours free!
One of my close friends from college was on staff at two UNIVERSITY PRESSes, first at University of Chicago and then at University of Wisconsin.
I have been to UTTAR PRADESH which is the state that has the city of Agra where the Taj Mahal is and Varanasi which is where people go to dip into the Ganges as part of a religious pilgrimage (I never got to Varanasi- but I would not do that if I had gone - the water is gross there per friends who have been)
Thanks Susan and Doug for a fun start to the day!
One more name: The Fall of the House of Usher
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, Crossword friends.
ReplyDeleteUncleared: we had 2 repeats from yesterday's puzzle: CATAN, which I had never heard of, and SOS.
QOD: The years between 50 and 70 are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and you are not decrepit enough to turn them down. ~ T.S. Eliot (né Thomas Stearns Eliot; Sept. 26, 1888 ~ Jan. 4, 1965), American poet
FIR. Got the theme early, which helped. So up, up, and away we go.
ReplyDeleteNot familiar with Catan, but the perps saw me through. The crossing of Pradesh and hija was mean. I took a WAG and was right. Something just told me an Indian word would end in sh.
Took 4:08 today to get up.
ReplyDeleteThis theme, once I saw it after solving, had me thinking of Yooper Phil from the UP.
"Utter Pradesh" crossing "hija" is utter garbage.
Luck was on my side when guessing that letter, and I was also saved by a vague familiarity with Circe.
I think the "Go to Jail" space was opposite the actual jail space, which you could be just visiting or doing time.
Anon@8:23 You are correct. The Go to Jail corner space was opposite to the Jail corner. If your roll of the dice made you land on the Go to space you moved to the Jail space until you rolled a double on the dice during your subsequent turns. If you landed on the Jail space you were "Just visiting".
DeleteTidy Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Doug and Hahtoolah.
ReplyDeleteI finished in good time and saw the UP theme, but arrived here to discover I FIWed.
I had NPS and SYNE, as I can never remember the station letters and did not know RYNE. I see others thought this was a Natick cross.
The theme seemed somewhat meh! to me after all the buildup.
This Canadian was pleasantly surprised to see that ONE K instead of M for mile, but then we ad ODOR.
NSFW perped, but I needed Hahtoolah to explain. I think we have had it here before.
HIJA perped, thankfully.
Catan again. My grandchildren play it, and we recently UPgraded their Catan Junior to the adult game.
Wishing you all a great day.
While there are a lot of names in today's puzzle, most of them are fairly common, at least they seemed to me. Also the perps seemed kind. I didn't know the Spanish word for daughter, but be crosses filled it for me.
ReplyDeleteFIR, so I agree with SubG.
My thanks to Doug for raising us UP, and to H2LH for keeping us DOWN to Earth with his fine repartee.
Be well, all.
Good Morning! I zipped right along until I lost it in the SE. DNF: Indian state crossing Spanish daughter crossing unknown author/novel…Grr, not a Tuesday corner, but thanks, Doug, for the rest of it.
ReplyDeleteOnly WO: Ryan -> RINE
WAGS: AARON, NSFW, CATAN, yesterday? Really? Did not register; may not tomorrow. Care index: LOW.
Thanks, Hah2Lah, for a fun recap. You make Tuesday a brighter day!
OOLALA! More like Monday level than yesterday’s.
ReplyDeleteNo complaints. Hahtoolah regaled us again with cute cartoons and nice info. I especially like that black cat’s sassy attitude.
FLN Happy anniversary to -T and his DW.
I don't mean to be presumptuous, but isn't it presumptuous to think people will understand that upstarts refers to words beginning with UP, when the U and P are starting different words?
ReplyDeleteUtterpradesh crossing hija?
Learning moment: faces (band) interesting bio on Wiki. I had no idea...
Anon-T, 35 years?
Hmm, I'm really belated...
Oh well, there always tomorrow...
Good morning. Thank you, Doug Peterson, and thank you, Hahtoolah
ReplyDeleteA fun little puzzle that was too soon over. Doug can dial it up, or dial it down. He's good.
Three UNDER PAR won our league's end-of-season golf tournament last Wednesday.
USHER will be headlining the 2024 Superbowl halftime entertainment in Las Vegas.
Yesterday, AARON Paul and Bryan Cranston were on a WGN morning news entertainment segment promoting their Dos Hombres Mezcal. Timely for the solve.
BLT - we are down to the last 4 or 5 of the garden ripened tomatoes. A bumper crop from three of the four plants. The three big producers were Celebrity. I'd recommend those plants. Over the season, I've had 15 BLTs, made pico de gallo 5 times (big batches - we love it), and bruschetta a couple of times. The point is a high yield of very good, easy to grow tomatoes.
ODOR - A skunk opened up two gaping holes in my yard where the ground dwelling yellow jacket nests were. It was the day after I foamed the nests with Spectracide. A free meal, apparently without all of the wasp stings, so no ODOR. They got me 15 times when I mowed over them.
17A, EMOTIONS - Stevie Ray for Dash T Pride and Joy. Happy Anniversary to you and your matrimonial partner, bro!
D-O, I definitely do not remember those shoe store machines. I had to learn more! Other articles and videos at that website sent me down the rabbit hole.
FLN, Sumdaze - I read some articles about Wabi Sabi after solving that puzzle. I grasped the meanings at a 20K foot level, but would not be able to fully appreciate it at a cultural level. That was a nice compliment by your husband.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteDoug’s puzzles are usually clean and smooth solves and this one was just that, with a minor pause at the Uttar Pradesh/Hija crossing, both unknowns but guessable. Definitely not Tuesday fill, though. I must have been wool gathering while solving because I never noticed the U P repetition in the themers, therefore, the reveal was a surprise.
Thanks, Doug, and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the usual fun and fact-filled review. Favorite cartoons today were First Pancakes, the Serta lady, and the Zoo. Also, any reminder of the delightful Moonstruck, the incomparable Mandy Patinkin, and the much-missed Nora Ephron is much appreciated.
FLN
Belated Happy Anniversary wishes to Tony and spouse on their 35th. If my calculations are correct, Tony, you were only 18 when you tied the knot, which makes the longevity that much more impressive. May you both enjoy many more years together!
Have a great day.
Kevin Kline was hilarious in A Fish Called Wanda. Thanks for a fun run 🏃♂️ with a bit of crunch. I knew the spanish daughter today Hija…. A son would be Hijo. The “H”is silent. Thanks Doug…. kkFlorida
ReplyDeleteWrong link for Steve Ray Vaughan above. Here it is:
ReplyDeletePride and Joy
CrossEyedDave - re: Faces. One of our golfers has been letting his hair grow out. He combs it back, and it is getting near shoulder length. I told him he looks like Ronnie Wood. Blank stare. "You know, of Faces with Rod Stewart, and later with the Rolling Stones?" He had no idea. Told him to Google it.
He's a retired firefighter, Type A personality. Athletic, coordinated and competitive. He showed me a pic of his three game bowling set from the previous week. First game was 286. Only 14 pins from perfect. Second game was 300 (perfect game). His third game was 297. Just 3 pins from perfect. So all told, a mere 17 pins from bowling three perfect games in a row in league play. 883 pins out of 900 possible. I was in awe.
ReplyDeleteSoooo much easier than yesterday. A speedy CW EXERCISE; Did it in one 10 min sitting and promptly UP on the theme. Inkovers: Ryan/RYNE,
Apropos of UTTAR PRADESH, VidWan If you see this whaddyah think of India maybe changing its name to “Bharat”? (there’s the Indus River and the Hindi language which derive from the “Indi” root). Will kids have to now play “Cowboys and Bharatis”?
“Swarm with”, thought it said Swam with 🏊♀️🏊🏊♂️. NSFW: have had this Alexa/Siri nonsense fill before I think.
Have read “Circe” and “Song of Achilles”. Historical fiction is my favorite genre from Mary Renault’s Greek/ Alexander series my first year of college to “ October Horse” (Colleen McCullough) the penultimate novel in her “Masters of Rome” series I’m just finishing now (I have to and soon, the library is sending me threatening letters 😳). It took 10 years to read all of Bernard Cornwell’s 13 book “The Last Kindom/Saxon” series (no I’m not a slow reader😠, published between 2004 and 2020
Thanks for the fun H2LH, adding my silliness…
Skillets….FRIARS
Where Jack’s chair would be found…..UNDERPAR
Alternative to FEDEX small pies delivery service …..UPSTARTS
So we just had the the unusual proper name CATAN as part of a clue and again today as an answer. If puzzles offered to us are random submissions how does this happen? An Alexa/Siri coincidence? seems to occurs too often. Do the editors seek repeat clue/answers close in time and change a constructor’ puzzle to suit this need? 🤔
RayO, I don't find CATAN unusual. We've had it 9 times in LAT Crosswords in the last three years:
ReplyDeleteOnce in 2021
Five times in 2022
Three times (prior to today and yesterday) in 2023.
So now 11 times.
The submissions would be random. Scheduling is most likely not random.
Patti was Rich Norris' assistant editor.
My comments from yesterday:
"Rich Norris would give us unusual words or clues early in the week, and they would be easily sussed. A kind of crossword foreshadowing, because we often would see them again later in the week. It made sense to remember unusual early week words and clues."
This seemed to me more like a Monday puzzle than yesterday's crunchy one.
ReplyDeleteI liked the theme with its misdirection, looking for vertical ups. The one or two names I didn't know were easily solved with perps and wags.
I remember those shoe x-ray machines. We kids thought they were cool.
Please don't call me dumpling, although I may look like one. Honey is the only food related endearment I like.
I forgot NSFW, all perps. Remembering Senator Fetterman might help my recall.
I knew UTTAR PRADESH, where Agra is located. That H brought to mind HIJA.
We have seen RYNE many times here.
I am glad we had CATAN yesterday. It is new to me. I think this is a coincidence. Many times I find words in novels the same day they're dissed here. BTW, so many words that are disrespected here are used widely in print.
Happy anniversary, to Tony and your wife.
I have been AWOL, mostly because I lost so many texts. Many, but not all times, when I tried to highlight to edit the text erased itself. Yesterday I discovered that if I just highlight one word and it disappears, I can highlight while holding down CTLR. This problem happens in WORD and emails sometimes, too.
Another reason is that often I have a contrary opinion and feel it is not friendly to voice it.
Ray, I'm in the "coincidence" camp. Every day except Sunday, I work the LAT and King Features (AKA 'the Sheffer') crosswords. It is amazing how much overlap there is. Sometimes the clue and fill are identical. There is no way those two organizations collaborate.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect to TTP, I'm not convinced that Patti has "crossword foreshadowing" on her palette.
Yellowrocks, pressing CTRL+z can often undo an accidental erase. Worth a try, at least. It's saved my dumb mass self a zillion times.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteIs this the first time UTTAR PRADESH occurs in a puzzle? I'm unfamiliar with it and so it required every cross to complete it. HIJA is, of course, well known to me. I have one of those.
OO LALA. How pleased my mother would be to see her name in a puzzle!
CHER in Moonstruck! Oh, yes!
This coming weekend the "Believe Walk" will take place in Redlands, CA. I likely won't participate but I'll be there. It consists of 3K and the proceeds go to research a cure for cancer. It's the first time I won't walk.
Once more, congratulations to Tony and his Mrs.
I hope you are having a great day today, everyone!
ReplyDeleteTTP @ 11:32
I misunderstood the Rich Norris quote to imply that words like CATAN are unusual.
”Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear” when a constructor who found himself backed into a corner with let’s say ZBQF as a nonsense answer with no corresponding clue needed to laboriously rework that part of the puzzle to replace that answer. Now simply query Alexa/Siri/Google and they come up with “Code for an F series Eurocopter” Kyna like: “Warning that might prevent a click” : NSFW text speak for Not Suitable For Work.
I have the utmost respect and admiration for CW composers. Constructing a crossword puzzle is complicated and arduous. Not just words and themes but grid-rules like 180 degree rotational symmetry (goggled that 🤗) but IMHO a tad easier than it use to be
Much easier than yesterday, IMHO. I was really tuned into Doug's frequency. Only Witeout was DASH/ONEK. The Indian state took ESP, but an enjoyable exercise none the less. Also enjoyed (as always!) Ha2las recap.
ReplyDeleteJinx, maybe, maybe not, but she was Rich's assistant for many years, so...
ReplyDeleteObviously, HIJA was new to many here today. I can't find a single time it was used in a prior LA Times crossword. Will we see it soon, or ever again? Who knows? Maybe not. The J makes it a bit unlikely.
What I don't get is that now we've had CATAN 11 times, and we get comments about not being familiar with it when we had it yesterday. OTOH, not everyone bothers to read the reviews. Remember PLAICE and HG's Saturday writeup, and then the comments about not ever having heard of it and still not knowing what it means? It was clearly explained in the review.
Anyway, remembering and looking up unusual early week words and proper nouns has worked for me, so I'm sticking with it.
BTW, I agree with your nit about "zero in" on, in the context of zeroing in a rifle. But I think it is zero in for the person as well, not just the weapon. If we all had perfect vision, you could zero it in, and then supposedly I could pick it up and hit the bullseye with the same settings. Maybe. Mostly the weapon, but also the person, IMO.
I think the answer NEARS is okay in other contexts. "As the medical research team zeros in on a cure for this debilitating disease, more funding is needed to..." One could substitute "nears" for "zeros in on" in a context such as that, and the message does not change.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Omaha is the home of UP RR and I thought that might be the gimmick.
-Many of my Jewish acquaintances love bacon and some of my Catholic ones enjoy hamburgers during lent
-Great “Note To Self” that I am using more often
-My one and only HOT AIR balloon ride was a real thrill
-Congressmen are forbidden by law to participate in IPO’s. Hmmm…
-CATAN is becoming common here
-AS IS: Men marry women thinking they will never change and women marry men thinking they can change them. :-)
-I learned of RBB’s lace jabots in this venue
-The chemistry and the consumption of MRE’s were a big hit in my class. The local Army Reserves were very generous.
-From Grease: TELL ME MORE, TELL ME MORE, Did you get very far?, TELL ME MORE, TELL ME MORE, Like does he have a car?
-Off to see my hygienist!
ReplyDeleteRayO, I think it also comes down to our backgrounds and experiences and readings. I personally don't pause when reading NSFW and understanding what it means, nor for that matter, TL;DR, just as you wouldn't pause at XR CERVICAL SPINE AP LAT.
I tend to agree with you about some fill that is becoming more prevalent, but I think that some of it may be coming from crossword computer programs that can auto-fill the grids. Perhaps there are constructors that are getting backed into corners and are using Google searches and creating their own versions of commonly accepted slang, or flat out making it up.
I don't mind learning new terms as much as I mind seeing the ever increasing use of people's names. Especially when there's intended obscurity, such as, "Assistant casting director in the 2012 film Argo"
I note the constructor's name when starting a grid. We're getting a lot more "newer" constructors, and I think some of the published grids are being accepted "as is" or with questionable fill that normally would have been rejected, or rejected-for-rework by Rich.
From time to time, I think the quality has dropped off, in lieu of getting new constructors published for the sake of being published. I no longer see mark McClain with any regularity, and I haven't seen Paul Coulter for a long time. They are just a couple of the examples of the many fine constructors that we just don't see as much of.
But it is what it is. We get many new and clever themes, and sometimes there are parts of either the clues or fill that seems to have suffered. Heaven knows I can't construct a basic puzzle, much less the perfect puzzle that satisfies every one here. But for what I pay to the LA Times ($0.00 annually), I'll live with it and (normally) heed the minion's advice in Hatoolah's 46A image.
Neat Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Doug--really enjoyed it. And always appreciate your commentary, Hahtoolah, also a nice help.
ReplyDeleteWell, given that I'm an animal lover and that this puzzle seemed to promise a ZOO, I really liked it, even though we got only a few critters. But there was FIDO there to greet us as soon as we arrived, but it was disappointing that the BIRDIES and EAGLES turned out to be UNDER PAR, not real live ones. But then a BEAR showed up, and soon a TOAD--neither of which needs a YOKE, thank goodness. And that was about it. Think I'll go and give my TURTLE a bit more lettuce and watermelon.
Have a good day, everybody.
Hahtoolah leads us through this Peterson XWD.
ReplyDeleteDNK CATAN or NSFW. The latter held me up nearly forever.
I still don't understand what the "click" represents, and the "F" wants to be an "E," to cover ALL the compass points!
~ OMK
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DR: Three diagonals on the near side.
The central diag's anagram (12 of 15) seems to refer to an especially clever version of a Japanese artist, the ...
"TRICKIEST ONO"!
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteFIR with a correction in UTTAR PRADESH xing YOKE ... as did another poster, I spelled the oxen coupler like the yellow part of an egg ... 😬
Thanks Doug and Susan for the Tuesday fun
Ray-O @ 1:09 --> constructing can be arduous, but for me it's usually more "frustrating", as it always seems there is one spot where we get stuck. Similarly, each editor has his or her own words and/or phrases they won't accept, so we need to be mindful of that each time we create a puzzle. True, the software programs available do make the construction easier. As for the grid design, some editors have relaxed the "180 degree rotational symmetry" quite a bit. They'll allow left/right or top/bottom symmetry, and will at times allow special grid designs
TTP @ 2:39 --> I communicate with Mark McClain often as he continues to mentor me as I request; for that I am truly grateful as he is one of the best. Look for him @ the Newsday-syndicated puzzles; he generally has two or more per month
Gary said: "Many of my Jewish acquaintances love bacon and some of my Catholic ones enjoy hamburgers during lent" I had a work mate who was Jewish, and he called ham 'pink chicken." He also used to talk about the "Jewish piano," and I finally figured out he was referring to the cafeteria's cash register.
ReplyDeleteTTP - I agree. Military weapons are probably prealigned to mil specs, but the individual fighter must zero them for individual use. Also, I had a fairly full (maybe 20 students) certification class, and we were discussing potential hindrances to effective communications. I asked a show of hands of people who knew the meaning of "zeroing in," thinking that all but a couple would know it. The lesson was going to be that you don't want to leave a couple of people out, and they should choose a better metaphor. To my surprise, only a couple of the (adult) students knew the term. So I used another example: "end run." Same result - only a few knew the term. They were probably about 30 years younger than me (mid-career age,) so that may explain it.
Keith: The "click" for the NSFW would be clicking on a weblink. If you were at work, and someone sent you a link that was racy, pornographic, or otherwise Not Suitable For Work, you wouldn't want to Click on that link. Wait until you get home!
ReplyDeleteI had a one-box-FIW at the sore spot but for a different reason. I often hear Spanish speakers call their daughters "mija" so I confidently entered the "M". I forgot it is a contraction for "mi hija". I find it so very sweet. The same goes for sons (hijos). "Mijo" is "my son". Endearing.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, an Indian word ending in "H" makes so much more sense.
Thanks to Doug and to Hahtoolah for the Tues. fun! I did remember CATAN! (There is a payoff to this blogging biz!) FAVs: Hahtoolah's title, "It's from Sting", ZOO comic, and Blues Brothers clip.
DH & I take MREs when we go backpacking.
FLN. Happy anniversary to -T & his DW!
I enjoyed this puzzle and all your comments.
ReplyDeleteThanks Moe. I wondered where Mark McClain went.
ReplyDeleteI sat down to watch the news and was flipping through the channels when this story caught my eye. Many of you long time readers knew this very caring and generous man from his daily comments here. I haven't been able to find the video of the segment yet, but the story follows:
Chicago area family seeks to reunite with late father's tuba
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this puzzle from Doug Peterson, whom I've heard of and seen, often before. Thank you, for an enjoyable solve. ( I wonder if this is the constructor who takes so many pictures of nature, as butterflies etc. ? )
Thank You Hah2lah for a very enjoyable, and cheerful and informative blog. Your cartoons really make the icing on the cake ! I read avidly about the article on neckties and cravats.
I had forgotten about NSFW, probably because I never had to confront that issue before... these acronyms are getting to be too much ...
I was ready with CATAN, and now, I'm thinking, I should get the game for my grandkids, and also learn how to play the game. I have an old game called ACQUIRE, which I feel may have similar game styles for winning.
Not at all familiar with HIJA ... but I think, once someone had 2 spanish neices, and he informally named them Hija A and Hija B ... and the younger one would cover her head, out of modesty, and thus Hijab was born ...?
Enough of the silliness, nobody can match RayOSun and CED ....
Have a great week, you all.
ReplyDeleteUttar Pradesh was a very esoteric clue, .... and although it was a gimme, I worried about all the rest of you, others, trying to solve the clue. I was obviously not aware of the UP part of the theme. ...
I almost forgot explaining about Uttar Pradesh ... Desh means 'Land' in Sanskrit ... thus 'pra-desh' ... would mean 'part of the land' (thus, -state ) . Thus Uttar Pradesh is 'North(ern) part of the land'.
Interestingly, 'desi' is a code word/slang/shibboleth amongst indians ( and Pakistanis -) in the US and Canada, for any stranger, who appears to be from the Indian subcontinent. Much like 'paesano' was used, informally amongst, and for italians (- one from back home )...
Also, a child born of Indian (Pak) parents in the US or Canada, could be generally referred to as an "ABCD" ... American Born Confused Desi ....
RayOSun ... Bharat is an endonym for the exonym India. Other than that I have no comments ....
I don't think that merely changing a name, is progress, in any way, shape, or form.
As for your joke, I have another joke... As Bob Hope, said after his trip to Russia, in the midst of the Cold War ..." The russians do watch american television shows. They love 'Cowboys and Indians' ... of course, they root for the Indians .... ".
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteDoug never disappoints and the UP themers were fun.
Thanks Hahtoolah for another amusing review. LOL schlepping back to Antarctica and thanks for the Faces flashback (before anyone knew who Ronnie & Rod were).
NSFW - I've always heard it "Not SAFE for work."
Ray-O: NSFW has been part of internet communications for nearly two decades [cite]
WOs: wrong yolk (Hi Jinx!)
ESPs: AARON, CIRCE, UTTAR PRADESH
Fav: The mirroring of EXERCISE and TAKE A NAP is cute.
D-O: GO TO JAIL is the opposite corner of Just Visiting / the JAIL. @Lee I forgot about rolling double to get out - Thx.
@kkFlorid - I know Kevin KLINE best from Fish Called Wanda; his character was ridiculously funny.
I can hardly think OO LA LA without Sasson following it.
FLN - Look at IM with the quick math ;-) Yes we were 18 BUT we didn't have kids 'till we were 30 and finished with all our course work (DW still had a dissertation to write but...). Thanks all y'all for the happy wishes (and links CED & TTP).
TTP - years ago I made the same observation of Rich foreshadowing later week words. C.C. told me balderdash but I still believed it. I see my conspiracy theory is growing ;-]
I agree: new (to me) words > names less than 20 years famous. //Cher & EPHRON are fair game -- AARON Paul, not so much ;-)
Time for the commute home.
Cheers, -T
I’d it too early to pre-contribute to tomorrow’s CW. ….. the easiest I’ve had in a long long while …. Enjoy !?!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe that his widow would get rid of Brad's tuba! It took me two years just to clean out the closet after my DW's death. But, of course, we are all different.
ReplyDeleteLucina, I can top that a bit. When we moved in 2019, a lot of stuff got stored ... old photo albums, bric-a-brac, things we don't need in the new, smaller house, junque ... and my son just took a pile of my wife's Tupperware boxes out of my closet for a merciful disposal, not a half hour ago.
ReplyDeleteThat's FOUR years of world-class, professional-level, procrastination
I fell asleep very early. The pounding rain woke me up just before 3 AM.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is that I found the CBS News video. At 20 seconds in, you can see a pic of a very young Abejo. Chicago area family seeks to reunite with late father's tuba
Dash T, your Sasson link didn't work. Here it is:Oo La La Sasson Jeans (1982)
Oh, and I think you are misremembering my comments (from maybe 10 years ago) about Rich foreshadowing as your own. :>). I know, cite it or it doesn't exist. Googlefu.
Anyway, I wouldn't have known AARON Paul from Breaking Bad as I only watched a couple of episodes, so it was very timely that he and Bryan Cranston were being interviewed on WGN and talking about their Dos Hombres Mezcal. Of course, their Agave fields and distillery are in Mexico. They built a water refinement facility that is much larger than they needed. They supply clean water to not only that town, but other nearby towns. They have also just bought another property and are building a medical clinic for the area.
TTP: Thank you for sharing that clip of Abejo. Nice that the family shared the photos and clips of Abejo. I hope his daughter gets the tuba back.
ReplyDelete