Theme: "It had to be "U"
Puzzling thoughts:
After solving this relatively easy collaborative puzzle (Amie Walker and Wendy L. Brandes) I did a quick head scratch: what in the heck is the theme of this? So, I looked at the reveal:
40-across. "It was even funnier at the time," or a hint to making the starred clues match their answers: YOU HAD TO BE THERE
Was the word "YOU" (or the word "THERE") somehow connected to all of the three entries? Let's examine them and see:
18-across. *Big moth: CHATTER BOX. No, neither "YOU" nor "THERE" seemed to fit into this entry
24-across. *Theater debt: OPENING NIGHT. Nope, not here either, although "HAVING TO BE THERE" on OPENING NIGHT sort of makes sense
52-across. *Frozen state: ICE SCULPTURE. Who, other than folks who live in the north and love the cold weather, would want to be "THERE" for an ICE SCULPTURE? (well, maybe this guy - see video)
62-across. *Title bot: PRIZE FIGHT. Maybe this one? Uh, uh. Nope
So what gives? Well, look back at each of the four entry clUes:
*Big moth: If the letter U is added to "moth" it becomes "mouth". And a CHATTER BOX is indeed a "big mouth"
*Theater debt: If the letter U is added to "debt" it becomes "debut". And an OPENING NIGHT is indeed a "theater debut"
*Frozen state: If the letter U is added to "state" it becomes "statue". And an ICE SCULPTURE is indeed a "frozen statue"
*Title bot: If the letter U is added to "bot" it becomes "bout". And a PRIZE FIGHT is indeed a "title bout"
And that, my friends, is how Amie and Wendy managed today's "add a letter"-themed puzzle! Adding the letter "U" allowed each of the clues to match their answers. Well done, ladies!
Here is the grid, and then we can tackle the rest of the "fill" ...
Note from today's blogger: If you would like to solve another puzzle today, please open the link below for one that's called "That's Heavy!"
Across:
1. __ test: ACID. BETA fits this, too, but I waited until I checked the other perps
5. Oft-poached pear: BOSC. Strange clue but it works
9. With 9-Down, Thanksgiving dessert: PECAN (9-down. See 9-Across:) PIE. PECAN PIE may not be the most popular Thanksgiving dessert (unless you're from the south) but it sure is tasty!
14. Arm bone: ULNA. Moe-ku:
Some think the ULNA
Is the "funny bone". But that's
Not so humurus
15. Bar mixer: COLA. While the constructors did not choose to use a "clecho", it fits with (68-across. Fountain drinks:) SODAS. Did anyone else flip these answers? SODA and COLAS?
16. Fuming: IRATE.
17. Some baby shower honorees: DADS. This must be a more "modern" answer; I had two kids and was not "honored" at either of their baby showers
20. "Da 5 Bloods" actor Whitlock Jr.: ISIAH. This filled with perps and a WAG as I was not familiar with "Da 5 Bloods" movie - the trailer:
22. Cookbook writer Garten: INA. She is fast becoming a part of crosswordese
23. Choose: OPT.
29. "Makes sense": I SEE. What I may have uttered when I figured out today's theme
30. False front?: PSEUDO. For some reason I initially spelled this "PSUEDO". Across Lite (the puzzle software I use to solve these puzzles) does not have spellchecker installed
33. ETA provider: GPS. Back in the day, GPS might have been clued: "Family doc's"
Spider-Man gave to
His groomsmen (as wedding gifts)
Peter Parker PENS
38. Made in Taiwan, say: ASIAN.
44. Cantaloupe, e.g.: MELON.
45. Close in anger: SLAM.
46. August hrs.: DST.
47. Beach city where Barbie's Dreamhouse is available for short-term rentals: MALIBU. This MALIBU resident had his fair share of "Barbie's". For a show that was more than mildly misogynistic, it ran for multiple seasons on a major network ... this clip is from the Ashton Kucher years as being the star, and features MALIBU
50. Historic times: ERAS.
57. Toward the stern: AFT.
60. Spacewalk initials: EVA. Not one of the Gabor sisters?? No, EVA stands for: ExtraVehicular Activity ... this, maybe (long):
61. Title with a tilde: SENOR. The tilde (~) is placed above the "N" in Se·ñor. It is an accent (~) placed over Spanish n when pronounced ny (as in señor) or Portuguese a or o when nasalized (as in São Paulo), or over a vowel in phonetic transcription, indicating nasalization
67. Falafel bread: PITA. Are falafel and hummus the same? [foodstruct dot com] says: "What are the main differences between Falafel and Hummus? Falafel is richer in Iron, Potassium, Vitamin B2, and Monounsaturated Fat, while Hummus is higher in Copper, and Vitamin B6. Hummus's daily need coverage for Copper is 30% higher. Hummus has 3 times less Vitamin B2 than Falafel. Falafel has 0.166mg of Vitamin B2, while Hummus has 0.064mg"
69. Char on a grill: SEAR. All you wanted to know about SEAR when grilling
70. "For real?": IT IS.
71. Setting for much of "The Mummy" franchise: EGYPT. I may need to binge-watch this series. "The Mummy" The movie "franchise" spans 8 decades
72. Like a chimney sweep's clothes, maybe: ASHY. Moe-ku 3:
Santa's ASHY coat
Caused sniffles. Was it 'cause he
Came down with the flue?
73. Wall St. index: NYSE. NASDAC and S & P 500 did not fit into the four squares
Down:
1. Component of self-guided museum tours: AUDIO. Who sells this?
2. Necklace fastener: CLASP. I used to shudder when my ex asked me to help her put on or take off her necklace; I was never very good with THAT type of CLASP ...
3. Nonstudio flick: INDIE. As in, an "INDiEpendent" studio. Last year's top Oscar-winner "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" was produced by INDIE studio A24
4. Fiji competitor: DASANI. Not as in the island of Fiji (or a sports competition) but the bottled water. But (off the top of my head; I did not research this) I believe that Fiji water actually comes from a source. DASANI is bottled after reverse osmosis if I understand correctly
5. Secretly include, in a way: BCC. Moe-ku 4:
When Johnny Hart sends
An e-mail, he will always
BCC BC
6. "I'm impressed!": OOH. Your reaction to today's puzzle and/or blog??!!
7. Done in, as a dragon: SLAIN. Here is the opposite (from a dragon's point-of-view)
8. Opposite of dogbane?: CATNIP. Dogbane CATNIP
10. Add salt instead of sugar, say: ERR. As a kid, my older sister played an April Fool's "joke" on me by substituting salt into the sugar bowl. Of course, unknowingly. I put a couple spoonfuls of this into my bowl of Cheerios ...
11. Baja resort, familiarly: CABO. CABO on Baja - things to do
12. Perched on: ATOP.
13. "What else ya got?": NEXT.
19. Price points?: TAGS. This reminded me of the 15 or so years I spent living in New England. The term for offering things from your residence for sale differs in many parts of the country. I had heard of "YARD SALE" and "GARAGE SALE", but when I lived in MA and CT, they called it a "TAG" SALE. TAGS were required on each item to clearly mark at what price you were offering this
21. __ Heritage Month: September 15 to October 15: HISPANIC. Why is it honored between two months? And those specific days? Ides don't know ... can someone else help me??
25. Require: NEED. When Margaret and I bought our house a couple years ago, we each separately wrote out our "wants and NEEDS; we matched on our NEEDS at 100%
26. Gallant guy: GENT.
27. Products of thermal imaging: HEAT MAPS. You know, if you add an "L" to MAPS and rearrange the letters, you get LAMPS ... which when placed behind HEAT gives a whole different product ...
28. Derriere: TUSH. Ok, is it "TOUCH" or "TUSH" that ZZ Top is claiming they want to get when they are downtown ...
31. Faded out: DIED. I suppose this is a "kind way" to clue the word "DIED"
32. Sculler's tools: OARS. When I was a member of the Jaycees (remember them fellow Boomers?) in MA, we helped sponsor an event on the Connecticut River for racing sculls. Their ability to synchronize the OARS was amazing ... I couldn't find a video from that venue, but here is one you might want to watch
33. Muscle building?: GYM. Hah! Muscle building in a muscle building!
34. Ada Limón work: POEM. Unlike the Chairman, Ada chooses a much different kind of poetry than my haiku and limericks
Ada Limon
35. Toni Morrison's second novel: SULA. Fun fact: SULA is also the name of a Russian river as well as the name of some Indonesian islands
37. "Help us!" letters: SOS. And, an erstwhile hit song by the group "Abba"; both of which are answers often seen in xword puzzles
39. __ zero emissions: NET. Can you be a climate hero?
41. Colorful Hindu festival: HOLI. This event has passed. It was on March 25th. [Wikipedia] "Holi is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as
the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring. It celebrates the eternal and
divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna
Moe-ku 5:
Radha and Krishna
Love to celebrate Spring with
Holly for HOLI
42. "Sacre __!": BLEU.
Moe-ku 6:
Camembert, BLEU, and
Roquefort were found on same plate.
A fromáge à trois?
43. Countess counterpart: EARL. What about the "duke of Earl?
48. Emmy-winning Ali Wong series: BEEF. A "Friday" clue, for sure
49. Certain travel doc.: US VISA. Don't think we will need one when we visit Italy later this year
51. Attempt to mediate: STEP IN. This sounds like something that would be more than to "mediate", IMO
53. Batting practice sites: CAGES. Could you make contact with this fastball? Not I
54. Harmony: UNITY. Does the Thesaurussaurus agree? Nope
55. Flatbreads made with atta flour: ROTIS. Not a word in my lexicon. [Wikipedia] "Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, and Southeast African countries. It is made from stoneground whole wheat flour, traditionally known as gehu ka atta, and water that are combined into a dough. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened
56. Wipe clean: ERASE. "Wipe clean" is also a phrase a parent of a baby or toddler might use. So basically, they are just ERASING the poo??
57. Recess on a Catholic school campus?: APSE. Another paraphrased clue. The APSE is a recessed area in a chapel. Recess could also mean "a period of time when school kids get a break from classes"
58. Mesopotamian symbol of fertility: FROG. Ribbit, ribbit ... this guy?
59. Neat: TIDY.
63. Cook in the microwave: ZAP. Time for another comic strip?
64. Rough fig.: EST. Or, winter hours in Washington, D.C.
65. "Shows you!": HAH. The phrase I uttered when I "got" the theme today
66. Attempt: TRY. Hope that your attempt at the puzzle was a positive one
And we are done! Look forward to YOUR COMMENTS below. Hope, too that you are able to try MY PUZZLE @ Universal. See you in a couple of weeks
40 comments:
I had misread “big moth” as “big mouth” so you might say I stumbled into the first themed answer “accidentally.”
You would have thought from there, I would have had the whole thing figured out. But, no, I was “clueless,” (not literally, of course) until the reveal. Then I went back and got what the “gimmick” was. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Dense d-o, who usually misses the theme, actually got this one when the "Big moth" answer appeared. Yay. This one fell together in Tuesday solving time. Does the "Mummy franchise" refer to those old 1930s horror flicks or those more recent Brendan Fraser/Rachel Weisz adventures? Or maybe both separately? Dunno. Thanx, Amie, Wendy, and C-Moe.
PECAN PIE: Too sweet. I'll take the pumpkin (or sweet potato) every time.
PARKER Pen: Was once the largest employer in Janesville, WI. No more. That factory closed 15 years ago.
FIR in a Monday time of 9:37, personal best for the week. Like SubG I misread a clue, saw debt as debut, so OPENING NIGHT made sense, the reveal made short work of the other themers. DNK SULA or ISIAH, perps to the rescue. Finally remembered HOLI after seeing it several times in CWs. PECAN PIE may be a southern staple but I think Pumpkin Pie rules on 🦃 Day everywhere else. TAG SALES are often called “rummage sales” where I live. Bread day with both PITA and ROTIS. Thanks Amie and Wendy for today’s puzzle!
Chris Gross ~ thank you for your fine rundown today, especially always enjoy your Moe-Kus! Also thanks for your extra puzzle today, FIR in 10:11. Clever theme, no collaboration, you are really putting out some fine work. Noticed DASANI in this puzzle and FIJI in yours. Also a SO to yourself with “stooge with a bowl cut”. 👊🏼
FIW, missing ISIAc x cISPANIC. cISPANIC sounded perfectly woke to me, and I'm not likely to see Da 5 Bloods anytime soon.
Today is:
NATIONAL BIG WIND DAY (no, no no. Not a bassoon, or that liar you met at the sports bar. This day commemorates the day in 1934, when the Mount Washington Observatory recorded winds of 231 mph)
NATIONAL DONATE LIFE BLUE & GREEN DAY (encourages us to wear blue and green to raise awareness about organ donation)
NATIONAL FOR TWELVES DAY (established to celebrate the 12s on a football team - the fans)
NATIONAL ONLY CHILD DAY (my father was an only child, my mother was one of 12. A sitcom waiting for development)
NATIONAL GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH DAY (I like mine with mayo and bacon)
NATIONAL LICORICE DAY (always wanted to like the stuff, but couldn’t develop a taste for it; same for hoarhound candy)
In business "ACID test" measures the ability of a firm to cover current liabilities with current assets. ("Current" in business means "short term.")
In business, HEAT MAPS are used to visualize company location data. For example, a company may generate a HEAT MAP to communicate the distribution of their customer base, overlayed on a geographic map.
Anybody else dobt, er, doUbt, that NYSE is an index? (I think there's a "total market" index that covers all the firms sold on the NYSE.)
Anybody else dobt, er, doUbt, that a US VISA is a document? My VISAs were always stamps.
What's a dogbane? A flea? LIU, and it's a plant that repels or kills dogs. Who gnu?
NET zero emissions - send $100 to some NGO for planting a tree, and fly your private jet guilt-free.
D-O, can I have your PECAN PIE if you don't want it?
I was dubious when I saw Amie and Wendy were today's constructors, but I enjoyed this one. Thanks to our Chairman for the fun review, except that the Ides of April is tomorrow, not the 15th. Loved the 'kus.
Took 5:17 today for me - how abot yo?
I really miss the old Friday-level puzzles.
I didn't know whatever "bleu" is, dogbane, or Isiah.
I had some yummy (yummers?) roti in January.
The orientation of the puzzle (online, via Washington Post) changed, so that the clues were under the puzzle, rather to the side. Anyone else have this issue? Is there a way to reformat it?
FIR. Today's workout seemed a lot easier than other Fridays. Got the theme early when I was able to throw down the reveal. A few unknowns for me, but the perps saved the day, so I'm pleased. Overall enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning:
I caught the missing U at the first entry, so when I read the reveal clue, with no hesitation, I immediately filled in You Had To Be There. It's a very clever trick in the add/subtract a letter vein, but it also led to a fast and simplistic solve, which made me, like SS, long for the Friday head-scratchers of the past. Aside from Isiah, EVA, and Frog, as clued, the solve was easy, breezy, almost a Tuesday/Wednesday level in difficulty, but certainly nowhere near a Friday. Props, though, for the very solid themers and some cute cluing, i.e., Muscle Building?=Gym.
Thanks, Amie and Wendy, and thanks, Moe, for the delightful write-up and the many chuckles your Moe-kus elicited, the favorite being A fromáge à Trois! Also enjoyed the Dogs in the Boardroom and the Devious Dragons! Nice job, as usual!
FLN
Jayce, best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Have a great day.
Like some of you I found the missing U in the clues right away. Chatter box/mouth, not moth. Speedy Friday. The only unfamiliar answers, ISIAH and BEEF, filled themselves.
Our family prefers birthday pies to cakes. For years I had pecan pie for my Christmas birthday. Lately, I have been choosing chocolate satin pie.
Coed baby showers are popular with the younger parents.
About 25-30years ago many dads started showing up at my students' parent/teacher conferences. Dads, including my son, were changing diapers and becoming more involved.
Sometimes I have had to step in to mediate angry disputes among my students.
My mom had a big cannister of salt used for canning. One time when she served a big dinner to my dads colleagues she accidently made her famous pies using salt instead of sugar. Was her face red!
Visas, "They are significant legal documents, whether they appear in document, sticker, or electronic form, and convey a basic set of information to both the issuing country, and the country of destination for the international traveler." Google.
Thank you Amie and Wendy for a relatively easy Friday FIR. I even got the theme ...
And thank you MOE for your excellent explication of said theme and for your always entertaining POESY.
A few favs:
1A ACID. I think one of our constructors dropped some of the 3 letter variety just recently.
9A PECAN/9D PIE. We usually have PUMPKIN at Thanksgiving, but I DO love me some PECAN PIE.
17A DADS. Back when our BABY was born, DADS were not usually invited to SHOWERS.
18A CHATTERBOX. I resemble that remark!
47A MALIBU. Apparently there is an actual AirBnB in MALIBU called "Barbie's Dreamhouse". It rents for $60/day, but it's already sold out for the year.
2D CLASP. A CSO to Ray - O for his vaunted ability to undo one of these single-handedly.
5D BCC. Favorite cartoon.
7D SLAIN. Reminds me a coworker who had a poster on her office wall entitled "Sometimes the Dragon Wins", with a picture of said beast with an armored leg sticking out of his jaws.
28D TUSH. Favorite video. Wowsa!
34D POEM. A CSO to our Blogger!
Cheers,
Bill
p.s. to MOE - your puzzle printed! Film at 11!
Thank U Mr. Charmain. I noticed the moth instead of mouth and thought the newspaper had a misprint. My eyes were fooling me as I picked up the clues just like they included the missing U. But if was a faster fill than the normal late week offering.
Didn't know Whitlock, dogbane, Limon, Toni's novel, Ali Wong, or the ancient sex symbol but I did FIR using perps and WAGS. ISIAH, SULA, POEM, ROTI, FROG, BEEF- no guessing, all perps for those.
NET zero emissions? When you quit breathing is when that might happen after your body decomposes. Other than that it's a total joke.
Maybe the 'real' Sudafed might come back with PSEUDOephedrine now that the FDA admitted that phenylephrine does not work. But what will the DEA say?
Cease and Desist! Please. In 2 parts.
First, "sacre bleu." I lived in Paris for nearly two years, and have spent considerable time in France. I have never heard this epithet expressed there. "Sacre dieu," yes.
I suspect that the "bleu" usage originated with Disney films.
Second, Isiah. Why Mr. Whitlock's parents chose to misspell his name, only they know. They had only to check with the Bible. Or the list of male names that Isaiah Thomas' parents probably consulted.
OK, back to the puzzle. It had me head-scratching at the start, and then I discovered the pivotal role that the letter "u" was playing.
I have never heard of dogbane, but given that I had the first three letters of the answer (CAT...), I figured that catnip was worth a shot.
The middle-left area was baffling with the verticals GYM, POEM, and SULA confusingly clued. But the horizontal perps there saved the day, and overall, with some successful WAGs, I was able to FIR.
Amie and Wendy, you manufactured an extremely clever and fun puzzle, a good workout for the mind, and one that was Friday-appropriate.
I too figured out the theme at the first clue, and though it made for an easy puzzle, I enjoyed it. For one thing it was so wonderfully free of proper names. ISIAH and BEEF as clued were my only unknowns.
PECAN pies can be so cloyingly sweet, I usually pass.
C-Moe. Thanks for the recap. I laughed out loud at the fromages á trois Moe-ku. I’ll have to remember it.
We’re having a gorgeous day today; the strong winds of yesterday finally subsided. I dislike the wind.
Jayce, hope you’re on the mend.
Good Morning! What a nice surprise puzzle greeted me today! Thanks, Amie and Wendy! I felt like I was on a wavelength with these ladies today. Nice!!
Clever theme! I saw it when moth became mouth when CHATTERBOX filled and confirmed it when debt became debut.
Perps for ISIAH.
Only one hiccup, ROTaS -> ROTIS and a WAG at the unknown BEEF crossing EVA.
BC(C): I’ve been to the BC Open golf tournament in Endicott, NY. It was named BC for Broome County and the Johnny Hart comic strip, BC, to honor a “local boy.” All tied together.
Thanks, C-Moe for your fun Moe-kus, music and info.
Thanks, Jinx, for keeping us current on the National Days. I like my grilled cheese with sliced tomato. Yum! Is it lunch time...???
C-Moe. I enjoyed your CW. Congratulations.
Fabulous Friday. Thanks for the fun, Amie and Wendy, and CMoe.
Officially a DNF since I required a Google visit to get BEEF, and open up that mid-south area.
But this Canadian got the Missing U theme immediately at Big Moth. You all know my BEEF with missing U’s LOL,
(I had already commented to Misty about the missing U in one of the Jumble words today.)
I was looking for an astronaut’s initials not EVA. I had misentered two Y’s in EGYPT and was trying to make sense of ZAy. CAGES was not coming to mind. HAH!
Perps prevented Naan; ROTI appeared.
Is It reversed to IT IS.
Rear changed to the ruder TUSH.
Yes, I thought of Fiji island and entered Tahiti. That held up the NW corner for a while.
Sooty wouldn’t fit down the flue. ASHY did.
Favourite was the clue for GYM. (IM too)
Get better soon Jayce.
Wishing you all a great day.
Yes, a theme head scratcher.
I should have seen it from "bot" in the clue, but I didn't have a clue, and kept looking at the answers.
Moth/mouth revealed how clever this was...
C-Moe, printed your puzzle also, will do it on the beach!
Thought the theme would yield some amusing silly links, but Google was not having any of it.... There was this "you had to be there" possible link, but you really had to see Guardians of the Galaxy Three to understand it...
Just some trivia, re: Malibu
Growing up I watched "Boy Meets World," and always wondered about the name "Topanga."
It was not until reading this crossword Blog that Learned that "Topanga," is a Native American name that means:
"Where the mountains meet the sea." (Lovely!)
So to return the favor (perhaps,) I looked up "Malibu" for you;
noun
a lightweight surfboard, typically relatively long with a rounded front end.
Um, er,, no no no....
That's not what I meant, you really have to look further, and "be there."
What is the meaning of the name Malibu?
The name Malibu is primarily a gender-neutral name of Native American - Chumash origin that means The Surf Sounds Loudly.
(Ah much better...)
An easy FIR for a Friday, although I didn’t realize the gimmick was in the clues until I completed the rest of the puzzle. My biggest concern was that Ali Wong’s show was part of a natick for me, but my educated guess panned out. Favorite clue: The slight misdirection of “muscle building.”
I would have bet big that D-O would mention Janesville, Wis., in reponse to the Parker PENS entry, and I would have won, I see. I had a boss who had formerly been executive editor of the Janesville daily, and I later had a co-worker from Janesville. . . . CMOE: ME-TV’s airing of Three Stooges shorts in coming weeks will be emphasizing our favorite Stooge.
The “A fromáge à trois?” MoeKu was a classic. Thanks again, Chris. Meanwhile, I learned yesterday that I won a limericks contest, but I can’t reprint it here because of our no-politics rule.
Musings
-It’s fun when the gimmick is in the cluing
-I miss being able to SLAM down a phone receiver
-Cantaloupe (an extra “u”) are musk melon in our little part of the world
-Dogbane is will known and much reviled in fields around here
-On the other hand, our Lily loves CATNIP
-ERR: My dad once brushed his teeth with Brylcreem
-This guy uses a drone to provide thermal images for farmers
-MacArthur: Old soldiers never die, they just FADE away
-Some political parties can force UNITY sans harmony
-Licorice - yay! Horehound candy – boo.
-Ed White was the first NASA astronaut to do an EVA. He did not want to come back in.
-Nicely done, Moe.
A fast finish today, but the theme zipped by, high overhead. Had to get the V-8 can from the Chairman, along with the 'kus and great 'toons. D'oh! Thanks. Moe!
Unlike YOU clever people, I was determined to figure out how YOU could be inserted into the theme answers. I finally looked more closely at the clues and realized they lacked U's. How clever to have missing letters in clues rather than in answers! That's a twist!
I thought my FIR, including grasping the theme, meant I'd passed the ACID test for crossword solving, but I SEE that many of YOU rate this easy for a Friday, and hardly had to TRY.
IT IS nevertheless my great pleasure to have played along. I liked the crossing of flatbreads ROTIS and PITA in the southeast. Throw in some naan and matzah, and we're on a roll!
Many thanks to Amie, Wendy, and Patti for the puzzle. Chairman Moe, your review was a delight, especially the Moe-kus. Hand up for loving the fromáge à trois.
Fast Friday.. not too many hiccups. But the theme? Yikes!! 😳. Congrats to all you geniuses that flushed it out 👏
Inkover: alit/ATOP
So what is a Count’s wife called then?
Thought it said “toward the stem”.🙄. Did someone just say PECAhN PIE? 🧐 (and flowers in a vahz).
There are other “Parkers” who make board games…… Didn’t know EVA.
Last step in making a gin & tonic….ADA LÍMON
Standard character set for computers…. ASHY
Struggle to remove a stuck lid….PRIZEFIGHT
Icons on a desk top….APSE
A GENT’s terror….HISPANIC
Have a nice weekend 😃
HG: Your toothpaste error reminds me of my favorite line ever from The Sopranos. Uncle Junior said "I got federal agents so far up my a$$ I can taste Brylcreem."
Rats! I was feeling like a genius for managing to FIR in (for me) record time for a Friday of 12 minutes! Then I came to the blog and discovered everyone found today's CW to be very easy for a Friday, more like a Tuesday level. So I can take off the genius cap and put the usual CW dunce cap back on. But I DID get the theme with the very first themed clue: I saw the missing "U". I very much enjoyed this CW, thanx AW&WLB, probably because it made me feel like a genius. Until I came to the blog, at least. Good clues, too. Thanx too to CMoe for his witty commentary and write-up, including (count 'em!) six Moe-Kus. Also liked every one of the video links.
Hola!
Thanks to Amie and Wendy for this easy, fast-paced puzzle! Mmmmm. I love cold MELON in the hot summer months. Also, PEACAN PIE which I learned to love from my friend, Bonnie, who hails from Louisiana.
HEAT MAPS crossing ICE SCULPTURE does not bode well.
I see ROTIS/PITA crossing each other.
I'll take a CSO at HISPANIC.
i don't recall ever seeing DADS at a baby shower.
Wishing you all a wonderful, fruitful Friday!
Lucina
Dads (me) usually show up at a baby shower (for my daughter when she was pregnant) to help haul away all the booty (gifts). My SIL and the other Dad helped too. I grabbed a piece of cake.
Your not Hispanic you’re Her 😊
Oops pressed “published” too soonHerspanic
Oh Dear-I seem to be making a habit of thinking I have FIR, only to come to the Blog and discover just one DUMB error that I either overlooked or assumed was right. Today I got USVISA and CAGES crossing with Spacewalk Initials, and I then confidently put in NVA, for Neil Armstrong. I totally missed BEEF, thinking Benf must be some show I’ve never heard of. So, feeling frustrated with another FIW.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the puzzle and thought the theme was clever. The fill required some general knowledge rather than mainly pop culture trivia. Muscle building was a cute misdirection. I know it was a bit too easy for our veterans , but Patti will probably kill us tomorrow to make up for it.
Thank you, Amie and Wendy, and thank you Ch. Moe for the great tour. Loved the Sinatra clip and the Menage a Trois Mo-Ku.
Ray-O, that reminds me of a joke I relayed here a while back. Punch lines are: "excuse me miss, are you feeling hysterical?" "No maam, he's feeling mine."
And I must say that I'm glad that you clarified how you were using "booty."
I thoroughly enjoyed today's puzzle by Amie and Wendy but somewhat chagrined that one of the primary tenets of crossword construction was completely ignored. It's widely known and understood that all puzzles shall contain at least one but preferably more of the following acronyms in a positive light:
HRC, NPR, PBS, DNC, RBG, LGBTQ, FDR, CNN, ACLU, BLM, ANTIFA, and DEI.
Hopefully, future crosswords will conform to these mandates or I will be forced to contact the DOJ.
Echo to Monkey @10:31 AM - MOE - your puzzle was a lot of FUN. Unfortunately I didn't gain "Muscle mass" -- just some "Belly fat!" 😀 Liked the constructor meta-fill at 64A.
Hi All!
Amie & Wendy's puzzle was a treat to solve. I didn't notice the missing Us in the clues until PRIZE FIGHT fille and went back finally fill in CHATTER BOX.
Thanks for the tour and the Moe-kus, C. Moe.
WO: UNITe
ESPs: ISIAH, SULA, ROTIS, CATNIP as clued.
Fav: PSUDO as clued
My SIL and I grew up in the north so we must have Pumpkin Pie. DW & her family are from the south so they must have PECAN PIE. That's a lot of pie for 7 folks :--)
Licorish - I love it but had to cut down 'cuz doc said that's what was likely dropping my potassium levels causing arrhythmias. I was really bummed to hear that 'cuz I'd just gotten a case of Italian licorice.
EGYPT - found out my buddy is headed to our Maadi office first thing tomorrow.
FLN - I missed Jayce is sick. If it's what I had yesterday, water and sleep and it clears out in ~24hrs. Get well soon, eBuddy.
Cheers, -T
Terrific puzzle, ladies, thank you. And kudos to the Chairman for his heavy-duty opus (complete, as noted, with a shout-out at square 64!)
Thanks to Amie and Wendy for another terrific collaboration! I saw your clever theme but not as quickly as some others. I am amazed by how you came up with so many good ones!
Last box was the E as a WAG for BEEF crossing EVA. One might ask, "What else could it have been?" I ask, "Why does Ali Wong have a series called 'BEEF'?"
FAVs: Muscle building? and False front?
CanadianEh!@11:00 brings up a could point about missing U's. LOL!
Thanks to C-Moe for today's review and for explaining EVA! Loved your title and opening number!
Delightful Friday puzzle, many thanks, Amie and Wendy. And I always appreciate your commentary, as you know, Chairman Moe--thanks for that too.
Well, even though they are not ACIDic, starting off with the BOSC pear, and that PECAN PIE, along with some COLA made me look forward to a food theme today. But except for that MELON and some SODAS, this didn't turn out to be much of a great lunch. Wait, we also got some PITA bread--so maybe this is better than I expected.
Time for me to get a snack. CanadianEh! you'll have to remind me about that missing U. Was it a difference between HARBOR and HARBOUR?
Have a great weekend, everybody.
I liked the theme gimmick a lot, and much of the puzzle I liked also. I totally SLAM cluing NYSE as an index; it's not, and the clue is just plain factually wrong. I also enjoyed your write-up, Chairman Moe. Good reading you all.
Many years ago my wife forgot to put in any sugar or syrup when making a pecan pie. It was not too sweet. It also fell apart when trying to serve it.
Puzzling thoughts 2:
Thanks for the kind words, both for the recap and my puzzle. And thanks again to Wendy and Amie for their fun puzzle to recap
🤣👍🏽 ===> D.
Y’know, it’s sure nice to, once in a while, have a cw that’s just plain fun (instead of one that elicits much muttering of great obscenities…). Thanks, ladies, for a gleeful scamper through the squares!
HEAT MAPS crossing with ICE SCULPTURE gave me a raised brow, too — pretty snazzy!
The Chairman, as usual, added to the entertainment value with yet another outstanding review — ZZ Top for background music, to boot! And to answer your question, Moe, they indeed were going downtown in search of a piece of donkey…
If a Catholic school had a recess in the head nun’s office, would it be called an APSE of judgement?
(I’ll see myself to the door. 😎)
====> Darren / L.A.
Post a Comment