A Clever Collection of Capitals
....of
the world - quaintly contained in the continental United States; care to carry on~? I
know of at least two others - Berlin, CT, which we drive through on our
way south via I-91, and Rome, New York - my buddy Matt D. from high school got his
first 'gig' as a TV weatherman in that city - he is now the 'main man' in
Richmond, VA....Anyway, this may be Catherine's debut, at least for the LA Times, and a fairly smooth solve for yours truly, with a
bit of a slow-down around say, Oregon. Two Across theme answers, and two
Down theme answers - messed up my 'solve the downs first' method. I
also count five proper names in the grid, and a mini-theme of automotive
references, too....
17. Capital of the Midwest?: ATHENS, OHIO
17. Capital of the Midwest?: ATHENS, OHIO
55. Capital of the South?: PARIS, TEXAS
10. Capital of the Northeast?: LISBON, MAINE
24. Capital of the Northwest?: MOSCOW, IDAHO
I also found this
And on tour we go~!
ACROSS:
1. Roulette wheel action: SPIN
5. "Brokeback Mountain" actor Ledger: HEATH - Name #1, but I got it
10. Edelstein of "The Kominsky Method": LISA - Name #2, but I knew her from "House, M.D."
14. Gimlet flavor: LIME
15. Sister company of Enterprise: ALAMO - auto theme #1; also -
26D. Sister company of Budget: AVIS - auto theme #2
16. As above, in a footnote: IDEM - Latin, 'the same'
16. As above, in a footnote: IDEM - Latin, 'the same'
19. "__ help you are!": SOME
20. "Eternally nameless" concept: TAO - not that I have heard of this, but a three letter "existential" clue~?
21. Hieroglyphic snakes: ASPS - my guest blogging is rare, but it's the second time I have had this
Very Dangerous
22. Employee-owned supermarket chain based in Florida: PUBLIX - nailed it; I once lived in Jacksonville, FL, and worked at the competition, Winn-Dixie
24. Marathon unit: MILE
25. Bone, in Italian: OSSO
26. Niche: ALCOVE
29. Power: POTENCY - see 56D.
32. Quran chapter part: VERSE
33. Steady look: GAZE
34. Not worth discussing: MOOT
36. Apple choice: iMAC - the computer, and - 47D. Apple choice: GALA - the fruit
37. More ironic: WRYER
38. German automaker: AUDI - auto theme #3
39. Padres slugger Juan: SOTO - Name #3
40. Düsseldorf dwelling: HAUS - I have never been to Düsseldorf, but see who I know lives there....
It's a Russian dating site, actually
41. Completely drained: WIPED
42. Smartphone source of daily headlines: NEWS APP - meh
44. In need of companionship: LONELY - uhh, not if I can get to Düsseldorf....
45. Antilles landmass: ISLE - and
42. Smartphone source of daily headlines: NEWS APP - meh
44. In need of companionship: LONELY - uhh, not if I can get to Düsseldorf....
45. Antilles landmass: ISLE - and
44D. __ Antilles: Caribbean cluster: LESSER
46. Richard of "Chicago": GERE - Name #4
47. Actress Hawn: GOLDIE - Name #5
50. Kiss: BUSS
51. Cy Young stat: ERA - E - R - A, the most common crossword fill, ever, I believe
54. Locale: AREA
58. Mascara recipient: LASH
59. Zinc __: sunblock ingredient: OXIDE
46. Richard of "Chicago": GERE - Name #4
47. Actress Hawn: GOLDIE - Name #5
50. Kiss: BUSS
51. Cy Young stat: ERA - E - R - A, the most common crossword fill, ever, I believe
54. Locale: AREA
58. Mascara recipient: LASH
59. Zinc __: sunblock ingredient: OXIDE
He's got it covered....
60. Eight, on a sundial: VIII
Check this out, too
61. Middle harmony chorus part: ALTO
62. Discourage: DETER
63. Largest active volcano in Italy: ETNA
DOWN:
1. Picket fence piece: SLAT - Uh, isn't it called, ay, um, picket~?
2. Baba ghanouj bread: PITA
3. Texter's "I'm no expert, but ... ": IMHO - In My Humble Opinion....
4. Formerly named: NÉE
5. Big headache: HASSLE
6. Have no reception?: ELOPE - har-har
7. Satisfied sighs: AAHs - the dreaded two "A"s or two "H"s conundrum
8. "OMG, stop sharing!": TMI - Too Much Information
9. Cager: HOOPSTER - B-Baller was too short; it's all basketball slang
11. One inundated with fan mail: IDOL
12. Partly: SEMI
13. Green card co.: AMEX - oh, THAT green card....
Mr. Frost needs to cancel this card ASAP
18. None too worldly: NAÏVE - umlaut~!
23. Adopt: USE
25. Seeps: OOZES
27. Subpar car: LEMON - auto theme #4
28. Subpar car: CRATE - auto theme #5
29. "Fork it over!": PAY UP~! - see 51D.
30. Two-door vehicle: COUPE - auto theme #6
31. Alpine song: YODEL
33. Flavor of much children's medicine: GRAPE
35. Spruce (up): TIDY
37. Group of orcas, e.g.: WHALE POD
41. Superlatively bad: WORST
43. Means-tested govt. assistance program: SSI - this stumped me; never heard of this; Supplemental Security Income
46. Museum employee: GUIDE
48. Interview-style exam: ORAL
49. "__ we forget": LEST
50. One who may keep a spare tyre in a boot: BRIT - both my parents were born and raised in England
and auto theme #7
51. Parking garage sign: EXIT - we worked on a pipe organ at the Riverside Church in NYC last week; here's a pic I took of the scale model in the elevator lobby, and one of the ornate bench carvings; our hotel was in Times Square, and we parked in a garage there, too - $73 overnight
51. Parking garage sign: EXIT - we worked on a pipe organ at the Riverside Church in NYC last week; here's a pic I took of the scale model in the elevator lobby, and one of the ornate bench carvings; our hotel was in Times Square, and we parked in a garage there, too - $73 overnight
52. Golf date ruiner: RAIN - it's not the rain, it's the lightning....
53. Bhutan's continent: ASIA
56. Splitting tool: AXE - I now own the 29A version....
53. Bhutan's continent: ASIA
56. Splitting tool: AXE - I now own the 29A version....
57. Morn's opposite: EVE - and to all, a good night~!
Splynter
38 comments:
This puzzle was considerably easier than yesterday’s. In fact, the difference is like night and day. I understood the gimmick with the first themed solve, and that made the rest of the puzzle easier. There were a couple of fairly obscure names, but on the whole the puzzle was fair and sussable. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Quickest solve of the week...so far. Splynter, I recognized your style, and your HAUS illustration confirmed it. (She doesn't look much like a HAUS frau.) Needed my trusty Wite-Out to correct kEiTH/HEATH and Ibid/IDEM. Enjoyed your debut, Catherine.
FIR. Today was more like what we expect on a Wednesday, and far easier than yesterday. It took me a while to grasp the theme, but Lisbon, Maine cinched it for me since it was in the news recently. Also took a while with SSI, but perps saved the day. I live in Florida so Publix was a gimme for me.
DNK = IDEM, or some of the names. W/O = SEDAN:COUPE. CHERRY wouldn’t fit at 33D. Other than that, a fairly smooth solve, I got the theme with the first theme clue, which helped, so a FIR in a bit longer than usual Tuesday time. My GF works for Publix, so that was an easy clue. Thanx CL for the entertaining CW, nice job! And of course we know if Splynter is doing the write-up, it’s gotta be good. Thanx for all the time and effort, Splynter.
FIR, but like DO I erased keith for HEATH.
Today is:
DAY OF THE DEAD (welcomes the souls of deceased relatives back for a brief reunion)
ALL SAINTS DAY (as Lucina previewed last night, honors all the saints of the Roman Catholic Church)
PRIME MERIDIAN DAY (halfway around the world from the International Date Line)
AUTISTICS SPEAKING DAY (encourages autistic people to tell their stories using whatever means works for them)
NATIONAL VINEGAR DAY (love me a good balsamic)
NATIONAL CINNAMON DAY (I make cinnamon butter for rolls and sweet potatoes)
NATIONAL DEEP FRIED CLAMS DAY (oh yeah…)
NATIONAL CALZONE DAY (oh yeah…)
WORLD VEGAN DAY (not today thank you, I’m full of clams and double-pepperoni calzones)
NATIONAL COOK FOR YOUR PETS DAY (I trust that Zoё isn’t getting her hopes up)
NATIONAL AUTHOR'S DAY (I missed Stephan Pastis’ book tour)
NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY (like when no one shows up to your book tour)
We are slowly getting PUBLIX supermarkets nearby. It is about time that we get a worthy competitor to the Kroger / Harris Teeter cabal. Employee-ownership works in this case. The first time I was ever in a PUBLIX, I asked a stocker where I could find horseradish. He didn't tell me, he stopped stocking and took me across the store to make sure I found it. (Aside to Splynter - Winn Dixie has been sold to Aldi, but I think they are going to retain the name. I've always liked W/D - cheaper than PUBLIX, and better selection than Food Lion.)
MOSCOW, IDAHO is the largest of the 20 MOSCOWs in these United States.
FLN - Great to hear from Lemony again. Hope you return to the starting lineup soon.
Thanks to Catherine for the fun challenge. "Superlatively bad" amused me for some reason, and was my favorite clue today. And thanks to Splynter for leading us through the grid.
Good morning. IMHO, when ATHENS OHIO was filled it was game over. LISBON, MAINE was all over the NEWS APPS (I have none) last week. My aunt was from PARIS, TEXAS. And MOSCOW, IDAHO was where that other nut killed those college students. But there are other 'capitals' in the USA. LIMA Ohio, ROME, Georgia and in East Texas there's ATLANTA, ATHENS, PARIS, BOSTON, CARTHAGE, and also another MOSCOW. I had either a relative or customer in each of those Texas towns.
HEATH- unknown until he was a Jeopardy answer Monday.
LISA Edelstein, TAO, Juan SOTO- perps on those three
PUBLIX and Splynter's Winn-Dixie- ALDI bought Winn-Dixie a couple of months ago.
AMEX- my Amex card is clear plastic with a chip. Previously it was either blue or silver.
SSI- shows the WORST in people with an estimated 15- 20% of the people receiving it faking it. The government claims it only 1%. Once on, never off. Some of the SS judges have been fired for qualifying every person who applied for SSI.
Good Morning:
Fun theme and a true Wednesday puzzle, IMO. I wasn't familiar with Athens, Ohio, only Athens, Georgia and Athens, NY. There were no unknowns but I stumbled over Dryer/Wryer, Ibid/Idem (Hi, DO!), and, in a lapse of concentration, Sedan/Coupe. I, too, noticed the mini automotive theme and the clecho cluing for Alamo/Avis and Crate/Lemon. My favorite C/A was Have no reception?=Elope.
Thanks, Catherine, for a smooth, enjoyable solve and congrats on your debut and thanks, Splynter, for pinch hitting. I, too, lived in Florida and while Publix was our go-to supermarket, I never knew it was employee owned.
FLN
Lemony, good to hear from you. We miss you as a Cornerite and as a steadfast and talented blogger, especially when reviewing your symbiotic constructor, Jeffrey Wechsler. I also miss seeing the growth stages of Charlotte, Harper, and Owen. Best wishes for improved health.
November can be mostly a dreary month in the Great Northeast and it's certainly starting out that way. I think we've had our rain quota for the year, and then some.
Have a great day.
Hey everyone... Could someone please tell me what the acroymns "FIR" and "PERP" mean that a lot of people use in these comments?
Thanks!
Took 7:29 today for me to realize my capital gains.
Top-right corner was rough. I didn't know today's actress (Lisa) or the Florida store. Mix in some Latin (idem), a prefix (semi), and an abbreviation (Amex), and well, that corner was a capital pain.
I was also tripped-up by the other Latin (osso), the slugger (Soto), and the German dwelling (but not the German automaker).
I've been to Athens, Ohio a few times. It's home to Ohio University, and very near to Hocking Hills State Park.
FIR = Finished It Right.
FIW = Finished It Wrong.
Perp = perpendicular (as in an intersecting word).
Never heard of IDEM. We have a Moscow Rhode Island. I know of a decent hardworking family that without SSI would be unable to pay rent, get to work and buy healthcare. Please leave the poor alone and blame the rich for God’s sake.
more trivia...
Yes, yes, we need an edit function!!
Try again:
Good Morning! So nice that you stopped in, Splynter. Thanks for your recap.
Catherine gave us a bit of crunch, IMHO, in today’s puzzle. I had several WOs & W-overs to get the NE to gel. Tried London before LISBON and SOME crossing some (no, no) until SEMI appeared. Perps for LISA and IDEM. Thanks, Catherine, and congrats on your debut. Clever theme!
The mid-west was the last to fill because it took me a while at VERSE crossing MOSCOW and the unknown SOTO crossing CRATE.
WO: Guard -> GUIDE got me to the finish line.
Waseeley, there's a BERLIN in Maryland where I’ve vacationed by the shore.
ANON @ 8:06 If you look on the right of the Blog page under OLIO, there's a link to the abbreviations used here.
Fun CW on this sunny but cold morning. I really liked the theme. Yes as others have listed, it could be expanded for another puzzle.
I also liked the paired answers for rental cars and for subpar ones. Neat.
Fine recap from Splynter.
This day is called La Toussaint in French, celebrating all the saints.
I am still wondering if there is another layer to this CAPITAL theme involving the compass directions?
Splynter Hand up one of my childhood friends lives in BERLIN, CT and another is from MOSCOW, ID. No legs, but the Russian dating site is pleasant on the eyes. Can you or someone else explain that amazing SUNDIAL with the digital readout?
unclefred Hand up I remember the delicious CHERRY of Cheracol. GRAPE would not cut it.
I will always remember HAUS because of the memorable Vonnegut book Slaughterhouse Five. In German: SchlachtHAUS fünf. A rare case where the movie is as good as the book.
Here is a dance from South ASIA performed last Tuesday.
My dear friend Vandana (from the KITE Festival) invited me. This is a Gujarati dance called Garba. In the middle of Halloween, they had a flash mob at the shopping center across the street from us.
From Yesterday:
Tante Nique Good to know you also appreciated the joys of UTNE Reader! Are you aware of another meaning of "Nique"? When I first saw your name here I verified with my French friend Irene that it could be interpreted in a most interesting way.
CanadianEh, Vidwan, Lucina Thank you for the very kind words about my ASIAN photos, videos and article and about my festive garb and our community! You inspired me to add the post today!
The EVE yesterday brought many more lively scenes worth sharing another time. Thanks!
Str8forward for a humpday puzzle
Easy theme but left out our sister city on the opposite end of the county, Rome New York, home of the WSB, World Series of Bocce. (Splynter I remember your weatherman bud Matt D. You must mean WKTV Utica, Rome doesn’t have a TV station. In Upstate NY we also have Paris. Vienna, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Carthage, New Berlin (BER-lin) Cairo (KAY-to) Madrid (MA [like cat]-drid) and more I think. How can we forget Irish M in Troy!!!
Inkovers: guard/GUIDE
I thought it said “Mom’s opposite” and almost put Dad 😕
Liked “have no reception” ELOPE. When a patient covertly leaves the hospital without being discharged the term is elopement.
Couldn’t figure HASSLE cuz I stuck with KEITH too long. 🙄….AAH, HEATH!
Two car rental companies. Two citrus fruits.
AUDI, the WORST LEMON I’ve ever owned. (hey Ray tell us what you really think 🤔).
Gala 🍎 was wrong the first time but try, try again. Wonder if Aetna insures the folks living near ETNA (they took its Latin name it’s the least they can do).
If he had an older brother Richard would be a second ____ ….. GERE
Taylor and Travis (“Traylor”?) are currently an ___ IDEM
A rock star who cant get a gig is essentially ____ IDOL
Cold Halloween but no rain. A few more maskeraiders than usual but we didn’t run out of candy.
Ottawa, Illinois?
Lemonade, it was good to hear from you. Glad you're still "kickin'" and still "puzzlin'." Hope you drop by often.
Decent mid-week effort. FIR, with no particular issues. Perps were fair, and the theme was clever. Enjoyed Splynters expo, and remembered Rome, Georgia from "The Great Locomotive Chase". (Civil War Andrew's raid).
Charlie Echo, I remember seeing that movie when it came out back in the mid-50s. Fess Parker starred, methinks.
A fun puzzle. Clever theme. Being from the west coast, did not know Publix but perps filled just fine. A good Weds. exercise. Probably too many names for some folks but certainly doable. More like this please in midweek.
Hola!
What a fun trip around the world without leaving my chair! I have such good memories from ATHENS, MOSCOW, LISBON, and PARIS, the ones from across the globe.
I know people who could not exist without SSI and they were never deadbeats.
RAIN? If only we could have some.
ALAMO is often our car rental company of choice when we travel.
Splynter, thank you so much for your valuable insights. Have a wonderful day, everyone! I'll go to Mass at noon.
There is a Bagdad, Arizona and a few others which I don't recall at the moment. I'll have to research it.
An easier puzzle than yesterday. I like that our language evolves and changes. It seems most of the us cornerites are now comfortable with IMHO and TMI as texter clues…. Where as a few years ago we’d wrinkle our noses at such youthful slang…. Thanks Catherine for a humpday fun 🏃♀️ run and thanks Splynter for the informative recap… kkFlorida
Musings
-I sat down to do the puzzle at 9am and the phone rang and so now I am here subbing for a history teacher. Seniors were choosing topics to write on and those topics on which I could/would not offer an opinion these days.
-A very nice puzzle on a cold, windy but sunny day on the Great Plains
-I’m surprised that House M.D. got away with some of the dialogue aimed at LISA
-Maus rhymes with HAUS and mouse rhymes with house
-Here come the 9th graders.
On the same theme as this morning’s CW puzzle, there are four “countries” in one area of South Carolina, and I’ve been to all four: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
Picard @10:36 . I am aware of the meaning. The wife of my grand nephew decided to have their young son call me that because I’m an aunt/TANTE and my name is MoNIQUE. Now that he’s older he calls me by my first name. So in reality, I’d like to get rid of that name.
I wonder if it’s possible to change one’s “handle” on this site.
Tante Nique @ 1:18 ~ Click on your blue name, the on your Profile page, click on Edit in upper right hand corner, scroll down to Display Name, make the correction, then scroll down and click on Save Profile. Easy Peasy! 😉
"then" on your Profile page . . .
Tante Nique Glad that you know what it means! And glad you are trying to change your name on the blog!
Irish Miss Thank you for letting her know how to make the change. Please let us know how it works, Monique!
Thank you Picard and IM☘️
It worked. Yes easy Peasy. I’ve become Monkey.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Catherine (congrats on your debut) and Splynter.
I FIRed in good time and saw all the capitals. (Thanks Anon@10:56 for thinking of Ottawa)
I thought about Picard’s query re another level to the compass directions. If ATHENS OHIO had been interchanged with MOSCOW IDAHO the locations on the grid would have been a closer match to the clues, perhaps.
Is Ohio really considered Midwest? We don’t consider west to start until Manitoba!
Hand up with IM that the clue for ELOPE was my fav today.
I thought that it was my Canadian disadvantage that made perps necessary for SSI. Apparently not. (I do think we have had it before)
CSO to LEMON today. Glad to see your post FLN.
Wishing you all a great day.
DESPER-OTTO: Yes, that was Fess Parker. I remember going to the local theater and being astounded to see "Davey Crockett" stealing trains! Parker also became "Daniel Boone" later on TV. A frontiersman through and through!
Puzzling thoughts:
Had one hiccup - the crossing of CRATE and SOTO
Interesting to see PUBLIX in the puzzle today. This was its debut as an entry. I miss Publix. Their apple fritters were the best I've ever tasted; their redskin potato salad is the best I've ever had; they make a buffalo chicken dip that is to die for ... I always get those three items when I visit my daughter in ATHENS Georgia where there are a handful of PUBLIX supermarkets
It is usually about this time in the week that I give you all a "heads up" with regard to the Friday puzzle (the times when I am the blogger). All I will say is that there IS a Friday puzzle this week, and I recapped it yesterday
Don't ever take any sports gambling advice from the Chairman! I predicted the D-Backs in 6 games. Now that they are down 3-1 in the Series, they'll need 3 straight wins to capture the crown. Don't see it happening. Rangers are too good
See ya Friday
An FYI: The movie "Runaway Bride" was filmed in Berlin, Maryland.
Splynter is in charge of this Lammersen XWD.
A cute theme. I don't think I have seen all the capitals together before this.
~ OMK
___________
DR: Three diagonals on the far side.
The central line yields a curious anagram (9 of 15 ltrs) that describes the sounds emanating from a weak voiced bailiff (or other court officer) or from one who consistently misstates the calls for silence. (I like it when the "Z" is pronounced.)
Such a poor specimen issues...
"BAD OYEZES"!
Good to hear from you, Lemonade.
Thank You Catherine Lammersen for a very nice and innovative puzzle, which I enjoyed. The idea of world capitals was very unique .... only in America, where they quickly ran out of names, after they started the new townships ...
I have only 'been to' Athens Ohio, ( home of Ohio Univ.) and to Moscow, Idaho, ( passing on our way back from Yellowstone ...). As for the CW, I got the theme answer algorithm fairly quickly, but was still stuck with the actual names...
FYI, regarding Ohio University, about 1980, an indian, V. Rama.. got his Ph.D. in Physics, from this sleepy little university. He couldnt get a faculty position in the US, so he took up a job in the UK,and eventually stayed there. In 2009, he was one of three who shared a Nobel Prize in Biochemistry and DNA/RNA research. Ohio U's claim to fame.
On the CW issues ... I liked the two Apples ... iMac and Gala ( my favorite -), and the two junk cars, Lemons and Crates. Also, the clue for ELOPE was so very cute !!
As a first generation immigrant, I was flumoxxed by the Green Card reference... I know, people will pay over a million dollars today, if they get one of the 'real' kind ....
BTW, I had applied for an AMEX gift card in 1990, but I never used it...
I can't believe I had forgotten about Idem. ('same person' ... exactly the same, previous reference ...) ,
I kept thinking Ibid. ( Ibidem ... 'same place', ... same publ. cited., but different page number... )
Picard, Thank You for including that Garba dance number in your post. I loved it !!! I learnt how to dance the Garba ... and the Dandia-rass ... another dance, but with small sticks for pace and effect ... about 20 years ago, when I was younger and stronger, but now. ... the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak ....
Have a great rest of the week, all you folks.
Post a Comment