Theme: How does your garden grow? Chaotically, as it turns out. But in an unremarkable way. Can we separate the crops from the weeds? Grab your hoe and lets dig in. Best to start with the unifier, I think.
59 A. Run-of-the-mill, or what can be found in the answers to the starred clues?: GARDEN VARIETY. Ordinary. Not special or unusual. But what is unusual is the use of the word "VARIETY" to indicate a scrambled letter, hidden word theme. Here, the word is GARDEN. Don't feel bad it you found this theme to be opaque. I couldn't suss it, and had to appeal to my fellow corner bloggers for assistance. I'm bad at anagrams, too. I guess my brain doesn't work that way
20 A. *Splashy arrival: GRAND ENTRANCE. To appear in or enter into some place in a very dramatic, ostentatious, or conspicuous manner. But that is not what this is about. I was wondering what a " GRAND GARDEN" might be. Sounds plausible, especially in, frex., an English manor. But, no. That's also not what this is about. Our GARDEN is discontinuous.
37 A. *Like a conversation covering many topics: WIDE RANGING. Extending over a large area; extensive or diversified in scope. A wide garden would have expansive with and not much depth. But, instead, the GARDEN is scattered.
44 A. *Friendly signoff: KIND REGARDS. A common sign-off in emails and other forms of correspondence. It's used to wish the recipient well without being overly familiar. By now we should be familiar with the various locations of our GARDEN.
Hi, Gang, JazzBumba here, green thumb at the ready. Let's head out to the GARDEN and see what we can harvest.
Across
5. Saucy dance?: SALSA. Salsa encompasses a variety of sauces used as condiments for tacos and other Mexican and Mexican-American foods, and as dips for tortilla chips. But that is not what this is about. On the other hand - or perhaps foot - Salsa is a Latin dance, associated with salsa music, which was first popularized in the United States during the 1960s in New York City. Salsa is a mixture of Cuban dances, such as mambo, pachanga, and rumba, as well as American dances such as swing and tap.
10. Personalize a trophy, say: ETCH. Engrave a name or other information.
14. Gone but not forgotten: AWOL. Absent Without Official Leave, for a military location.
15. Far from skilled: INEPT. Incapable.
16. Organ part: PIPE.
17. Webb designer?: NASA. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. Its high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments allow it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) led Webb's design and development and partnered with two main agencies: the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). This is not about spiders or computer engineers.
18. Like music with traditional harmony: TONAL. Relating to music written using conventional keys and harmony. Salsa, por ejemplo.
19. Big name in big screens: IMAX. A technique of widescreen cinematography which produces an image approximately ten times larger than that from standard 35 mm film.
23. Meal that features a retelling of the story of Exodus: SEDER. a Jewish ritual service and ceremonial dinner for the first night or first two nights of Passover.
24. ID-issuing org.: SSA. Social Service Administration.
25. Org. that says no to some drugs: FDA. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
28. Paint finish: SATIN. Satin is a paint sheen or finish that falls directly in the middle of the range of interior or exterior paint sheens. Satin paint is glossier than eggshell finish paint, but flatter than semi-gloss paint.
32. Lion of Narnia: ASLAN. Aslan is a major character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. Unlike any other character in the Narnian series, Aslan appears in all seven chronicles. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion and is described as the King of Beasts, the son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, and the King above all High Kings in Narnia.
34. Synthetic drug similar to psilocybin: LSD. Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD, and known colloquially as acid or lucy, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, visual, and auditory hallucinations.
40. Côte d'Ivoire pal: AMIE. The official language of the republic is French, mes amis, with local indigenous languages also being widely used that include Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo.
42. Triglyceride, for one: LIPID. A lipid is any of a class of organic compounds that are fatty acids or their derivatives and are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. They include many natural oils, waxes, and steroids. A triglyceride is an ester formed from glycerol and three fatty acid groups. Triglycerides are the main constituents of natural fats and oils,
43. Côte d'Ivoire head: TETE. The official language of the republic is French, with local indigenous languages also being widely used that include Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo. Now we're getting a head.
47. "To be," in Spanish: SER. Ser o no ser, esa es la cuestión.
48. Chosen few: ELITE. A select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society. Or so they would have us believe.
49. Naughty and nice: LISTS. Santa's record keeping.
51. One of a D.C. 100: SEN. Senators.
52. Bring out in the open: AIR. Show something publicly.
55. Existential dread: ANGST. A feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity.
64. Social finesse: TACT. A keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense.
66. Message in a drafts folder: E-MAIL.
67. Air Force Two exec: VEEP. Air Force Two is the air traffic control designated call sign held by any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the vice president of the United States, but not the president
68. Hoax: SHAM. Malicious deception.
69. Singer-songwriter Mann: AIMEE. Aimee Elizabeth Mann is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects. Still - she sounds friendly.
70. Salinger heroine: ESME. From the short story For Esmé With Love And Squalor.
71. Norms on the links: PARS. The expected numbers of strokes to complete golf holes.
72. Ruminates bitterly: STEWS. Thinks hard or worries about something, not necessarily bitterly.
73. End to end?: LESS. I do not understand this at all. Anybody got a clue?
Down:
1. Factions in "West Side Story": GANGS. Sharks and Jets.
2. Already informed: AWARE. Having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.
3. "Such a shame": SO SAD. Alas.
4. Piper Cubs, e.g.: PLANES. American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance.
5. Place to build: SITE. An area of ground on which a town, building, or monument is constructed.
6. In a sec, quaintly: ANON. Soon; shortly.
7. Pre-Easter time: LENT. The solemn Christian religious observance in the liturgical year commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry.
8. Dukes it out in practice: SPARS. Engages in a practice or exhibition bout of boxing
9. Sky supporter of myth: ATLAS. In Greek mythology, the Titan Atlas was responsible for bearing the weight of the heavens on his shoulders, a burden given to him as punishment by Zeus. Father of many stars and a protagonist in one of Hercules' famous labors, Atlas was also known as a wise man and the founder of astronomy.
10. Big picture: EPIC. A movie of large scope, rather than an image of large dimension.
11. "Can't believe it's been that long!": TIME FLIES. When it seems to pass quickly. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
12. Balancing pro: CPA. A Certified Public Accountant balances the financial books.
13. Bad spelling?: HEX. An evil spell, bringing bad luck and trouble. Clever clue, spelt correctly.
21. Tie: DRAW. A game or team event in which the final score is even, so there is no winner or loser.
22. Bread brushed with ghee: NAAN. A round flat leavened bread especially of the Indian subcontinent.
26. Poet who was guided through paradise by Beatrice: DANTE. Dante Alighieri [c. 1265 – September 14, 1321], most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante, was a Florentine poet, writer, and philosopher. The referenced poem is Dante's Divine Comedy.
27. Fury: ANGER. At an extreme degree.
29. Backsplash piece: TILE. A backsplash is, essentially, an extension of your countertop. It can extend as low as a few inches off the wall or as high as the ceiling. The purpose of any kitchen backsplash is preventing water, grease, and other messes from damaging your walls, particularly behind stoves and sinks. Typically, it is made from ceramic tiles.
30. "Got it, daddy-o": I DIG. To like or understand something. It could also mean a combination of the two, as a general verb of approval for something. The term was particularly popular during the 1960s-1970s and is today considered slightly old-fashioned.
31. Nation between China and India: NEPAL. Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north, and India to the south, east, and west, while it is narrowly separated from Bangladesh by the Siliguri Corridor, and from Bhutan by the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the largest city. Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural state, with Nepali as the official language.
33. Lt.'s underling: SGT. Military ranks Lieutenant and Sergeant.
34. Finger __: LAKES. The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the Finger Lakes region in New York, in the United States.
35. Look happy: SMILE. A facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses delight, sociability, happiness, joy, or amusement
36. Place to eat while on the go: DINING CAR. A part of a train in which passengers are served meals
38. "Disturbia" singer, familiarly: RIRI. Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, actress, and songwriter. She is widely regarded as one of the most prominent recording artists of the 21st century. This song has no connection to the movie of the same name.
39. Does some kindergarten math: ADDS. Combines one number with another to get a total. I don't remember doing this in kindergarten. But that was a long time ago. This garten is not connected to the theme.
41. N.H. summer hrs.: EDT. Eastern Daylight Time in New Hampshire.
45. __ admiral: REAR. In the navy, Rear Admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. The term originated in the days of naval sailing squadrons and can trace its origins to the Royal Navy. Each naval squadron was assigned an admiral as its head, who commanded from the centre vessel and directed the squadron's activities. The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships that bore the brunt of a battle. In the rear of the squadron, a third admiral commanded the remaining ships and, as this section was considered to be in the least danger, the admiral in command of it was typically the most junior. This has continued into the modern age, with rear admiral the most junior admiralty of many navies. Bo butts about it!
46. Guide for the Magi: STAR. The Gospel of Matthew (2:1–12) speaks of Magi, or wise men, who followed a star from the East to Bethlehem in search of a newborn king. There they found Mary and the baby Jesus and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
50. Whine: SNIVEL. Cry and sniff in a feeble or fretful way.
53. Creative sparks: IDEAS. The other type of inspiration.
54. Pay: REMIT. A transfer of money, typically to pay a fee or defray a debt.
56. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" half-dozen: GEESE. And all of them laying eggs.
41. N.H. summer hrs.: EDT. Eastern Daylight Time in New Hampshire.
45. __ admiral: REAR. In the navy, Rear Admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. The term originated in the days of naval sailing squadrons and can trace its origins to the Royal Navy. Each naval squadron was assigned an admiral as its head, who commanded from the centre vessel and directed the squadron's activities. The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships that bore the brunt of a battle. In the rear of the squadron, a third admiral commanded the remaining ships and, as this section was considered to be in the least danger, the admiral in command of it was typically the most junior. This has continued into the modern age, with rear admiral the most junior admiralty of many navies. Bo butts about it!
46. Guide for the Magi: STAR. The Gospel of Matthew (2:1–12) speaks of Magi, or wise men, who followed a star from the East to Bethlehem in search of a newborn king. There they found Mary and the baby Jesus and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
50. Whine: SNIVEL. Cry and sniff in a feeble or fretful way.
53. Creative sparks: IDEAS. The other type of inspiration.
54. Pay: REMIT. A transfer of money, typically to pay a fee or defray a debt.
56. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" half-dozen: GEESE. And all of them laying eggs.
57. Watch and wineglass features: STEMS. 1) The thin rod that attaches the crown to the watch's movement; 2) the slender part of a winglass between the base and the bowl.
58. Classifies: TYPES. Determines to which category something belongs.
60. Bread machines?: ATMS. Automatic Teller Machines - dispensers of cash, i.e "bread." Ya dig?
61. Appoint: NAME. Specify an individual to occupy a certain position.
62. Opinion: VIEW. Regard in a particular light or with a particular attitude.
63. Pub orders: ALES. Types of beer with a bitter flavor and higher alcoholic content. Cf 58 D.
64. Seasoning meas.: TSP. A teaspoon, about 2.5 to 7 ml, depending on the spoon.
65. "Now I get it!": AHA. Used to express satisfaction, triumph, or surprise.
Hope you found this puzzle satisfying, and perhaps providing an AHA moment or 2. It's what we try to cultivate here at the corner.
Kind and Cool Regards!
JzB
JzB
33 comments:
I had the hardest time changing “best regards” to “kind regards” but I finally got it. Also had to change “finger paint” to “finger lakes.” But, eventually, through P&P, I finally made it through. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Managed to shoot myself in the foot this morning, twice. Finger CAKES game me the drug CSD. It got to stand. Further down, d-o inked in SCAM and never looked at the ACA crossing. Bzzzzzt! Wake up, d-o. Got the theme, but found it simpler than the way JzB saw it. In each themer the word GARDEN is scrambled, but the letters are contiguous, not spaced out. JzB, "Less" can be an end to "end" as in ENDLESS. Thanx, Trent and Jzb. (Really enjoyed your wordplay this morning.)
Thunderstorms kept things noisy overnight, continuing this morning. They should move off in Hahtoolah's direction in the next couple of hours. We probably got 3"-4" of rain. We'll take it.
FIR without erasure. For a change. I even got the theme.
Today is:
NATIONAL FORMER PRISONER OF WAR RECOGNITION DAY (and we think that we have it rough when we encounter a Natick)
NATIONAL LIBRARY WORKERS DAY (shout out to the Libby webmaster)
NATIONAL WINSTON CHURCHILL DAY (“A nation that forgets its past has no future”)
NATIONAL CHERISH AN ANTIQUE DAY (me! me! me!)
NATIONAL CHINESE ALMOND COOKIE DAY (how did I miss these all my life?)
NATIONAL UNICORN DAY (bring your unicorn to work today)
The first time I saw an IMAX film was at the grand opening of the National Air and Space Museum in D.C. circa 1975. IIRC, To Fly was the first feature film made in that format.
LSD - Been there, done that, got the tie-dyed tee shirt.
DINING CARs used to be elegant places to eat gourmet food with excellent service. The interstate highway system and jet aircraft ended that. But the best Amtrak experience I've ever had was in the bar CAR from Sacramento to Reno, via Donner Pass. I had spent the morning touring the superb California Train Museum, and I spent the evening playing blackjack.
Open kimono time - I actually published today's "today is" entries yesterday, so the entries appearing today should have been published yesterday. If you understand that, let me tell you about voltage and garden hoses. Oh, never mind.
Thanks to Trent for the easy-for-Wednesday puzzle, and to JzB for the expansive tour of said grid.
FIR in 11:25 without much difficulty. Sussed the theme even before the reveal, working top to bottom. I saw the contiguous GARDENs, but not the separated ones that JzB saw, maybe two jumbles by the constructor was intentional? Thank you for the grid Trent, don’t remember seeing your byline before. Thanks JzB for your apercu.
Jinx ~ I’ve been on Amtrak’s “Empire Builder” and “City of New Orleans”. I think the dining cars are still somewhat elegant (in a romantic way), and the food and service still exceptionally good.
Husker G ~ well, after boasting of my golf game on Sunday I was brought back down to earth yesterday on a different course, too much water and too much OB, it’s such a humbling game, and I paid good money for the frustration 😂.
Took 5:11 today for me to take a GANDER at this one.
Not happy with today's French lessons (amie and tete) and today's Spanish lesson (ser), but on the bright side, at least we didn't have circles!
And, I got a shout-out at 6D (anon).
Just got back inside. Huge tree in our woodlot decided it'd had enough. It crashed down across the street, barely missing the street light and neighbor's mailbox. Thanx to the police dept, city maintenance, the electric utility, and our chainsaw-owning mailbox lady, the street's been cleared enough to permit traffic to pass. Now I need to call a tree company to come and clean up the mess.
FIR. I didn't get the theme until I got here, and then I went "aha"!
Riri was a mystery for me that the perps solved. And less at 70A makes no sense. Again the perps helped.
Aside from those and a few others, this puzzle solved fast purely on crossword basics.
After the solve -which was smooth - the few comments I was going to make after reading the blog have been handled by D-O. I guess that would be ditto D-O ;)
CSO to Splynter with PIPE organ
A easier than usual Wed. puzzle with only three unknowns filled by perps, RIRI, AIMEE, and SER. But even after filling GARDEN VARIETY I could not understand GRAND or WIDE GARDENS. And it made me wonder if spelled KINDERgarden wrong after many years. The Brits might spell it KINDRE. But unscrambling letter should be left to JUMBLE puzzles.
NASA- noticed the capital W and figured it would be that and it made SO BAD become SAD.
The "End to end?' had me stumped for a few seconds, filled it by perps, and then the V8 moment hit me.
Finger____- it was either FOOD or Lakes and FOOD was too short.
My recently deceased next-door neighbor was a retired REAR Admiral. The retired Brigadier General, US Army, lives three houses down the other way. The addresses are 15, 23, and 27 Melrose. The general was top MP in Baghdad for 18 months and I doubt there weren't any AWOLs. He took over the prisons after Abu Ghraib.
Good Morning:
I loved everything about this puzzle, from the cute theme to the excellent reveal. The theme was well-hidden amidst very strong themers; the cluing was clever without being too "cutsie"; the grid was clean and dreck free; the fill was fresh and lively; the TLW count was a mere 12. In other words, it was a very satisfying and enjoyable solve, IMO. I had Idea before Gasp (Ideas appears later) and Scam before Sham, but otherwise, smooth sailing and no unknowns to bog me down. Interesting and timely related entries of Lent and Seder, and the bureaucratic SSA and FDA.
Thanks, Trent, for a Wednesday gem and thanks, JazzB, for the extensive review and explication. I echo DO's appreciation for your way with words. 😉
DO @ 8:06 ~ Sorry to hear of your tree disaster but I guess it could have been worse.
Have a great day.
73A LESS is an end to end if you're looking for something eternal
Thanks, JzB for the informative recap. I learned a number of things from it.
Sorry to hear about the tree, DO. Quite the morning for you. Still, as I.M. said it could have been worse and it's certainly better than being a POW.
Hola!
This was a fast solve and I enjoyed the SALSA as well as a bit of Spanish at SER. Thank you, Trent H. Evans and thank you, Jazzbumpa. Your WIDE-RANGING treatises are always a treat.
RIRI seemed strange to me and I immediately thought it a mistake.
ASLAN brings fond memories of reading The Chronicles of Narnia.
Many, many years ago a friend and I traveled from California to Dayton, Ohio by train and I well remember the DINING CAR. It was quite an adventure at the time and took three days. We were on our way to make our vinal Vows.
I liked the crossing of SNIVEL/ANGST.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Loved this CW. So many clever and fresh clues like the one for HEX and gone but not forgotten; so few impossible names (my personal bane) I even remembered RIRI from past CWs and a cute theme that I figured out once I got the GARDEN VARIETY.
I got Finger LAKES right off because I have such fond memories of the area. I spent 5 weeks in Binghamton, NY one summer and on weekends I would explore the state of NY, travels that included the charming Finger LAKES, and running across the enchanting name Glimmerglass.
Thank you JzB for the informative recap.
All that makes up for the nasty weather I woke up to.
So sorry about your poor tree D-O. Yes, it could have been worse.
Good Morning! The NW gave me some trouble until AWay changed to AWOL and the rest fell into place. Spelling vowels (As & Es -arg!) earned some WOs corrected by perps. AIMEE was the only unknown name, so overall, a nice Wednesday puzzle. Thanks, Trent.
I looked but didn’t see the theme until I came to the Blog.
New to me the Spanish word SER.
PARS – looking forward to the upcoming Masters.
Do you have favorite words? One of mine is ANON, another is ajar. Why? Beats me, I just like ‘um.
Finger LAKES, I grew up in the Finger Lakes region and spent many summer days at Seneca and Cayuga.
Musings
-The last two days have seen radishes and June-bearing strawberries planted here
-The Navy and Marines usually use UA(unauthorized absence) rather than AWOL like the Army and Air Force
-Seeing/hearing/feeling a shuttle launch in an IMAX theater is amazing.
-Neither the FDA nor Kelly Clarkson have endorsed weight loss gummies.
-ANGST walks the halls of every school in the world
-Real golfers know PAR is a rating of a hole’s difficulty not actually the expected score. Right Yooper?
-Everyday, I know more and more about LESS and LESS. I’ll soon know everything about nothing
-Riding in a Piper Cub that took off from our tiny airport to Omaha’s Eppley Field was interesting
-TIME FLIES: When I get an advance puzzle to solve/blog, I think, “I can’t believe it’s [insert month] already
-One of Riri’s not so “Me Too” lyrics: “I like the way you touch me there. I like the way you pull my hair”
Oh my... I posted before I offered sincere thanks to Jazz B. for his wonderful Blog today with the electric salsa to get us dancing, explaining the theme and lots of good info. Thanks!
Enjoyed today's puzzle. I thought the clues were very clever, and the perps were fair. RIRI? Nope. NOT familiar! Other than that, a fine outing for a Wednesday.
Apologies in advance, normally, what would have been "no comment", or "Wees," has turned into a novella because for the first time I started taking notes on my iPad notes app...
It started with Amie Mann. It is rare that I hear something I like the first time I hear it. So I saved the vid to YouTube as a reminder to go back and check out her discography. Thank you for the musical heads up!
Which reminds me, I grumbled at the Frawnche clues, and then had to apologize to myself, as the 1st was easy, and the second, (which irked me,) was even simpler, as "tete" is well known crosswordese for "head." I see French, and my mind goes blank in self defensive oblivion. But after all these years doing English crosswords, I am starting to understand French quite well...
Quick inspiration=gasp, bad spelling= hex! Ah! This is the stuff I love about this crossword hobby!
I also had lots of blank spaces, finger blank after kindergarten adding had me finger painting, so I actually had to go back and actually reread the puzzle to saw what I missed that was filled by perpage. Very refreshing!
Silly theme links?
Well, this was first to arise: with apologies to Irish Miss...
2nd, for all those with boring garden gnomes, time to spice things up! with apologies to everyone else...
Organ/pipe was a gimme thanks to Splynter
And finally,
(Beginning of rant...)
THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! You whining nitpicking Anons! (Which I capitalise lightly) finally a puzzle with NO CIRCLES!
Now you have to pick your own veggies out of the mixed up garden by yourself!
You know what, in order to lighten up, I suggest you visit The Green Parrot Bar in Key West, where they know how to deal with complainers...
Now I have to deal with a cosmic upset within the universe. It seem DW got an email from Xfinity stating that they detected a problem with our internet that requires a serviceman to come into our home, and we should call to set up an appointment. Since these "appointments" usually take 2-3 weeks to get, and they don't give a darn about their customers, I am highly suspicious that this is spam.
Oh, I almost forgot,
"End of rant."
A fine Wednesday offering with clean fill and a few clever clues.
I knew RiRi from previous crosswords.
In real life Rhianna does not like the nickname RiRi.
“She takes umbrage at people taking liberties “
I guess Patti would appreciate being called PiPi just because its an easy fit to make a crossword work.
Don’t expect Rhianna to become a fan of the LA Times Crossword Puzzle.
Thanks for the awesome recap JazzB
….. kkflorida
FIR'd, no thanks to RIRI, AIMEE, ESME, and ASLAN. Luckily, they were spread around, except for ESME, which sat right on top of the inexplicable 73A clue.
Interesting that Trent chose Cote d'Ivoire twice for a French-speaking country. Perhaps he used to live there.
Overall a nice straightforward and clever outing for a Wednesday.
H.Gary - maybe we should get RIRI and Steve Miller in an old fashioned battle of the bands. Miller could contribute "I feel the magic in your caress, I feel magic when I touch your dress, Silk and satin, Leather and lace, Black panties with an angel's face." I'd pay to see that mash-up, even if Miller is old enough to be RIRI's grandfather, or maybe great-grandfather.
Knowing how to fly a Piper Cub gives a different meaning to "I can drive a stick."
Lucina, thanks to your typo, I learned some interesting things about "vinal" vows. To wit: the difference between a nun and a sister, and the existence of first and final vows. There were only a handful of Catholics in my little town, until they established our regional hospital.
I just read a book about how that hospital came to be. When the sisters first came into town, shop owners used to follow them around their stores, fearing that they would steal merchandise by concealing items under their habits. It was around the time Kennedy was running for president, and there was a lot of paranoia that he would turn the country over the the Vatican. But as the Kennedy administration did nothing like than, and the hospital and its staff proved to be huge blessings to the community, that prejudice quickly evaporated.
The only new to me fill was Aimee. With the reveal I saw the scattered gardens.
I doubt Rihanna is too upset by Riri. She chose that as the brand name for her perfume.
Some of my students let out a delighted gasp when the answer became clear. "Ah! I've got it." This was in the primary grades. Older students are too cool to do that. I love the honesty and eagerness of the little ones and the meatier subjects we can address with the cool ones.
Tony Express, I liked your clear and concise explanation of End to end/less.
Thanks for a great post, JazzB. Thanks for an interesting puzzle, Trent.
Lovely puzzle, Dr. Trent -- thank you!
I had to come back to the northwest after a quick tour through the rest of the puzzle. It took a while to realize -- GASP! -- what a quick inspiration might be, and also to remember the Webb telescope. If not for the SEDER, which I have to prepare later this month, that corner would have been SO SAD.
Like others, I changed ScAM to SHAM for an AHA moment.
Now I'm trying to think of updated slang for "I DIG." Whatever it is, many here will take a dim VIEW of it.
JzB, I loved your recap and have to thank you for AIMEE Mann's "Burn It Out" video. Her name was just a name to me. That song was lovely, and the images were arty. I'll check her out.
Thanks to Trent and Patti for an entertaining challenge today. FIR! Woohoo!
This was a perfectly lovely puzzle -a real Crossword, not a trivia contest.
I enjoyed the misdirections of GASP, and HEX. The themers were clever (though I didn’t see the hidden words until I came here), and the fill was interesting and required some knowledge of history, mythology and literature. The Finger Lakes area is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever visited, especially Skaneatles. Favorite word was SNIVEL - like Rose, I don’t know why, it just amuses me.
What DIDN’T amuse me was feeling gleeful to FIR with little hesitation or trouble and then realizing that, like DO, I filled in Scam/SHAM and didn’t pay attention to the obvious error of aca/AHA. Heavy sigh.
Thank you,Trent, for the Wednesday delight.
Thanks, Jazz B., for the excellent, educational and fun tour.
Loved this CW. So many clever and fresh clues like the one for HEX and gone but not forgotten; so few impossible names (my personal bane) I even remembered RIRI from past CWs and a cute theme that I figured out once I got the GARDEN VARIETY.
I got Finger LAKES right off because I have such fond memories of the area. I spent 5 weeks in Binghamton, NY one summer and on weekends I would explore the state of NY, travels that included the charming Finger LAKES, and running across the enchanting name Glimmerglass.
Thank you JzB for the informative recap.
All that makes up for the nasty weather I woke up to.
So sorry about your poor tree D-O. Yes, it could have been worse.
Oops. CW redux.
Yes, it could've been much worse. But the past 30 days has been one for the record book$ -- replace central air and furnace, replace house roof due to hail damage, and now tree removal.
Yes, desper-o, it could have been a lot worse. A few years ago we decided to eliminate a huge, unattractive tree whose dropping leaves created a constant mess. It cost $1,000 to have it cut! And just last month the HOA Board had a large olive tree cut and since I'm no longer on the Board I don't know the cost, but I'm sure it was not cheap.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Trent and JazzB.
I FIRed, but took a few minutes to figure out the theme. Oh joy, NO circles. But I agree with d’o et. al. that the GARDEN letters are contiguous.
Hand up for entering Best before KIND REGARDS.
Some great misdirection with the clues for GASP, HEX, AWOL, SALSA.
Thanks to d’o for explaining EndLESS.
I think of STEWS as ruminating worriedly rather than bitterly. Resents wouldn’t fit.
Like, inanehiker, I thought of Splynter with the PIPE organ.
Jinx, my Facebook Memories reminded me that this is National Siblings Day. I had to update the photo of myself with my two siblings.
Wishing you all a great day.
I had not heard of National Siblings Day. Is that only in Canada?
I had six but two of my brothers have died so now I have only three sisters and one brother whom I love dearly.
C-Eh, that one was on today's list that I used yesterday, because I had a brain fart and copied the wrong file. Today's list should have posted yesterday.
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