Vowel Progression. Each theme answer is a two word name or phrase with the first letter is an F, the third letter is an N and the vowel in-between runs from A to U.
17-Across. Oscar-nominated writer of "Fried Green Tomatoes": FANNIE FLAGG. Fannie Flagg (née Patricia Neal; b. Sept. 21, 1944) wrote the
novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe in 1987.
She later adapted the book in to the 1991 movie. [Name # 1]
24-Across. Herbal brew with a licorice flavor: FENNEL TEA. Fennel Tea really is a thing.
37-Across. Physical therapy that targets hand pain: FINGER EXERCISES.
51-Across. Container with melted cheese: FONDUE POT. Yummers!
62-Across. Button needed in some macros: FUNCTION KEY.
What other FUN is in store today?
Across:
1. Nail polish layer: COAT.
|
| If you've ever tried glitter nail polish, you can relate. |
5. Bicycle for two: TANDEM.
11. Texter's "I think": IMO. Textspeak for In My Opinion.
14. "Yeah, doubtful": UH, NO!
15. "Act your age!": GROW UP!
16. Go on the __: skip town: LAM.
19. Perjure oneself: LIE.
20. Thrifty: FRUGAL.
21. Actor Sheridan: TYE. I am not familiar with this actor,
but apparently he was in the X-Men series of films.
[Name # 2.]
|
| Tye Kayle Sheridan (b. Nov. 11, 1996) |
22. Fireworks show sound: BANG!
23. Nostalgic sch. visitor, perhaps: ALUM. Alumni is the
plural; Alumnus is the masculine singular and Alumna is the feminine singular.
If there are only a group of women former students, then the plural is
Alumnae.
26. Spanish "this": ESTA. Today's Spanish lesson.
28. Stranger than strange: EERIE.
29. D'backs, in box scores: ARI. The Arizona Diamondbacks
play professional baseball and are based in Phoenix, Arizona.
32. Pseudonym letters: AKA. Also Known As.
34. Totally silly: INANE.
42. Puzzle genre: LOGIC.
43. __ de cologne: EAU. // Which intersects with
33-Down: Body spray brand: AXE.
44. Female sheep: EWE.
45. Some British peers: EARLS.
48. Cause of a bad air day: SMOG. Cute and punny clue.
54. "Well, fudge": RATS.
57. Diva's solo: ARIA.
58. Card game cry: GIN. More than you ever wanted to know
about Gin.
59. Is worthy of: MERITS.
61. Prefix with diversity: BIO. As in Biodiversity, which is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a
measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level.
64. Gymnast Mary __ Retton: LOU. Mary Lou Retton (b. Jan.
24, 1968) was the star of the 1984 Summer Olympics where she won a gold medal
in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two
bronze medals. [Name # 3.]
65. Folded egg dish: OMELET.
66. Makes do, with "out": EKES.
67. USCG rank: ENS. One of the ranks of the United States Coast Guard is the Ensign.
68. Hold a grudge against: RESENT.
69. Paying close attention: RAPT.
Down:
1. Shirt sleeve's end: CUFF.
2. "A Mighty Wind" actress Catherine: O'HARA. // And
9-Down. "A Mighty Wind" actor Levy: EUGENE. A Mighty Wind was a 2003 mocudocumentary about three eclectic, never-quite-famous
folk bands that came together for the first time in decades following the
death of their manager to put on an reunion concert in his honor.
Catherine O'Hara (née Catherine Anne O'Hara; b. Mar. 4, 1954) and Eugene
Levy (b. Dec. 17, 1946) are hilarious in any film they are in together.
Catherine O'Hara celebrated her 70th birthday yesterday. [Names #
4 and 5.]
3. Render invalid: ANNUL.
4. __-in-cheek: TONGUE.
5. Anti-dandruff shampoo by Neutrogena: T-GEL.
6. Dog kennel sound: ARF.
7. Nick of "48 Hrs.": NOLTE. Nick Nolte (né Nicholas King
Nolte; b. Feb. 8, 1941) has starred in a number of films. 48 Hrs. was first released over 40 years ago! [Name # 6.]
8. Actor Johnson known as "The Rock": DWAYNE. His given name
is Dwayne Douglas Johnson (b May 2, 1972). He, too has starred in a
number of movies. [Name # 7.]
10. Fuel economy meas.: MPG. As in Miles Per Gallon.
11. Uncomfortable: ILL A TEASE.
12. Acadia National Park state: MAINE. My home state.
|
| Thunder Hole at Acadia National Park |
13. __-3 fatty acid: OMEGA.
18. Proactive Health dog food maker: IAMS. The company also
makes food for cats and other critters.
22. Russian pancakes: BLINI. Yummers! Everything you
wanted to know about Blinis but didn't know to ask.
24. Phony: FAKE.
25. "The Other Black Girl" actor McCormack: ERIC. Eric James
McCormick (b. Apr. 18, 1963) is a Canadian-American actor. He is
probably best recognized for his role in the television sit-com Will & Grace. [Name # 8.]
27. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.
29. CIO partner: AFL. The American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a federation of unions.
30. Brazilian city: RIO. The city's formal name is Rio de Janeiro. The name means River of January because it was "discovered" by the
Portuguese on January 1, 1502. Were they aware that the river was there
before they "found" it?
31. Cleverly inventive: INGENIOUS.
35. Just out of the box: NEW.
36. Linguistic suffix: -ESE. As in Portuguese, the language
spoken in 30-Down.
38. "Everyday Italian" cookbook writer De Laurentiis: GIADA.
I am not up on my cookbook writers. Giada Pamela De Benedetti (b.
Aug. 22, 1970) is an Italian American chef, television personality and
cookbook writer. She was born in Rome, Italy, but now lives in the US.
[Name # 9.]
39. Neutral hue: ECRU. The color comes in many shades.
40. West's opponent, in some All-Star games: EAST. Think
baseball games.
41. Mai tai liquor: RUM. Yummers! How to make
a Mai Tai.
46. Peanut or pea: LEGUME.
47. Cactus quills: SPINES.
49. Cute name for a black-and-white pet: OREO. I would never
name my pet Oreo, but this is a fresh new clue for a crossword staple.
50. "Ozark" Emmy winner Julia: GARNER. Ozark was
a Netflix crime series. Julia Gardner (Feb. 1, 1994). [Name # 10.]
51. Aesop tale: FABLE. You can read all the Aesop Fables here. [Name # 11.]
52. Celestial hunter: ORION. [Name adjacent.]
53. Dad's brother, in Paris: ONCLE. Today's French lesson.
55. Chicken __ masala: TIKKA. Chicken Tikka Masala is a dish
that originated in India. It is made of roasted marinated chicken in a
spicy yogurt sauce.
56. Like a challenging climb: STEEP.
59. Baseball glove: MITT.
60. Method: Abbr.: SYST. System.
62. The "F" of FYI: FOR. For Your Information.
63. Low card in a royal flush: TEN.
And the Grid:
חתולה
It took two or three themed entries, but eventually the “V-8 can” hit and I realized what the gimmick of the puzzle was, and that helped me solve the rest of the puzzle. But, in general, this puzzle didn’t strike me as being as “easy” as Tuesday puzzles usually are. Anyway, I persevered and got the win. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew how to delete my previous comment. I used to know how to, but I’ve forgotten. Because when I wrote this comment, it had an extra (humorous) element that I accidentally deleted. Here’s my original comment:
ReplyDeleteIt took two or three themed entries, but
eventually the “V-8 can” hit and I realized what the gimmick of the puzzle was, and that helped me solve the rest of the puzzle. But, in general, this puzzle didn’t strike me as being as “easy” as Tuesday puzzles usually are. But anyway, I persevered and got the win. FIR, so I’m happy.
FIR without erasure.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DAY (in high school I had a girlfriend (Pam) from a neighboring town who claimed to have a second personality she called “Susan.” I was never sure if it was real, or just a way to avoid blame for misdeeds)
NATIONAL ABSINTHE DAY (we all know that absinthe makes the heart grow fonder)
NATIONAL CHEESE DOODLE DAY (an annual celebration where fingers turn a cheesy orange)
Easy enough puzzle, but the fun was diminished by the octet of names, plus TIKKA. And for a change, I knew a few of the names, but not as clued. There was Kevin-forgetting Catherine OHARA, and Jim's American Pie dad Eugene Levy, for example. But ya gotta like a puzzle with GIN and RUM in it, as well as that fresh clue for the tired old OREO.
I don't know the rules of LAT crosswords, but I guess if RIO is ok, then Vegas must be OK fill for "a Nevada city."
To get my allotment of LOGIC puzzles, I do two sudokus every day. One from my local paper, the other from sudoku.org.uk, which I can't open with Firefox because they don't use SSL.
Thanks to Ha2la for the fun review, but I gotta pick on referring to the D'Backs as a professional baseball team. That's like calling a US Senator a "congressman." It is true, but doesn't reflect their elite status. "Major League team" or "Big Show team" would be what they would choose.
On the road again, starting the slow trek back to Norfolk. Savannah today.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteNoticed that every themer began with an F...and that's all. Was actually expecting F-F until FENNEL TEA showed up. The unknown names were offset by the kind perps. No foul. Thanx, Patti and Hahtoolah. (10-B-D-K-A? What are B and D?)
Forgot to mention, this is a busy (and expensive) week. Yesterday was quarterly dental cleaning. Today is annual physical day. And Thursday, while I'm off doing Meals-on-Wheels, a crew will be at the house replacing the furnace and central air system. I'm doing it "pre-season," because I hated the thought of the current unit crapping out on a 100°+ day. At my advanced age, this should be the last system I have to buy.
ReplyDeleteFIR. I got the theme early, lame as it is, and managed with perps to finish.
ReplyDeleteIMO, there were way too many proper names. Even several crossing, Nolte, Dwayne, Eugene, and Tye, not to mention Flagg, a giant no-no in my book.
For a Tuesday puzzle, this had some bite to it.
I thought this was a fairly easy Tuesday as I managed a FIR in 8:23, the few unknown names perped no problem. I did notice the vowel progression and the bottom themer ended in “y” to complete it. How does a constructor edit their own puzzle? I would think Patti would have had Katie do the editing on this one. 🤷♂️. Seeing Catherine O’HARA and EUGENE Levy in the same grid was cool, they were great in Schitt’s Creek too! The cactus cartoon may be a painful recent reminder to at least one Cornerite.
ReplyDeleteHahtoolah ~ nice to see you back at the helm! Learning moment for me today is that alumnus and alumna are gender specific
Good Morning, Crossword friends: Vowel progression puzzles are not my favorite type of crosswords. I don't think there is a deeper meaning in the theme answers, but if someone finds one, please share. Yooper: I hadn't noticed that the final theme answer ended in a Y. I was trying to think of any words that begin with FYN, but couldn't come up with anything.
ReplyDeleteFannie Flag made the rounds on several game shows in the 1970s and '80s. She also wrote several novels. Fried Green Tomatoes is probably her best known book.
QOD: The place you are born is simply the first place you flee. ~ Daniel Alarcón (b. Mar. 5, 1977), Peruvian-American writer
Took 5 minutes flat today for me to FINally FINd the FINish line.
ReplyDeleteNever saw the theme.
I knew both of today's actresses, although I was not familiar with "A Mighty Wind."
I didn't know either of the authors (Flagg or Giada), nor did I know the French brother of dad, the Spanish this, or the Russian pancakes.
I think of Oreo of being an unoriginal name for a pet anymore, but yet it's viewed as a fresh clue in the crossword puzzle.
I love Acadia National Park, and Thunder Hole is a very cool spot there - thank you for the reminder (and fun review), Hahtoolah.
Fun Tuesday puzzle which flew by - a rare under 5 minute solve!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy FANNIE FLAGG's books - a favorite is "The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion"
Catherine OHARA and EUGENE Levy are in most of Christopher Guest's quirky mockumentaries - "Best in Show" is laugh out loud funny if you enjoy AKC dog shows.
Thanks Susan for all the fun cartoons and blog and Patti for the puzzle!
Made it through my first day back - will see how today goes!!
I remember FANNIE FLAGG as sidekick/cohost on "Candid Camera"
ReplyDeleteMary LOU Retton had a serioius case of pneumonia last fall
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since we've had this type of theme, maybe because they're more difficult to construct than they appear. I prefer more word play and novelty in a puzzle, but Patti chose five very solid phrases for a smooth progression. I'm not familiar with Fennel Tea, not surprising as I don't drink tea and I dislike fennel and anything with a licorice flavor. There were a lot of proper names, but the perps were fair and I knew the majority of them, if not always as clued. I think my only w/o was Uno before Gin, leaping before looking, as usual. CSO to our Ingenious Subgenius!
Thanks, Patti, for a Tuesday treat and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the always entertaining and enlightening review. I enjoyed the My Fair Lady music and also your favorite Aria, the Habenera. This morning's comics were all humorous but my top choices are the ones for Fondue Pot, Eerie, Smog (Bad air day, indeed!), Gin, Legume, and Spines! Great job!
Have a great day.
Good Morning! It was a surprise to see our CW Editor was today’s constructor. Nice puzzle, Patti.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t stop to suss the theme but it was revealed in the fun & info-filled recap. Thanks, Hah2lah!
One WO: FANNy -> IE
I knew most of the names but needed ESP for OHARA, EUGENE and TYE.
OREO or ORca – I had to wait for the perps, hmm… 😄
TIKKA Masala I knew from watching Molly Yeh on Girl Meets Farm but I’ve never tasted it.
The gator’s on the left. His nose is broader. Not that I ever hope to need to know…😲
FIR, but I did not enjoy the "Great Lakes" section, jammed with six proper nouns. My salvation was that I knew FLAGG and NOLTE.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the puzzle was Tuesday-like easy with only three more unknown names which were quickly perped, GIADA, GARNER, and OHARA. A Mighty Wind was new to me. Maureen O'HARA and James Garner seem more Tuesday-like. I would have known Eugene O'neill who wrote A Moon for the Misbegotten and The Iceman Cometh.
I have a habit of reading recipes and have heard of chicken tikka marsala.
I liked Flagg's The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion, The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop and Fried Green Tomatoes, both the book and the movie.
Subgenius, some of our more learned posters may offer a better explanation, but basically there is a little trash can next to your name at the bottom of your post. Click that and then click the prompt at the bottom of the next page that appears. It helps to have a copy of your post before you "trash" it so you can then edit it.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute; who's editing our esteemed editor? Not that Patti needed one. Hers was a FINe and FUNny Tuesday puzzle.
DeleteA few random observations:
I forget who was in a lather today over the Arizona Diamondboacks clue, but methinks thou doth protest too much. Patti's clue was "D'backs, in box scores," and the answer was clearly ARI. What is wrong with that? This is from a decades-long D'Back fan (me) who would have castigated any belittling of the D'Backs.
Constructors have a difficult time staying away from OREO, probably because three-fourths of the letters are vowels. But at least Patti came up with a fresh clue (at least to me).
I enjoyed seeing Patti's nod to Indian cuisine, with TIKKA. The greatest invention known to man is lamb tikka masala.
I too expected an FF theme and was disabused when I filled FENNEL TEA. Not familiar with that brew, but although I dislike tea, I like herbal teas and flavors are endless.
ReplyDeleteIndeed lots of proper names, some I didn’t know, but as others have said perps were helpful IMO.
I liked the clue for SMOG.
Patti V must have known about A-t’s little mishap with a cactus.
Hahtoolah, thank you for all the cute and witty funnies, the videos and the info.
d-o: good luck with your “dear” day.
Subgenius, did you really repost just to add that "But" before "anyway?"
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-I saw the F_N vowel progression but thought there must be more. Not necessary.
-Yes, this is how I remember witty FANNIE FLAGG
-LIE: I subscribe to Mark Twain, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything”
-If you get caught in a lie, just say you said it TONGUE in cheek
-Most everyone I know who lived through the dirty 30’s was very FRUGAL
-Unlike northern teams, ARI’s baseball stadium has a roof because of excessive heat
-Nick NOLTE, a graduate of Omaha Westside H.S, has fought substance abuse his entire life
-I am amazed at the INGENIOUS gimmicks we see in our puzzles
-Obscure TIKKA and GIADA are fine because they are “any port in a storm” fills. Obscure cluing for common names are what are hard to take.
-After you have summited STEEP Everest, it is customary to only stay for 10 – 15 minutes to allow the many others who are waiting their turn.
-Love the cartoons, Hahtoolah (my spell check now accepts your name!)
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun, Patti and Hahtoolah
ReplyDeleteI FIRed in good time, and saw the F vowel progression (but missed the N d’uh!).
I was looking for something beyond this simple theme. But the only related ideas I could get beyond FLAG(G), EXERCISES, KEY were TEA POT.
Plenty of names, but perps were fair for the unknown-to-me ERIC ( I tried Erin), GARNER, DWAYNE, GIADA.
It took a while to parse ILL AT EASE correctly (I see that Hahtoolah still has trouble!).
I remembered ARI from previous CWs, and of course this Canadian had no problem with OHARA and EUGENE. (But like Yooper Phil, think of Schitt’s Creek)
Hand up for Uno before GIN. Wrong game!
I have trouble deciding between S, Z, I to end BLINI.
I thought of AnonT with those cactus SPINES. Glad to hear you are feeling better. (LOL Monkey - I too wondered if Patti had been reading the posts about AnonT)
Wishing you all a great day.
Thank you Patti for a fun Tuesday, slightly easier than yesterday I think (but probably not all that easy to construct). And thank you Patti for making sure that Patti dotted all her i's and crossed all her t's.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you Hahtoolah for a fun review and for explaining the theme -- IT WENT IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER. They're all in there, just not order.
Some favs:
15A GROW UP. I never GREW UP and I AM acting my age!
37A FINGER EXERCISES. DNK there was such a thing. I'll have to see if I can talk my doctor into a referral.
51A FONDUE POT. Favorite cartoon.
57A ARIA. Carmen is not my favorite opera -- it's rated R you know. 😁
2D O'HARA. Favorite clip.
11D ILL A TEASE -- an Italian threat to tickle someone?
12D MAINE. My favorite restaurant in Bar Harbor was The Opera House, sadly now closed. My favorite dish there was Ponselle Wellington (steak stuff with crab meat) named for the great soprano Rosa Ponselle, who after her retirement lived outside Baltimore in her estate Villa Pace (after the ARIA Pace, Pace from Verdi's Forza del Destino). And she actually sang in our church choir!
31D INGENIOUS. Thinking Inside the Box, by Adrienne Raphel is an INGENIOUS book about crossword puzzles, including a tribute to our ailing friend Will Shortz.
47D SPINES. Betcha -T has some stories about them. Hope he's feeling better.
Cheers,
Bill
Musings 2
ReplyDelete-FWIW: I had the last four letters correct in Wordle today. There were five possible solutions for the first letter and I guessed three of the wrong ones. Sigh…
-Hey, it's sunny and 60F in Nebraska today so I'll get over it. :-)
HG ~ YP here, those are the kind of Wordles I don’t like, they become a guessing game with too many possibilities.
DeleteD-O @ 9:38 a.m. - Yes, I thought the three “buts” was kind of humorous. BUT perhaps I was mistaken?
ReplyDeleteToo many names,counted 22 knew 3. We also had Russian -Blini, Spanish- esta, French - oncle, and Indian - Tikka. Knew Blini and Spanish esta. The others were unknown. Tough Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteTen proper names, 7 in the first 25 clues. No fun for me
ReplyDeleteFIR but disliked the puzzle because of all the names, especially in the northwest and center north where they crossed like crazy. The fact that I FIR without knowing these names makes it reasonably fair, but not fun. I am surprised there aren't more complaints today! I totally missed the vowel progression, which might have added some pleasure if I had seen it. It's my habit to thank Patti every time I stop in here, because I think she does a great job, but this was not my cup of TEA. At least חתולה never disappoints.
ReplyDeleteJinx,
ReplyDeleteUpon further review, I note that regarding the Arizona D'backs, you were taking issue not with Patti, but Ha21a's review. Fair enough. I guess I might have
gotten something in there that they are a World Series team.
HG @ 10:02 ~ I had the first and third letters and got the correct word on my second try. Absolutely pure luck! Some days are so frustrating, especially the ones that require six tries! I still enjoy it, though. 😉
ReplyDeleteFIR, despite the overabundance of names. The perps were fair, but obscure names always suck the fun out of a puzzle for me. You can suss out a new word and get a nice "Aha! Of course" moment, but with names, you either know them or you don't, and if you're like me, you don't care, either! Turning to arcane names always seemed lazy to me. Fortunately, we have Ha2la to pump the fun back in today!
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteThis was an easy puzzle, IMO. I don't get the complaints. And though I prefer not to have names in the puzzle, once I fill them, it's ok. Of course, if I don't know them it's frustrating but then I learn something. Today I knew them all and have been to MAINE and visited Acadia National Park.
I've said before, my favorite Nick NOLTE film is "Prince of Tides" with Barbra Streisand.
Recently I read that Mary LOU Retton was seriously ill and in financial trouble. Her daughter was asking for funds to help with expenses. I gladly donated; she was such an inspiring athlete in the Olympics.
This was a fun puzzle; thank you, Patti Varol
Tony, I hope you are feeling better.
Have a great day, everyone!
ReplyDeleteFairly fair Tuesday with a mild to moderate difficulty level.
I ASSumed that as “nail polish” is basically paint the response would be COAT. Since it’s only TUESDAY Surprised that “Catherine” OHARA was clued using one of her lesser known roles (and lesser known of Christopher Guest’s comedy flicks using the same actor ensemble) and not “Schitt’s Creek”. Eric “McCormack” probably still best know as the “Will” half of “Will & Grace”
So is the theme “ body parts” FANNIE, FINGER, POT, EARls. Uh nope I kinda didn’t think so ☺️
Couldn’t remember if it was Duane or DWAYNE , perpwaited. Have two buds who spell it the first way. TGEL unknown. A lot of “tea” talk in puzzles lately🫖. STEEP
INANE like our Hiker.
Apropos of FINGER EXERCISES. Heard a lecture on Radiology Ergonomics yesterday. How far the monitors should be from line of site, monitor and seat positioning etc. Take 20 second breaks every 20 minutes (which frankly is impossible). The Rad giving the talk thought he was funny when he added “and for the Neurologists that’s not 20 minute breaks every 20 seconds 😃
GIADA (It = Jade) help perp correct LoRDS/LARDS/EARLS.
Wonder how she has never TOPpled forward into her sauce ☺️
Howdya fold a dish??!!🍽️ “Hey DWAYNE come over here a minute” 💪🏿
The EWE’s kid took off, now on the___….LAM
What Barrie’s boy won’t do…. GROW UP
What Mom might deliver as the result of sass, a___ ….CUFF
Benign fluid filled organ structure….. SYST
Great toons H2LH
I knew FANNY FLAGG wrote it but the perps corrected my wrong spelling to FANNIE. I remember Fannie from Candid Camera shows. After the unknown FENNEL TEAD (perps) I sensed an AEIOU puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThe side-by-side-by-side of three proper names-NOLTE, DWAYNE, EUGENE-and the proper names IAMS and T-GEL, all crossing FLAGG & TYE (unknown) next is a bit much. Luckily I knew all of them but TYE. Maybe that's Patti's way of finishing the AEIOU sequence with FU-nction key, considering some of the flak I've read about all the obscure actors, writers, and singers
GARNER was all perps.
TEN and royal flush- somewhere in the palace
T-GEL is a coal TAR shampoo.
I rarely use the FUNCTION KEYs because I have two keyboards for my L-shaped desk. The HP keyboard came with the system but I bought an ergonomic board from Microsoft. Function keys are not is the same places.
Delightful Tuesday puzzle, many thanks, Patti. And thanks also for your interesting commentary, Hahtoolah.
ReplyDeleteAlways nice to see food in a puzzle, when you haven't had your breakfast yet. So I liked seeing that OMELET, and the FONDUE, along with the FENNEL TEA.
Also nice to be a GROWnUP ALUM these days, thankful for our LOGIC which makes us INGENIOUS and not a bit INANE.
Lots of fun for the start of a day. Have a good one, everybody.
Husker, after two guesses, I was in the same position. Entered PLUMB as guess #3 to whittle down the possibilities. Only one word remained for guess #4.
ReplyDeleteOne small clarification: Fannie Flagg co-wrote the script of Fried Green Tomatoes with my late friend, Carol Sobieski. The Oscar nomination was for both Carol and Fannie (they did not win).
DeleteCarol wrote the screenplays for dozens of films, including Annie, Sylvester, anf The Bourne Identity, as well as the TV series Family.
I was dreading this puzzle with Patti as constructor and as editor. But I was pleasantly surprised! I did not know many of the names, but the crosses were fair. Only slight grumble at crossed DWAYNE/TYE, but WAG to FIR. And I did get the full F-N vowel sequence theme when I finished.
ReplyDeleteHere DW was behind me as I led a hike up an unusually STEEP local trail.
I want to lead this hike again, but the road to get there has officially been closed for over a year due to repeated storms and landslides.
FIR and found it pretty easy overall, despite the 9 unknown proper names.
ReplyDeleteThe only confusion came with my last fill of GIADA/EARLS. Never seen that name before and don’t understand why an earl is a peer.
Never noticed the theme and it seems weird that it was never referenced: either with a clever clue -OR- with a title for the puzzle—did this puzzle have an official title but my newspaper just didn’t print it?
Puzzling thoughts:
ReplyDeleteI FIR in no time at all
Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy were co-stars in the hit series "Schitt's Creek". Funny show that also featured Eugene's son, Daniel
I liked this puzzle but struggled with all those proper names crossing at the top center. I liked Hahtoolah's exposition more than the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI guess if the city name is "RIO" then I live in "San". Then again, Carmel-by-the-Sea is commonly called just Carmel and Princeton-by-the-Sea is called Princeton. And as Jinx in Norfolk (often called Jinx) pointed out, Las Vegas is commonly referred to simply as "Vegas".
Good wishes to you all.
Right, Jayce. And after all, they call San Francisco "Frisco." Not to be confused with Frisco, TX, home of the Fighting Raccoons, and a great place to stop for beer and ice on the way to Lake Texoma.
ReplyDeleteLate to post, but here are my thoughts: far too many obscure (to me, at least) names. and, NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR. That's for the THREE adjacent names which are then crossed by yet another FOURTH name, in the North Central section of the CW. Of course, I know Nick Nolte...but not from the clue. By my expansive count, 15 names in this CW. On a Tuesday! I did eventually FIR, but the CW was a Friday on a Tuesday, and NOT FAIR!! Only one W/O: UNO/GIN. Thanx Hahtoolah for the fun write-up.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest, when I got to the 21a and saw ANOTHER NAME!, I nearly tossed the puzzle. But, then I saw it was Patti so decided to stick with it just a little longer. And INGENIOUS made it all worth the price of admission. Thanks Patti.
Thanks Hahtoolah for another wonderful expo.
WO: ARZ -> ARI
ESPs: most names
Un-Fav: I'm still sore at SPINES ;-) //thanks all y'all for the well-wishes.
Enjoyed reading y'all. Have a good one!
Cheers, -T