Swingers: The word Swing can be placed before the first word of each theme answer to swing the phrase into an
entirely new concept.
OR
17-Across. * Capital letter creator: SHIFT KEY. Swing Shift. The Swing Shift is a work shift that occurs between the day and night shifts, typically from about 4:00 pm to Midnight. It is called the Swing Shift because is is between day and night. It was also the name of a 1984 rom-com movie that starred Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.
25-Across. * Group that plays in foursomes: BRIDGE CLUB. Swing Bridge
36-Across. * Say something that doesn't need to be said: STATE THE OBVIOUS. Swing State We'll probably be hearing a lot about Swing State in the coming year. A Swing State is defined as a US State where the two major political parties have similar levels of support among voters, thus it is viewed as critical in determining the overall result of a presidential election.
44-Across. * Classic Motown hit about a wedding ring: BAND OF GOLD. Swing Band. Instead of the Motown hit, I'll give you some swing from Brian Setzer.
And now for the unifier:
55-Across. Playground fixture, or an apt description of the beginnings of the starred clues: SWING SET.
Across:
1. Humble home: HUT.
4. Guest speaker's platform: DAIS. I thought I knew what a
Dais was, but apparently I was confusing it with a Podium. Did you know
the difference?
8. One of Santa's reindeer: DASHER. After getting the "D"
and "ER" in place, I had several choices: Dasher, Dancer or Donner, as
per the song Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. But did you
know that in the original 1823 poem we now know as "Twas the Night Before
Christmas", the reindeer names were: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet and
Cupid, Dunder and Blixem. The final two names were changed in 1949. [Name # 1, fictional.]
14. Sense of self: EGO.
15. Labor agcy.: OSHA. As in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
16. Protect in glass, say: ENCASE.
19. Legendary Kentucky basketball coach Rupp: ADOLPH. Since
very few people are named Adolph these days, his name alone indicates that he
did not coach recently. Adolph Fredrick Rupp (Sept. 2, 1901 ~ Dec. 10, 1977) played basketball for the University of
Kansas in the early 1920s. After coaching high school basketball for a
few years, he moved to the University of Kentucky, where he coached the game
for over 40 years. [Name # 2, real person.]
20. __ Angeles Guitar Quartet: LOS. Everything you wanted to
know about the LAQG but
didn't know to ask. [Name adjacent.]
21. "Now I get it!": AHA!
23. Ma's ma: NANA. The most popular names for Grandmother by State.
24. Bygone Russian space station: MIR. This Russian space
station orbited the earth from 1986 until 2001.
28. Danced to "La cumparsita," say: TANGOED. The musical
piece was written in early 1916 by an 18-year old architecture student
Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez (Mar. 18, 1897 ~ Apr. 25, 1948).
The title of the piece means Little parade. Although
the piece is not a Tuesday-level clue, Tango was the first thing that popped
into my brain.
30. Chip's partner: DALE. Chip and Dale are chipmunk cartoon characters. They are named in reference to the 18th century furniture maker, Thomas Chippendale
(1718-1779). [Name # 3, fictional.]
31. Bullion bars: INGOTS. This word has been in the news
recently.
32. Raison d'__: ÊTRE. Today's French lesson.
33. Singer Sumac: YMA. We haven't see Ms. Sumac in quite a
while. She used to appear with some frequency. Her full name
was Zoila Emperatriz Chávarri Castillo (Sept. 13, 1922 ~ Nov. 1, 2008).
No wonder she went by Yma. Her stage name means How Beautiful in
Quechua language, which is spoken by the indigenous people of Peru.
[Name # 4, real person.]
39. Head cover: HAT.
40. Peek: LOOK.
41. Duration: LENGTH.
42. Bravo preceder: ALFA. A reference to the NATO phonetic
alphabet.
43. Able to feel: SENSATE.
48. Covert __: OPS.
49. "This seems bad!": UH, OH!
50. NBA legend Ming: YAO. At 7-feet, 5-inches, Yao Ming (b. 12, 1980) had to become a basketball player. After playing
basketball for the Shanghai Sharks for several years, he was drafted by the
Houston Rockets, where he played for nearly a decade. His wife, Ye Li,
is over 6 feet tall, and played professional basketball in China women's
national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. [Name #5, real
person.]
51. "It's __-win situation": A NO.
52. Walks leisurely: MOSEYS.
59. Christie sleuth Hercule: POIROT. Agatha Christie (née
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller; Sept. 15, 1890 ~ Jan. 12, 1976) created the
fictional Belgian detective Hercule Poirot 1920, when he appeared in her first
published novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. He was so
popular that he appeared in 33 of Christie's novels and many more short
stories. [Name # 6, real person and Name # 7, fictional.]
60. Panache: ELAN.
61. Corn serving: EAR.
62. Burnout cause: STRESS.
63. "Auld Lang __": SYNE. Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind? Why is this song sung on New Year's Eve?
64. Oinker's pen: STY.
Down:
1. Steers and rams: HEs. Male cattle and sheep.
2. Cry of disgust: UGH!
3. Working hard on: TOILING AT.
4. Morse Code components: DOTS. and Dashes.
5. All one has to do, sometimes: ASK.
6. "Rumor has it ... ": I HEARD ...
7. Be friendly, in a way: SAY, "HI."
8. Narc's org.: DEA. DEA = Drug Enforcement Administration.
9. Plus: AND.
10. Wall-mounted light: SCONCE.
11. Prepared in accordance with Muslim law: HALAL.
12. College sports channel: ESPNU.
13. Post-injury regimen: REHAB.
18. Had a memory lapse: FORGOT.
22. Supplement: ADD TO.
24. __ ray: tropical swimmer: MANTA.
25. Most well-to-do: BEST OFF. Richest also fits
into the spaces provided.
26. Difficult to understand: GARBLED.
27. Vegas natural: ELEVEN. Everything you wanted to know
about the Game of Craps.
28. Mrs. Addams, to Gomez: TISH. The Addams Family is a fictional cartoon family that was created by Charles Samuel Addams
(Jan. 7, 1912 ~ Sept. 29, 1988). He was known for his darkly humorous
and macabre characters, signing the cartoons as Chas Addams. The Addams
Family was a television show that ran for only 2 years in the mid-1960s.
It was also adapted into a 1991 movie. [Name # 8, fictional.]
29. Verdi opera with Desdemona and Iago: OTELLO. Giuseppe
Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813 ~ Jan. 27, 1910) was an Italian
composer best known for writing operas. Otello is one of his best known
operas. You can read a summary of the Opera here. [Name # 9, real, Names # 10 and 11, fictional.]
32. "A mouse!": EEK!
33. Asanas: YOGA POSES.
34. Mixed breeds: MUTTS.
35. Tennis legend Arthur: ASHE. Arthur Ashe (né Arthur
Robert Ashe, Jr.; July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) makes frequent appearances in
the puzzles. [Name # 12, real person.]
37. Composer Carmichael: HOAGY. Did you know that in
addition to being a composer and musician, Hoagy Carmichael (né Hoagland Howard Carmichael; Nov. 22, 1899 ~ Dec. 27, 1981) briefly
practiced law. [Name # 13, real person.]
38. Joyous way to break out: IN SONG.
42. Cling (to): ADHERE.
43. __ but surely: SLOWLY.
44. Speed deterrents: BUMPS.
45. Give __: care: A HOOT.
46. Polite denial: NO, SIR.
47. Fertile desert spots: OASES.
51. "The Accidental Tourist" novelist Tyler: ANNE. Anne
Tyler (b. Oct. 25, 1941) is a prolific writer. She has published 24
novels and is best known for The Accidental Tourist and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, both of which were
adapted into movie versions. [Name # 14, real person.]
53. Some "Rocky" dialogue: YOs. [Name # 15, fictional.]
54. GPS lines: STS. As in Streets.
56. Actor McKellen: IAN. That's Sir Ian McKellen (né Ian
Murray McKellen; b. May 25, 1939), to you. He performs on the state and
in movies. [Name # 15, real person.]
57. "Mangia!": EAT. Today's Italian lesson.
58. Give it a go: TRY.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
38 comments:
This puzzle didn’t seem very difficult. In fact, in some ways it was easier than yesterday’s. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but erased win for A NO, add for AND, and a darn for A HOOT.
Today is:
WORLD TEMPERANCE DAY (I’ll drink to that)
NATIONAL BOYFRIEND DAY (if a boyfriend says something in a forest and his girlfriend can’t hear, is he still wrong?)
NATIONAL FRUIT AT WORK DAY (coworkers will steal the apples and pears and leave the grapes)
NATIONAL TECHIES DAY (celebrating all of us who work or have worked as tech professionals)
Didja read Ha2la's link for DAIS? What in the wide wide world of sports was the author trying to say?
ADOLPH was autofill for me. He was a great coach and a terrible bigot. He retired when it became clear that he would have to integrate the team. I lived in the same UK dorm as the freshman team basketball (mixed race) players when it happened. (In those days, freshmen were ineligible for the varsity team.) The word from the gym was that Joe B. Hall had been running the team for years anyway, and that Rupp wouldn't be missed. Hall went on to win one NCAA championship, compared to Rupp's six.
MUTTS tend to be the healthiest dogs due to genetic diversity.
I remember Stray Cats (and their iconic Stray Cat Strut, but I confuse Brian Setzer with the ousted CNN celebrity Brian Stelter, who never met a doughnut he didn't like.
CSO to Bayou Tony's favorite ride, an ALFA.
Thanks to Bill for the fun puzzle, and to Ha2la for another interesting, colorful review.
Good morning!
Zipped right through this one, faster than yesterday. Oops, guess who forgot to look for the theme? When I was a kid, we had the Gene Autry 78 of "Rudolph." HOAGY is probably best remembered as the composer of Stardust. Thanx, Bill and Hahtoolah. (I did know Podium/Dais difference. Podium is easier to pronounce.)
6:10 today was my TIME.
Glad to see SubG back in the pole position, and happy.
Missed the theme, lots of proper names, an unknown writer ... a usual puzzle experience for me (although I don't remember there being an actress today?).
Didn't know Hoagy, Yma, Anne, and a few others.
Jury duty awaits.
FIR. Seemed fairly easy today. Finished it in record time. Only stumbling block for me was Adolph; never heard of him. Perps came to the rescue. Another proper name where it doesn't belong. Ugh!
Good Morning, Crossword friends.
Jinx: After Brian Setzer left Stray Cats, he moved on to the Brian Setzer Orchestra, which is considered a swing "revival" band.
QOD: There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise. ~ Gore Vidal (né Eugene Louis Gore Vidal; Oct. 3, 1925 ~ July 31, 2012), American writer
Bill has presented us with a fine puzzle effort. FIR. No real troubles. The only mislead for me was wanting dips for Chip's partner.
Thanks to Hahtoolah for the swell recap.
B'bye
Thank You Bill Thompson for a relatively easy Tuesday puzzle. Enjoyed it, very much.
Thank You Hahtoolah, for your witty writing and cartoonish-information ... which I learn a lot from. Always something new to learn in this world.
I couldn't go through all the links, .... something more urgent beckons me ... but give me a coupla hours or more, and I will indulge in your contributions, to my heart's content.
Have a great rest-of-the-week all you all.
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Bill and Hahtoolah.
I FIRed in good time and saw the SWING theme (although I did need the reveal to get the AHA).
Only two inkblots, caused by my rush to fill without checking the number of spaces available. ENClose changed to ENCASE; MOSies to MOSEYS. But I did check that Rudolph was too long before entering any letters.
BUMPS forced UH OH not Oh Oh.
My possible Natick cross of HOAGY and YAO was avoided by a strategic guess of the Y.
Thanks Hahtoolah for the link explaining ELEVEN. I know nothing about craps.
I noted AND and ADD TO.
Also TRY crossing STY .
We had AHA, UH OH, EEK, UGH (plus YOs)
My daughter and I saw Wedding BAND at Stratford this summer. Excellent production.
Wishing you all a great day.
Someday I would like to build a swing set for the kids. here are some ideas to get the creative juices flowing...
However, if I ever did build a swing set, it would probably turn out like this...
Actually,
When the kids were kids, we did have a swing set in the back yard with an attached playhouse and slide. It was there for years until the wood rotted out.
TTP might get a kick out of this...
I'm on a half acre, combined with my neighbor, I have a whole acre to mow, so I got a lawn tractor. It had an attachment on the front like a giant hook so you could attach a snow plow in winter. I would buzz around the yard in 6th gear and get the job done really fast! One day I was making a pass between the swings, and I miscalculated. The hook got caught on the swing and lifted the front wheel straight up before I could stop. I was hanging there for quite a while trying to figure out a way to climb down out of that mess. Unhooking and dropping it was a real bear.
On the bright side, it does make it easy to work on the mowing deck, sharpen the blades etc...
At first I was stumbling around this CW, then suddenly after entering SWING SET the whole grid came together.
I was stumped for a while on chip’s partner, clever misdirection, misspelled MOSEYS. Funny clue for YOS.
Hahtoolah delighted us again with a fine review.
I liked the 1991 film of The Adams Family. Great cast including in the lead that wonderful actor Raul Julia and delightful Anjelica Huston playing TISH.
Hola!
If I can fill anything in this puzzle, it's definitely Chips partner! Tante Nique, that is my one advantage.
However, the puzzle was Tuesday-worthy and I enjoyed mulling it over while sipping my coffee. It was satisfying to see that no dredge was found throughout the grid. Well done, Bill Thompson!
One wite-out where I had OTHELLO instead of OTELLO. That was quickly corrected when STATE THE OBVIOUS emerged.
I don't have a SWING SET but did have a SWING bench which deteriorated in the blazing hot sun but the sturdy support survived and now serves as a good perch to hang laundry.
I'll take a couple of CSOs at NANA and YOGA POSES although even in my most agile days would I ever do the pose shown in Hahtoolah's fine commentary.
Thank you, Hahtoolah, for your always enjoyable post!
Have a super Tuesday, everyone!
Oops. That should be, NOT EVEN in my most agile days could I ever do that pose.
A fast Tuesday FIR. Only a couple of nose-wrinklers...SENSATE and BESTOFF (said by no one, ever). Anne the writer and Adolph the coach were the only unknown names, but perped nicely. Never got into college sports. Clever theme, although it took a bit of thought before the V-8 can finally hit. D'oh! Another great review, Ha2la!
Greetings! I worked 3/4th of the puzzle before I had to leave for car inspection this morning, back tomorrow for new brake pads…..
SW corner second look filled quickly, then on to the Blog. FIR with no WOs – Yea! Thanks, Bill.
I saw the theme but needed the blog to explain SWING BRIDGE. I’ve seen them in action before but didn’t know their name.
Loved the witch selling the “Master 1000” cauldron. No toil or trouble! What every kitchen needs! 🤣🤣! Thanks, Hah2lah, for all the music & toons.
I just saw a Newton’s Cradle in the intro to Professor T on PBS. Interesting show.
CED said: "The hook got caught on the swing and lifted the front wheel straight up before I could stop." Pleeease post the video. If you don't have a video it didn't happen.
I'm sorry, I don't have a video. It happened a looong time ago, before we even had cell phones.
But I'm not the first to screw up on a tractor, just watch this if you don't believe me...
Neat Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Bill. And always enjoy your commentary, Hahtoolah, thanks for that too.
Well, this puzzle began modestly with conversation, "Say Hi," and "I Hear" something. But soon it got pretty rich, to STATE THE OBVIOUS, when a BAND OF GOLD and some INGOTS showed up. That meant that we could stop TOILING AT chores, and just take it easy with no more STRESS. Like taking a YOGA POSE, or dancing a TANGO after taking the MUTTS for a walk, or sitting on a SWING SET. So let's end this experience IN SONG.
Have a great day, everybody.
No sweat Tuesday. Nailed SENSATE as it was in a recent puzzle. I thing it was in the WaPo Sunday puzzle.
Hahtoolah, I enjoyed the review. The cartoon for ASK was LOL, and the image for HAT could also have worked under STRESS.
That article on the diff between a podium, lectern and dais was inane. The first three sentences about podium stood out among all of the other nonsense. Talk about GARBLED... The article's author was listed as Arpita. I looked for the name under "Meet Our Team" and she is listed as "English Expert." Um, no.
Cross Eyed Dave - that's funny. Although you might be onto something. I'm envisioning a couple of chain hoists or heavy duty tie down straps suspended from the the swing set. Drive almost up to the swing set, hook up to the frame near each front tire, and then hoist for access. Chock the back wheels and put a concrete block under the front frame. On my lawn tractor, I have to remove the deck to change the blades. PITA.
I liked the lawn mower accidents compilation. There are some videos of people doing stupid things on golf carts that are funny.
My BIL used to love mowing my lawn on my old John Deere. He drove it like it was a go-kart. One time, he was driving way too fast and was headed for the ditch. He didn't slow down. He just tried to cut the wheels, but when he went into the ditch hard, the wheels straightened up and he plowed into my neighbor's mailbox, demolishing it. I had to take JD to the dealer to have their service shop replace the steering gears. Between that expense and replacing the mailbox, it turned out to be a pricey little "accident."
Gotta run. Read all y'all later n'at!
As a SWING DANCEr I enjoyed the theme.
Here my DW Merlie crossed a different kind of SWING BRIDGE in a remote part of Madagascar last year. This is a video.
From Yesterday:
sumdaze Thanks for clarifying your final answer! I thought that was what you meant, but I was not sure. And thanks for the fake NOODLE joke. Did you know the origin of the NOB Hill name?
Lucina @10:36 AM Not to worry Ms Dale. We mentally added the NOT EVEN 🙃!
Oooh! Picard! Crossing that bridge takes some courage! I assume you had already crossed it since you obviously snapped the photo. Anytime I see those kinds of bridges or pathways my stomach shrinks into a hard knot!
waseeley
Thank you!
Picard@12:30. Your adventure on the Madagascar swing bridge reminds me of my crossing the famous swing bridge north of Vancouver, BC. My first trip to Vancouver included a crossing of that bridge. What a fun but scary experience.
Thank you Bill for a Tuesday FIR. Finished this one so quickly that I didn't even have time to take a SWING at the theme.
And thank you CAT for the usual Tuesday hilarity; for putting all those SWINGS together, and especially for the clip of the LAGQ. Here's an encore from the great Spanish composer Joachim Rodrigo's Concerto Andaluz.
Just 2 favs:
25A BRIDGE CLUB. Here's a DIY video of the SWINGING BRIDGE across the Patapsco River. I could never get Teri to walk over it.
33A YMA. Here she riffs on a little Mozart and Debussy.
Cheers,
Bill
p.s. A CSO to Husker who's probably out on the greens today practicing his SWING.
Musings
-Omaha does have a SWING BRIDGE across the Muddy Mo.
-SWING STATES get most of the visits in presidential elections
-You can find many POIROT episodes on YouTube starring David Suchet
-I hate to ASK to join other golf groups but I did today and it was very nice.
-Tish was my beloved grandmother who died when I was 11
Lucina, Tante Nique, waseeley Thank you for the comments on the SWING BRIDGE in Madagascar.
Yes, I crossed ahead of DW in both directions. I think there is a photo of me on it somewhere. But you inspired me to dig out my photo of the Capilano Bridge near Vancouver, BC Tante Nique
Here I was visiting my Canadian friends Robert and Rushen at the Capilano SWING BRIDGE near Vancouver.
The Madagascar BRIDGE felt more scary. Perhaps partly because I trust a Canadian BRIDGE more?
So far it doesn't seem that anyone has actually played the Madagascar VIDEO. You have to play it to see the SWING.
Yes, at least one of the people in our group declined to cross that BRIDGE.
By the way, was I the only one who thought of at least two other four letter words before getting HOOT?
Picard, when I was a kid we had several swinging bridges around, but they were only about 20 feet above the water and were in much poorer condition, including missing planks. Really spooky to cross with a couple of people following, causing the bridge to move in scary ways.
CED, thanks for the tractor video. I had no idea those things could so easily pull accidental wheelies. Lots of torque for the size of the implement.
Picard@2:23. Great photo. I don’t have one. Was too busy looking straight ahead.
Picard - Merlie was brave to cross that Swing Bridge. And she looks so pleased as she approaches the camera.
The Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver allows but more than one person to cross at a time (many more in your photo!).My children made it swing and sway while crossing with me and DH; they were just trying to make me react, but I was able to hang on tightly and get across. On the return trip, I made them complete their crossing before I went.
LOL re trusting a Canadian bridge. But perhaps some truth in that the engineering, construction, and operating/maintenance standards may be more stringent.
CapilanoBridge
Re the other kind of Swing Bridge similar to HuskerG’s Omaha example:
Thunder Bay, Ontario has a historic railway swing bridge with road decks) that is still operational.
SwingBridge
Hahtoolah does her usual fine job of leading us through a PZL, this one by Thompson...
It has been a long time since I enjoyed HOAGY Carmichael's TV show, playing us in with his signature "Stardust."
Greatest misdirection in years? I had to write in ALFA over CLOG!
Because "Bravo" is a major local plumber!
And the name reminded me of "Drano"...
~ OMK
____________
DR: One diagonal in opposition.
This diag offers an anagram (13 of 15) that may represent either thumbed signs of derision ...
-or-
defiers of the pandemic mask mandate.
These are ...
"SNOOT FLASHERS"!
Thanks to Bill T. for his delightful puzzle with several fun fills!
Thanks to Hahtoolah for her top-notch write-up! We all love your cartoons but today it was your videos that perfectly accentuated the solve.
Picard@12:30. No, I did not know that.
any commentary about swing bridges would be incomplete without this clip...
Picard@2:23. Great photo. I don’t have one. Was too busy looking straight ahead.
I just noticed my post had remained dormant.
I just watched that dramatic film of the collapse of the Tacoma bridge. WOW!
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR; about the same amount of time as yesterday
I didn't "get" the theme/entry connection until I read Susan's recap; thanks Hah2Lah!
Jinx @ 5:00 --> I was also wondering why ADOLPH was allowed as clued. As you said, Rupp was a total racist, but back in his coaching era, many coaches (and their teams) were. I can recall that the 1963 "Uninvited" Pitt Panther football team was excluded from a bowl game (Sugar, I believe) as they had several black players. As for Rupp, didn't he and the UK Wildcats fall in the NCAA Finals to Texas Western (now UT El Paso)? All 5 of Texas Western's starters were black while none of Rupp's players were.
Obviously any connection of ADOLPH to the WWII guy would be verboten; does ADOLPH's meat tenderizer still exist? I wonder if that could've been a "softer" clue ...
[spoiler alert] --> this Friday's puzzle took me just a minute and a half longer to solve than today's puzzle ...
There was a recent Engineering Failures episode regarding the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. I think it is amazing that the bridge withstood so much for so long.
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