Happy New Year, my dear crossword friends. I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2024.
Double Cross. The word Cross can be placed before each word in the theme answer to give a new concept.
17-Across. * Hurdles for would-be attorneys: BAR EXAMINATIONS. Cross Bar and Cross Examinations.
25-Across. * Rural byway: COUNTRY ROAD. Cross Country and Cross Road.
 |
| "Well isn't this a nice quiet country road! Not another car in sight!" |
41-Across. * Clarinet, bassoon, etc., in an orchestra: WIND SECTION. Cross Wind and Cross Section.
54-Across. Things to "see" in a dictionary, and what both parts of the answers to the starred clues are?: CROSS REFERENCES.
Across:
1. Starfleet Academy student: CADET. Starfleet Academy is the fictional academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained in Star Trek. Apparently it was established in the year 2161 in San Francisco. That's good news for San Francisco since it means that a major earthquake will not be destroying the city for at least another 140+ years.
6. "Ain't gonna happen": NOPE.
10. Mattress support piece: SLAT.
14. Fruit on a cocktail toothpick: OLIVE. Why Olives are in martinis.
15. Lyft rival: UBER.
16. Opera house level: LOGE.
 |
| At the Hungarian State Opera House |
20. "Take a load off": SIT.
21. Toothpaste dispensers: TUBES.
22. Group of eight: OCTET.
23. Break bread: DINE.
24. More formal than business casual: DRESSY.
29. Beyoncé's "Best __ I Never Had": THING. [Name # 1.]
30. Made for __ other: EACH.
31. Pampering place: SPA.
34. Make mad: RILE.
35. TGIF part: THANK.
37. Growth on an old loaf: MOLD.
38. "Woo-hoo!": YAY.
39. Cold feet: FEAR. Probably some of the early European settlers got cold feet when they sailed near Cape Fear in North Carolina.
40. Light supper: SALAD. It could be a Big Salad.
44. Arcade coins: TOKENS.
47. Backyard storage for hoes and hoses: SHED.
48. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi: ANNAN. Kofi Annan (né Kofi Atta Annan; Apr. 8, 1938 ~ Aug. 18, 2018) served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 through December 2006. He and the UN were co-recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. [Name # 2.]
49. Spud, informally: TATER. It's a bit un-PC, but very funny and if you listen to the end, you will see why it's relevant here.
51. __ Dhabi: ABU. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The name means Father of Gazelle. It is so named because of the abundance of gazelles in the area.
57. "Bloodline" actor Chandler: KYLE. Kyle Chandler (né Kyle Martin Chandler; b. Sept. 17, 1965) has starred in a number of television shows, including Friday Night Lights and Early Edition in addition to Bloodline. [Name # 3.]
58. Part of a plot: ACRE. My initial thought upon reading this clue was that plot referred to a story line in a novel.
59. Windy City airport: O'HARE. The three letter airport abbreviation for O'Hare International Airport in Chicago is ORD. That is because the airport was originally called Orchard Airport. In 1949, the airport was renamed O'Hare in honor of Edward O'Hare (Mar. 26, 1914 ~ Nov. 26, 1943), a World War II flying ace and war hero. [Name adjacent.]
60. Fly off the shelves: SELL.
61. "To __ It May Concern": WHOM.
62. Narrow openings: SLITS.
Down:
1. Corn discards: COBS.
2. Jai __: Basque game: ALAI. A crossword staple. A brief history below:
3. Earth: DIRT.
4. December 24 or 31: EVE. We've experiences both in the past 2 weeks.
5. Tapping out messages: TEXTING. Do not text while driving.
6. Digit: NUMBER.
7. Award similar to a Tony: OBIE. The Off-Broadway theater award.
8. Farm structures: PENS.
9. Timeline segment: ERA.
10. Like cold cuts: SLICED.
11. Ransacks: LOOTS.
12. Youngest "Despicable Me" daughter: AGNES. I didn't remember the names of the children in this movie. [Name # 4, fictional.] Hi, Irish Miss (not fictional.)
13. Peevish: TESTY.
18. Grandma's daughter: AUNT. Could also be clued as Mother's sister, Father's sister, Grandpa's daughter ...
19. Bar mitzvah scroll: TORAH. Below are the Torah Scrolls at the synagogue in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
23. Two-part sci-fi epic starring Timothée Chalamet: DUNE. Timothée Chalamet (b. Dec. 27, 1995) just celebrated his 28th birthday. His father is French, thus Timothée holds dual French and United States citizenship. [Name # 5.]
24. Charging station: DOCK.
25. Novelty "pet" that's really a plant: CHIA.
 |
| Hello, Kitty! |
26. Greasy: OILY.
27. Quite a while: YEARS. We have been enjoying C.C.'s blog for quite a while now.
28. Took off: RAN.
29. Give it a go: TRY.
31. Guitar Hero challenge: SOLO.
 |
| Han Solo |
32. Architectural drawing: PLAN.
33. Throw in: ADD.
35. Change for a 50, maybe: TENS.
36. Possessed: HAD.
37. Rosie on "The Jetsons," for one: MAID. [Name # 6, fictional.]
39. Helsinki inhabitants: FINNS.
40. Sound systems: STEREOS.
41. Ferret kin: WEASEL. What's the difference between a Weasel and a Ferret?
42. Respect highly: ESTEEM.
43. "Believe" Grammy winner: CHER. It's hard to believe that Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) will be 78 this year. [Name # 7.]
44. Bulletin board pins: TACKS.
45. BLT option: ON RYE.
46. Small hill: KNOLL. I heard there is a grassy knoll in Dallas.
49. Film crew employee: TECH.
50. __-Cuban jazz: AFRO.
51. Blueberrylike berry: AÇAÍ. These berries have become popular in foods and in the crossword puzzle.
52. Ernie's "Sesame Street" pal: BERT. Muppet friends. [Names # 8 and 9, fictional.]
53. Finds a purpose for: USES.
55. Uncooked: RAW.
 |
| Yummers! |
56. Stanley Cup org.: NHL. As in the National Hockey League.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
Many thanks to Splynter for filling in for me during my absence.
I was devastated to learn that Old Man Keith recently died. I always looked forward to his witty and intelligent comments. He was such a gentleman.
39 comments:
Octet or octad? I always have trouble with that. Otherwise, the puzzle was pretty much “smooth sailing.” FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR, but erased onion for ON RYE.
Today is:
NATIONAL SCIENCE FICTION DAY (they say you never forget your first. Mine was Spaceship Under the Apple Tree)
NATIONAL CREAM PUFF DAY (Indulge! It’s a new year!)
NATIONAL BUFFET DAY (Indulge! It’s a new year!)
NATIONAL PERSONAL TRAINER AWARENESS DAY (after you indulge!)
Remembered to look at the theme answer, but I still couldn't figure out what Robin was going for. I blame decaf.
Thanks to Robin for the fun Tuesday puzzle, and to Ha2la for the chuckles. Welcome back!
Happy new year! This is another of those themes that I was positive someone had already done. It seems like a natural -- a crossword puzzle about "cross" words! In fact, initially I was going to use "cross words" as the revealer, but then I realized that "cross references" had exactly 15 letters. That was just too perfect to resist. And, initially I had intended to make puns with two "cross" words, but then I realized that so many "cross" words were actual (not made up) phrases. So, this puzzle started out to be a "cross words" puzzle with puns, and ended up being something completely different. There's a life lesson in there somewhere, I'm sure. :D
This is the crossword construction that I most admire - where both words in the theme answers can go with the theme reveal - in this case CROSS
DUNE is one of the first Sci-Fi fantasy books I remember enjoying to read. I thought Timothee Chalamet did a good job in the most recent movie version. He has been a busy actor in the last few years. I just saw him over the holidays in "Wonka" about Willy Wonka's origin story- lots of fun with an all-star cast, most amusedly including Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loopa. I read in an article that he did 3 or 4 months of voice and dancing classes to prepare.
Like Susan I didn't know AGNES or any of the kids' names in the "Despicable Me" franchise. And didn't know KYLE or "Bloodline", but easily perped
Thanks Hatoolah for all the fun and comics and Robin for the puzzle
Good morning!
Zipped through this one even faster than yesterday. Failed to read the full reveal clue (surprised?), so the theme remained a mystery until Hahtoolah 'splained it. Hats off to Robin for finding six words that work with "Cross," and 3 of them paired that work with each other. I don't know how you do that, but it's nice. Hahtoolah, welcome back. (Tried to find out why there are olives in martinis, but that website refused to accept my birthday.)
TATER : I remember an episode of TBBT when Wolowitz referred to Sheldon as a petty dictator. When confronted about the harsh epithet, Howard replied, "That's why I added the 'tater.'"
ABU Dhabi : Visited there back in the '80s. I learned that one shouldn't ask about Stephen King titles in the bookstore. Also learned that it's hard to sleep with the muezzin calling everyone to morning prayer over the loud loudspeakers.
"Bulletin board pins" : Needed to use some yesterday to put up my new year-at-a-glance calendar. By the end of the year it'll be filled with important information -- daily rainfall totals and bygone medical appointments.
Good Morning, Crossword friends. I wish you all a health 2024.
Thank you, Robin, for stopping by. It's always nice to have the constructor to stop by for a visit.
QOD: The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” but “That’s funny.” ~ Isaac Asimov (né Isaak Yudovich Ozimov, Jan 2, 1902 ~ Apr. 6, 1992), Russian-born science fiction writer
Fun puzzle and very fun write up!
Since nobody else said it, I just wanted to add: "Many a cross word is uttered doing a crossword".
Of course Grandma's (or Grandpa's) daughter could also be MAMA
FIR. Several proper names I was unfamiliar with, but the perps saw me through.
I failed to get the unifier until I got here. I kept trying to see how each part of the answers related to each other. Oh well, I got'er done anyway.
First half o’ the week easy…I kinda got the theme, maybe, I think 🤔
Forget the LOGE… In Old European opera houses there are what look like port holes high along the back wall. What you don’t see is behind them there is a large space with tiered wooden benches, the cheap seats, (read, me, as a student). It was like watching the performance through a small round window with 30 other people sitting 10 feet or more away. Dizzying view of the ceiling where I could be often be found with my student gallery ticket
Since the founding of the US Space Force calling someone a “space CADET” has taken on an entirely new meaning. COUNTRY ROAD take me hooome … and make suuure …. I don’t hit a coooow (John Denver’s lost verse)
The local ARC each year directs our special kids in a simplified musical. One year it was “Sound of Music” Our daughter told us with a thrill she got the part of WEASEL (Liesl)
Second part of DUNE slated to make it to theaters in March. The first part? Meh
Inkovers: arc/ERA, octad/OCTET ( no fair, it’s been octad last few puzzles😠 kinda your fault AGNES 😀).
Yes, we keep getting reminded that an OLIVE is technically a fruit so a Martini is qctually fruit cocktail.
H2LH hilarious cartoons. Great way to start the year particularly because our ET guy (who looks like a 12 y o) was furiously working on our downed computer system when I walked into the department this AM
Happy New Year to old cyber friends!
I have been solving the puzzles every evening, since I get it at 8 pm MST on Cruciverb.com.
That doesn’t allow for timely posting to this blog.
It isn’t working for me this new year. I did the puzzle today on the LATimes site. I don’t care for it as well. And I have to wait until morning.
No problems with the solve today.
Montana.
Good Morning:
Robin checked all of the boxes with this delightful offering. She gave us a cute and clever theme, solid themers, an aha reveal, minimal pop culture and pesky three letter words, no obscurities, no junk and, most importantly, an enjoyable and satisfying solve. I can't believe a cartoon character, especially a child, would be named Agnes, in this day and age! Couldn't miss the mini food theme with Olive, Dine, Salad, Raw, Tater, Cobs, On Rye, Sliced, and Açaí.
Thanks, Robin, for a fun challenge and for stopping by and sharing your thoughts and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the usual fun and facts. Loved all of the cartoons but the two that made me laugh out loud were the Orchestra Dog and the Octopus with the holey sock. Runners-up were the Toothpaste Tubes and the Moldy Toasts. (Autocorrect doesn't like holey for some reason). Thanks for the CSO and welcome back. We missed you but you had a fine pinch hitter with Splynter.
Have a great day.
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Robin (thanks for dropping by) and Hahtoolah (welcome back, great cartoons).
I FIRed in good time, and saw the CROSS REFERENCES.
Two inkblots to change BAR Eliminations (don’t ask me why I thought of this) to EXAMINATIONS, and Reed SECTION to WIND.
Unknown names perped.
DH is watching World Junior hockey this morning, not NHL. FINNS beat Slovaks in OT to advance to semis. Canada is currently tied with Czechia in their game.
I noted ALAI/ACAI, SOLO/OCTET.
Woo-hoo (YAY) for Misty again.
DINE usually denotes DRESSY (maybe with a MAID serving), live music (with WIND SECTION not STEREOS), OLIVE in the martini, perhaps RAW oysters and SLICED cold cuts, fancier than TATERs or BLT ON RYE, and no DIRT on the SALAD or MOLD on the loaf!
Good to hear from you Montana.
AnonT- the Jumble Blog had dwindled down to Misty and I (with Sandyanon lurking). It will probably RIP now.
Wishing you all a great day.
LOL, Irish Miss saw the food theme too. I didn’t include the COBS.
Nothing wrong with this puzzle. It was smooth and slick. Just a few names I didn’t know but perps helped. AGNES as a cartoon character as IM☘️ states is startling.
When I started reading the recap, I immediately knew Hahtoolah was back. So many adorable cartoons. Welcome back.
So nice of Robin to comment on her creation process.
Hola!
Easy Tuesday puzzle. I knew it was you, Susan, by the quotes and cartoons. Very amusing and entertaining. Thank you.
Not much time to comment as today is a count day and lunch for us volunteers.
Have a wonderful day, everyone. I'll be back later to read your comments.
Good Morning! Fun puzzle today & no WOs – YAY! Thanks, Robin, and for your commentary on its creation.
39A Cape FEAR (1962) Gregory Peck & Robert Mitchum – Scary movie!
I never heard of putting a BLT ON RYE, but I suppose someone might.
Welcome back, Hah2Lah and thanks for a fun recap. I loved the violin-playing pup and the conductor, 😂 and well, all your review peppered with chuckles.
Musings
-A wonderful puzzle and comments by Robin Stears
-The referee really did RILE the Detroit Lions on Saturday night
-I wish sour milk had an obvious indicator like MOLD on bread
-Yes, RosE, both the 1962 and 1991 movie versions of Cape FEAR were creepy. The trailer for the 1962 version
-I don’t think I want to see my 2-digit age turn to a 3-digit age
-Cold cuts: We called it minced ham, what did/do you call it?
-Any puzzle with our good friend AGNES in it is a winner!
-You can usually ferret out information from a real weasel
- Kudos to you if you remember what BERT’s favorite item to collect is
-America actually beat the FINNS for the 1980 gold medal in hockey. Miracle On Ice was mostly about beating the Russians in the semi-finals.
-Fun write-up, Susan.
Hand up I am way impressed with such a theme where both halves have to match.
Hahtoolah I am also way impressed with your many amusing illustrations. Favorite was the obnoxious and oblivious RV driver on the COUNTRY ROAD. Welcome back!
Our Santa Barbara Sea Center had this extraordinary CROSS SECTION of a real pregnant dolphin.
Apparently it died of domoic acid poisoning. The seasonal "red tide". I was commissioned by a magazine to do a photo shoot of the Sea Center. Quite an honor.
From Yesterday:
Lucina I am assuming your Santa Barbara story was related to my post. Does your daughter live here?
From Earlier:
PK I was delighted to hear that you were able to get out and enjoy the holidays with your family. Even if you did end up getting injured a bit. Did I understand correctly that you had not been out of your house for years? Or am I just more confused than usual? In any case, I am happy for you and your family!
Classy and quick puzzle. Two in a row for 2024! A streak! Nice to hear from Robin, and Ha2la kept me in stitches with her review.
Husker, we called cold cuts "lunch meat" when I was growing up.
Puzzling thoughts:
FIR; very enjoyable puzzle from Robin as well as an enjoyable recap from Susan (welcome back)
Robin, I agree that this type of theme should have been used by now. Fortunately it wasn't so we all could enjoy how you brought it together
Robin has helped me with a couple of puzzles I created for publication; always enjoy her work. The link that Husker Gary inserted about her speaks volumes. And for what it's worth, creating an easy to medium "difficulty" puzzle is not easy; much easier to use obscure words, proper nouns, and abbreviations than to use entries/words that we all know. Appreciate your stopping by ... and as an aside, I wonder: when I next get a puzzle published here, should I create a new Crossword Corner account (using my actual name) or respond as Chairman Moe?? ;^)
footnote ... AGNES (aka Irish Miss) is also a tremendous asset for me when I have a new puzzle idea ... new (and veteran) constructors should follow her comments here
My computer crashed this morning, so I'm still not sure that you will get this message from me. But I thought I'd give it a try.
Delightful crossword, Robin--many thanks for all the clever clues, which made this a fun solve.
And thank you for your neat commentary, Susan, with all those great pictures.
I'd better stop now and see if you get this message.
Have a great day, everybody.
Jinx, Lions vs Cowboys vs Referees: Here’s another perspective!
I’m recovering from COVID, but because of 21a. toothpaste dispensers (TUBES) I have to report the following: With 6 family visitors here for the holidays, someone (granddaughter) had moved my toothpaste. I have a drawer with small size notions for traveling so I took out a small tube. One symptom of COVID is loss of taste. With no glasses in the bathroom, I could make out “Co—-“ and thought “Ah, Colgate” and then brushed my teeth. It tasted strange, but so did all food at that time. Later returning with glasses to put the cap back on, I saw that I had brushed my teeth with Cortizone. It must be safe enough because I am still here.
I would post John Denver’s version of “COUNTRY ROAD’s (“Take Me Home Country Roads”), a state song of West Virginia, but I don’t know how. It has been sung since the 70’s at the end of each football game by the team and the crowd, and at many other sporting events. You could have heard it Dec. 27th after WVU defeated UNC in the Mayo Bowl.
Really enjoyed the puzzle and funny review today.
HG @ 10:47 ~ Thank you, kind sir! 😉 As Brian @ 11:56 said, cold cuts were called lunch meat in my youth. IIRC, baloney (bologna, if you prefer) and liverwurst were most common in my lunch bag, ham and cheese, sometimes, except on Fridays when it was tuna or egg salad, never PB and J.
Moe @ 1:17 ~ I'm not sure I deserve such high praise, but I appreciate your compliments. 🫠
Parsan,
Cortizone must have worked, since you didn't mention that your gums itched!
When I worked for Marshal U's TV station, we signed off with Country Roads, followed by Summer Breeze (by Seals and Crofts,) followed by Our National Anthem.
H.Gary - Yup, looks like a Belichick trick. That should be outlawed, just like having 10 men on the field, with the 11th coming on just before the snap. Or 12 on the field, with the 12th going in motion before the snap and not stopping at the sideline, leaving the defensive player with no one to defend. Both are illegal. Kinda sorta like the old MLB fake to third, throw to first that never worked (in the big leagues,) and was finally outlawed.
Parsan, here's John Denver.
As Edgar “Dook” Chase IV, the head chef at the Dooky Chase Restaurant in New Orleans, often says, "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" An excellent puzzle from master constructor Robin Stears. As Irish Miss said, "She gave us a cute and clever theme, solid themers, an aha reveal, minimal pop culture and pesky three letter words, no obscurities, no junk and, most importantly, an enjoyable and satisfying solve." YAY!
Welcome back, Hahtoolah.
Good to read all your comments, folks, and I extend good wishes to you all.
Brian and.Irish ☘️
Cold cuts as “lunch” meat
You obviously never had a fried bologna sangwidge for dinner 😘
do @3:00PM - Thank you —you are a good man. That song lifts my heart.
Jinx@2:59 - Our friend played bass for John Denver and the band just thought of C.Rds. as just another song. They were stunned at the reaction when they first performed it before a large crowd at WVU.
Hi Y'all! Fun puzzle, Robin, thanks. More fun expo, Susan, muchos gracious. Glad you're back.
I had BARE----NATION for a long time and my mind just would not make sense of that. Duh!
Picard: thank you for your kind comments. No, I had not been out of my house for two years except to role my trash can down to the curb. I hadn't been out of the house except for emergencies in four years. I had to quit driving because I couldn't stay awake and my health will not cooperate to go much of anywhere if someone wants to take me. So Christmas with my family was such an enjoyable blessing especially to see my daughter's new home. Luckily no one seems to have brought me any unwanted germs. Now if I can just get the kinks out from my fall...
Good to hear from you Misty - your post did come through!
I had a friend from Virginia who always was quick with a joke - he would ask if we knew where was Heaven was - and he would say "well, it's Virginia because the JD song says - ALMOST heaven, WEST Virginia"
Made it through first day back after 4 day weekend- and home before 6 pm - wonderful!
Husker Gary, Yikes, even the Cape Fear trailer is scary, Thanks, I think...:)
PK Thank you for the kind words in return! I am happy to know that I did remember correctly that you had not been able to get out much for several years.
Which indeed makes your family gathering even more special. Congratulations! I hope you will be able to get out more in the future to places you enjoy.
And hand up with you being mystified by the BARE partial fill!
Thank you for another terrific puzzle, Robin! I enjoyed the Double Cross theme. Thanks, also, for telling us how it came about. Life lesson, indeed.
Welcome back, Hahtoolah! Thanks for the smiles. FAVs: octopus socks and Despicable Me clip.
Parsan@2:05. That was a funny story. I'm glad there weren't any negative side effects!
FLN. AnonT. That pic of the GG bridge is really good. The sun shimmering on the water felt like a path from me to the bridge.
We continue to have many species dying of demoic acid in the salt water and inland fresh water of So Cal. Particularly sea lions on the beachs and birds in Lake Balboa.
Picard:
No, my daughter lives here in Chandler, AZ, but she and her then fiancé, later, husband, wanted a beach wedding and their research led them to Santa Barbara as an ideal place.
Several of our family members have had "destination" weddings; one nephew had his wedding on the island of Molokai. All the food was flown in for the occasion and many family members attended. Another destination wedding was on Kauai.
Here is the obituary for Keith Fowler OMK
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