Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a golden puzzle to celebrate April Fools' Day. It has a holiday theme, just-right Monday level, and a factor of fun. For these reasons, it earns the title:
We will begin with the themed clues:
17 Across. Matching cups, saucers, sugar bowl, etc.: TEA SERVICE. 
22 Across. Colorful hard confection: RIBBON CANDY.
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| This is RIBBON CANDY. It is popular at Christmastime. |
50 Across. Legumes in some chili recipes: KIDNEY BEANS.
 |
| They are so named because of their kidney-like shape and their color. Actually, thinking of them that way makes them sound far less appetizing. |
57 Across. Mojave Desert yucca: JOSHUA TREE.
 |
| Some say they inspire images of the biblical Joshua reaching out his arms towards God. |
Here is the reveal:
36 Across. Apt time for pranksters to do the starts of 17-, 22-, 50-, and 57-Across?: APRIL FOOLS' DAY.
"The starts of 17-, 22-, 50-, and 57-Across" are all things pranksters do: TEASE, RIB, KID, and JOSH. 
All four of the themers are two-word phrases. "TEASE" spans both words while the other three are the first syllables of the first words.
Something about this puzzle felt familiar. Did you feel that way, too? Perhaps I was recalling this November 29, 2023 puzzle by Jeanne D. Breen (blogged by Anonymous T) with the reveal ALL KIDDING ASIDE.
I like that Patti gave us a special puzzle to mark today's date. Perhaps she thought, "Well, if no one is going to submit an April Fools' Day puzzle than I will just have to create one."
Across:
1. Low on a spiciness scale: MILD.
9. Future JD's exam: LSAT. To be admitted into a Doctor of Jurisprudence program, one must first pass the Law School Admission Test.
13. Over again: ANEW.
14. Villainous: EVIL.
Jace Everett Bad Things (2005)
This was the theme song to the TV show True Blood (2008-2014).
15. Commuter boat: FERRY.
16. Post-it scribble: NOTE.
19. Starting point: ONSET. Think "time" as opposed to "location".
21. "Luncheon of the Boating Party" painter Pierre-Auguste: RENOIR. The painting is on display at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
25. "Bowwow!": ARF.
16. Post-it scribble: NOTE.
19. Starting point: ONSET. Think "time" as opposed to "location".
21. "Luncheon of the Boating Party" painter Pierre-Auguste: RENOIR. The painting is on display at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
 |
| (1880-1881) Renoir later married the model in the bottom, left. |
25. "Bowwow!": ARF.
dog noises in nine languages (32 sec.)
28. Fr. holy woman: STE. I know this one from doing XWDs. "French" is abbreviated and so is something about a nun.
29. Pep squad cheer: RAH.
30. Alex Morgan's sport: SOCCER. She is an American athlete born on July 2, 1989 who plays forward for the United States' women's national soccer team and the San Diego Wave.
32. Back, at sea: ASTERN. Without the comma, one might try to think of words meaning "to return to the sea".
35. "Good heavens!": OH MY.
40. Antioxidant berry in fruit bowls: ACAI.
41. Tranquil: SERENE.
42. Not exactly: KIND OF.
45. Mariska Hargitay series, familiarly: SVU. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999 - present)
46. Small amount: BIT.
49. Citrus drink suffix: -ADE.
54. Extra charge for a sci. class, e.g.: LAB FEE. Science class
56. Quick bite: SNACK.
61. Share a side with: ABUT. But, wait! We also have 62A....
62. Anticipate: AWAIT.
63. Rhyming tributes: ODES.
64. Train segments: CARS.
65. Terrarium pet: NEWT.
66. Norway's capital: OSLO. and 34 Down. Like Vikings: NORSE.
67. Job: TASK.
Down:
1. Grand homes: MANORS.
2. Part of the plot: IN ON IT.
3. Doesn't interfere with: LETS BE.
29. Pep squad cheer: RAH.
30. Alex Morgan's sport: SOCCER. She is an American athlete born on July 2, 1989 who plays forward for the United States' women's national soccer team and the San Diego Wave.
32. Back, at sea: ASTERN. Without the comma, one might try to think of words meaning "to return to the sea".
 |
| This diagram helped me see the difference between "stern" and "astern". |
35. "Good heavens!": OH MY.
40. Antioxidant berry in fruit bowls: ACAI.
41. Tranquil: SERENE.
42. Not exactly: KIND OF.
45. Mariska Hargitay series, familiarly: SVU. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999 - present)
 |
| This is Mariska posing in front of a SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle). |
49. Citrus drink suffix: -ADE.
54. Extra charge for a sci. class, e.g.: LAB FEE. Science class
56. Quick bite: SNACK.
61. Share a side with: ABUT. But, wait! We also have 62A....
62. Anticipate: AWAIT.
63. Rhyming tributes: ODES.
64. Train segments: CARS.
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| I was standing on a pedestrian overpass when I took this picture of train CARS loaded with coal. |
65. Terrarium pet: NEWT.
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| Learn more about this Luristan NEWT here. |
66. Norway's capital: OSLO. and 34 Down. Like Vikings: NORSE.
67. Job: TASK.
Down:
1. Grand homes: MANORS.
2. Part of the plot: IN ON IT.
3. Doesn't interfere with: LETS BE.
The Beatles Let It Be (1970)
4. Uncool sort: DWEEB. and 52 Down. Uncool sorts: NERDS.
5. Nov. 11 honoree: VET. "November" is abbreviated, so is "VETeran".
6. Festive night, often: EVE.
7. Prom queen's crown: TIARA.
8. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN. Elizabeth is the younger sister of the OLSEN twins from Full House (Mary-Kate and Ashley). This is the trailer for her show. 👍👍
9. Jeans maker Strauss: LEVI.
10. Hot sauce often mixed with mayonnaise: SRIRACHA. Knowing this one and knowing how to spell it are two different challenges.
5. Nov. 11 honoree: VET. "November" is abbreviated, so is "VETeran".
7. Prom queen's crown: TIARA.
8. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN. Elizabeth is the younger sister of the OLSEN twins from Full House (Mary-Kate and Ashley). This is the trailer for her show. 👍👍
9. Jeans maker Strauss: LEVI.
10. Hot sauce often mixed with mayonnaise: SRIRACHA. Knowing this one and knowing how to spell it are two different challenges.
This is for those of you who have been following the SRIRACHA drama.
11. Path of a lobbed ball: ARC.
12. Sheridan who plays young Cyclops in the "X-Men" films: TYE. his IMDb page
15. Soft serve ice cream alternative, casually: FROYO.
18. Wraps up: ENDS.
20. Upper bodies: TORSI. The plural of torso is torsos or TORSI.
23. Countrywide: Abbr.: NAT'L. National
24. Gourmet cooks: CHEFS. and 26 Down. "Ratatouille" rat: REMY. and 27 Down. Cook in hot oil: FRY.
11. Path of a lobbed ball: ARC.
12. Sheridan who plays young Cyclops in the "X-Men" films: TYE. his IMDb page
15. Soft serve ice cream alternative, casually: FROYO.
18. Wraps up: ENDS.
20. Upper bodies: TORSI. The plural of torso is torsos or TORSI.
 |
| Gaddi Torso (2nd Century BCE) The artist is unknown. "Gaddi" is the family name of a previous owner. |
23. Countrywide: Abbr.: NAT'L. National
24. Gourmet cooks: CHEFS. and 26 Down. "Ratatouille" rat: REMY. and 27 Down. Cook in hot oil: FRY.
 |
| 2007 Disney movie |
31. Programmer's output: CODE.
32. Dry as a desert: ARID.
33. Fish eggs: ROE.
36. Battery fluid: ACID. your battery acid questions answered
37. Carpentry tool that cuts plywood sheets: PANEL SAW.
32. Dry as a desert: ARID.
33. Fish eggs: ROE.
36. Battery fluid: ACID. your battery acid questions answered
37. Carpentry tool that cuts plywood sheets: PANEL SAW.
How to Panel Saw
I like how the tape measure is built into the saw.
38. Tax: LEVY. When they tax the jeans in 9D it is called a Levi LEVY. 😉
39. Oscar season oversights: SNUBS. Def.: (verb) rebuff, ignore, or spurn disdainfully.
This was a timely clue because for the last two weeks, the internet has been sending me links to articles about who was snubbed by the Oscars.
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| Ke Huy Quan won an Academy Award in 2023 for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. |
40. Sometimes called, for short: AKA. It stands for Also Known As and is pronounced ay-kay-ay.
43. "True. However ... ": OK, BUT.
44. World Cup org.: FIFA. Fédération Internationale de Football Association
Founded in 1904, it is the governing body for many international soccer tournaments, most notably the World Cup.
46. "__, black sheep ... ": BAA BAA. Have you any wool?
46. "__, black sheep ... ": BAA BAA. Have you any wool?
John Anderson released Black Sheep in 1983.
47. Acquires, as debts: INCURS. and 58 Down. Have bills to pay: OWE.
48. "Tut-tut" kin: TSK TSK. I was not familiar with "tut-tut". According to Merriam-Webster, it is used to express disapproval or disbelief.
51. Half a "Star Wars" droid name: DETOO. Wookieepedia agrees that R2-D2 is sometimes spelled Artoo-Detoo.
53. Put into effect: ENACT.
55. Take __: lose money: A HIT.
57. First mo.: JAN.
60. That, in Spanish: ESO. If it feels like the answer to this one keeps changing, it is because it does -- depending on gender, proximity, and number.
 |
| Well, almost.... |
I kid you not, this is the correct grid:
P.S.: Before you alert me to an incorrect link in my first paragraph, please read this explanation of rickrolling. Gotcha!
33 comments:
A timely and appropriate puzzle from our esteemed editor herself, fortunately free from WNBA obscurities and the like. And another Monday “walk in the park” as well. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Went wrong with ARTOO, but that was my sole Wite-Out moment. Got RIBBON CANDY, but would never buy it. If there's nay chocolate, it's nay candy. Learned last year that a J.D. is not a juvenile delinquent. LEVI was a gimme; he's my clothier of choice. This was a nice Monday romp. Thanx, Patti and sumdaze. (Rick Astley didn't fool me.)
Took 5:20 today for me to get the joke.
I wasn't "in on it" - that took me a while to parse.
I knew today's actress, but like sumdaze and sriracha, knowing it and knowing how to spell it are two different things. I can't remember if it's Olsen or Olson. Olsen. Olsen. Olsen.
I wish we'd get rid of the abbreviated French words in the puzzles. I'm no super fan of "ste", and the more we see it, the less I like it.
Eso is what I have to say about Eso.
I am somewhat surprised that the.editor would create this puzzle using half of somebody else’s creation. The prior puzzle appeared so recently while Ms. Varol was editor. Will I be the only one to call “foul”?
FIR, but hand up for erasing rETOO. And I was soooo proud of filling in JOushA TREE without a single perp! (There's a reason I work in pencil.)
Today is:
APRIL FOOLS' DAY
TAKE DOWN TOBACCO NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION (we took down tobacco in the fall. Then we hung it, pressed it, then took it to market at the tobacco warehouse)
NATIONAL SOURDOUGH BREAD DAY (love it. Sorry, doc)
NATIONAL ONE CENT DAY (I favor eliminating everything below a quarter)
NATIONAL IEP WRITING DAY (Individualized Education Programs - what we used to call “special ed.”)
Didn't know young Alex's sport, but "futbol" would have fit too.
I, for one, enjoyed this one by Patti. I hope she keeps "borrowing" from other constructors' work. And all of sumdaze's puns were fun. I especially liked the SVU star standing in front of an SUV. Reminds me of my Dallas coworker named Van Brown. He actually drove a brown van.
Between "hung it" and "pressed it" I should have included "stripped it." That's when the leaves are removed from the stalks and bundled into handfuls, wrapped and tied on top with a separate leaf. Burley tobacco - your crop may vary.
FIR. Easy and April Fools Day appropriate puzzle.
I had to strain my brain to remember how to spell sriracha, and ribbon candy didn't come quickly, but otherwise this was a simple Monday romp.
Quick fun puzzle today to celebrate April Fool's
STE is the feminine French abbreviation for Sainte - thus Saint Joan of Arc becomes Sainte Jeanne D'Arc in French.
I enjoyed Elizabeth OLSEN's series "Wandavision" with so many classic sitcoms parodied.
Gotta start the day - thanks SD for the blog and Patti for the puzzle! Haven't seen rick rolling in awhile
We used to get RIBBON CANDY at Christmas but I never liked it - better to look at than to eat!
Acrostic puzzle on Sporcle was a fun one for Crossword solvers today:
https://www.sporcle.com/games/bhenderson79/sphinx-of-black-quartz-judge-my-vow
Thanks, Sumdaze, for this morning's edification and entertainment on this National Sourdough Bread Day.
This puzzle went “Varol”!!
Fun with gettable theme. Our X-ray techs fooled my same colleague every year April 1 informing him to return a call to Dr “Bayer” or “Lyon” then giving him the number for the Utica Zoo. 🐻🦁😁
I know SRIRACHA only from CW’s. Not a fan of “hot sauce” at least not much more than MILD. Few but fair PNs: Since “WandaVision” was run a couple years ago Elizabeth OLSEN has become a puzzle regular. Spelt it LEVY (Strauss) instead of LEVI but later back to LEVY (a tax)
Inkover: René/Remy
“Baa Baa Black sheep”
Have you any wool? Yes sir yes sir 3 bags full.”(the poor farmer who owns the sheep)
“One for the Master” (who owns the land where the farmer grazes his sheep)
“One for the Dame” (the Virgin Mary: the church)
“And one for the little boy who lives down the lane” (the tax collector)
What crew crew do…..MANORS
Stud charge for a dog breed….LABFEE
No ifs, ands, not even…ABUT
They’re teasing, ribbing, kidding, joshing, it’s all just ____ ….. ENACT
Do followers……REMY
Aggressive canine behavior may be found ____ …..INCURS
Coming down and in withdrawal from my post Easter chocolate high. TSK TSK 😌
Ray@9:01 a.m.
Interesting exegesis of “Baa-Baa Black Sheep,” Dr. Sunshine. I am given to understand that almost all so-called “nursery rhymes” have such “coded” back stories. Fascinating!
At first I couldn’t figure out the theme, then, pop, it appeared. I like holiday appropriate CWs.
My only hiccups were RIBBON CANDY that I’ve never heard of but which was easy to guess, and how to spell SRIRACHA. I don’t use hot sauce usually. And if I do it needs to be Tabasco.
All in all, all good. I liked SD’s recap and the links.
Good Morning! Nice straightforward puzzle to start the week. Thanks, Patti.
I hesitated in the NE, moved on to fill the rest and when I returned, the NE all made sense and was quick to finish. Timely theme and cute fills.
No WOs – Yea!
Knew about SRIRACHA, but the spelling was mostly perps.
Sumdaze, you started me off with the LOL Emergency Room toon! I had to pause to wipe my eyes with laughter. I noted LEVI and LEVY, but I liked how you connected them better. You embrace an expand the Monday fun.
BAA BAA, I remember the TV show with Robert Conrad in the Black Sheep Squadron.
Well, Patti threw us crossword dogs a bone today with this one, nice Monday feel with no real obscurities, FIR in 9:05. I did know how to spell SRIRACHA, I use it fairly frequently, it’s only a medium hot unlike some other red pepper sauces, or Wasabi which can be brutally hot. No fan of RIBBON CANDY, pure sugar and sticky. Thank you Patti for easing us into the CW week!
sumdaze ~ I always enjoy your Monday write~ups! I liked the boat graphic. Already this morning DW and I had a two hour boat ride from Cape Coral FL up to Punta Gorda, via the Caloosahatchee River, Matlacha Pass and Charlotte Harbor for anyone familiar with the area. Beautiful calm day on the water!
FIR. Meh. A lovely expo from Sumdaze, and now I know my Husky is multilingual!
Musings
-Sumdaze’s opening paragraphs works for me. I could see it coming but learning rickrolling was fun!
-Joann is leaving more and more post-it NOTES for me to remind me to…
-When my science teacher colleague had equipment out for a lab, he told his kids to LET IT ALONE
-So you want to host the World Cup? FIFA is open for bribes, er, bids.
-Plain old horseradish for me!
Nice to have our editor on the front lines today. Welcome, Patti! I thought at 10D that you were dishing out an April Fools joke to us, with a word that began SR. But then I remembered good old sriracha.
I've done about half the puzzle, and it seems to be a fun, clever, and appropriate Monday exercise. I must leave for my duplicate bridge tournament now. Son Jim (Arizona Jim) is visiting and perhaps he will finish the other half of the puzzle.
SubG @ 9:33
One of my favorites “Mary Quite Contrary” has multiple historical interpretations. One is Mary Queen of Scots (a rival contrary of QEI). She liked jewelry (silver bells), seafood (cockle shells) and being surrounded by ladies in waiting (pretty maids). Other interpretations are much more historically complicated and sinister
A wonderful Monday offering from Patti.
The cluing was seamless with some fresh fill.
“Luncheon of the Boating Party” is my favorite impressionist painting.
All the people in the painting were real life friends of Renior. They were his posse. They were the a-list crowd to hang with in Paris in 1881. I love that they were boating on the river and now are sipping wine and enjoying each others company. A feel good piece of art.
Thanks Patti for an enjoyable Monday puzzle.
Thanks for the detailed and zany recap sumdaze.
……. kkflorida
National Sourdough Bread Day??!! I'm in!
I wonder who "started" that?
; )
sumdaze ~ DW has had a “starter” going for about 8 months or so, tends to it like a pet, and has very lengthy conversations about it with other sour dough aficionados. We never have store bought bread anymore, plus the base can be used to make all kind of baked goods, biscuits, tortillas, bagels, pancakes etc.
Hi everyone! I’ve been away on a CA road trip for the past week and have been doing the NYT cw in the Marin Independent Journal. I know… I’ve been unfaithful.
But now I’m at my dad’s and he left me the lower half of today’s good ol’ LA Times. Other than DETOO (ugh) it was very enjoyable.
Saw some train CARS approaching the world-famous Tehachapi Loop on my way into town yesterday!
I loved everything about today's puzzle and wasn't FOOLed by any of it. 23andMe says I share DNA with three NORSE individuals who've been exhumed from Viking burial sites; I enjoyed seeing my newly discovered heritage in the puzzle today. Double thanks to Patti today, and many thanks to sumdaze for the recap and the links. My 10 year grandchildren are into rickrolling, and I am into Jace Everett's "Bad Things"!
YooperPhill@11:01. I would very much enjoy a "lengthy conversation" with your DW about sourdough. Please tell her I learned how to work sourdough from an old cowboy in 1986 and have had a starter ever since. I've had to start over a few times due to moving house. My current starter is 7 years old. I completely skip the bread aisle, too.
BTW, your morning boat ride sounds lovely. I bet you see a lot of waterfowl and maybe a few gators.
As one who enjoys playing the FOOL, I enjoyed the theme today. Learning moments about unknowns RIBBON CANDY, PANEL SAW.
Here Merlie posed in a forest of JOSHUA TREEs in a very ARID DESERT.
I have never shared photos of this place before. It is NOT in JOSHUA TREE National Park, which is in California. This is hundreds of miles away in Arizona. Near the Grand Canyon West Skywalk.
From Yesterday:
AnonT, waseeley Thank you for the comments on my photos of the ancient GEOCACHE scrolls!
Tomorrow we head out to Japan for three weeks!
Lovely puzzle today. Not ridiculously easy, but very gettable with just a few little speed bumps. I had to correct lien to LEVY, thought I’d misspelled SR…., and was unsure of DETOO for a bit, thinking it should be Artoo. Thanks, Patti, for an enjoyable start to the week, and thanks Sumdaze for the tour. I always love your clips and cartoons, especially the paint/hairspray snafu today.
Glorious sunshiny day today after two days of pouring rain, hail and wind all weekend. Yay!
Picard@12:23. Ah, I am so completely jealous of your upcoming trip! I look forward to seeing your pics when you return. Remind Merlie to put a washcloth in her purse. (Locals bring their own hand towels when using public restrooms.)
またあとで!
Hi All!
Thanks for the FOOLish puzzle, Patti! And thanks for the exceptional expo, sumdaze.
WO: SEdatE -> SERENE
ESPs: N/A
Fav: the DWEEB & NERDS clecho
AZJim - thanks for piquing my curiosity about the Tehachapi Loop and finally explaining your Dad's handle.
Cool JOSHUA TREE pic, Picard. I would have filled it quicker if it was clued as U2's 1987 album :-)
I'd like to get a sourdough started but I can barely remember to clean out the Butter Bell before the butter goes bad :-(
Sumdaze - that's good to know about Japan. DW's heading there for 10 days in June on a Fulbright.
Does anyone else use Green CHEF? DW started ordering them after we became empty-nesters. Really tasty and proportioned just right for a meal and a lunch. Sure beats the same-ol' same-ol' (they change-up the menu options ever week or two).
Cheers, -T
Not much to say about the puzzles for the last few days. Some parts I enjoyed, some parts I didn't. I always enjoy reading all of your comments, though.
Sorry I'm late. A bug picked me up at the Easter Vigil and it still hasn't put me down.
Thank you Patti and thank you Patti. You know it's going to be good puzzle when the constructor doesn't have to deal with a middle woman.
Thank you sumdaze for another excellent review. Loved the bling!
Some favs ...
1A MILD. I was introduced to real spiciness by Neelam, an Indian woman I used to work with. She invited us to a couple of dinners at her home and she used cayenne pepper (30,000 to 50,000 scoville units) to spice her dishes. Having eaten a lot of Mexican food in past it was still a little spicy, but it was NO PROBLEMO. However she later admitted that she used 1/4 the amount of cayenne just for us! That amount was just fine for all the vegetarian recipes we use from this cookbook (one of our dogs chewed the first copy we got - must have been all the ghee on the cover!).
5A VETO. A CSO to MOI! Thanks Renee!
21A RENOIR. We've had the good fortune to see The Luncheon of the Boating Part several times as the Phillips Collection is only about 40 minutes south of here. A couple of interesting factoids about it: All of the people in the painting are friends of RENOIR. So how did he manage to get them all together at the same time pose for it? Answer he didn't: each friend was painted separately in his studio and he later reproduced their portraits in the finished work. IMHO the greatest Impressionist painting of all time.
32A ASTERN. This one actually gave me a bit of trouble, as we usually hear AFT. Then I thought it might have been a clever bit of misdirection - if you're out at sea back could mean ASHORE. But perps eventually did get me back to the true fill.
65A NEWT. Very often we have EFTS, but as they become longer we have NEWTS.
3D LETS BE. Since there is nothing we can do avoid it, we should relax and enjoy it.
10A SRIRACHA. These guys have got nothin' on CAYENNE peppers.
Cheers
Bill
sumdaze Thank you for the good travel wishes and words of advice. I was indeed warned that there are no paper towels in public bathrooms and no public trash cans in Japan. This is quite a challenge for me. Bathroom doorknobs scare me more than toilet seats and I use the paper towel to open the door. Not sure how to deal with this. What do you do with your filthy wet wash cloth after using it?
AnonT Thank you for the kind words! Learning moment about the JOSHUA TREE album!
I think this is the first time I've ever liked anything that P.Varol was blatantly involved with. Thanks.
Looked for but couldn't find a theme until I came to the Corner. Duh! Thanks, Sumdaze!
I planned to go to Japan one year when I was very young. Got all the required shots, was sick with them. Then plans had to be changed and I stayed in the USA. Picard, I'm betting Merlie isn't as prickly as all those cacti.
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