Themeless Saturday by Jenna LaFleur
Jenna's NW corner had plenty of road blocks for me for some reason but eventually they were put in my rearview mirror. She wrote: -I’m 24 years old right now, but I’ll be turning 25 shortly before the puzzle comes out.
-I live in D.C.
- Besides crosswords, my hobbies include playing the drums and listening to podcasts.
- I mostly do online gig work - audio transcription, data entry, and the like.
Jenna said that her kitty's name is Fig. So this is either a picture of Fig with Jenna in the foreground or of Jenna with Fig in the background.
1. Common: CRASS - Crude was close but...
6. "Got other plans, sorry": CANT.
10. Low pair: TWO'S.
14. Knew the answer: HAD IT.
15. Drink mentioned in the Walker Hayes song "Fancy Like": OREO SHAKE.
Yeah, we fancy like Applebee's on a date night
Got that Bourbon Street steak with the OREO SHAKE
17. Detroit __: stratified automotive paint polished and cut for jewelry: AGATE -Paint that the spray leaves on the frame or track piles up. It can be cut, baked and cut into pieces.
18. Reptile at Kélonia aquarium in Saint-Leu, Réunion: SEA TURTLE - The arrow points to this small island.
21. Trial versions: BETAS.
22. Jazz dance: STOMP.
23. Key st.?: FLA 😀
24. "Jeopardy!" champion with the show's second-longest win streak: AMY SCHNEIDER - The answer that stumped Schneider was about countries of the world: Answer: "The only nation whose name in English ends in an “h” and which is also one of the 10 most populous" (the correct question is at the bottom*) 39. Many a Wiki article: BIO - Amy Schneider's Wikipedia BIO 26. So: HENCE - Amy missed on a Final Jeopardy, HENCE, she lost.
30. Speeds: JETS - both as verbs
32. Sphere: REALM.
33. Gesture that means "no" in some cultures: NOD - as in Bulgaria
35. Lennox of R&B: ARI.
36. Element in the tale of Sleeping Beauty: SPINDLE - She was put into an "ageless" sleep by pricking her finger and could only be awakened by the kiss of her true love. In the Brother's Grimm version she pricked her finger on the SPINDLE of an enchanted spinning wheel.
38. Glop: GOO.
40. Home of the Kaaba: MECCA - Kaaba is the Arabic word for cube. It is the holiest of Muslim shrines and what Muslims pray toward.
41. Knack: GIFT - What our constructors have for word play
42. Interior support structure: ENDOSKELETON.
 |
| Morrill Hall on the UNL campus has many examples |
46. __-weekly: ALT - Take your pick for ALTernate points of view
47. Reclusive sort: LONER.
49. Like the smell of burning plastic: ACRID
52. Instrument for Seiichi Tanaka or Eitetsu Hayashi: TAIKO DRUM - Always a highlight of my many trips to EPCOT.
56. Laxity: LOOSENESS.
58. Yankees manager Aaron: BOONE - Aaron's place in MLB history is cemented by this walk-off home run that sent the Yankees to the World Series in 2003.
59. Like someone on the stand: UNDER OATH.
60. Vocally: ALOUD.
61. Private dinner?: MESS 😀 - In M*A*S*H it was a MESS tent where all ranks ate, including privates
62. __ gin: SLOE.
63. Checks: DAMPS - In physics we graphed oscillations that DAMPED out or checked themselves
Down:
1. Red-bellied trout: CHAR - I used this picture for the 9/23/23 puzzle
2. Some improvisation in Hindi cinema: RAGAS - (in Indian music) a pattern of notes having characteristic intervals, rhythms and embellishments used as a basis for improvisation. Yeah, I knew that! 😚
3. 2002 meta dramedy starring Nicolas Cage as the film's screenwriter: ADAPTATION - Cage plays himself and his twin brother
4. Light shows?: SITCOMS 😀 - Yeah, they're usually not too intellectually hefty
5. Hot and heavy: STEAMY - Jack and Rose getting STEAMY in the car in the hold of the Titanic
6. Mozart's "__ fan tutte": COSI - Can you dig out Mozart's name?
7. Vicinity: AREA.
8. In the vicinity: NEAR.
9. Little one: TOT.
10. Fine line: THREAD 😀
11. One joule per second: WATT - By definition
12. Great Plains st.: OKLA - Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
13. Catches: SEES - Can you SEE the ringed planet inside below by gently crossing your eyes?
16. Stunning: SUBLIME.
20. Biden and Harris, initially: VPS - At different times
23. Toppled: FELL.
25. Pain in the neck: CRICK - Kramer's cure starting at 1:00
20. Biden and Harris, initially: VPS - At different times
23. Toppled: FELL.
25. Pain in the neck: CRICK - Kramer's cure starting at 1:00
27. First man to complete tennis's Surface Slam: NADAL - Rafael won the U.S. Open on hard surface, the French Open on clay and Wimbledon on grass.
28. Shipping center?: ENGINE ROOM 😀
29. Top: ROOF - What VB fans yell when their team makes a block at the net
30. Poke: JAB.
31. Historical allies of the Huron: ERIE - Four letter tribe near the Great Lakes, hmmm...
34. Point: DOT.
31. Historical allies of the Huron: ERIE - Four letter tribe near the Great Lakes, hmmm...
34. Point: DOT.
36. Burn slowly: SMOLDER - Don't walk away too soon
41. Slopes conveyance: GONDOLA.
43. Spots for roasters and toasters: DAISES.
44. Large deer: ELK.
45. "Them's the breaks": TOO BAD.
48. Preparatory period: RUN UP - The RUN UP to the next election will be full of truths, half-truths and outright lies
49. Grad: ALUM.
50. Retinal cell: CONE 51. Retinal cells: RODS - It's very cool to see them together in a puzzle
52. Marsh duck: TEAL.
53. Apropos of: AS TO - Feel free to comment AS TO your feelings about Jenna's puzzle
54. "Who __ kidding?": IS HE.
55. Scrip orders: MEDS - Short for preSCRIPtionS.
57. Anti bloc: NOS.
*Amy missed "What is Bangladesh?" on Jeopardy
Addendum: Here is constructor Jenna finishing third in an ACPT event. The video is 10 minutes long but it shows
1) How the competition chooses a champion
2) How very skilled solvers attack a puzzle
3) What some of the fill was on this puzzle constructed by Kameron Austin Collins
39 comments:
I don’t know about the rest of you (yet) but I’d say this was a pretty tough puzzle. It helped that I was able to come up with Amy Schneider, but I had never heard of a “Takio Drum,” for example. (That one was pretty much ESP.) Anyway, I persevered and managed to FIR, so I’m happy. How did the rest of you do?
Good morning!
Managed 75% of this one, but got no traction in the NW quadrant: ROMCOMS and EROTIC didn't help matters. Wite-Out may have helped, if I'd known what to white out. Bzzzzt. Time's up. Enjoy your ceramic Dalmation. Thanx, Jenna and Husker.
Like DO, I got about 3/4 in before I hit the proverbial brick wall. Finished it only with the help of red letters. But as long as the Braves win today, that’s all that really matters.
DNF. Answered 45 clues, all of them correctly.
Today is:
NATIONAL LED LIGHT DAY (do they have LEDs for ovens and microwaves yet?)
NATIONAL INNER BEAUTY DAY (somehow this supports ending sex trafficking)
NATIONAL TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA AWARENESS DAY (you don’t want to get this)
NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZEL DAY (good, but I like yogurt covered ones better)
NATIONAL PROPANE DAY (gotta top of my RV’s 100 pound tank before Florida)
London-Laurel County (Kentucky) Honey Bun Day (wasn’t on the ‘official’ list, but I love these things grilled on a flat top.)
FLN: Lucina, et al - My PCP thinks it is best to wait a bit for the body's immune system to normalize before introducing another disrupter. Probably in the "can't hurt, might help" category. But he is more specific about the flu shot. His concern is that the vaccine protection is most needed in the dead of winter, and that getting the shot later will provide better immunity then.
Keep the hip hop out of it. Today's puzzle, not a well-constructed one.
Nope. Far too many DNFs. Finally got a foothold at the bottom and tried to work my way up, but it was not to be.
Good Morning:
I finished w/o help under normal Saturday time but not without struggling with the NW quadrant. Not knowing Rap Caviar, Oreo Shake, Taiko Drum, or Amy Schneider or Spindle, Mecca, or Ragas, as clued, didn't help, either. The fill, overall, was lively and fresh, but wasn't exactly geared to my demographic, as evidenced by the constructor's age.
Thanks, Jenna, and thanks, HG, for a dazzling array of photos and links. Enjoyed your review and commentary, as always. I wonder what Darling Lily would think of Fig? 😉
Have a great day.
DNF. Crashed and burned in the NW. I had Schneider, but the first name I tried was Ken, and i had strobes for the light shows. I just couldn't suss out anything. Ragas was a complete unknown. Once I looked that up the section fell into place.
This was a very challenging Saturday puzzle. Given my shortfall in the NW I had no chance of finishing.
First pass through I think I only had 5 words filled in, and at least one of them was wrong.
TAIKODRUM? RAPCAVIAR? COSI? Are you kidding me?
Even after revealing those words and a couple more I still had a hard time filling in the other words. I got impatient and wanted the puzzle to be over so I revealed AMYSCHNEIDER, ARI, OREOSHAKE (figured it was OREO but didn't think long enough to get the rest) and SEATURTLE (another I could've probably had with patience), RAGAS, ADAPTATION and MECCA.
Finally that was enough to finish and be done with this unlikable (to me) puzzle. Some puzzles are tough but fun as you get a hard one to open things up but this had too many answers that I had no chance at.
After giving up and reading HG’s fine review, I’m looking at my printed grid and the blanks I left and holding the page a little at a distance I see so clearly what I should have gotten. It takes patience and some distance, both temporal and physical to fill what at first seemed impossible.
I coulda, shoulda.
By coincidence, and I didn’t even get that answer, I woke up this morning with a CRICK in my neck.
Can’t win them all.
I almost threw in the towel in the NW corner but with many WAGS and alphabet runs arrived at what I thought was a not too common Saturday FIR. Nope! had CHAd not CHAR…. (dAPCAVIAR?)
Hindi cinema? (Vid where are you?) ….Detroit paint/jewelry, huh? TAIKODRUM ? Siri/Alexa/and google certainly had a hand in coming up with some of these out there (or should I say outré) clues. Yikes…
One joule per second? At least I know WATT that is. We must be getting up in the world. The answer for “Slopes conveyance” used to be T-bar … “scrip”? (I use “script”)
Bishops’ REALM….DIASES
Shouting is not___ ….. ALOUD
Egg layers…..HENCE
He was in Watson’s DNA…CRICK
Off to look for a new car with and for DW to replace her 14 y o minivan that’s seen all our grand kids grow up.
Is it just me but doesn’t our constructioness Jenna “The Flower” La Fleur looks about 14 y o too?
Husker G!! Darn you!!, I crossed my eyes to try to see the ringed planet and now they’re stuck !! 🤪
😄
BTW, where I grew up, "creek" is pronounced CRICK.
This was quite the challenge - but very slowly it filled in. Needed perps for Aaron BOONE - when it said Yankees my mind went to JUDGE and it wouldn't budge.
Okay FLN and on into today's blog on the vaccine discussion (as a board certified family physician):
1. No you don't have to have the vaccine in the same arm (unless you had axillary (armpit)lymph nodes removed for breast cancer- then you want to avoid that arm)
2.Yes you can have all the vaccines at the same time- I've been giving COVID and FLU together all the time. RSV needs to be done at a pharmacy (like Shingles vaccine) for Medicare recipients- so can be done the same day but can also wait a week or two if you want - not medical just preference. Some of my patients want the vaccines spaced out and I'm fine with honoring their preference- especially if they are compliant. But if they aren't compliant or it is an hour drive for them to get to a place to get them - I encourage them to 'get 'em done. (as HG would say)
3. If you are over 65 you don't have to wait to get the flu shot because you get the HD (high dose) flu vaccine - it's peak is twice as long- so if you get it now it will last all through the winter (usual peak season). If you are under 65- yes I usually wait until the end of October for myself. The doctor who would say otherwise is just basing it on their opinion- not on the data (which somehow during the pandemic has become a dirty word)
This blog post is worth 0.1 hr of continuing medical education credit :)
Thanks HG - happy for your Huskers to get the W; and thanks to Jenna for the challenging puzzle!
Took 20:53 today.
I respectfully refer you to read Miss Irish Miss's comments. I agree, as usual, with her assessment.
A few too many obscurities for me, but I do enjoy the theme(and circle)less challenges.
Got most of it, but like others, no luck with the NW corner.
Hi Y'all! Strange puzzle from Jenna. Not enjoyable for me. Thanks, Gary for another great expo.
I knew Amy Schneider (unfortunately). I quit watching Jeopardy when she/he was on and the championship games thereafter. I really like Ken Jennings though. I've been watching Master Minds instead which is at the same hour as Jeopardy here.
Fall has fell. Had to turn on the furnace and dig out my fuzzy winter robe to do the puzzle last night.
A great puzzle! And, yes, Jenna looks beautifully “14yo”. I’m going to my 55th HS reunion next week so was just looking at our sr pix in yearbook - omg❣️ we were all such beauties then. I also had trouble w NW corner, but just that one 😊 And now I get to explore ragas, and Adaptation, and my fathers favorite fishing target (trout - tho in the central Calif foothills, Rainbow and Brook were the goals; and big-mouth bass was the consolation prize)
Oh - and, btw, I just got CC’s “Sip&Solve” - great quick fun!
Inanehiker, thanx for the vaccination info. I got 'em all at once, and was beginning to question my actions.
Got the solve with little help from the alleged “clues”.
Rap caviar? Really? We’re expected to know the names of Spotify playlists? Are you kidding? Taiko drum? WTH???
If this clueing is an example of “bringing in new crossword blood” I believe we’re better off letting it go.
I’d criticize the “editor” as well but….well, you know…she’s terrible and continues to prove it. Not that she needs to, I’m already convinced.
I'm with the majority. Couldn't do anything with the NW until I looked up 1,2, and 3D. I had AMY and VPS but didn't know the STOMP as a jazz dance. I did FIR with the assistance of Google.
The rest of the puzzle had come together with a little P&P.
A round of applause for Jenna and Gary for their efforts today.
Keep cool!
Like others, the NW corner did me in. So I only finished by “peeking” at a few. Not very much fun at all. When you have no chance to finish correctly, it tends to dim the joy level. I did enjoy seeing Amy Schneider in the puzzle. SHE became one of our favorite contestants. My favorite answer was ENDOSKELETON.
Inanehiker
Thanks for taking the time to explain the latest vaccine updates. I had to wait for what I call the “old people’s’” flu vaccine. Got it last week.
And additional thanks. Now I only need 19 hrs of CME ✌️
CAN"T get the NW today.
CRASS for 'Common'- in what way are they similar; no idea.
Detroit AGATE- thought STONE but had never heard of it.
CHAR- nope; heard of Arctic CHAR but didn't know it was a trout
RAP CAVIAR- never heard of it or used Spotify
STOMP- no idea
ADAPTATION- no knowledge of that movie or even hearing of it
It was either CREE or ERIE but I didn't know.
If it weren't for two gimmes-SCHNEIDER and ENDOSKELETON- the puzzles would have remained white.
And at least I got the SE with the unknown, unheard of TAIKO DRUM filled by perps.
NADAL for Surface Slam- um, that's DJOKOVIC, not NADAL on the left in the green shirt.
JIMMY CONNORS is the only player to win the U.S. Open on three different surfaces. 1974 on CLAY, 1976 & 78 on GRASS, and 1982 & 83 on hard surface.
Thank you, Jenna LaFleur, and thank you, Husker Gary.
I haven't read the review yet, and only a couple of the comments so far. The rest will have to wait.
Started around 4 AM, working from the bottom up, and made steady progress upward while watching the news. Then Smokey and the Bandit came on one of the movie channels, and I finally fell back asleep. I had the crossword puzzle tab opened, and the clock kept running so I don't know what my solve time was. The clock apparently ran until my computer went into sleep mode, as you can see in the following pic. I finished the solve without help.
LA Times Ocober 7, 2023
I really liked the clue "Spots for roasters and toasters" for DAISES"
Getting SEA TURTLE and champagne in the NE corner made that area easy. Champagne fit, but didn't agree with the easy answers in the north central, and OREO became apparent. Not champagne. OREO SHAKE.
inanehiker, thank you for your comments relative to getting the vaccines. Some of the comments yesterday piqued my interest, and last night I spent about a half hour reading at the CDC. The RSV shot will be new to me this year, and I planned to get all three at once. I saw nothing there that suggested that I (personally) should wait between shots.
Back later. A couple of really good football games are on.
Hola
At least 3/4s of this was easier than most Saturdays, but the NW threw me off completely and I finally just came here to finish it. I should have guessed AGATE but was unsure of it and I ran out of STEAM to continue.
So, CHAR is not just burn. Interesting, but I don't know if I can recall it later. I haven't used my personal crossword dictionary in many years, but judging by the new constructors' agenda, I may have to resuscitate it.
No LOOSENESS in this puzzle. It was tight as a DRUM though I had not heard of a TAIKODRUM nor the players. Research required.
I recognized Kaaba and immediately filled MECCA. It is often in the News. Sometimes the crush of humanity results in the death of many.
I don't understand how DAMPS is checks. Anyone?
Have super Saturday, everyone! I wish I could show you the latest photo book of our trip that one of our fellow travelers did. She does a beautiful job!
Many thanks to Jenna LaFleur and Husker Gary!
@AnonymousPVX - Gee what a surprise. Another attack on the editor. It's a broken record and feels personal.
I also struggled with a lot of the entries today, but it was obvious that much effort was put in by the constructor and editor (and Gary). Thanks, all.
Hand up this was extremely difficult. Hand up NW the toughest. Stuck a long time with RIB for POKE and REVS for SPEEDS. Utterly unknown ADAPTATION finally seemed the best WAG. Amazed to FIR.
I do know TAIKO DRUM, but not as clued. I have been to some big performances.
Here is my video of two TAIKO DRUM performances at our Asian American Festival here in Santa Barbara last year.
My favorite is the second one (second half) with its dancing movements.
From Tuesday:
Thank you for the additional comments about my SWING BRIDGE video of Merlie in Madagascar and of me and my Canadian friends on the Capilano Bridge.
Alas it was not to be. I walked away after getting about 1/2 of it awhile and when I got back Teri had fill 3/4 of the remaining clues, but that NW Corner was still staring me in the face. Nevertheless thank you Jenna for the challenge. Be sure and take care of that Figgy FIRBALL -- she looks like a cozy cat.
Thanks for the excellent expo Husker. Unlike you when I TITT the NW was still staring me in the face. My demise was having POP CAVIAR for RAP CAVIAR and shoulda remembered that they're not really the same genre. As soon as I saw the grid I realized that I knew all the rest.
Favs ...
1A/D CRASS & CHAR never surfaced.
17A AGATE. I knew AGATE, but not as paint chips.
42A ENDOSKELETON. This only took a few perps to give me the support I needed to fill it.
3D ADAPTATION. I didn't know this but somehow sussed it from the clue with only a perp or two.
4D SITCOM. Wanted ROMCOM.
6D. COSI. "Così fan tutte" -- "They All Do It" ("They" being women!). At least I got this one right away. Here's the overture. Oh, it took awhile but I finally did find Wolfie's name.
... and lots of other clues that Teri filled.
Cheers,
Bill
Too hard for me.
This one came from a different universe than the one I live in. DNF, not even close. Finally TITT, after all the fun was sucked dry. Oh, well, tomorrow is another day, as Scarlett said.
Husker Gary helps us navigate a tough Saturday LaFleur PZL...
I recall a wonderful summer living in a home we rented on FLA's Siesta Key, just off Sarasota.
I went swimming every day right out my back door! Glorious!
Our Old English Sheep Dog went swimming too.
He loved it, but that long hair got so tangled, I had to have the vet shave him at the end of the season.
Then we had to keep him inside for several days--to avoid sunburn!
A great CHAR photo, HG! Is that for real?
~ OMK
____________
DR: Four diagonals, three on the far side.
The near diagonal's anagram (13 of 15) seems a bit of an over-reaction, as when the unit owners in a tightly knit HOA (Home Owners Association) take offense at another unasked-for new rule over fence height or paint color or dog walking curfews.
An over-reaction? You be the judge...
"CONDO MASSACRE"!
Hand up for TITT in the NW. Turns out that Detroit BLING in not a thing.
Thanks to Jenna for her puzzle. She must be an amazing solver to finish so high up in that tournament. Wow!
Thanks to H-Gary for being here. I always feel better after reading your reviews.
My friend Loreen has played TAIKO DRUMs for years. Her group plays along the route of the Big Sur marathon every year. Runners gratefully absorb their energy!
Thank you, inanehiker@10:10, for sharing your expertise!
OMK @ 4:17 PM That's a pretty severe punishment for violating a dog walking curfew!
Back to the blog after spending a beautiful fall day working in the yard. It was interrupted by long stretches of watching college football games and the baseball playoffs. What's not to like about a day spent like that?
Even though I am a member of the animal kingdom endoskeletons, my immediate thought upon reading the clue was towards skyscraper construction.
Interesting to read that Bulgarians shake their head for yes, and nod for no. I never knew that until Gary's review. My across-the-street neighbor for over ten years was a wonderfully kind young Bulgarian immigrant woman who also shared a passion for gardening. She occasionally grilled some kind of Bulgarian sausage that made my mouth water just from the aroma wafting through the air as it cooked on the grill.
Checks to DAMPS, I thought of hydraulic flow controls, and forced air heating/controlling systems.
Nicolas Cage's dramedy? For the longest time, I had temPTATION instead of ADAPTATION. I had no idea, but it wasn't going to work with the adjacent SITCOMS and STEAMY. ADA instead of tem the broke the NW logjam.
#12 OKLA upset #3 TEX in the annual Red River rivalry game today. To many it is just a football game, but to the fervently faithful fans, the result today was either exhilarating or devastating.
ENGINE ROOM for shipping center took a minute to understand, and was mostly solved by perps.
sumdaze, my initial thought was Detroit crome, but I rejected it as soon as I thought about the spelling, and TAIKO was all perps for me.
Hi All!
WEES re: NW. Oy! And I kept looking for something on the periodic table re: Snow White :-(
Late to The Corner 'cuz Youngest is home from UT. She needed comfort food so I built her Red Beans & Rice last night and a beef stew today.
Oh, and since she could care less about football, BOOMER SOONER!
Also, Go 'Stros over the Twins in game one.
I know of Fancy Like 'cuz of Pat Finnerty pan'in' the hell(ck) out it (TV-MA-L).
//it's late enough to post that, eh?
Enjoyed reading y'all today and learning about vax timing. I got Flu & C20 boosters two weeks ago & first Shingles last Sunday. Bring it on your little viri!
Cheers, -T
Picard @ 1:30 == That second set of taiko drumers was stunning, not only for the dancing, but also their joy in performing. Thank you!
Picard
Thank you for posting those drummers! That is fantastic! I forgot to watch it this morning when I posted and just now remembered to do so. I can only imagine what it's like to watch them in person with all that tremendous energy they exert.
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