Once, Twice, Three times ...
18-Across. "So tasty!": NOM NOM NOM.
20-Across. Disco hit with the repeated lyric "How do you like it?": MORE MORE MORE.
36-Across. Dance syllables: CHA CHA CHA.
54-Across. "Exactly right!": DING DING DING.
58-Across. "Wait for it": DOT DOT DOT. ...
And a bonus theme clue:
1-Across. Three, so they say: CROWD. Two is company, but Three's a crowd, Four is too many, and Five's not allowed. This made me think of the 1970s sit-com, Three's Company, which starred Suzanne Somers (née Suzanne Marie Mahoney; Oct. 16, 1946 ~ Oct. 15, 2023), who died just a few days ago.
Across:
6. "You're a riot": HA HA!
10. Monterey __ cheese: JACK. Yummers! Everything you
wanted to know about Monterey Jack cheese, but didn't know to ask. I like the pepper jack version
of this cheese. [Name adjacent.]
14. Prying tool: LEVER.
15. Pizazz: ELAN. This word has become a crossword staple.
16. Not pro: ANTI.
17. Mimic's talent: APERY.
22. Naval initials: USS. USS = United States Ship. The abbreviation is used in official documents to identify a
commissioned ship of the Navy. It applies to a ship while it is in
commission. Ever wonder how ships got named?
23. French agreement: OUI. Today's French lesson.
24. Polite child's reply: YES, MOM.
28. Bit of plastic foam packing material: PEANUT.
30. Soviet news agency: TASS.
32. Director DuVernay: AVA. // Not to be confused with
45-Across Green who played Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale": EVA.
Ava Marie DuVernay (b. Aug. 24, 1972) is an American film maker.
She is probably best known for her films Selma, about Martin
Luther King, Jr.; and A Wrinkle in Time. Eva Gaëlle Green
(b. July 6, 1980) is a French actress who appeared in the 2006 Bond
film. [Names # 1 and 2.]
|
| Ava DuVernay |
|
| Eva Green |
33. Crisis unit: SWAT TEAM.
35. Sink-cleaning brand: AJAX.
39. Roll up, as a flag: FURL. Unfurl is a far
more common word than its opposite, furl, which means "roll or
fold." Did you know that the origin of the word comes from the
French ferler?
42. Volatile types: HOT HEADS.
46. Slender woodwind: OBOE.
48. "Earthsea" series writer __ K. Le Guin: URSULA. Ursula
K. Le Guin (né Ursula Kroeber; Oct. 21, 1929 ~ Jan. 22, 2018) was an American
author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science
fiction and the Earthsea fantasy series. Ursula is not
a name you hear often. [Name # 3.]
50. Big name in pianos and motorcycles: YAMAHA. Everything
you wanted to know about Yamaha but didn't know to ask.
52. Army fare, briefly: MRE. MRE = Meals Ready to Eat.
53. Baseball great Hodges inducted into the Hall of Fame in
2022: GIL. Gilbert Ray Hodges (Apr. 4, 1924 ~ Apr. 2, 1972)
had a long career with the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers. Sadly, he
died young of a heart attach just 2 days before his 48th birthday. He
was formally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2022, 50 years
after his death. Little known fact: When he was born, his surname
was Hodge. At sometime in the 1930, his family added an "s" to the end
of their name. [Name # 4.]
61. New wave band __ Boingo: OINGO. Apparently this band was
active in the 1980s and early '90s. I don't remember it. [Name #
5.]
62. In that case: IF SO.
63. Sunup direction: EAST.
64. ATM key: ENTER.
65. Überfan: STAN. Hand up if you knew this one.
Apparently Stan is defined as a maniacally obsessive fan of a celebrity, particularly
one whose fixation with the celebrity is unhealthy or intrusive. Thank
goodness for the perps.
66. Sazerac spirits: RYES. Yummers. Sazerac is
the official cocktail of New Orleans. In 2008, the Louisiana Legislature enacted La. R.S. 33:1420.2, which
proclaimed the Sazerac the official cocktail of New Orleans: "There
shall be an official cocktail of the city of New Orleans. The official
New Orleans cocktail shall be the Sazerac. The Sazerac, created in the
nineteenth century by Antoine Amedee Peychaud in the French Quarter of New
Orleans, is world known for the use of a local product known as 'Peychaud's
Bitters'. Its use on official documents of the city of New Orleans and
with the insignia of the city of New Orleans is hereby authorized." Good
to know our lawmakers are looking out for its citizens.
67. Retail outlet: STORE.
Down:
1. Refuse to answer questions: CLAM UP.
2. Takes a rest: REPOSES.
3. Supervised: OVERSAW.
4. "Where __ we?": WERE.
5. Sign of dehydration: DRY MOUTH.
6. Painter Matisse: HENRI. French artist Henri Matisse (né
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse; Dec. 31, 1869 ~ Nov. 3, 1954) was a printmaker and
sculptor as well as a painter. He is best known for being an
impressionism and post-impressionism. Click here to see some of his most well-known paintings. [Name # 6.]
7. Natural balm: ALOE. A crossword staple.
8. Soccer legend Mia: HAMM. Mariel Margaret Hamm (b. March
17, 1972) is a former professional soccer player. She also led three
Olympic Games: 1996 in Atlanta, 2002 in Sydney, Australia, and 2004 in Athens,
Greece. She also competed in four FIFA Women's World Cups: 1991 in
China, 1995 in Sweden, and two in the United States (1999 and 2003). She
also makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. [Name #
7.]
9. Drives bonkers: ANNOYS.
10. LeBron who broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record in
2023: JAMES. Both LeBron James (né LeBron Raymone James; b.
Dec. 30, 1984) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (né Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.; b.
Apr. 16, 1947) played for the Los Angeles Lakers, although LeBron has also
played for Cleveland and Miami as well. Kareem started his professional
career with the Milwaukee Bucks. [Names # 8 and 9.]
11. Novelist Patchett: ANN. Ann Patchett (b. Dec. 2, 1963)
makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. Her most
recent novel is Tom Lake. [Name # 10.]
12. Exec who's good at networking?: CTO. CTO = Chief Technology Officer.
13. Crime-fighting teen toon __ Possible: KIM. Kim Possible,
an obvious pun on Impossible, looks like an average high-school cheerleader,
but in her spare time, she saves the world from supervillains. [Name #
11, fictional.]
19. Mine yields: ORES. Another crossword staple.
21. "Straight __ Compton": OUTTA. Straight Outta Compton was a 2015 film.
25. Capt.'s boss: MAJ. The Major oversees (3-Down) the
Captain.
26. Egg cells: OVA.
27. Tops: MAX.
29. Table salt, to a chemist: NaCl. Also known as Sodium
Chloride.
30. Chevy model that shares a name with a lake: TAHOE.
|
| A Tahoe in the Tahoe, perhaps? |
31. Amo, amas, __: AMAT. Today's Latin Lesson
34. Sound in an empty hallway: ECHO.
35. Penlight batteries: AAAs.
37. Device for making butter: CHURN.
38. "Wish me luck!": HERE GOES.
39. Writer/actress Tina who graduated from 40-Down: FEY.
Hand up if you knew that Tina Fey (née Elizabeth Stamatina Fey; b, May
18, 1970) graduated from the University of Virginia. [Name # 12.]
40. Charlottesville sch.: UVA.
41. Aries animal: RAM.
43. Explored deeply: DUG INTO.
44. Burger preparer, in diner slang: SLINGER.
46. State on Lake Erie: OHIO.
47. Friendly back-and-forth: BANTER.
49. Dick Cheney's predecessor: AL GORE. Dick Cheney (né
Richard Bruce Cheney; b. Jan 30, 1941) was the 46th Vice President of the
United States. He served in that Office from January 2001 to January
2009. Al Gore (né Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.; b. Mar. 31, 1948) was the
45th Vice President and served from January 1993 until January 2001.
[Names # 13 and 14.]
51. Optional feature: ADD ON.
52. Fielding gloves: MITTS.
55. Aussie mate-ing call?: G'DAY. Hi, Kazie!
56. Two tablets, maybe: DOSE.
57. By __ of: due to: DINT.
58. Put down: DIS.
59. Over and again, in poetry: OFT.
60. LAX agency that's not lax about safety: TSA. TSA
= Transportation Security Agency.
And Here's the Grid:
חתולה
With the three repeating words in each themed entry, this puzzle was almost laughably easy. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteBefore seeing the three-peat theme, tried a DRY COUGH. Easily fixed. Also needed to fix the center letter of CTO. Recognized GIL Hodges -- you know the ball player is an old timer when d-o recognizes his name. (Lucille Ball also explained why some people added an S to her last name.) Thanx for the easy romp, Samuel, and for the well-illustrated tour, Hahtoolah. (Methinks you meant 2018 for Ursula.)
This solve went zip zip zip with the repeating theme.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of ANN Patchett, trying to find time to read her new book but, with trying to finish my book club books each month, it is still on my list. If you're in Nashville, stop by her bookstore Parnassas Books.
If you're in the US Army or Air Force the Capt's immediate boss is a MAJor - but if you're in the US Navy, the Capt's boss is a General
Thanks Susan for the amusing blog and Samuel for the puzzle!
Inanehiker, would you like to try for Admiral as the Captain's boss?
DeleteGenerals are in the Army.
FIR, but erased kid for KIM and dig for DIS.
ReplyDeleteToday is
NATIONAL FOOD DAY (in Victorian England, wages were evaluated using pounds of bread purchasable per day of labor.)
NATIONAL BOLOGNA DAY (not to be confused with food)
I remember EVA Green more from The Dreamers. Quirky film set in Paris in the lead-up to the 1968 riots. In the film EVA bathes regularly (for a French woman) with her brother, mates with Michael Pitt, and is butt nekkid for a lot of the film. Ironically, I spent a week in a Paris college dorm right after the 1968 riots. There was still a lot of anti-American graffiti there, including “JOHNSON – MURDERER OF KENNEDY” painted in huge letters (in English) on a netless tennis court. I still have a picture of that somewhere around here. (The dorm also featured a beer vending machine, much like our dorms have soda machines. I didn’t drink beer in those days, something I have often rued.)
How was Hodges just inducted into the HOF? He started with the Dodgers before I was born. I thought you only had a set number of years after retirement to be elected. Now I’ll bet that Pete Rose is inducted posthumously.
A couple of years ago, we had a neighbor who had a great license plate for our area:
NACLYK9
SALT-Y DOG
FLN – Sumdaze, I wasn’t trying to be snarky, I just think that it is often the mundane things that make such a trip memorable. When I was in scouting I completed three 50-mile trips, one on foot, one by bicycle and one by canoe. I don’t remember the historical markers and monuments that were brought to our attention, but I do remember many silly things we did and the sights that were ordinary for the people who lived in the area but were memorable to us town kids. Had our travels been in the area where you cycled, I would have remembered the gas sign with its price in liters (and maybe the huge propANE tank beside it.)
Thanks to Sam Donaldson for taking time off from covering the White House to produce another fun, easy puzzle. And thanks to Ha2la for another colorful Tuesday special.
Inanehiker, let's blame it on Otto Correct. In the Navy (fade up the Village People hit,) a Capt's boss is an ADMiral. A Rear ADMiral - Lower Half, to be specific.
ReplyDeleteTook 4:51 today for me to have fun, fun, fun.
ReplyDeleteBasically, other than Tina Fey & Mia Hamm, I didn't know any of the women today (Ava, Eva, Kim, the novelist, or the series writer).
For parity, I also didn't know Gil.
@Jinx - thanks for the correction - more a result of morning head fog than auto-correct!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, Crossword friends. This was one of the easier Tuesday puzzled. Once a the three-peats were in place the puzzle nearly completed itself.
ReplyDeleteHiker: I have read some of Ann Patchett's books, but not her latest. I know what you mean about fitting in reading that isn't for a book club. I belong to too many book clubs and not enough time to read.
QOD: Time is free, but it’s priceless. ~ Harvey MacKay (b. Oct. 24, 1932), American businessman, author, and syndicated columnist
FIR. The theme was easy and helped with the solve, especially with "dint", which I've never heard of.
ReplyDeleteAgain today's puzzle had far too many proper names for my liking. Luckily, the perps came to the rescue.
ReplyDeleteShoulda been easy like WEES cuz of the repetitious clue answers but the SE was BADBADBAD. Just one letter, the T in STAN, got in the way. I stubbornly stuck to “oer” for OPT
Inkover: aping/APERY
We just sorta recently had HOTHEADS, MITTS,
Sound…..ANNOYS
Takes another picture….REPOSES
ANTI mosquito brigade….SWATTEAM
Zoo primate house ….APERY
A type of rhythm….. ALGORE
That?….Sam Donaldson
Here’s a blurb on the law perfesser
”Professor Donaldson is also an amateur crossword puzzle constructor. His puzzles have been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other outlets. A perennial contender for People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive honor, Professor Donaldson was recently notified by high-level Nigerian business officials of his selection to receive substantial sums of money in exchange for his bank account information. “
ReplyDeleteThank You Sam Donaldson ( a name famous for a White House Correspondent, of yesteryear ? Thank You Jinx ! )... for a very nice and very easy puzzle ... now, two days in a row !
Thank You Hah2lah, for your tongue in cheek jokes, and cat cartoons...
The Oboe/OBE joke will be understood by those who are familiar with the British system of awarding honors/honours ... Hi, Canadian Eh!. OBE is Order of the British Empire ... neither the empire , nor the medal exists anymore, ... I think...
When I came across Nom, Nom, Nom and More, More,More and Cha, Cha, Cha .... I thought I was horribly wrong somewhere, but when I found it appeared to be correct ... I just plunged on.
LeBron James, started in Akron, Ohio in a catholic school.
My first thought for Capt's boss, was Comm(odore -) , who is the junior to the various Admiral ranks...
State on Lake Erie- .... disastrous, would not fit... (heh, heh ).
Have a great week, all you folks.
Musings
ReplyDelete-The Beach Boys came to my mind as this puzzle was FUN, FUN, FUN
-Archimedes: “Give me a LEVER long enough and a fulcrum on which to rest it and I shall move the world.”
-I better remember URSULA Andress and her Dr. No swimwear
-STAN had to be and so I accepted it but needed Susan’s explanation
-CLAM UP: We always had the right but the Miranda Law made us more aware of it
-I've heard of a hash SLINGER and a burger flipper
-Will the real Sam Donaldson plese stand up?
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteFun, fast puzzle by the soon to be rich (I've should have replied to that Nigerian Prince!) Sam. Thanks Prof.
And thank you Hahtoolah for the LOL expo. We were in NOLA over the weekend and DW kept ordering Sazerac while I just had a beer; she wins (again).
WO: HENRy
ESPs: ANN, EVA, AVA
Fav: OINGO Boingo [Weird Science]. After their "Pop" career, they did lots of movie music.
Things and stuff to do. Play later.
Cheers!, -T
This CW n was not as easy for me as for others. When I got to CHA CHA CHA, I went back and entered what was a little meaningless to me.
ReplyDeleteThe AVA EVA quandary often gives me pause. At least I knew most of the names, so no problem there. I too am a big fan of ANN Patchett. Her latest Tom Lake does not disappoint. I highly recommend finding time to read it.
Thank you Hahtoolah for thé as always informative, I.e. Sazerac “law”, and the fun cartoons, I especially like the last one about the air and space museum.
You all might have seen on the news the horrific car pile up north of New Orleans caused by super fog. The last few days here we wake up to extremely low visibility which usually clears by 9:00am.
Hi Y'all! A fun & fast puzzle, thanks, Sam. Great fun expo, thanks, Hahtoolah! So glad you were not visiting overseas in this troubled time.
ReplyDeleteI tried NuM instead of NOM, NuM is what I would say.
My last fill and only red-letter run was the "V" in UVA/EVA cross.
Reading the expo, I found I had never read the clues but the perps had filled several words I didn't know: OINGO, STAN, KIM.
FIR. Got the theme very quickly with MOREMOREMORE. Cute idea.
ReplyDeleteKnew all the proper names in the puzzle today. Misspelled URSiLA until I DUGINTO it. Agree with Gary that burger preparer is a flipper. Did that once in my life at Harvey's Hamburgers, one of the original 50 cent meal fast food places. Can you believe, 20 cent burger, 15 cent fries and 15 cent soda???
Ursula K. Le Guin's biggest book was "The LEFT Hand of Darkness, published in 1969.
Props to Mr Donaldson for his triple threat and to H2LH for their fine execution of today's repast.
All dogs go to heaven. (As they should)
Bon apres-midi
Meh, Meh, Meh...
ReplyDelete(Maybe because I'm not feeling well)
But what good is a puzzle where 2 thirds of the themers repeat themselves?
Ursula was a no brainer for this sci-fi Uber fan...
(And don't you dare call me Stan!)
I dunno, maybe this is just a sore subject for me...
Hmm,
ReplyDeleteHG is right...
It IS burger "flipper" and hash "slinger."
I know because of the Sponge Bob episode, "The Hash Slinging Slasher..."
just in time for Halloweeen...
No issues today. A fast fun finish. Surprisingly, most of the names were familiar to me, and those that weren't WAGged nicely. Amazing how easy a crossword can be when one knows the answers!
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteI solved this puzzle at about 6:30 this morning but then returned to bed and slept some MORE.
The repetitiveness of course makes the fill easy so it did not take long to finish.
I saw the biography of EVA DuVernay on PBS.
The main thing I remember about OHIO is the humidity! Oh, and it's very green.
I'll have to look for ANN Patchett's latest book. Thank you for mentioning it.
Later. Have a wonderful day, everyone!
WEES, a nice easy low-stress Tuesday CW, made easier by the three word theme clues. DNK STAN or SAZERAC. FIR in about average Tuesday time. Thanx SAD, for the fun. Thanx Hahtoolah for the, as always, terrific write-up. Holy crap, I turn 79 today!! What happened to 29?? I liked that much better!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday UncleFred!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday 🎊🎉 Uncle Fred. Yes to be 29 again and know what you now know.
ReplyDeleteG'DAY! I liked Samuel's quick & quirky puzzle. Hahtoolah pulled out several interesting links (ship naming, Yamaha is the same company(?!), 10 Matisse Paintings). Thanks to you both!
ReplyDeleteI used to have an elderly aunt who claimed she knew Jack from Monterey. She said he traded his cheese for milk from her dad's dairy.
I used to own some of OINGO BOINGO's music. If you are unfamiliar with them, you probably know their front man, Danny Elfman. He has brilliantly scored many successful movies. One of my FAVs was his work on "Alice in Wonderland". Lately he has made headlines in a bad way.
Jinx@7:19. I hear ya!
Happy #79 to unclefred!!!
Thank you Charlie Echo,
ReplyDeleteStalker+fan, now it makes some sort of sense...
happy birthday Fred...
Happy birthday, uncle Fred!
ReplyDeleteCSO to my late brother, Fred, who died too young.
Enjoyed the triples theme. The area around unknown GIL slowed me. Hand up STAN is weird, but we have seen it here before. FIR.
ReplyDeleteHere DW Merlie posed with one of the USS Enterprise models used in filming Star Trek.
This was at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. In Star Trek, USS stood for United Space Ship, but it was clearly meant to evoke the familiar meaning.
From Sunday:
Charlie Echo, Michael Thank you for the kind words about my Coast Guard Cutter BlackFIN photos. Not a USS but a CGC.
PK Thanks for your further comments about WHOOPING CRANES.
Took 79 years for our dear unclefred to be here today.
ReplyDeleteMay your birthday be free of circles.
-Anonymous @ 7:44 a.m.
HBDTY, U. Fred!
ReplyDeleteHahtoolah does her usual terrific job introducing the XWD, this one by Donaldson...
ReplyDeleteEZ PZ, especially because of the several threepeat fills.
I've wondered whether the YAMAHA who makes both products is the same company. Thanks,Hahtoolah, for the link that answers my wondering mind!
~ OMK
____________
DR: Two diagonals, one per side.
The near diag's anagram (12 of 15) is possibly what someone shouts when seeing a deranged person coming near...
"EE! TETCHED ONE!!"
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Samuel and Hahtoolah.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time, aided by the triple word theme. (Great catch on CROWD Easter Egg.)
Several inkblots to change YES Sir to MOM, OUT Of to OUTTA, HMS to USS (I was still in yesterdays Brit mode).
Plenty of unknown names, but perps filled them.
I WAGged OINGO as a repeat of Boingo.
Hand up for not knowing STAN, plus I wanted DIS to have a double S. I came here to confirm that area.
We had HOT HEAD the other day (plus it was a Jeopardy answer yesterday).
I noted AVA crossing EVA (plus EVA as Hahtoolah noted).
I finally remembered MRE.
Happy Birthday unclefred.
Wishing you all a great day.
I liked this puzzle a lot, as well as Hahtoolah's offering.
ReplyDeleteYep, STAN was strange for many solvers,CanadianEh!
ReplyDeleteBut I am used to seeing the one-"s" DIS.
~ OMK
Greetings! Late to the party - busy day today - company coming tomorrow.
ReplyDeletePretty easy to catch on to the theme once any part of it revealed itself. Thanks, Samuel for the fun.
Guessed wrong on the vowel: FaY -> FEY crossing the unknown EVA.
ESP: STAN and KIM.
WO: OUT of -> OUTTA
Thanks, Hah2lah, you make Tuesdays special with your recaps. Today especially, I needed your DOSE of fun.
Just catching up on the posts, so I am glad to ADD ON to your Birthday Greetings, Uncle Fred, and wish you happiness & good cheer on your special day.
ReplyDeleteAch! I meant AVA crossing OVA (plus EVA crossing UVA that Pk noted).
ReplyDeleteThanks Vidwan. I was remiss in not thanking Hahtoolah for the OBOE cartoon. “Honours List” gave away the British context.
As Picard said, we've had STAN before.
ReplyDeleteI looked it up the last time. A popular singer songwriter from St Josephs, MO named Marshall Mathers wrote a song about an obsessive fan named Stan who became violent when his emails to his idol weren't responded to by the singer.
In the lyrics, the fan kills his girlfriend and then commits suicide. Those parts were bogus.
In Real Life (IRL), the emails were true. The singer songwriter received deranged email from an obsessed fan. The song became a hit song for the singer songwriter and younger generation at the time, circa 2000.
The singer songwriter goes by the stage name of Eminem.
STAN is defined as a fan with obsessive and dangerous intentions. The term STAN was added to the OED shortly after the song struck significant resonance with the younger generation.
Happy Birthday, Uncle Fred! May you have a healthy & enjoyable journey thru your 80th year.
ReplyDelete