Watch Your Step
Our constructor today is Dr. Matthew Luter, an Upper School English teacher at the St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Jackson, Mississippi. While he is new to the Corner, he is definitely not new to crosswords, both as a solver and a constructor. His latter efforts as an indie constructor are posted on his website, along with others by constructors whom I'm sure you'll recognize.
20A. Device with steps: FITNESS TRACKER. Here's a guide to selecting a fitness tracker.
24A. Activity with steps: BALLROOM DANCING. From the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, 2020, and a CSO to YellowRocks ...
46A. Structure with steps: SPIRAL STAIRCASE. One of the most famous (and mysterious) SPIRAL STAIRCASES is the one in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, a former Roman Catholic church that is now used as a museum and a wedding chapel ...
52. Booklet with steps: IKEA DIRECTIONS. They're really pretty simple ...
Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Droops: SAGS.
5. Only bird with calf muscles: EMU.
8. Britcom starring Jennifer Saunders, to fans: AB FAB. Jennifer discovers the Spice Girls ...
13. Meredith Grey's mother: ELLIS. Here they begin to confront their mortality ...
15. NYY rival: BOS.
16. Crack, in a sense: SOLVE. It's what we do, fellow crackers (and -T gets paid for it!)
17. Ludicrous: LAUGHABLE.
19. Utter nonsense: HOOEY.
20 [Theme clue]
22. Biblical craft of gopher wood: ARK. Gopher wood or gopherwood is a term used once in the Bible for the material used to construct Noah's ark. Genesis 6:14 states that Noah was instructed to build the Ark of gofer (גֹפֶר), commonly transliterated as gopher wood, a word not otherwise used in the Bible or the Hebrew language in general.
23. Funds for later yrs.: IRAS.
24. [Theme clue]
32. Written tribute: ODE.
33. Cosmonaut Gagarin: YURI. He's been landing here a lot lately (must be all those vowels).
34. __ Hawkins dance: SADIE. What is a Sadie Hawkins Dance and where did it come from? [and why did I find that in Y!sports?].
35. Fusses: ADOS.
37. Garb in sword-and-sandal pictures: TOGAS.
40. El __: climate pattern: NINO.
41. Adjusts for pitch: TUNES. Bobby Nunes of the National Youth Orchestra shows us how it's done ...
43. Rub elbows (with): HANG.
45. Composer Rorem: NED. NED Miller Rorem (October 23, 1923 – November 18, 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and a writer. Best known for his art songs, which number over 500, Rorem was considered the leading American of his time writing in that genre. Frequently described as a Neo-romantic composer, he showed limited interest in the emerging modernist aesthetic of his lifetime. Here's his song Early in the Morning sung by soprano Susan Graham (lyrics) ...
46. [Theme clue]
50. Basic weightlifting lesson: GRIP. Today's weightlifting lesson is a CSO to our good friend and crossword constructor Stella Zawistowski. In addition to GRIP, as an alto in the Oratorio Society of New York Stella could tell us a lot about staying in TUNE.
51. Paving gunk: TAR.
52. [Theme clue]
59. Record of the year?: ANNAL.
60. Minnesota home to the Mayo Clinic: ROCHESTER. A CSO to C.C. -- she's less than 2 hours away from the Mayo Clinic. One of my nieces is a psychiatrist there.
61. Tearoom nibble: SCONE. Here's a recipe. I think they'd be good with 64A too.
62. "Or something like that": ISH.
63. Maker of iComfort mattresses: SERTA.
64. Foamy coffee shop order: LATTE. Today's Italian lesson: MILK
65. Yin-yang principle: TAO. Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy and religion that instructs believers on how to exist in harmony with the universe. One of the main ideas of Taoism is the belief in balancing forces, or yin and yang. These ideas represent matching pairs, such as light and dark, hot and cold, action and inaction, which work together toward a universal whole. Yin and yang show that everything in the universe is connected and that nothing makes sense by itself. This metaphysical principle has become popular with some physicists, such as the great Niels Bohr, one of the founders of quantum mechanics. He was so intrigued with this idea that he incorporated it into his family crest.
The insignia Contraria Sunt Complementa is Latin for Opposites are complementary.
66. Back talk: SASS.
Down:
1. "Wellness you can trust" publication: SELF. SELF (stylized in all caps) is an American online magazine for women that specializes in health, beauty, and style.
I don't believe it tells us much about that other SELF, the mysterious entity that is reading these words. See also 65A.
2. Jai __: ALAI. Rules of JAI ALAI explained ...
3. Oversupply: GLUT.
4. Lighthouse output: SIGNAL. Before the advent of Geo-positioning systems, the SIGNALS from lighthouses kept boats from foundering on rocky shores. The vagaries of the Chesapeake Bay shoreline required many of these beacons. Here's tour of Maryland lighthouses.
 |
| Some leading fitness trackers |
24A. Activity with steps: BALLROOM DANCING. From the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, 2020, and a CSO to YellowRocks ...
46A. Structure with steps: SPIRAL STAIRCASE. One of the most famous (and mysterious) SPIRAL STAIRCASES is the one in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, a former Roman Catholic church that is now used as a museum and a wedding chapel ...
 |
| Spiral Staircase Loretto Chapel Santa Fe, New Mexico |
Across:
1. Droops: SAGS.
5. Only bird with calf muscles: EMU.
8. Britcom starring Jennifer Saunders, to fans: AB FAB. Jennifer discovers the Spice Girls ...
13. Meredith Grey's mother: ELLIS. Here they begin to confront their mortality ...
15. NYY rival: BOS.
16. Crack, in a sense: SOLVE. It's what we do, fellow crackers (and -T gets paid for it!)
17. Ludicrous: LAUGHABLE.
19. Utter nonsense: HOOEY.
22. Biblical craft of gopher wood: ARK. Gopher wood or gopherwood is a term used once in the Bible for the material used to construct Noah's ark. Genesis 6:14 states that Noah was instructed to build the Ark of gofer (גֹפֶר), commonly transliterated as gopher wood, a word not otherwise used in the Bible or the Hebrew language in general.
 |
| Noah's Ark |
24. [Theme clue]
32. Written tribute: ODE.
33. Cosmonaut Gagarin: YURI. He's been landing here a lot lately (must be all those vowels).
_-_Restoration.jpg) |
| Yuri Gagarin |
34. __ Hawkins dance: SADIE. What is a Sadie Hawkins Dance and where did it come from? [and why did I find that in Y!sports?].
35. Fusses: ADOS.
37. Garb in sword-and-sandal pictures: TOGAS.
40. El __: climate pattern: NINO.
41. Adjusts for pitch: TUNES. Bobby Nunes of the National Youth Orchestra shows us how it's done ...
43. Rub elbows (with): HANG.
45. Composer Rorem: NED. NED Miller Rorem (October 23, 1923 – November 18, 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and a writer. Best known for his art songs, which number over 500, Rorem was considered the leading American of his time writing in that genre. Frequently described as a Neo-romantic composer, he showed limited interest in the emerging modernist aesthetic of his lifetime. Here's his song Early in the Morning sung by soprano Susan Graham (lyrics) ...
50. Basic weightlifting lesson: GRIP. Today's weightlifting lesson is a CSO to our good friend and crossword constructor Stella Zawistowski. In addition to GRIP, as an alto in the Oratorio Society of New York Stella could tell us a lot about staying in TUNE.
59. Record of the year?: ANNAL.
60. Minnesota home to the Mayo Clinic: ROCHESTER. A CSO to C.C. -- she's less than 2 hours away from the Mayo Clinic. One of my nieces is a psychiatrist there.
61. Tearoom nibble: SCONE. Here's a recipe. I think they'd be good with 64A too.
 |
| Scones |
63. Maker of iComfort mattresses: SERTA.
64. Foamy coffee shop order: LATTE. Today's Italian lesson: MILK
65. Yin-yang principle: TAO. Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy and religion that instructs believers on how to exist in harmony with the universe. One of the main ideas of Taoism is the belief in balancing forces, or yin and yang. These ideas represent matching pairs, such as light and dark, hot and cold, action and inaction, which work together toward a universal whole. Yin and yang show that everything in the universe is connected and that nothing makes sense by itself. This metaphysical principle has become popular with some physicists, such as the great Niels Bohr, one of the founders of quantum mechanics. He was so intrigued with this idea that he incorporated it into his family crest.
66. Back talk: SASS.
Down:
1. "Wellness you can trust" publication: SELF. SELF (stylized in all caps) is an American online magazine for women that specializes in health, beauty, and style.
2. Jai __: ALAI. Rules of JAI ALAI explained ...
3. Oversupply: GLUT.
4. Lighthouse output: SIGNAL. Before the advent of Geo-positioning systems, the SIGNALS from lighthouses kept boats from foundering on rocky shores. The vagaries of the Chesapeake Bay shoreline required many of these beacons. Here's tour of Maryland lighthouses.
 |
| Concord Point Lighthouse |
6. Drop down?: MOLT. Favorite clue.
7. Password partner: USERID.
8. Waste receptacles near fireplaces: ASHCANS. Also Navy slang for the depth charges used in submarine warfare.
 |
| Mk VII depth charges |
10. Ice sheet: FLOE.
11. Assert firmly: AVER.
,,
12. "Queen __": pop music icon with a "hive" of fans: BEY. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and businesswoman. Known as "Queen Bey", she has been recognized for her boundary-pushing artistry, vocals, and performances. Named one of the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone, her contributions to music and visual media and her concert performances have led her to become a prominent cultural icon of the 21st century. That said I'm not that familiar with her music, and I was surprised when this song popped up on YouTube. I guess they're all in alphabetical order ...
18. Try to see: ASK OUT.
21. Legendary coach Parseghian: ARA. Ara Raoul Parseghian (May 21, 1923 – August 2, 2017) was an American football player and coach who guided the University of Notre Dame to national championships in 1966 and 1973. He is noted for bringing Notre Dame's Fighting Irish football program back from years of futility into national prominence in 1964 and is widely regarded alongside Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy as a part of the "Holy Trinity" of Notre Dame head coaches.
 |
| Ara Parseghian |
25. Fit the facts: ADD UP.
26. Téa of "Madam Secretary": LEONI. Madam Secretary (titled Madam President for its sixth and final season) is an American political drama television series created by Barbara Hall with Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary as executive producers. It stars Téa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, a former CIA analyst and political science professor who becomes the United States Secretary of State. Here's the first season trailer ...
27. Spanish gold: ORO.
28. Brute force: MIGHT.
29. Menzel who was named a Disney Legend in 2022: IDINA. Idina Kim Menzel (born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly recognized for her work in musicals on Broadway, she has been nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway" for her commanding stage presence, powerful mezzo-soprano, and reputation as one of the most influential stage actors of her generation. Here she is Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked.
30. Baseball rosters: NINES.
31. Crystalline stone: GEODE.
|
|
Amethyst/Calcite Geode Brazil, South America Smithsonian Natural History Museum |
38. Tower dispatchers, often: Abbr.: AAA. "Towers" of autos that is, by the American Automobile Association.
42. Brand that "nobody doesn't like": SARA LEE.
44. Prepares, as cheese: GRATES.
47. Jack-in-the-box part: LID.
48. Budget airline with yellow planes: SPIRIT. Spirit Airlines, Inc. (stylized as SPIRIT) is a major United States ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. Spirit was the seventh largest passenger carrier in North America as of 2023, as well as the largest ultra-low-cost carrier in North America.
49. High-stress situations: CRISES.
52. Historic Peruvian: INCA.
53. Gordian __: mythological conundrum: KNOT. The cutting of the Gordian KNOT is an Ancient Greek legend associated with Alexander the Great in Gordium in Phrygia, regarding a complex knot that tied an oxcart. Reputedly, whoever could untie it would be destined to rule all of Asia. In 333 BC Alexander was challenged to untie the knot. Instead of untangling it laboriously as expected, he dramatically cut through it with his sword, thus exercising another form of mental genius. It is thus used as a metaphor for a seemingly intractable problem which is solved by exercising an unexpectedly direct, novel, rule-bending, decisive, and simple approach that removes the perceived constraints This story has inspired many works of art, including an opera by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell. Here is the Chaconne from his Gordian Knot Untied ...
54. First name in civil rights history: ROSA. ROSA Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. It all started here ...
 |
| Rosa Parks |
56. De __ manera: otherwise, in Spanish: OTRA. "Other": OTRA. Lección de español número 1.
57. Earns after taxes: NETS.
58. Mmes., across the Pyrenees: SRAS. SENORAS. Lección de español número 2.
59. Communication method in "A Quiet Place," briefly: ASL. American Sign Language. A Quiet Place is a story about sightless aliens with sharp hearing and impenetrable armor plating who have taken over the planet and killed most of the human population. The Abbott family – mother Evelyn, father Lee, deaf daughter Regan, and sons Marcus and Beau – live on their isolated farm in the middle of a forest in upstate New York, and have survived by taking precautions such as laying sand paths to avoid stepping on crunching leaves and using ASL when communicating. Rated S for SCARY ...
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
Epilogue
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
Epilogue
I sometimes wonder whether all of the people on the Corner
are just figments of my imagination, or perhaps they live in one of
those crazy computer simulations that physicists are so fond of these
days. You may recall that I said we would be on the road last Thursday. Well we had actually arranged to meet a Cornerite IRL in Washington, D.C. Her name is NINA (rhymes with CAROLINA) but you may know her better as inanehiker. She is very real, and a delight to be with! Here are a few highlights of our get together ...
As we knew that this Picasso painting (The Lovers) would be appearing in the review that very day, we arranged to have our picture taken in front of it (as Nina put it, "very meta") ...
The Lovers is in the East Wing, which is devoted to Modern Art. One of the docents there urged us to ascend the East Wing Tower to a walled patio overlooking D.C. to see this sculpture ...
The Hahn/Cock is a sculpture of a giant blue cockerel created by the German artist Katharina Fritsch. It was originally installed in London's Trafalgar Square on 25 July 2013 [imagine that!]. The fibreglass work stands 15.5 ft high and was subsequently acquired by Glenstone, a private museum in Potomac, MD, and was exhibited at the National Gallery following its 2016 reopening.
In March 2021, Glenstone permanently donated the piece to the National
Gallery, "in honor of the resilience of the American people during the
COVID-19 pandemic."
Here are two other memorable works of art that we saw in the West Wing ...
There are 3 authenticated Vermeer's in the National Gallery, but The Girl with the Red Hat was on loan to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam at the time of our visit.
IMHO Salvador Dali was the greatest artist of the 20th Century. The only work by Dali in the National Gallery is the monumental painting (105 in × 65.6 in) The Sacrament of the Last Supper. Completed in 1955, after nine months of work, it remains one of his most popular compositions. Since its arrival at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1955, it replaced Renoir's A Girl with a Watering Can as the most popular piece in the museum ...
The Dali Museum
in St. Petersburg, Florida, has over 2,400 of his works and is the
largest in the world. I'd urge anyone visiting Florida to reserve a day
to visit it.
As we knew that this Picasso painting (The Lovers) would be appearing in the review that very day, we arranged to have our picture taken in front of it (as Nina put it, "very meta") ...
 |
| Bill, Nina, and Teri photo by Priscilla |
The Lovers is in the East Wing, which is devoted to Modern Art. One of the docents there urged us to ascend the East Wing Tower to a walled patio overlooking D.C. to see this sculpture ...
 |
| The Hahn/Cock with Teri and Nina |
Here are two other memorable works of art that we saw in the West Wing ...
 |
| Woman Holding a Balance Jan Vermeer |
IMHO Salvador Dali was the greatest artist of the 20th Century. The only work by Dali in the National Gallery is the monumental painting (105 in × 65.6 in) The Sacrament of the Last Supper. Completed in 1955, after nine months of work, it remains one of his most popular compositions. Since its arrival at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1955, it replaced Renoir's A Girl with a Watering Can as the most popular piece in the museum ...
 |
| The Sacrament of the Last Supper |
39 comments:
While this puzzle was interesting, it didn’t strike me as extremely difficult. The theme was straightforward, rather than convoluted and I got through it pretty quickly. FIR, so I’m happy.
FLN - Welcome, “ Monkey”! I was aware of the double meaning of your former name, and I must admit it used to make
me a bit uneasy. So I’m glad you were able to change it, especially to something so cute! So thank you, Monique!
Also FLN - If it weren’t for SSI, I would have been homeless many times over. I won’t go into the “handicap” that made me eligible for such benefits, but suffice to say I in no way consider myself a “deadbeat” or a “cheater” on this score. If you knew my “story” I think you’d understand, or, at least, I hope you would. ‘Nuff said !
Good morning!
Ack, two bad squares ruined my effort. MeLT/MOLT and BEe/BEY. In retrospect, MOLT makes a lot more sense. Interesting exercise, Matthew. Enjoyed your always-educational review, waseeley. (Looks like you two had a nice day in D.C. with Inanehiker.)
SPIRIT: Jet Blue is trying to buy it. The administration is opposing the sale.
Sorry, ML, I am not a fan of this CW. Too many obscure names. My first thought at 13A was, “Who the hell is Meredith Grey?” ABFAB was just as obscure, crossed with BEY. Yeah, I got ‘er done: FIW in 26. 12D it seemed BEE was the right guess, and HOOEE seemed as good as HOOEY. So a not-fun struggle. And after all that had one letter wrong. HOOEY or PHOOEY, either one fits. Nice write-up, Bill.
I never caught the STEPS theme but I managed to FIR. I finished enough down fills to be able to guess the tricky theme fills. The NW was the last to fall with ELLIS, SELF, & SHERRY being unknowns. AB FAB was a WAG, never heard of BOOKSCAN, and I wanted BEE for 12D but a bunch of HOOEY wouldn't let me. But I managed to SOLVE that area.
Definitely a Thursday level puzzle.
NYY vs. BOS- rest of the USA doesn't care.
ROCHESTER- MN, Jane Eyre, or Jack Benny
ARA- Notre Dame doesn't have the aura it used to. Brian Kelly left to go to LSU
OTRA was a WAG because it shows up in puzzles on a regular basis
Here's DAB's puzzle (for the benefit of those who didn't do it last week). He has this to say about it ...
"Digital privacy is a matter of great public concern these days, and here at David Alfred Bywaters’s Crossword Cavalcade and Fortnightly Victorian Novel Recommender we take it very seriously—both your privacy and our own. No doubt various commercial entities would be bidding against each other for our web site data if we put it on the market—but we never have, and we never will. If we happen to learn something about you, the solver, we instantly and completely forget it. As for ourselves, if we need to buy something online, we set up a burner account and pay in crypto-currency; but mostly we buy things in person, using small bills and fake beards. And of course we operate under an assumed identity from an undisclosed location marked only by the electrified razor wire that surrounds it."
FIR. But once again what I consider inappropriate for CW's: proper names. A lot of them. Even two of them crossing, Idina and Ned. So very poor form.
Otherwise, this was a good puzzle for a Tuesday although today is Thursday. Seemed a bit easy. Clever theme and fun to suss out. Without the proper names, this would earn an A+.
The clue for 30D should be "Baseball lineups". A roster has many more than 9. Actually with the DH a lineup has 10, so the clue might be "Traditional baseball lineups". It was easy to guess the answer, but the clue is wrong.
IDINA? Especially when crossed with NED. Obscure proper names should not be PERPs.
I don't get AAA for "Tower Dispatchers". The dispatch part, sure, but tower?
I had never heard ANNAL in singular but it can be.
Agree with all that unclefred said, plus I could do without the three Spanish words, one of them an abbreviation.
Took 7:44 today for me to step through this one.
I agree with the prior posts about the "glut" of proper names (Ellis, Leoni, Idina, Yuri, Bey, Ned, Rose, Sara Lee, etc.).
I had the same thought as our dead unclefred, "who is Meredith Grey"? Also, given the first and last name of the clue, why only one name for the answer?
Not a fan of all the Spanish in this one: oro, otro, and sras.
I've been to the Loretto Chapel - it's impressive, regardless of whether you believe in the divinity of its creation.
I think it's very cool that some posters/contributors (including proofreaders) were able to connect in real life. Good for you all. And, thank you for the art lesson, waseeley.
Whiner, in the AAA clue, parse "tower" as one who tows.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Whiner, in the AAA clue, parse "tower" as one who tows.
Thank you, that makes sense now.
Anonymous @8:08 AM "dead unclefred"? Did something bad happen to unclefred between 5:39 AM and 8:08 AM? 😁. And yes it was very cool meeting Nina. NEATO even!
And yes "tower" and "tower" are like "number" and "number". Ya gotta get the emPHASis on the right syLABle.
FIR without erasure, having gotten both my Naticks ABFAB x BEY and NED x IDINA. I knew Bouncy, but not her nickname. Caught the theme early, which helped with the solve.
Today is:
ALL SOULS DAY (commemorates baptized Christians who are believed to be in purgatory)
NATIONAL BROADCAST TRAFFIC PROFESSIONAL'S DAY (not the road conditions guys, these folks schedule everything that airs)
INTERNATIONAL DOGE DAY. (to spread positivity, fun, and joy throughout the world - Do Only Good Everyday. Saturday fill.)
NATIONAL MEN MAKE DINNER DAY (wish it wasn’t so far to drive to Bayou Tony’s)
NATIONAL DEVILED EGG DAY (even I can make them)
Lighthouses have different shapes and paint schemes to make identification easier in the daytime, and different light colors and blinking schemes to do the same at night.
I don't remember hearing CRAFTS as the plural of CRAFT in nautical context. The three boats across the bay are "those craft."
One of the fun things DW still enjoys is sighting a plane in the air. She seems to like it when I tell her "that's SPIRIT air on the way to Newark." Flight Aware is a fun app.
Thanks to Matthew for the Thursday challenge, and to Bill 'n' Teri for the fun review, and for the report from Ninaland.
Oops. DeaR unclefred. Not dead. Dear.
waseeley, may I please borrow Teri for proofreading?
-Anonymous at 8:08 & 8:24.
Good Morning:
I found this offering to be a stroll in the park for a Thursday, with only one w/o, Ask For/Ask Out, and only two entries that required perps, Ellis and Book Scan, both easily filled in. Proper names don't bother me as long as they are not really obscure or overused and I guess overused is relative to each solver. My only nit is that IKEA Directions is not as strong as the other three themers, IMO. That first E in Sergeant belies the pronunciation, to my eye. Tower dispatchers, often=AAA had me scratching my head until reading the review. Great misdirection clue!
Thanks, Matthew, for a very enjoyable solve and thanks, Bill and Teri, for one of the most interesting, informative, and delightful reviews you've ever treated us to, and that is high praise, indeed. You covered just about every area of interest: art, literature, music, theater, film, sports, food, pop culture, science, etc. I particularly enjoyed the video on Annika, a series I'm enjoying. In fact I watched the latest episode just last night. The article of the Loretta Chapel staircase was fascinating and I also enjoyed the clip with Kate Burton, whom I've recently seen in the Bosch: Legacy series, and I was pleasantly surprised by the Beyoncé Ave Maria clip. (The visual of the lyrics needs a correction of your to you're in one area.) of course, the frosting on the cake is the pictures and commentary on your visit with Nina and the National Gallery. What a treat for you all! I'm always thrilled when Cornerites meet face to face!
Subgenius @ 4:11 ~ I knew from your very first posts that you were an honest, humble, polite and gracious person. 😉
FLN
Monkey, welcome! Glad you accomplished your goal and I'm glad Picard and SubG can rest easy!
Not to ramble on but I wanted to mention to Bill that any reference of spiral staircases conjures up memories of many mysteries that I read as a teenager which revolved around staircases, to wit, the Nancy Drew series, Mary Roberts Rinehart, etc. Also,re Annika, I used to find her occasional asides to the viewer annoying, but now I find them delightful, but I'm still straining my ears at the Scottish accents which, at times, are unintelligible.
Sorry to be so long winded this morning. Blame Bill for his knack for piquing interest! 🤣
Have a great day.
Musings
-Somehow, I guessed the right letter for IDI_A/_ED and so I “got ‘er done”!
-What Irish said.
-60F and sunny in Eastern Nebraska? FORE!
Jinx @8:32 AM "... believed to be in purgatory". We're still praying for a few, but you never know when they're going to get out! On the subject of purgatory I highly recommend a book called The Hiker's Guide to Purgatory: A Novel by Michael Norton. Ray -O even makes an appearance or two. 🙄
Also "DOGE" day? A celebration of Renaissance rulers in Venice? There's an opera about one, but I'll spare you the clip. 😁
in case you didn't know...
why there is usually only 3 steps...
I’m holding my breath, is it HOOEY crossed with BEY or HOOEE crossed with BEE?…. Ohhhhh Beyondsay 😄 but FIW anyway with melt 🙁 (I first had “drop down” menu)
The theme seems to be STEPS which is oddly part of a clue and answer
“Partner of password” usually usernamebut too long.
Inkovers: diary/ANNAL,
Needed perps for ELLIS (who is Meredith Grey? Never watched the series) SELF, IDINA
ALAI TAI TAO progression
Sadie Hawkins Day dance was a big event at our college.
I’ll have a SCONE with my LATTE. I knew OTRA purely from so many CW Spanish lesions.
Got cooties?…. USERID
My daughter’a bridesmaids wore ____ gowns which cost a _____ …..LATTE
“Be prepared” the motto of ___ ASKOUT.
Happy Day to All you old Souls
It snowed last night🌨️❄️❄️ 🥶
Since at last report Uncle Fred is very much alive, I thought I'd bring back some memories of movie magic with Freddie's Dead AKA the Superfly theme song by Curtis Mayfield.
FIR. I didn't think today's puzzle was all that hard for a Thursday. Theme was sussable , the clues made them "group together".
24A was so easy since it is Dancing with the Stars season.
Matthew did Alice job with his offering and Bill & Teri nailed the landing
Once bitten, twice shy.
Exit stage left.
Greetings! I found today’s puzzle a tad slow-going, but the blanks eventually filled. Thanks, Matthew, and welcome.
Perps for ABFAB. ELLIS and SELF
WO: Bee -> BEY, SaRGEANT -> SERGEANT, and aDINA -> IDINA. I remember her for the big flub of her name at the Oscars by John Travolta, and yet I still misspelled it…
I passed over MOLT with a shrug until I got to the recap and the AHA moment hit!😄😄😄! Thanks, Bill & Teri. Nice tour with Inanehiker.
Greetings, Monkey! Cute moniker!
Another crossNAME effort today. FIW on BEE. HOOEE sounded sorta alright to me. The downs helped, as the clues were not in my wheelhouse. Loved the Ikea job interview. Thanks, WAS! Always enjoy your take on the recaps.
Hand up I cry foul with cross of IDI?A and ?ED. IDIRA/RED seemed just as good. Hand up about HOOEE/BEE making as much sense. ABFAB vague memory of seeing it here before. The TOWER misdirection pops up from time to time. I had filed it away so it doesn't catch me by surprise.
Subgenius Thank you for validating my concern about Monique's blog name. Glad the problem is solved in a cute way. I was slow to get "Monkey" as derived from "Monique".
Here I was hiking with my French friend Irene who confirmed the meaning of NIQUE.
I asked her about this song that uses that NIQUE term.
Irene confirmed that this popular song with NIQUE indeed causes amusement and/or discomfort among French speakers.
Right now Irene is sailing around the world on a small sailboat. She is one of the most adventurous people I know. She is an MD/PhD biologist. We used to work together in the atomic force microscopy world.
From Yesterday:
CanadianEh Thanks for thinking about possible deeper meanings to the CAPITAL theme that involved those compass directions. I am still puzzling over it.
Vidwan Way cool that you knew how to do that Garba dance from South ASIA. I hang out with plenty of Indians, but had not heard of that before seeing it performed here last week.
PS:
waseeley Thank you for that wonderful SPIRAL STAIRCASE. I am in awe of how it all supports itself as a math and physics guy.
And thank you for sharing the art from my hometown art museum. I used to work at another Smithsonian museum next door.
At my age (79) every morning when I wake up I look upward and say, loudly, “Thank you God! I’m still alive!” I was shocked to discover I had died (anon @ 8:08) but so very pleased to see I was resurrected at 8:41. Thanx, anon! Whew! That was a close one!!
This was an enjoyable solve with all the different "steps" involved
On today's blog, Bill mentioned The Spice Girls in connection with AB FAB (Absolutely Fabulous) the BBC show. I would recommend the new Netflix mini docu-series "Beckham" about David Beckham, the Manchester United football player and his wife Victoria who was one of the Spice Girls (Posh Spice). Very well done about how their lives came to be, from modest beginnings.
Meredith Grey is the starring female surgeon of long running (19 seasons and counting) series Grey's Anatomy. Her mother ELLIS was also a surgeon back in the day.
So glad to spend the day with Bill & Teri in DC- appreciated them coming from the Baltimore area for our field trip!
Wow! Thank you those of you who commented on my name change. I hope my new one will work. If not, please let me know.
Not a Monkey @10:24. Thank you for your assuming I’m a nice lady. I think I am or try to be.
I pretty quickly got the theme entries, and really liked them. The NE however kept me from finishing.
SADIE was my sweet MIL’s name.
What a gorgeous day today, the cold has finally lessened and there are no clouds in the sky.
I went through first year internal med. residency at Highland Hospital in Rochester NY in 1978 with a NINA (pronounced like Carolina). Can’t recall her last time. Something veddy English. Probably not you; seems you’re in Family Medicine and I’m sure much younger’n me. 🙂
WEES.
Picard, thanks for the photographs. By the way, who takes them of you? Or do you use a tripod and timer?
Good reading you all.
inanehiker Can you please tell us why you are called inanehiker?
Jayce Thank you for the kind words and thank you for appreciating the challenges of being in my own photos. Each case is different. Most of the time I ask a stranger to take my photo. Occasionally I use a self timer, but that presents challenges in remote areas.
It is good reading you all! I agree with Jayce.
My home is now spic and span. I finally got cleaners to come and do it as I can no longer do it especially the bathrooms or any of it, really. It's worth the cost though less than I thought it would be.
yes - Ray-O - I'm in Family Medicine - I did my residency in Chicago back in the day.
Picard - Inanehiker is a partial anagram of my name - I didn't like the options for a full anagram so I went with this.
DAB maintains a very fine website that publishes an original crossword puzzle every Saturday night. The site is free but contributions are accepted.
Skymap is another free app that identifies the airplanes iñ the air and on the ground at a given time for a specific area.
Waseeley is keeping the gate today, for this Luter PZL...
A cool theme, each group of steps leading to the next.
~ OMK
______________
DR: Three diags on the near end.
The central diagonal gives us an anagram (13 of 15) that provides (unusually) a single word using thirteen of its letters. Not a great find, but interesting, a reference to the process of embryos as they develop beyond blastulas.
Naturally, I mean...
"GASTRULATIONS"!
Spiral Starecase (note the spelling. sic) "I don't remember what day it was. I didn't notice what time it was. All I know is that..." (More Today Than Yesterday - 1969)
“Tower” as in “tow-er”, aka tow truck service. HTH
Pretty good obfuscation, I must admit!
====> Darren / L.A.
Yup, waaay too many names and perp crosses within them. Argh!
Other’n’that, a smooth cruise with some fun clues ( poetry unintentional…). Almost got hung by the AAA ploy 😎. Nice job!
====> Darren / L.A.
Very cool, Bill & Teri meeting up with inanehiker! How often does one have that sort of opportunity?
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