GREATEST AMERICAN
A fine puzzle that was a good challenge for me with some fresh clues, and nary a name in the mix~! (OK, there was one*).
I know that the appearance of circles puts a fair number of people off;
I'm OK with them - I didn't really notice the circles, but as I got close to
finishing, I only had a partial fill for the reveal at 55A. Despite
knowing that the word was spelled wrong, I was trying to figure out what
"hero(e)s AND _ich" meant. And then the V-8 can - it needed to be parsed
the other way....I believe this may be a debut construction for Natalie Tran.
20. Make a fool of: PUT ONE OVER ON - Neo, hero of "The Matrix" movies
34. Hide-and-seek exclamation: THERE YOU ARE~! - Rey, hero(ine) of the three "Star Wars" second series of sequels, from Disney, not Lucasfilm
42. Determines the age of, as archaeological finds: CARBON DATES - Bond, James Bond - 'nuf said - and a gratuitous image for C.C. of the last actor to portray him....
55. Sub, and an apt description of 20-, 34-, or 42-Across: HERO SANDWICH - hero, hoagie, grinder, Italian, and a couple I was not familiar with - wedge and spuckie - are alternate names for the submarine "dish", depending on your region
I guess that makes these people the "meat", huh~?
And Away We Go~!
1. Glow of virtue: HALO
9. Wet: RAINY - I like rainy days; we get a LOT of them here in NE CT
14. __ of March: IDES - Iron Maiden would warm up before a concert with this instrumental
The Ides of March
16. Run onstage?: EMCEE
17. Some inbox attachments: PDFs - we had this yesterday - Portable Document Format; I thought it was "PRINTable"
18. Change course suddenly: VEER
19. Puts together: MAKES
23. Decline, with "out": OPT
25. Pencil topper: ERASER
29. Air filter acronym: HEPA - High Efficiency Particulate Air (filter)
31. Christmas poem contraction: 'TWAS
33. Smooching on the kiss cam, say: PDA - Public Display (of) Affection
47. In case that's the case: IF SO
51. Sock part: TOE
52. Seasoned pro: VETeran
59. Wedding figure: GROOM
62. Invalidate: VOID
63. Pasta __ checca: trattoria dish: ALLA
64. Animated British piglet of kid's TV: PEPPA - I knew this - I've watched many an episode with my buddy's two-year old daughter
66. Shutter section: SLAT - meh. Part would have been better
68. In someone's business: NOSY
69. Loved ones blessed at the Feast of St. Francis: PETS - filled via perps; it was not until I wrote up the blog did I see this clue/answer
DOWN:
1. River-dwelling mammal related to whales and dolphins: HIPPO - I tried OTTER first; Bzzzt~!
2. Tally: ADD UP
3. Flew off on one's own: LEFT THE NEST - Eleven-letter non-theme fill
4. Bone, in Italian: OSSO
5. Collapsed: GAVE WAY
*7. Actor Schreiber: LIEV - this guy
8. Be bold enough: DARE
10. Kitchen appliance brand: AMANA
12. Wedding page word: NÉE
13. "Let's": YES - the "Y" was my last fill - "let us, tomato"
21. "Forget it": "NOPE."
22. Foster: REAR
27. Elicit: EDUCE - I do the DOWN clues first; tried EVOKE first; 40% correct
28. Gushes: RAVES - not FLOWS; a mere 20%
31. __Tax: Intuit software package: TURBO - 'Tis the season~!
32. City on the Brazos: WACO - Here's a bridge that did NOT collapse
34. Word with pool or basin: TIDAL
35. Ruckus: HOO-HA - ado/to-do/hullabaloo - free-for-all/a rhyme for you~!
36. Dinghy duo: OARS
42. Projection places: CINEMAS
43. Hardly a hop, skip, and a jump away: AFAR
45. Petered out: DIED
50. Optimist's words: "I HOPE"
53. Brilliance: ÉCLAT - I knew there was a "tk" over a vowel in the word somewhere....
54. Dean Martin's "__ Amore": THAT'S
56. Baker: OVEN - slight misdirection; another clever clue/answer
57. Song for one: SOLO
58. Insect that first appeared in the Jurassic era: WASP - I did not know this
60. Sales agt.: REP
61. Brand at a nail salon: OPI - becoming a crossword staple that's catching up with "ERA"
Splynter
I’d say this puzzle was slightly more difficult than those of the last two days, but that is certainly appropriate for a Wednesday. Surprisingly, perhaps, one of the more difficult things for me to get was “rainy” for “wet.” But I had a feeling that the circled “items” were names of movie protagonists from the start, so the reveal was no major “revelation” to me. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased die out for OPT out.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL STICKY BUN DAY (German settlers brought their baking traditions with them when they began settling in and around Philadelphia. Heil schnecken!)
NATIONAL GRAIN-FREE DAY (inspires families and friends to gather and enjoy each others' company over grain-free meals. Unlikely to be supported by H.Gary)
I've seen too many ruckuses, but I'll never see enough HOOHAs.
I say NOON or "mid-day," as in Noel Coward's "only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun." Kinda the British equivalent of Burdick and Lederers The Ugly American.
Natalie, Sean and Patti, you hateful ogres! We have been mandated by (yesterday's) political correctness police that it is LATINX. No matter that virtually no Hispanic people want to be called it, Anglo elitists have mandated it.
Seriously, nice job on the puzzle, even though I didn't get the theme before coming here. And thanks to Splynter for explaining it, even though I still don't see the two women on the lizard.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteTried MOIST and OSTER before RAINY and AMANA elbowed in. Thank you, Wite-Out. Also fell into the EVOKE trap. (Hi, Splynter!) Since I stopped volunteering with Tax-Aide, I've had to purchase my tax software. TURBOTax is my software of choice. Nice effort, Natalie and Sean. Enjoyed your expo, Splynter.
Jinx, those two women aren't "on" the lizard, they "are" the lizard.
Took me a little over 13 minutes to grinder out this OJC grid (I know, that was lame). SS ~ just trying to help you get your coinage into the official vernacular of the Corner, hey it’s worth a shot! I must be out of touch with pop culture cuz I was not familiar with REY or NEO, although I did figure BOND as some kinda hero. Thanks Sean and Natalie for today’s fine construction, enjoyed the clue and SPLITSVILLE!
ReplyDeleteLike Jinx, I thought of HOOHA as something else, DW just used the term the other day and it had a hole other meaning than ruckus.
Thanks Splynter for telling it like it is, have been enjoying your expos!
FIR. The level of difficulty was typical for a Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, dislike circles, and this puzzle could well have been done without them. I thought the theme was lame even though I got it. When I finished the puzzle, I stared at the answers and thought, so what.
But as a CW, this was very enjoyable. Clever cluing and just the right amount of misdirection.
Easier than yesterday. I know I’m in the minority but ⚪️’s are my friends. Theme: are NEO (from the “Matrix”) and James BOND HEROS of a RYE bread HEROSANDSWICH?. Ah the reveal reveals not quite!! 😄
ReplyDeleteNot sure what Splynt meant by the puzzle having only just 2 Proper Names? I count quite a few
🎶“Come mister Tally man ADDUP me banana”🎵… Today our “verbal stumbles” are ERS nor erms.
Inkover: hun/LUV, orso/IFSO,
“Ask for it by name at your favorite nail salon” OPI. (If you can still remember from the last CW 🙄). “Big name in anonymity”: Garbo wouldn’t fit. (like Jinx..thought HOOHA was a part of human anatomy 😆)
Never heard of “pasta ALLA checca”(should be pronounced “kekka”) I was a bit surprised with the translation of the word “checca” .Theories include a diminutive of the name Francesca or a Roman derogatory slang term. The same Roman word for fennel “finocchio” (rhymes with Pinocchio) part of the sauce recipe but equally demeaning. Kinda like “spaghetti alla puttanesca” in the wh…ish style 👯♀️…..and now for dessert…“Double stuffed”, jamming 2 OREOS in your mouth at the same time? 😳
Send a telegraph message again…..REMORSE
Scottish marriage refusal….NÉE
Kansas City …… SPLITSVILLE
In _____ of speaking…..AMANA
Driving the 4 hrs from the kids home back home soon. Nice sunny day. 🚙
Took 5:21 today for me to finish, despite a Rocky start.
ReplyDeleteI had the same thought as Jinx & Ray-O-S about Hoohas.
I didn't care for the Latin and Spanish lessons this morning.
Isn't Joan of Arc considered a hero/heroine?
57D is "Solo". Han Solo is another hero in the Star Wars films. Speaking of Star Wars, I believe that the first "series of sequels" was actually a series of "prequels."
I think "Wasp" is a hero/heroine in the Marvel Universe.
La"Tina"? Are there any heroic women named Tina? Tina Turner sang "We Don't Need Another Hero".
OJC! Thank you, YooperPhil, you made my day with that one. Nice recall.
Oh joy, circles!
Wag 😭
DeleteWhen I finished HERO SANDWICH I was thinking of scrambled letters; REY to RYE bread. I had trouble with "Make a fool of", as I'd always heard "PULL one over on", not PUT. Also, I'm not familiar with The Matrix movies. To show my age, the heroes of Star Wars movies are Han, Luke, & Leia.
ReplyDeleteBae & LUV-ugh for both.
LIEV was an unknown today
NOONDAY- puzzling at first; what goes after NOON-nothing, it's just 12:00 noon.
Jinx, I was going through Sam's Wholesale and saw big bags of JINX Salmon and Sweet Potato Dog Food.
BE, a lot of people will say NOONTIME.
DeleteGood puzzle. Interesting writeup. I was looking for heroes in the circles, but I knew only Bond.
ReplyDeleteLIEV needed every single perp.
Those who hate sounds represented as words must be gnashing their teeth today. OW, ICK, ER. These sounds are heard very often. The only way we can refer to them is trying to spell them. There are many variations in the way people do that.
BAE is ubiquitous these days with the younger generations. Who knows whether it will last. Some slang words stand the test of time and last for generations. Others become passé, like the bees knees.
I hear and see noonday often. Noonday sun, noonday meal, noonday prayers. I see noonday prayers announced on church bulletin boards as I drive by.
Even the NYT uses noonday. "Inside, sheltered from the noonday chill, an organist practiced hymns on the 2,000-pipe instrument, filling the vaulted space with haunting tones." New York Times Feb 25, 2011.
I am amazed here that many writers have heard of things I have never have heard of, and conversely I have heard of things others have never heard of. There are so many great ideas and words we have not personally experienced as yet. Its fun to learn new things and experience different points of view.
BTW, I love circles. "One man's (or woman's) meat is another person's poison."
I loved taking foreign language courses. I learned German in high school and college. Because I was so young, it stayed with me. I feel that with immersion I could recall it quite easily. Languages I learned when I was older did not survive the test of time. I wish I had studied Spanish. I could practice it every day in this multicultural area. Since the bulk of English was taken from foreign languages, learning foreign words or words of foreign origin helps expand our English vocabularies. We are adding more loan words that become accepted English all the time.
SS@8:14 - SS, I must say I’m happy that Ms. Irish Miss (as you call her) designation of you as “SS” (“Speedy Solver”) seems to be catching on. Such a bright and witty spirit as yours could never be captured by the bland title of “Anonymous” IMHO! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteHmm,
ReplyDeletemust have gone extinct, like the word "actress..."
Hola!
ReplyDeleteMonday? To me, this seemed more like Friday and Monday were switched although I did not encounter any problems. My only change was BAE to LUV when SPLITSVILLE appeared.
I'll take a CSO at LATINA.
"Run onstage" was clever and made me think; when I realized "run" was a synonym for "manage" it clicked. And as YR so clearly explained, NOONDAY, is often used in writing if not in spoken language.
HALO was not my first thought at 1A, but I've learned to pause and wait, then when HIPPO emerged, I saw that aura would not work. No wite-out needed. It was all mental.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI fell into the same trap as DO with Moist/Oster before Rainy/Amana, but was soon corrected by perps. I've heard of Neo and Rey, but didn't know if they were heroes or villains. Bond, of course, needs no explanation. I agree with Splynter, though, that Spies should have been clued sans reference to Fleming. The heroes were indeed "sandwiched" into their respective phrases. A few cute duos today with Ella/Alla, Toe/Doe, and PDA/PDF(s). I thought Splitsville was a very fresh and colorful entry and some of the clueing was clever, as well.
Thanks, Natalie and Sean, and thanks, Splynter, for the great write-up and for pinch hitting, once again.
Subgenius @ 9:20 ~ FWIW, I think SS is just slightly less bland than Anonymous. I wish our dear friend would just choose a readily identifiable moniker, one that captures his subtle wit and charm, yet preserves his anonymity. 🤞
Have a great day.
Went smoothly today. Got an enjoyable FIR. I appreciated the low number of names, and that only LEIV was obscure. (To me!) Could not grok the theme until Splynter explained it. D'oh! REY and NEO were not on my hard drive. LOL at SPLITSVILLE. I immediately thought of Maynard G. Krebbs.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning. Good Wednesday puzzle with just enough crunch to make me wonder if I was going to make it through. I did. Thanks, Natalie & Sean, and welcome Natalie.
ReplyDeleteThe last to fill was the NE, and my only WO. I got stuck on morose, but not enough letters. Clever clues and no TOEhold to build from until AMANA filled and the rest came together.
I caught onto the theme with HERO and BOND. NEO is familiar from previous crosswords, and I have no reference to REY.
Thanks, Splynter. I echoed many of your same sentiments as I read through your fine review (but you expressed it muchly better! 😉)
Musings
ReplyDelete-I enjoyed the fresh cluing but having no idea of REY made me assume that REY must be also be a HERO
-A VETeran teacher should give advice when asked but should be careful about unsolicited advice
-RAINY weather is usually very welcome around here.
-I wonder what camera shutter parts are called
-Our physics class discussed and measured the resonance that was achieved in the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
-A proverb from India with slight rewording by Noel Coward: Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the NOONDAY sun
-I enjoyed 18 holes yesterday in the on a 65F mid-February day
-The NOONDAY and MIDDAY sun felt great
-ECLAT is one of those words I only see in cwds
H.Gary: Dang - wish I had thought of that!
ReplyDeleteA lot of fresh fill and fun cluing for todays puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThe Bond movie Dr. No was one of the first films to have a paid product promotion.
Smirnoff Vodka paid to have a bottle of their vodka highlighted during a scene at the same time that Bond orders a “ Vodka martini… shaken.. not stirred”
After that Bond always ordered a vodka martini.
Thanks Natalie and Sean for a clever puzzle.
Thanks Splynter for a thorough recap.
….. kkflorida
Natalie and Sean did a book job avoiding proper names as answers. Splynter did a fine job on the recap.
ReplyDeleteNothing much else to say about it but FIR.
Short and sweet is nice to hear, but usually doesn't tell you much.
Buckaroo.
I liked your write-up, Splynter.
ReplyDeleteSubG and Irish M
ReplyDeleteIt’s rumored that many of the Anonymi are part of the Crossword Witness Protection Program and as such unable to reveal their true identities
😎
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteFIR with one corrected consonant
I too had OSTER/MOIST in the NE; but when I saw HOOHA later on, I knew that MOIST must be incorrect; no way we are going to have a M***T H***A in a family puzzle ... sorry ladies; I will sit in a time-out chair for a while ... but hey, Jinx and Ray-O started it ... and Ray-O's a doctor fer chrissakes
;^)
I looked up SPLITSVILLE in Crossword Tracker; this is its third usage. NYT had it in 1999 and again in 2018
Alternative clue for 42-across: The result of charcoal and diamond meeting on Tinder?
Congrat's to Natalie (the co-constructor) on her LA Times debut! Good job
And thanks, as always Splynter for your pinch-hitting recap
A couple of recycled Moe-kus from a few years ago:
Bad pickup line from
Cosecant’s reciprocal:
“Hey babe, what’s your sine?”
Forest denizens
Pay homage to an old birch:
Their elder alder
Thanks to Natalie and Sean for their ample adroit alliterations!
ReplyDeleteFAVs: In case that's the case and Baker
Thanks for another fun write-up, Splynter! 43A. You provide an excellent argument for your Bond choice. Hand up for "otter". Loved the chameleon pic!
D-Otto@5:31. Have you ever used the IRS Free File software? That's what I use for my returns. I would not recommend it to people without a strong 1040 background but you'd have no problems with it. After that, I use the free software from my state. BTW, yesterday I completed a simple return at the VITA office for a client who told me her CPA told her it would cost $420 this year. That's a lot for a simple return. OTOH CPAs do have big costs in their tax software so I cannot blame them.
ReplyDeleteHey Ray-O, I have a lot in common with those Anonymi. I'm in the Crossword Witless Protection Program.
ReplyDeleteRay-O, I had been unaware, until today, of the CWPP. That speaks to how well the program works but now that I am aware of the CWPP many things that I had not previously been able to figure out make sense.
ReplyDeleteWonde4ful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Natalie and Sean, and Splynter.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed and saw the SANDWICHed HEroEs in good time.
No inkblots as perps were friendly.
I had trouble parsing PUT ON OVE RON.
I noted SPIES and TAILS, or should those TAILS remind us of the VET for the PETS.
I also smiled at SLAT crossing ECLAT.
“Flew off in one’s own” made me think of “Went SOLO”.
OSSO today with no BUCO.
Wishing you all a good evening.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteGreatest American Hero introduction? This isn't JzB's expo - could it be Splynter? Oh, look, Iron Maiden; definitely Splynter :-)
Thanks for the fun expo, S.
Thanks Natalie & Sean for the cute theme. Though, I did have HEROS AND ??? for a while ;-)
WO: GAVE out
ESPs: N/A
Fav: SPLITSVILLE
Enjoyed reading y'all!
Cheers, -T