Theme: If we could turn back time. The word "DAY is hidden in each theme entry, but spelt backwards. Not easy to find. Nota bene: each YAD is split across two words.
21. Beach community in L.A.'s South Bay: PLAYA DEL REY. A seaside suburb in the Santa Monica Bay and the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California. As of 2018, the community had a population of 16,230 people.
21. Beach community in L.A.'s South Bay: PLAYA DEL REY. A seaside suburb in the Santa Monica Bay and the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California. As of 2018, the community had a population of 16,230 people.
26. Customer who buys a gadget as soon as it's available: EARLY ADOPTER. an early customer of a given company, product, or technology. The term originates from Everett M. Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations. They ususally pay the highest price.
43. Guidance at just the right moment: TIMELY ADVICE. Exactly as defined in the clue.
50. Time to do things out of order, or what appears in 21-, 26-, and 43-Across: BACKWARD DAY. National Backwards Day, celebrated on January 31st each year, is a whimsical and fun-filled observance that encourages people to do things in reverse or unconventional ways.
Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here, thinking about driving a Toyota in reverse. But let's go at this puzzle in a straightforward way.
1. Like purchases made while playing freemium games: IN APP. With some apps, you can buy additional content or services within the app. We call these "in-app purchases." Here are some examples of in-app purchases: A sword that gives you more power in a game. A key that unlocks more features of an app. Virtual currency that can be used for purchases.
6. Hanging on every word, say: RAPT. Completely fascinated by what one is seeing or hearing.
10. Golf course transport: CART. A small motorized vehicle for golfers and their equipment.
14. Storm-tracking device: RADAR. A system for detecting the presence, direction, distance, and speed of aircraft, ships, and other objects, by sending out pulses of high-frequency electromagnetic waves that are reflected off the object back to the source. Radar spelt backwards is __________.
15. Cincinnati's state: OHIO. A state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ohio borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. Of the 50 U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area. With a population of nearly 11.8 million, Ohio is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated state. Its capital and largest city is Columbus, with other large population centers including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, and Toledo. Ohio is nicknamed the "Buckeye State" after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as "Buckeyes".[10] Its flag is the only non-rectangular flag of all U.S. states. Giraffes are not native to Ohio because buckeyes are poisonous to them.
16. Taiwan-based laptop giant: ACER. Acer Inc. is a Taiwanese multinational hardware and electronics corporation specializing in advanced electronics technology, headquartered in Xizhi, New Taipei City.
17. "Skyfall" singer: ADELE. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins MBE (born 5 May 1988), known mononymously as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. Adele has received numerous accolades including 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards (including three for British Album of the Year), an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
18. __ bene: NOTA. A Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB or n.b., and first appeared in English writing c. 1711.
19. "Space Jam" bunny voiced by Kath Soucie: LOLA. Lola Bunny is a Looney Tunes cartoon character portrayed as an anthropomorphic female bunny created by Warner Bros. Pictures. She is generally depicted as Bugs Bunny's girlfriend. She first appeared in the 1996 film Space Jam.
20. Oldest Bobbsey daughter: NAN. The Bobbsey Twins are the principal characters of what was, for 75 years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of American children's novels, written under the pseudonym Laura Lee Hope. The first of 72 books was published in 1904, the last in 1979, with a separate series of 30 books published from 1987 through 1992. The books related the adventures of the children of the upper-middle-class Bobbsey family, which included two sets of fraternal twins: Bert and Nan, who were twelve years old, and Flossie and Freddie, who were six. Does anybody read them any more? Imagine NAN facing in the other direction.
24. Scottish Highlander: GAEL. (Especially in historical contexts) a member of the Gaelic-speaking peoples inhabiting Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.
25. Calendar entries: EVENTS. An occasion planed for a certain lpace and time.
31. Woodshop grippers: VISES. A mechanical apparatus used to secure an object to allow work to be performed on it. Vises have two parallel jaws, one fixed and the other movable, threaded in and out by a screw and lever.
32. "Aw, darn!": RATS. Exclamation of disappointment or dismay. But it's bright in reverse.
33. Sweet potato: YAM. Not the same thing. We've been over this. Especially in MAY.
36. "__ done the same thing!": I'D'VE. I would have.
37. "The Cider House Rules" Oscar winner Michael: CAINE. Sir Michael Caine CBE [b 1933] is an English retired actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over a career spanning eight decades and is considered a British film icon.
39. Beauty mark: MOLE. A normal skin growth that develops when pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) grow in groups. They appear as small, dark marks, or sometimes flesh-coloured small bumps, on your skin. Moles can appear in a range of different colours, shapes and sizes.
40. Napkin holder: LAP. The flat area between the waist and knees of a seated person, suitable for placing a napkin or computer. In retrospect, it could be your friend.
41. Cast a ballot: VOTE. A formal indication of a choice between two or more candidates or courses of action, expressed typically through a ballot or a show of hands or by voice.
42. All fired up: EAGER. Wanting to do or have something very much.
46. "Ooh, makes sense": AH, I SEE. Expression of enlightened agreement.
49. __ and ends: ODDS. Miscellaneous articles or remnants.
53. Enormous: BIG. Huge
56. Working hard: AT IT. Or arguing, or something . . .
57. Verbally attacked, with "into": TORE. A verbal assault.
58. Like some breakfast tea: IRISH. Irish Breakfast Tea is a type of black tea that has been a beloved beverage in Ireland and around the world for centuries. This tea is known for its robust and bold flavor, as well as its invigorating effects, making it a popular choice for a morning cuppa. Nota bene: Irish Tea is not grown in Ireland.
60. "__ a Lady": Tom Jones classic: SHE'S.
61. Brunch, e.g.: MEAL. A meal is an eating occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of food. The names used for specific meals in English vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal.
62. Terse denial: NOT ME. Properly should be NOT I, but nobody talks like that.
63. Quaint "Listen!": HARK. Pay attention!
64. Quiche base: EGGS. Oval or round objects laid by female birds, reptiles, fish, or invertebrates, usually containin developing embryos. The eggs of birds are enclosed in a chalky shell, while those of reptiles are in a leathery membrane.
65. V-formation flyers: GEESE. A goose is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera Anser and Branta. Some other birds, mostly related to the shelducks, have "goose" as part of their names. They also lay eggs,
Down:
1. Persia, today: IRAN. Iran, also known as Persia and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Iraq to the west and Turkey to the northwest, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. It covers an area of 1.648 million square kilometers (0.64 million square miles), making it the world's 17th-largest country. Iran has around 90 million people, making it the world's 17th most populous country. Its capital and largest city is Tehran with around 16 million people in its metropolitan area.
2. Spanish "nothing": NADA. Literal
3. Yemen's Gulf of __: ADEN.
4. Buddy: PAL. Amigo, chum, bestie. Reversed when you sit down.
5. Takes care of charges in advance: PRE-PAYS. Pay up front, or earlier,
6. 2018 NL Rookie of the Year Acuña Jr.: RONALD. Ronald José Acuña Blanco Jr. [1997] is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. After signing with the Braves as an international free agent in 2014, Acuña made his MLB debut in 2018, and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
7. "Howdy, Cap'n!": AHOY. A shout used, especially by people in boats, to attract attention: Ahoy there! used, especially on a boat, when you see something, usually something that is in the distance: Land ahoy! Ship ahoy!
8. Bread with a pocket: PITA. A flat rounded slightly leavened bread, originally from the Middle East, with a hollow inside like a pocket, which can be filled with food.
9. Marioverse racer with pink braids: TOADETTE. A female Toad who appears as a playable character in various spin-off games throughout the Mario series.
10. Telemarketer: CALLER. Salespeople who are employed by a company to telephone people in order to persuade them to buy the company's products or services, typically at dinner time.
11. __ squash: ACORN. An acorn-shaped dark green winter squash (Cucurbita pepo) with a ridged surface and mildly sweet yellow to orange flesh.
11. __ squash: ACORN. An acorn-shaped dark green winter squash (Cucurbita pepo) with a ridged surface and mildly sweet yellow to orange flesh.
12. Rented again: RELET. Rent (a property) for a further period or to a new tenant.
13. Cafeteria stack: TRAYS. Flat, shallow containers with raised rims, typically used for carrying food and drink, or for holding small items.
22. Grassy meadow: LEA. An open area of grassy or arable land.
23. Nights before: EVES. The day or period of time immediately before an event or occasion.
24. Delight: GLEE. Great delight. Originally, the joy one gets from singing, hence glee clubs as singing ensembles.
26. Wicked: EVIL. Bad and nasty. In real time if you turn it around.
27. Verdi opera set in Egypt: AIDA. A tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt. The Egyptians have captured and enslaved Aida, an Ethiopian princess. An Egyptian military commander, Radamès, struggles to choose between his love for her and his loyalty to the King of Egypt. To complicate the story further, the King's daughter Amneris is in love with Radamès, although he does not return her feelings.
28. "Tell me if you're coming" letters: RSVP. RSVP is an initialism derived from the French phrase Répondez s'il vous plaît, literally meaning "Respond, if it pleases you", or just "Please respond", to require confirmation of an invitation.
29. Protruding window: ORIEL. A large window built out from a wall and resting on a bracket or a corbel.
30. Skillet: PAN. A flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically 20 to 30 cm in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid.
33. "Pic-a-nic" basket-stealing bear: YOGI.
34. Smart __: wiseacre: ALEC. A person who is irritating because they behave as if they know everything. Frex, I know this should be ALECK.
35. Little more than: MERE. That is solely or no more or better than what is specified.
37. "Bring it on!": COME AT ME. Used to express confidence in meeting a challenge.
38. Consumed: ATE. Eat, drink, or ingest food or drink.
39. Dallas NBA team, for short: MAVS. The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, which it shares with the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars.
41. Perspective: VIEW. A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.
42. Going around in circles?: EDDYING. As water, air or smoke.
43. "Naughty!": TSK-TSK. A tongue-clicking sound expressing disapproval or annoyance.
44. Alpine songs: YODELS. a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. This vocal technique is used in many cultures worldwide.
45. Poet laureate Limón: ADA. Ada Limón [b. 1976] is an American poet. On July 12, 2022, she was named the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States by the Librarian of Congress. This made her the first Latina to be Poet Laureate of the United States. She's the same, any way you look at her.
46. Embarrass: ABASH. A feeling of shame or being disconcerted or embarrassed.
47. Branch of yoga: HATHA. A yoga system of physical exercises and breathing control.
48. Less welcoming: ICIER. More unfriendly or hostile.
51. "Walkabout" director Nicolas: ROEG. Nicolas Jack Roeg CBE BSC [1928 -2018] was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing Performance, Walkabout, Don't Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Bad Timing and The Witches.
52. "RuPaul's __ Race": DRAG. A reality show in which a group of talented drag queens compete in challenges to impress host RuPaul, the world's most famous drag queen, to win a cash prize along with a crown and the title of America's Next Drag Superstar.
53. Tasting menu portion: BITE. A very small portion of food.
54. Schools of belief: -ISMS. A suffix denoting the act, practice, or process of doing a particular thing in a particular way.
55. Clarified butter: GHEE. Ghee is made by melting regular butter. The butter separates into liquid fats and milk solids. Once separated, the milk solids are removed, which means that ghee has less lactose than butter.
59. Maki sushi topper: ROE. The fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooked ingredient in many dishes, and as a raw ingredient for delicacies such as caviar.
That's it for today. Hope it didn't set you back too much,
Cool regards!
JzB
52 comments:
Those answers that were unknown (such as “in-app”) were, for the most part, easily perped. And I’m not sure why I knew “Playa del Rey” but somehow I did (although I needed a little “perp” help on the spelling of it). Also, it seems there were some fairly complex theme entries just to spell “day” backwards. (Not a complaint, just an observation.) Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
I always wondered why there were no giraffes in Ohio. Now I know. Needed the reveal to see the meh theme. I'd be happy if all cw's were themeless. Thanx for the outing, Natalie, and for the learning experience, JzB.
FIW, getting careless when I erased so make me, and not noticing that sOME AT ME didn't make any sense, and not remembering any of the cast of The Cider House Rules. Had the movie been Blame It On Rio, I would have nailed it. I could'a been a CONTENDER!
Today is:
NATIONAL CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE DAY (breakfast and dessert in one)
NATIONAL TOOTH FAIRY DAY (in 1927 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle "proved" that fairies and gnomes are real, using pictures of two little girls surrounded by fairies.
NATIONAL FLORAL DESIGN DAY (created as a unique way to celebrate the birthday of Carl Rittner, a pioneer in floral art education.)
More precisely, Cincy is the city located across the Ohio River from the mouth of the Licking River.
PLAYA DEL REY is a ritzy area adjacent to Marina del Rey. IIRC, it is also just south of the not-so-ritzy Venice Beach, and just north of LAX and the not-so-ritzy El Segundo.
I really wanted "Poet laureate Limon" to be "Lulu," but it wouldn't fit.
OK, are YODELS songs, or singing techniques?
Thanks to Natalie for the fun Wednesday puzzle, and to JzB for the thorough explanation.
PLAYA DEL REY - Utz.
Someone please compliment JzB on his creative palindrome “ a Toyota” and his incomparable description of eggs. Well done!
Took 5:11 today for me to finallY ADvance to the finish line.
Seemed like pretty obscure names (again) today: Roeg, Ada, Lola, and Toadette. I was only familiar with the last one, thanks to my kids' enjoyment of various Mario games.
I didn't know today's Latin (nota), but I knew today's Spanish, and I knew today's "Irish."
58A should've been clued "Ms. ___ Miss".
Like D-O, I am pro-themeless puzzles.
FIR. I've never heard of Toadette or hatha, but fortunately the perps helped me through. And I've heard of Playa, but the Del Rey part, no.
At first I noticed the word "ad" in the long answers, but the reveal made it clear, and then I saw the "day" light.
This was a little bit crunchy for a Wednesday puzzle, but in the end very doable.
PS. Sure. JzB, well done with "a Toyota". I'd've gone with a more generic racecar.
Good Morning:
I found the cluing level of difficulty to be more Monday-ish than Wednesday-ish, but I guess this concession balanced out the total number of unknowns, to me, anyway: Lola, Playa del Rey, Early Adopter, Toadette, Ada, and most strikingly, Backward Day. I never heard of any of these. I must admit that I'm woefully deficient in knowledge of current expressions, customs, text-speak, slang, etc. but, somehow, I think I'll survive. 😉 Perps were fair, so I had no trouble finishing, but I was in the dark about the theme until the reveal. However, I thought the reward wasn't commensurate with the effort.
Thanks, Natalie, and thanks, JazzB, for the always informative review, although you had me coming and going at several points in the recap. 😈
Have a great day.
SS @ 7.52 ~ 😉☘️🇮🇪
Spelt? I FIR but 'couldn't see the light of "YAD" on this one but I did FIR.
OHIO- any native born American knows Cincinnati is in Ohio-unless they failed the 4th grade. But PLAYA DEL REY, not so much. Lots of Santas, Sans, and other Spanish named places in CA.
NAN or ANN- needed a perp
IRISH- tea for breakfast? No way, but I don't drink coffee either.
LOLA, TOADETTE, RONALD, ADA, ROEG, IRISH- unknowns
COME AT ME- never heard that expression but again I didn't invite fights by saying "Bring it on", just finished them when somebody else started it.
IM -- "However, I thought the reward wasn't commensurate with the effort." My father often said the compensation was inadequate to the exertion.
I agree Mondayish (if there’s such a word) in spite of the few unknowns like TOADETTE, IN APP, ROEG, ADA, and the biggy BACKWARD DAY.
I too dredged up PLAYA DEL REY from somewhere in my memory.
The star this morning is our Sherpa Jz .What an encyclopedic review! I’ll never think about OHIO, one of the few states in this vast country I’ve never been to, the same way.
Good Morning! What a clever theme and puzzle today. Thanks, Natalie!
ESP: LOLA, RONALD, TOADETTE.
I am unfamiliar with the term EARLY ADOPTER, but it was easily perped.
Thanks, JazzB, for a wealth of information in your recap. So fun that you noted all the other words, same or different when spelled backwards. May I add another - ATE becomes a favorite crossword abbreviation fill: ETA.
MEAL: in addition to Brunch, I’ve heard of early or late afternoon meals called Linner or Dunch, I supposed more favored by “senior citizens” (like me!! 😂).
Easier than yesterday. I needed a few perps to start some of the names, but then I recalled them all but TOADETTE, which was totally new to me.(every single perp)
I needed the reveal to reverse DAY. Weak theme, but fun puzzle, regardless.
Yodel can be a song or a form of singing. One of our square dance numbers contains mostly yodeling. Yodeling is fun occasionally, but I would not like to hear it for more than one song.
I enjoyed so many of the Bobbsey Twins books in the 40's. Although I see that new ones were written from 1987 to 1992, they were not as popular as the older ones. I have never seen any of the newer ones.
Smart Alec and Smart Aleck are both acceptable, but Aleck is way more common. Wictionary says, "Aleck is a nickname for the male given name Alexander. The phrase "smart aleck" is possibly derived from the name of Aleck Hoag, a 19th-century American con man and thief."
I saw the movie, "Cider House Rules," and also read the novel. Both were excellent, but, of course, I preferred the book. I like novels with moral dilemmas like this one. I also like well researched historical fiction.
To my eye, a mole is not a beauty mark, even a single one on a lovely young face.
JazzB, thanks for the informative review.
Tsk, tsk, another sound spelled as a word.
Well, up an at 'em, the great paper chase awaits, unfortunately.
Musings
-I thought scrambled LADY was the gimmick at first.
-D-O, I know you’re thinking I like mine “over easy”!
-EARLY ADOPTER: Standing in a long line for the new iPhone never appealed to me
-RADAR failure on 12/7/41
-Musical me would have preferred “Damn Yankees temptress for LOLA.
-A great brunch has to feature crisp bacon!
-The GEESE are heading north and are returning to our golf course on the Platte.
-PRE-PAY: Gone are the days you pump your gas and THEN go in to pay.
-I always wonder if fill like TOADETTE are seed entries or simply a serendipitous discovery for letters already in place
-I always thought YOGI Bear was all Ralph Kramden unitl I saw here that his mannerisms were of Ed Norton
-This song contains some lovely yodeling elements and was a favorite of mine.
-Of course, the Cincinnati Airport is in Kentucky.
Here’s an example of a CW that I found easy because of so many terms or tricks I’ve learn doing prior puzzles: HATHA, GHEE, ICIER. ORIEL(almost), RELET, MAVS, ISMS, NAN
IM ☘️ what kyna booze makes it IRISH tea? 😉… PLAYADELREY, a beach fit for a king 🤴
Inkovers: anger/EAGER, abase/ABASH
“IDVE” back filled and before I looked up at the clue to go with it tried to suss myself whatever it could mean. (“If you’d sent an RSVP IDVE baked a cake” )…. Needed perps for the “Marioverse” clue (my grandsons would’ve got that answer quick)
Busy morning forgot about the theme but betcha IDVE noticed if there were ⚪️’s. 😁. BACKWARD DAY. Did anyone see the film “Memento”?
“Smart” wiseacre starts with A but not that 3 letter word 😁
HolyYoko Oh No Batman. Natalie said implies a “sweet potato” is a YAM 😳
ARIEL is a mermaid or a Shakespearean sprite but it looked wrong for the “window” clue till I realized It’s ADOPTER not ADaPTER
Adam just listens when___ EVENTS
“I’m not a sweet potato, I ___ what I ___ …. YAM “
Very bad habits….VISES
Hearty party …. ABASH
Hit 64 and sunny yesterday afternoon. I read outside on the back deck in just a sweater and replenished my winter-depleted vitamin D reserves.🌞
Note to Natalie, Patti, and JazzB: PLAYA DEL REY is not in the South Bay! The South Bay communities are south of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). PDR is north of LAX. I live in an adjacent community.
Even so, today's puzzle was a walk in the park. Easy peasy. And speaking of vegetables, I think it's common practice in the U.S. to refer to sweet potatoes as YAMs. True YAMs are not normally seen here.
Hola!
Ever since that last time when I had to prove my ID, I test it first lest I lose my post which is frustrating.
Thank you, Natalie and Jazzbumpa for today's learning.
I well remember The Cider House Rules, both the book and the movie. What a dilemma it posed!
Once a year we held BACKWARD DAY at school. Students wore their shirts inside out and did some things in a BACKWARD manner.
I've never been one of those EARLY ADOPTERS but I know people who are and flaunt it.
Cincinatti is familiar to me because the headquarters of my former Order is located in Dayton and I've been to both cities. Imagine my surprise to learn that I had to fly into Kentucky to go to Cincinatti when I visited a friend there!
My only wite-out was changing SHAME to ABASH.
HARK! The Herald Angels Sing is where I usually see and hear that word.
It's a good thing TOADETTE was filled entirely by perps. I've never heard of her.
Have a good day, everyone!
FIR thanks to perps, but the plethora of names once again sucked some of the enjoyment out. Read the Bobbsey Twins books in my yute...my mother had a selection of them from her childhood and gave us others for birthdays and Christmas. Interestingly, the books were edited at some point, as the early volumes mentioned things like making skis from barrel staves, using stove black, and cleaning and filling the kerosene lamps. The books we got in the '50s still had the original copyright date, but the new editions were updated with electricity, gas stoves, etc.
I remember when DirecTV launched on 6/17/94. I waited until the 18th to get one, so as not to be accused of being an EARLY ADOPTER. My account has been active ever since -- still with the same 6-digit account number. I wonder if they'll offer me a freebie for my 30th anniversary.
Before he passed away during Covid, we used to walk in the mornings with a fellow from the neighborhood named Harold. We called him Hark.
I was happy to FIR yesterday in less than my usual Tuesday time. I'm pleased to report I managed to FIR today in less time than I did yesterday! Yep, this CW was easier than yesterday. Again, I'm no fan of obscure proper names, but they were easily perped today, although TOADETTE took almost all perps. Did not see the theme, but did not think to look for it. Thanx NM for the fun, doable CW. And thanx JzB for the terrific write-up. I hope human pincushion Anon-T is healing.
Potato chips?
BE @8:45 AM I think it's an ancient grain.
Waseeley, Topanga.
Lucina, you do not have to test post your comments.. If you are worried that your comments might be lost, make a copy of them before you press Publish.
backWard Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Natalie and JazzB
I FIRed in very good time, got the reveal and went back to find those YADs. Yes, the theme was a little meh.
(Speaking of meh, BIG is a little anticlimactic for “enormous” IMO.)
Once again, we had a plethora of names, but perps were fair.
Like Ray-o, my Adapter changed to ADOPTER. I learned ORIEL in my early CW solving days.
I use the British spelling of VICE for both the wood shop grippers and EVIL. I smiled to see Vices crossing EVIL, but then had to change to VISES.
PSA for today - Please monitor those MOLEs. Changes in colour, size, shape may indicate a change to melanoma skin cancer.
I have seen English Breakfast tea, but am not familiar with the IRISH version. Sorry IM!
OK, I LIUed. Apparently there is a Scottish one too!.
BreakfastTeas
Wishing you all a great day.
Happy Wednesday! Not as hard a puzzle as I expected for mid--week. Thanks, Natalie Murphy, for the fun! Thanks, JxB, for the explanations. I liked the linked extras.
I got 15A Cincinnati's state/ Ohio immediately. Only lived in the Queen City for 42 years.
After finishing the puzzle I found some unknowns filled by perps so I didn't have much trouble today.
Love 9D answer TOADETTE. Adopt-a-dog. Scroll down to see our TOADETTE! She's a sweetheart and an employee/volunteer favorite. I had to look her up to find out where the name came from. Video games aren't a part of my experience.
Winter is back for a couple days, then spring is with us again. Ol' Man Winter is trying to maintain his dominance over the weather and getting a fight from Miss Spring. Eventually she will win.
Thank you Natalie for an easy peasy WednesYAD puzzle.
And thank you JzB for another erudite, slightly droll, and thoroughly thorough review. I love it how you don't take anything for granted about the Corner's collective knowledge base.😀 FWIW, we have two Toyotas and the only time we drive them in reverse is to back out of the driveway.
Some favs:
15A OHIO. I generally visit this state at least once or twice a year (Steubenville and Bloomdale) and have always wondered why I never saw a Giraffe there. Now I know. A possible future son-in-law lives in Dayton. I hope to visit there someYAD as the bodies of all the ETS that the Air Force has collected over the years are kept in underground bunkers under the Wright-Patterson airbase. 😁
17A ADELE. DNK she was an MBE. I feel sorry for mezzos as they usually don't get the hero in operas.
19A LOLA. Here's the scene where she meets Bugs, -- they don't get off to a good start.
20A NAN. My DIL has most of the Bobbsey Twin's series and Teri said the three youngest were reading some of them just last week when she was helping with homeschooling. NAN is also an Indian short short bread for dipping tiny amounts of RAITAS.
37A MOLE. Sometimes a MOLE is a girl's best friend.
1D IRAN. Weren't the Persians the ones who freed the Israelites from the Babylonian captivity back in the YAD?
Cheers,
Bill
Naomi, Wikipedia lists PLAYA DEL REY as one of the South Bay communities, and is actually part of the city of LA. The map shows MdR as part of it too, but it may not be recognized as a community. I don't think it's part of PdR. (We used to call PdR "the stew zoo" since a lot of airline flight attendants, nee stewardesses, home based there.
EARLY ADOPTERS can make or break a product. These folks buy at the product's highest price, just for the privilege of being "the first on the block" to get one. I remember seeing my first commercially available flat screen TV in a (now defunct) Circuit City. It was maybe 24" on the diagonal with a strong tail wind, and was priced at a mere $9,999. They actually sold a few.
Speaking of TOADETTES, this adorable creature just popped up in my Google feed.
Bill, Cindy only carried her mole er, beauty mark, because of her mom. Cindy got the expected teasing from other kids, and she told her mom she wanted to get it removed. Her mom said "You know what your mole looks like, you don't know what the scar is going to look like." Luckily for Cindy, she actually listened to a parent. (I wonder what that must have been like.)
Jinx the plural form of “stewardess” is “stewardi”
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No discussion of palindromes can be complete without noting the first sentence ever uttered: Adam, in greeting Eve, said "Madam, I'm Adam."
Jinx, back in the olden times DirecTV (which at that time carried basic cable channels only) was about $22/month. USSB had the premium channels, and you could get a one-year subscription to all of 'em for $365. Today, DirecTV is about $125/mo for a basic cable channel package.
I am only posting today because of the hilarious comment by Ray O Sunshine about "stewardi". I will take that as a shout out regarding the plural of octopus. Thanks!
Enjoyed the BACKWARDS DAY theme. Only got it after the solve. I never remember ORIEL. Hand up MARINA DEL REY before PLAYA DEL REY.
Here I was bicycling on the wonderful path near MARINA DEL REY and PLAYA DEL REY.
I love how that boat is parked in that spot. I like to bike from Santa Monica Pier down past LA Airport. I did much of it on my unicycle once. It has been years and I am due for it again if DW will join me.
I’m here for the comments! :)
This is my first published puzzle (on my own) and I’m enjoying reading what you all have to say. Glad to hear most of you had some fun, even if the reveal was anticlimactic.
The puzzle was one of many I’ve submitted, in an attempt to accept my father’s challenge that I try to get a puzzle published. For those of you who do a lot of puzzles you may have heard of him: Bruce Haight.
Thanks for the feedback and have a great week!
-Natalie Murphy
Natalie,
Congratulations on your first published puzzle. It was well-done, and appropriately crunchy for a Wednesday. With your impressive pedigree, I'm sure there will be more!
Natalie @3:07 PM Know him? I blogged your dad on March 4th 2021! Great constructor with over 50 puzzles published here, and IIRC an ophthalmologist. Say hi to him for me. He probably doesn't remember me, but I remember him.
Natalie @ 3:07 ~ Congratulations on your debut and for successfully meeting your father's challenge. Bruce gave us many enjoyable solves over the years and I wish you the same success. Thanks for dropping by.
DO - I remember those times with DirecTV. You got the "beam" from them, then programming from USSB and another company, maybe DSS? I remember it was three checks and three postage stamps. I bought my stuff from a furniture store in suburban Dallas, Hurst or Euless IIRC. I guess I was one of them thar EARLY ADOPTERS, because I had to wait about six weeks for the backordered equipment to get to the store.
Bill, I always thought the plural for "stewardess" was "stewardae."
Natalie, I like the puzzle even more from knowing its bloodline.
I enjoyed solving this puzzle. I enjoyed reading JazzBumpa's recap even more.
First, thank you Natalie, and congratulations on your solo debut! I recalled that you were co-author of a puzzle with your father. Then I realized why. I wrote the review of your debut with your father. Natalie's Puzzle With Bruce Take the link to see the comments that day. Mostly positive.
It was so long ago that Dash T wasn't blue. BTW, you can go blue. There's a primer on the main page of this blog.
Anyway, I enjoyed the theme and the review. The puzzle was fine, and JzB never disappoints.
Waseeley, Utz because so many people were not familiar. Like Marina Del Rey, and Topanga before it. It's the occasional regionalism that some of us find challenging, and others of us bitch and whine about.
Pat, talk about a tap-in for you! Well, pretty much for everyone, but still!
Thank you, Ken!
That’s so cool! Yes, I will definitely tell him you said hello :)
Thank you! :)
Haha! Thank you!
Haha! Yes I did help him just a bit with that one, barely 😅 I think he enjoyed having my name on there, but I felt like I didn’t earn it and wanted to see if I could get a puzzle published “on my own” without the help of dear old Dad. I wanted to come up with the theme, make the grid, etc. Wow, did I realize how much work it takes. But it’s a labor of love, right? :)
Natalie thank you for stopping by. Hope you can go blue and visit again.
Please be aware that most of us have no idea who you are replying to with your comments. You have to specify who you are replying to. Thanks!
Readers on smart phones would see the replies to comments nested.
Readers on desktops, laptops and tablets would see the comments in chronological order.
Natalie, What a lovely puzzle! Dad should at least treat you to a nice burger somewhere!
Congratulations on your first solo puzzle, Natalie! Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see your byline again soon!
JzB, thanks for all the valuable info! Good to know that about giraffes. I always enjoy reading your perspective and (today) your retrospective.
Thanks for remembering! I’m very proud of Natalie! Bruce Haight
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