Happy New Year, everyone!
Today's theme is:
Our constructor, Jeff Stillman, gives us three sets of circles, highlighting the fact that the letters Y, E, A, and R have been scrambled. Eventually, he puts them in order at ...
51 Across. Celebratory shout heard before "Auld Lang Syne" is played, and an apt title for this puzzle?: HAPPY NEW YEAR.
I put up the Rolling in the New Year image because it sort of feels like the letters in the circles are rolling into their proper place. I really cannot say if that is what Jeff had in mind. Perhaps he is simply saying that 51-A was a "new" way to arrange the letters from the circles. If there is another layer, I missed it. Whoosh!
Nonetheless, I am a fan of holiday-themed puzzles so I am giving Jeff's puzzle a thumbs up. 👍 Notice that his circles always span two words. Additionally, it is nice to see two 15-letter answers on a Monday puzzle. Here's the grid:
 |
| There are 4! = 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24 ways to arrange the letters Y, E, A, and R. |
Let's keep on rollin' with the other clues:
1. Underground areas explored by spelunkers: CAVES. A spelunker is someone who makes a hobby of exploring CAVES.
trailer for Ancient Caves, a 2020 IMAX documentary
6. Car-buying necessity, for many: LOAN.
10. Degs. for some entrepreneurs: MBAS. Master of Business Administration degrees
14. Stuffy "Me too": AS AM I. I started with AS do I, but perps told me that choice was an outlier.
15. Competent: ABLE.
16. Noble rank above viscount: EARL.
17. Stuck in the muck: MIRED.
 |
| That poor duck had bad luck! |
18. French champagne brand: MOET. a nice fit for a New Year's grid
19. "Well, would you look at that!": MY MY.
20. Make a polite visit: PAY RESPECT TO.
24. Runs easily with long strides: LOPES.
Watch as British equestrian Ben Maher keeps his horse, Explosion W, in an smooth LOPE
between jumps to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
27. False start punishment, in football: FIVE YARD PENALTY. False start is when an offensive player does it. Offsides is when a defensive player does it. Do the players get fined?
34. County Clare's nat.: IRE. I did not know this one but "County Clare" just sounds like it lies in the nation of IREland. (Hi Irish Miss! ☘)
35. Internet letters: EMAILS. This was my favorite clue because I fell for the "letters" misdirection and was trying to think of an initialism.
36. "The Banana Boat Song" opener: DAY-O. as in "It's New Year's DAY-O"
This one never gets old.
Harry Belafonte released Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) in 1956.
37. Trails behind: LAGS. To LAG behind is to fail to keep pace with one's peers.
39. Color TV pioneer: RCA. I think of Misty when I see RCA in a puzzle because she has such fond memories of her father. I can feel her smile through the internet.
40. "Barbie" actor Liu: SIMU. He is a Canadian actor born in Harbin, China on April 19, 1989. Last week CanadianEh! reminded us about his book, We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story. It's on my library queue.
 |
| Simu Liu rocks the Ken hair. |
41. La __: Real Madrid's division: LIGA. European fútbol
42. Frank on the grill: WEENIE.
 |
| the Oscar Mayer wienermobile |
45. Naught: NIL. Those on Santa's naughty list get NIL for Christmas.
46. Incredibly hard to hold: SLIPPERY AS AN EEL.
Wow, this one took me on a trip down memory lane to Bozo Under the Sea, a 78 RPM record I used to listen to at my grandmother's house while reading its accompanying book. I remember this picture of him touching an electric EEL.
49. Photo app filter shade: SEPIA. Last Friday, ZDL's puzzle had a good clue for this word -- Retro tone.
50. Time period often named for a monarch: ERA.
58. Crèche trio: MAGI. Most western Christian churches celebrate Three Kings' Day on January 6.
 |
| Click to expand. |
61. Moisturizer brand: OLAY.
62. Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.
63. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR. Minnesota has eight congressional districts. Rep. Ilhan Omar's district is #5 (Minneapolis). 
64. Junction point: NODE. I knowed this one. Did you knowed it, too?
65. Spoke wildly: RAVED. I was trying to make ranted fit.
66. Sheepherding pig in a 1995 film: BABE.
67. Smack: SWAT.
68. Austin Powers player Mike: MYERS. Canadian-American actor Mike Myers made three Austin Powers movies. They were released in 1997, 1999, and 2002. Here's the trailer from the first one, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Down:
1. Training __: NFL preseason practice time: CAMP. This link goes to the 2023 training CAMP details for every NFL team. Scroll through it to get a feel for the whens & wheres.
2. Tibet's continent: ASIA. This 3:22 min. video lists four reasons to visit Tibet. You might also find these 2024 Tibet travel restrictions interesting.
3. "Your mileage may __": VARY. In other words, you might have a different experience in a particular situation.
The Proclaimers I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (1988)
Yes, they're twins.
But I would walk 500 milesAnd I would walk 500 moreJust to be the man who walks a thousand milesTo fall down at your door
4. Come to light: EMERGE.
5. Judgmental glance: SIDE-EYE. The term is about a physical act that communicates any number of things (e.g., suspicion, scorn, annoyance, jealousy, and veiled curiosity).
Here is some serious 17th century SIDE-EYE.
6. Bedside light: LAMP.
7. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.
8. Actor Guinness: ALEC. (1914-2000) his IMDb page
9. Invasive plants with stinging hairs: NETTLES. description & uses
10. Note-worthy purchases?: MEMO PADS. "Note-worthy". Good one!
11. Green __, Wisconsin: BAY. IIRC, unclefred is a Packers fan.
12. Escort's offering: ARM.
13. Devious: SLY.
21. Tailor's line of stitches: SEAM.
22. Freight weight: TON.
25. "Seinfeld" character who worked for Pendant Publishing: ELAINE. and 53 Down. When tripled, phrase spoken by 25-Down: YADA.
 |
| Detail from The Fortune Teller French artist Georges de La Tour (circa 1630) |
6. Bedside light: LAMP.
7. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.
8. Actor Guinness: ALEC. (1914-2000) his IMDb page
9. Invasive plants with stinging hairs: NETTLES. description & uses
10. Note-worthy purchases?: MEMO PADS. "Note-worthy". Good one!
11. Green __, Wisconsin: BAY. IIRC, unclefred is a Packers fan.
12. Escort's offering: ARM.
21. Tailor's line of stitches: SEAM.
22. Freight weight: TON.
25. "Seinfeld" character who worked for Pendant Publishing: ELAINE. and 53 Down. When tripled, phrase spoken by 25-Down: YADA.
This is the clip (1 min.):
"No, I mentioned the bisque."
26. Really frustrate: STYMIE. Def.: (verb) to prevent or hinder the progress of.
27. Jam-packs: FILLS. This reminded me of the well-known story about the jar with rocks. Here is a 2 min. version:
28. Vowel-shaped track segments: I-RAILS.
 |
| Is this an I-RAIL? The cross section of the rail resembles a letter "I". |
29. Carrot or celery, informally: VEGGIE.
30. Not so common: RARER.
31. Hazardous: DICEY.
32. Initial strategy: PLAN A.
33. "__ be sorry!": YOU'LL.
38. Blue gem: SAPPHIRE. Note to self: 2P's
42. Some cards in the board game Clue: WEAPONS. Can you name all six? (*answers below)
43. "Now it's clear!": I SEE.
44. Overly catchy song: EARWORM. Here is an aptly named EARWORM:
Kylie Minogue Can't Get You Out of My Head (2001)
La-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
47. Actress Zadora: PIA.
48. Come out against: NAYSAY.
52. Furrow former: PLOW.
54. No, in Russian: NYET.
55. Icicle site: EAVE.
56. Ripening agent: AGER. When used on some apples, the result is a Golden AGER. 😜
57. Cincinnati MLB team: REDS. The team name originated from the high red socks or stockings the team wore with its knee-length pants.
58. Unruly crowd: MOB.
59. GP's gp.: AMA. General Practitioner and American Medical Association
60. Chitchat: GAB.
59. GP's gp.: AMA. General Practitioner and American Medical Association
60. Chitchat: GAB.
 |
| my friend Julie & me at lunch yesterday 😀 |
*The six CLUE weapons are: wrench, lead pipe, rope, knife, revolver, and candlestick.
That's all for today. Wishing everyone health & happiness in the new year!
34 comments:
The only obscurity I found in this puzzle was the name “Simu” but the perps were kind. Otherwise, I had no problem with this very appropriate puzzle, which was the usual Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
And may I say a “Happy New Year” to all my Cornerite friends! Blessings!
Good morning, and Happy New Year!
Jeff gave us an easy stroll through the grid on this first day of '24. Appropriate theme, too. SIDE EYE was an unknown expression to d-o until a few weeks ago. Now it seems to be popping up everywhere. BABE was a cute movie, I can still hear James Cromwell's, "That'll do, Pig." Thanx for bring in the new year, sumdaze. (My computer popped up a security message this morning, and it got overlaid onto every video embed in the blog. Weird.)
Where'd my "ing" go?
Toughest puzzle so far this year. (And the easiest).
FIR, and Happy New Year to all.
That being said, this was a poor way to start off the year: circles and obscure proper names. And the theme was not at all clear and I needed to come here for an explanation. And I still don't see it. Side eye, my my, and as am I seemed forced.
My one erasure was when I threw down weener before weenie.
Let's hope the rest of the year improves puzzle quality.
Happy New Year, Sumdaze and friends.
Funny story about the movie Babe. When the movie first came out, my husband and I went to see it. While we were standing in line to get tickets, a group of college-aged men were contemplating what movie they should see. They saw the title of the film and decided that sounded like something they wanted to see. Were they in for a surprise!
QOD: One has two duties ~ to be worried and not to be worried. ~ E.M. Forster (né Edward Morgan Forster Jan. 1, 1879 ~ June 7, 1970), British novelist
Good Morning:
The first easily parsed, scrambled Y E A R gave away the theme, but the reveal was cute and timely. I Rails and Liga were unknown, but perps were super friendly throughout the grid. The themers were rock solid in-the-language phrases and, as sumdaze mentioned, two grid spanners added to the enjoyment. Simu Liu is a name to commit to memory because of those tempting vowels. I thought the fill was above average for a Monday and the minimal three letter words are always a plus, IMO.
Thanks, Jeff, for a bright start to a new year and thanks, sumdaze, for the array of comics and videos to tickle our fancy, not to mention the interesting learning moments. I came up with 5 of the Clue weapons, missing the Lead Pipe. I also tested myself on the suspects and, again, came up short by one, forgetting Mrs. Peacock! My three best friends and I played that game, and others, many, many times. Happy memories! Thanks for the CSO.
FLN
Congrats, Melissa, on the newest addition. Jaelyn and Harper must be over the moon!
That was unexpected and sad news about Keith. May he rest in peace. 🙏
Happy New Year to all! 🥂
Marvellous Monday. Thanks for the fun, Jeff and sumdaze.
I FIRed this CW yesterday, as my newspaper gave us both Saturday and today’s CW since it is not published on the holiday.
Some unknowns but perps were fair.
Yes, as Irish Miss says, remember SIMU Liu since both of his names are CW friendly. I am waiting for the Marvel clueing instead of the outdated Kim’s Convenience. I had forgotten his Ken role in the Barbie movie.
Hand up for wiener before WEENIE.
I RAIL was unknown to me.
SAPPHIRE is the September birthstone of several family members.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year.
Hola!
Happy New Year, everyone! It's leap year, too.
There is not much to say about this puzzle except that it was an easy fill. Thank you, Jeff Stillman.
However, it's a few days early for the MAGI. They are celebrated on January 6th.
Learning moment on how to spell SAPPHIRE. I don't recall ever having to write/spell it before.
It has been a very, very long time since I played CLUE so my memory is dim about the WEAPONS. Thank you, sumdaze, for the reminder.
I can think of a much more agreeable and handsome clue for OMAR. Sharif comes to mind.
LIGA, of course, means league.
DAYO makes for a nice EARWORM.
I'll add my congratulations to Melissa on her new granddaughter.
And how sad that we lost OMKeith. May he rest in peace.
This year I may have to actually buy a calendar! Usually I receive several in the mail but not this year. I hope our church has some. Yesterday I was unable to go to Mass so I missed out on that.
I hope your year is off to a good start, everyone!
(Ray - o - sunshine
Now I’m printed as one of the anonmi. 😳
It’s gonna be an interesting year
Agreed, an easy way to start the year. I'm with you, CEh, weiner before we're. Didn't know SIMU, the parallels filled him in.
Spelunking can be a dangerous pastime, and definitely a young person's sport.
There is also a five yard penalty for encroachment on the defense where they are not just off-sides but actually make contact with an offensive player.
Years may come and go, but wonders never cease.
Optomism
Weenie, not we're. Dang autocorrect.
Lovely CW to start us off on a new year journey. I too like holiday appropriate themes.
Except for SIMU, no unknown names. I’ve drunk plenty of MOËT in my day, but no more.
Hahtoolah. Funny story about BABE, one of my favorite movies.
Thank you Sumdaze for the fun recap.
If you believe in the clichéd Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times” then I wish you all a boring year.
Not only EZ but except for maybe SIMU the scant Proper Names should likely be familiar to most. There must be more to the HAPPYNEWYEAR theme than three jumbled “years” in circles?
Inkovers: wiener/WEENIE
PLOW (Canada eh , do you plough the lower 40 acres or should I say 16.187 hectares ?)
Wanted to fill PAYRESPECTS (too short). And why does SAPPHIRE need two letter P’s? (Sap-fire?).
Elaine eventually worked for The J. Peterman Catalog Co. inventing the famous Urban Sombrero
Mileage may fluctuate ; be ___ good or____ bad…..VARY
Mr. Davis Junior for one …… ASAMI
BABE to the farmer, “I need a house ASAP; so ___ ….. STYMIE
Equine vocal opposition….NAYSAY
La Liga shout for a moisturizer brand… “OLAY!!
Happy New Year
Sorry about OMKeith
An easy start for a New Year. May that be an omen! Sometimes boring is a good thing. Only unknown was SIMU, and perps took care of it. Had to look a little SIDE EYED at IRAIL. Sumdaze, your illustration is actually called T-RAIL. You are absolutely right about Harry B...his music never grows old! A happy and healthy New Year to all!
\Musings
-What a wonderful start to 2024!
-This 5-yd offside penalty cost the Chiefs a win
-In the 1930’s, St. Louis Cardinal Pepper Martin was known as the Wild Horse Of The OSAGE for his aggressive style of play
-SIDE-EYE: It never occurred to me that there was a name for this
-Is offering an ARM to a lady now considered to be a sexist act?
A STYMIE used to be a golf strategy.. Now the closer ball’s position is marked and temporarily moved.
-On Saturday, the Lions DICEY 2-point try paid off and then a referee’s mistake cost them the two points and the game
-Minimum till and no till farming have made PLOWS mostly unnecessary these days.
-AGER: How to spot fake antiques
-Always a fun job by Renee!
Greetings! Happy New Year, Everyone! A fun puzzle to start off the new year. Thanks, Jeff. I saw the jumble right off and followed it down to the reveal.
WAG at I-RAILS crossing LIGA, both unknown to me. And, I was stuck on a “track & field” event, not railroad until I came to the recap.
ESP: SIMU. I must remember this one because we’ve had him before, but I have no other frame of reference because I’ve never seen his work.
Thanks, sumdaze, for your recap. Loved the SIDE EYE painting, the impressive show jumping video & a bit of philosophy as a good reminder to start the new year.
FIR with no erasure.
Today is:
NEW YEAR'S DAY (in many people it is a synonym for…)
NATIONAL HANGOVER DAY (which is best cured by overindulgence in…)
NATIONAL BLOODY MARY DAY (actually, I preferred mimosas back in my imbibing days)
NATIONAL THANK GOD IT’S MONDAY DAY (ok, so ya gotta have a contrarian view occasionally)
I think that more corporate types earn MBAS than do entrepreneurs. The credential is important for climbing the corporate ladder, and entrepreneurs are already at the top. (Not that the knowledge isn't helpful - I had a much better understanding of how the business world works after getting mine.)
I was thinking of an oval track segment - maybe an arc - until the FIVE YARD PENALTY provided my dope-slap and forced IRAIL. By the way, let me mansplain the penalty. Either side can get an offside PENALTY. It is often even committed by pros, being a little too close to the opponent when the ball is hiked (aka "at the snap") is OFFSIDE. "False start" can only be committed by the offensive team, and is called when someone who has become set and isn't allowed to move until the snap, moves.
FLN - Lucina, I think the unofficial Arizona motto is "But it is dry heat."
FLN - MSNBC must be doing something right. They have eclipsed the CNN audience numbers. Of course Fox News leads all the cable networks by far, but we'll never see any clues or answers for them. This hobby is, after all, clearly an extension of the faculty lounge.
Thanks to Jeff for the fun Monday offering. Good to see you back here. And thanks to sumdaze for the funny, clever review.
Enjoyable puzzle, Jeff. Great expo, Sumdaze.
Gary, the plow is still in use on some farms. Depends on the type of soil. In our farms, no-till was fine for a year or two then the soil was too compacted for seeds to do well and needed to be plowed up and worked into looser shape. Water soaked in better in looser soil too instead of just running off the hard pack.
Happy New Year, everyone! I was wondering if anyone would find another way to interpret today's puzzle.
BobB@7:13. Well said!
Hahtoolah@7:54. Cute story about Babe!
I agree with IM @ 8:53 about Simu Liu.
Lee@ 10:09. Nice quote for the new year...and always.
I hope we hear from unclefred today.
H.Gary, I disagree that the ref made a mistake. An otherwise ineligible player MUST check in with the official. The official then announces the eligibility. You can't hear it on TV, but in the stadium everyone, including the opposing coaches, can. Having two otherwise ineligible players in the game with only one reporting gives an unfair advantage to the offense. Sounds like a Bill Belichick scheme to me. In this case, the Lions had 1) illegal formation, 2) illegal touching, and 3) ineligible player downfield. Each a 5 yard penalty; take your pick.
Neat puzzle to start off our New Year 2024! Many thanks, Jeff, and Sumdaze, I liked all your images and even listened to Harry Belafonte. And the picture of SIDE-EYE was really cute.
My only toughie was that I just couldn't believe the spelling of STYMIE. Never saw that before.
I'll try to make a New Year's resolution to not only do the puzzle every day, but check in with the group here as often as possible too.
Happy New Year!
Missed you, Misty. Happy New Year
Jinx
I’ve listened to many commentators and experts and they say the tape clearly shows that Decker #68 reported to the referee at the insistence of Jared Goff and #70 did not. The referee then reported that information to the Cowboy defense and told them the wrong number #70. Decker lined up correctly at the end of the line and was eligible. No one and I mean no one has defended the referee and everyone has said that a mistake was made. That crew has been demoted and will not work any playoff games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqJLVodSjac
Happy New Year my friend!
Re: yest, Um, er,, last year...
ASMR is well known to me, but if you have never experienced it, you never will. It only affects certain people. My first experience with it was a telemarketer's voice that gave me the tingles. (Watch out, they could sell you anything...)
The passing of OMK is very sad news to bring in the New Year. I will miss him, and always wonder if I can look at a crossword another way... todays puzzle seems perfect for diagonals, but I don't have a clue as to how to make anagrams out of them...
Actually, I got interupted several times, to take down Xmas lights, here, there, and everywhere. It wasn't til reading the write up that I realized I totally forgot to look at the circles... for some reason, Irails cross8ng Liga gave me a very hard time. And parsing
Me-mop-ads was note-worthy...
Here are a couple of sillies, to brighten your new year:
exhibit A
reason to get a dog...
and, here's hoping your new year is a gas!
Oh, and one more curiosity...
I joined DW to watch the New year come in, and Perry Como was singing "imagine" in Times Square during the last minute of the old year! I questioned, "where's Ryan Seacrest" and "where's all the new kids I never heard of?" And DW pointed out she was watching the new year come in on CNN... CNN? I said! We need to watch channel 7!
So, in our usual agreements, we switched back and forth between channel 7's unknown new kids, and CNN's Perry Como,,,
But what struck me was that CNN was on a 20 second time delay! (I th8nk!) even now, I am still not sure "when" the actual New Year act7ally arrived!
I liked this puzzle, sumdaze's write-up, and all your comments. I learned that the "Barbie" actor was not LUCY Liu. I also learned that Frank on the grill was not a HOTDOG. I liked the clue GP's gp. I didn't much like the clue County Clare's nat.
Here is a lot of interesting information about Keith Fowler:
https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=3209
Happy new year!
CED @ 1:40 ~ I believe you mean Paul Anka.
H.Gary, thanks for that explanation - makes sense. So had the PAT stood, the Cowboys would have gotten screwed. Called back, the Lions got screwed. I think the officiating was just as good, maybe better, when they were just football nuts who had day jobs. Lexington, Kentucky's Tommy Bell was a lawyer when not doing a great job of officiating NFL games.
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR; as others said, I am still trying to get more out of the circled letters spelling YEAR (in a scrambled manner) than just "HAPPY NEW YEAR". If the letters spelled a synonym of "happy", maybe?
Jinx, as HG pointed out, the referee @ the Cowboys v Lions game was completely wrong; he should've owned up to his mistake
Jayce, I have added your link about Keith Fowler, aka OMK, so others may access it more quickly
HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of our Cornerites
Misty@12:55. I like your resolution!
Jayce & C-Moe. Thank you for the link.
That is very, very sad news about Keith.
From Yesterday and Today
CanadianEh and Others Thank you for letting us know about Old Man Keith. I am very saddened to hear this. I am also Friends with him on Facebook and had often exchanged messages with him.
I enjoyed today's HAPPY NEW YEAR theme. Happy to have a theme that goes with the occasion.
We were fortunate to have a very special CRECHE here in Santa Barbara that included live animals.
Father Larry Gosselin of the Santa Barbara Mission kindly posed for me with the animals and the CRECHE last week.
The Mission is run by the Franciscans and he is a Franciscan Friar.
My daughter was married (it was her second marriage) in Santa Barbara and many family members attended. Since we were there on the weekend, several of us attended Mass at the Mission on that Sunday. A visiting Franciscan who was stationed in Vladivostok as a missionary happened to be there and gave one of the most inspiring and fiery sermons I have ever heard. I was so moved by his preaching that I wrote one of the largest checks I've ever given at Mass. He spoke of his work there and how much he loved working with the people at his mission. It was in 2007 or 2008.
The wedding was not in the church but on the beach.
FLN - What shocking news that OMK passed. I will miss is pontifications and, of course, the circuitous routes he'd take us on in his Diag Reports.
R.I.P. Old Man Keith [Fowler].*
Hi All!
A (mostly) quick, fun, Jan 1 puzzle from Jeff. That whole IRAIL | IRE | LIGA's held me up for a bit until I held my breath and jumped in with my guesses (all right?!?).
Thank you Sumdaze for the lively expo. As always, just the right mix of fact & fun.
WOs: hems->SEAM, Dead[l]y -> DICEY, Kramer -> ELAINE
ESPs: [see WAGs]
Fav: It didn't fool me for a second but MEMO PAD, as clued, is cute.
I hope everyone's New YEAR got off to a great start. After a super breakfast at a local bakery, our New Year began with a hike - here's a snap.
Cheers, -T
*I do have SOME access to the Jumble blog but I don’t know if I can make admins out of anyone who wants to take over. WC, OKL, and OMK are the only other Admins and I don't see an option to add a new one. I will ask my Angel Editor if he knows how.
Post a Comment