OPUS
This
puzzle was "on my wavelength", and it takes us on a musical journey.
Two 15-letter spanners, two 10-letter, and one centered 11-letter theme
answers, each starting with a synonym for "song", and revealed in the,
well, reveal. ALAS, we're missing "ditty" - but that's a 51D.
17. *Rainforest Cafe, for one: THEME RESTAURANT - I did not know about this place; the closest one to me now is in New Jersey - the Wiki; the décor seems too overbearing for dining, IMHO
23. *Depiction of integers at regular intervals: NUMBER LINE
34. *Imperial reign of China ended by Kublai Khan: SONG DYNASTY
44. *Florence Henderson sitcom role: CAROL BRADY - "NOEL" could be a theme answer, too
And the reveal
50. Starts looking at things differently, as demonstrated by the first words of the answers to the starred clues?: CHANGES ONES TUNE - and I get the pleasure of looking for "compositions" that match some puzzle answers; I'll try to be diverse....
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Greenlights: OKs
4. Dish that may or may not contain beans: CHILI - my chili contains red & black beans
9. Time at a job: STINT - I am hoping that my "stint" with the Pipe Organ company is my last career
14. Feline pet: CAT
15. Brief mission?: RECONnaissance - Frawnche~!
16. Wobbly craft: CANOE
20. Portion out: ALLOT
21. Deciduous tree with oblong leaves: ELM
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22. God, to Rastafarians: JAH - the first word of this "ode"
The Outernationalist - Thievery Corporation
27. Guacamole fruit: LIME
28. "__ Te Ching": Laotzu text: TAO
29. Casual contraction: AIN'T - and the first word of this "ballad", too
30. Direct elsewhere: REFER
31. Like a zebra: MANED - if you hear the thunder of hoofs....
33. Big fans: BUFFS
36. "Summer of My German Soldier" novelist Greene: BETTE - needed perps for this author
37. Shrewd: CAGEY - some obscure Blue Öyster Cult for your ears
38. Breeze (through): WALTZ - more music, this clue/answer hinting that one "rolled" through ( in 3/4 time~? )
39. Wax counterpart: WANE
40. Grab a chair: SIT
43. The 411: INFO
47. Situation Room gp.: NSC - no clue; I tried NSA first
48. Spicy tuna roll tuna: AHI - becoming a crossword staple
49. Totally buy: EAT UP - I don't eat up sushi
55. Unsettling: EERIE
56. Unexpected ending: TWIST - as found in this "melody"
57. Single-stranded genetic molecule: RNA
58. Specs dished in a gossip sesh: DEETS - Text/Gen Z-speak for a 'session' and the 'details'
59. Zipper alternative: SNAPS
60. Noggin: NOB
DOWN:
1. One-eighth of a circle: OCTANT - overthought this; I was trying to come up with a clever pizza slice reference
2. Ingredient in a white or black Russian: KAHLUA - plus vodka, and milk makes it 'white'
3. Sailor's patron: ST. ELMO - there was a "coming-of-age" movie
"St. Elmo's Fire" during my high school years, but I cringe at the "see
24D." of similar films in the decade - I was more "Raiders of the Lost
Ark" & "Ghostbusters" kind of fan
4. "Zorba the Greek" island: CRETE - it's all Greek to me - perps
5. She/__ pronouns: HER
6. Curling surface: ICE - I'd like to try this "sport"
7. __ Angeles Sparks: LOS - of the WNBA
8. Aim: INTENT
9. Bathtub buildup: SCUM
10. Roofer's sealant: TAR
11. Right away: IN A JIFFY
12. Total randos: NO-NAMES - heard in this Glam "rocker"
13. Tie: TETHER - this looked weird in the 'down'; I had "TET_E" from perps
18. Horde: MOB
19. Bass beer: ALE
24. Gamut: RANGE
25. Served up a whopper: LIED
26. Race-sanctioning body since 1994: INDYCAR - this did not make sense until I cut and pasted the clue into Google, and got the Wiki; I was wondering if it referred to the race car's 'open wheel' body style at first
27. Southpaw: LEFTY
- I am one - we have several at the Pipe Organ company; "Sinister"
types make up about 17% of the population, and let me tell you, it's
really frustrating to see how much of the world "assumes" everyone is
right-handed, e.g. all vending machines, ever
See~? You'll look at them differently from now on....
30. Bit of deception: RUSE
31. Words on a family banner: MOTTO
32. Animated film with talking bugs: ANTZ - I thought "A Bugs Life" was better
33. Bialy kin: BAGEL
34. Practices for personal well-being: SELF-CARE
35. Prefix with tech: NANO
36. Wailing spirit of Irish folklore: BANSHEE - there's Siouxie and the Banshees, and another band called Banshee as well - not a fan of either, TBH
38. Showed vicarious embarrassment, in a way: WINCED
39. Midriffs: WAISTS
40. Body with notable rings: SATURN - oh, right, the, um, planet
41. "Search me": "I DUNNO"
42. Universal blood recipient's designation: TYPE AB
44. Jost's "Weekend Update" co-host: CHE - Saturday Night Live members Colin and Michael
45. Outperforms: BESTS - Not beAts, the first "S" being my last fill
46. Snitch: RAT - we already had an 80's Hair Band, but how can I pass this up~?
48. Long time: AGES
51. Minor quibble: NIT
52. Hold title to: OWN
53. Actress/director Vardalos: NIA - all "Greek" to me here, too; her IMDb
54. Psychic's letters: ESP
Splynter
41 comments:
The only reason I got “Song Dynasty” is that I had already solved the reveal and knew “song” was the answer that had to fit. Along those same lines, I had a problem remembering “NSC.” I kept trying to put “NSA” instead.
But I got through these difficulties. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Gah. D-o managed to turf this one. Finished with wELl CARE and wONG DYNASTY. Wasn't sure what INlO had to do with "The 411" but it got to remain. Bzzzzzt. Not d-o's finest hour. Naturally the reveal went unnoticed and the theme was undiscovered. Thanx, Dylan and Splynter. (Any explanation why lefties migrate to organ repairs?)
Eclipse: Looks like it's gonna be a clouded-over affair as it crosses Texas. Drat. What is probably obvious to everyone else just dawned on me. A solar eclipse can only occur during a new moon.
Need to clean up my office this morning. Neighbor Shirley is coming over, and together we'll figure out her taxes. I always did their taxes when her husband was alive. Covid.
FIR, but wiley->CAGEY, nsa->NSC, credo->MOTTO, aeon->AGES, row->NIT, and kaluah->KAHLUA (UNTIE!)
Today is:
NATIONAL FIND A RAINBOW DAY (rainbows always appear directly opposite of the sun. Good to have this day in the “April showers bring May flowers” month)
NATIONAL WALKING DAY (sure, let’s declare it in the “April showers” month)
NATIONAL TWEED DAY (probably not when you are walking for exercise. Especially in the rain)
NATIONAL FILM SCORE DAY (John Williams (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and Henry Mancini (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Pink Panther) are probably my favorites)
CHILDHELP NATIONAL DAY OF HOPE (at first I thought this celebrated the kids that are mining rare earth metals in China to build our EVs)
NATIONAL CHOCOLATE MOUSSE DAY (yummy, but I also like Bullwinkle Mousse and Rocky)
Well, I just want to say what a joy working this puzzle was. But April Fool's Day has passed, and my momma taught me not to lie. I almost TITT a few times due to insufficient fun. Too hip for my taste.
"Wax counterpart" had to be WANE, because "shave" was too long.
I knew noggin=NOB only from playing cribbage - "and one for his majesty's NOB."
Thanks to Splynter for another fine, fun review.
Deets, I hate it.
FIR, but struggled in the SW. Deets was new to me. Also I'd never heard of the Song Dynasty. The theme helped me there. Although theme as a tune still perplexes me.
This was somewhat more challenging for a Wednesday puzzle. But it's done, so there's that.
Took 8:23 for me to name that tune.
Lots I didn't know and lots I didn't like: deets, the Laotzu text, the Rasta god, the novelist and her work, nob, and deets.
I didn't know the Chinese imperial reign, but like SubG, I found it very perp-able once I had the rest in place.
I knew today's actress (Nia).
Beans do not belong in chili.
I'm glad I'm not the only person who hadn't heard of "Rainforest Cafe". I was thinking "THE MEREST____" before being rescued by Bass ALE and the SCUM on the bath tub. I didn't know the SONG but had DYNASTY or ANTZ but MOTTO and WALTZ took care of them. Took about 10 minutes to FIR.
I'd always heard of CHANGE ONES TUNE as a synonym for 'attitude adjustment', referring to some smart aleck.
OCTANT had to wait for TAO, and I didn't really know either. But it made sense, as 'quadrant' is often used.
I knew Florence's ad Mrs. BRADY but it took perps to get CAROL.
BETTE, bialy vs. BAGEL, JAH for Rastas, CHE or Josh, NOB for 'Noggin'-no idea.
BobB- 'sesh', Randos, DEETS, 'She/HER' and other 'pronoun' preferences- I hate them too. Yesterday I was reading an article about capitalizing words. Kids using Snap and other messaging apps don't use capital letters when starting sentences or on proper names.
Managed a FIR in 11:17, some unknowns but perps were solid. SONG, CAROL and NUMBER are synonymous with TUNE, whereas THEME is a type of song, didn’t seem to fit, WALTZ is another type of tune but wasn’t part of the theme. BANSHEE sounds more tribal to me than Irish. DEETS we’ve had before and we’ll have it again I’m sure. I had a $12 beer in the Rainforest Cafe at Disney Springs Florida, didn’t know it was a small chain of about 25 restaurants scattered around the world. I don’t mind a few beans in CHILI. but they shouldn’t be the dominant ingredient. Thank you Dylan for the Wednesday exercise and to Splynter for the excellent review, enjoyed the tunes!
Big Easy ~ add INSPO, OBVI, CONVO, TOTES ADORBS etc….get used to it I guess.
So many references I didn't know:, too many to mention. The clue for 43 across "the 411" stumped me. If it read just 411 it would have made sense to me. Never heard of deets, Jah, Song Dynasty, Bette, Nia, or even Tao.
Good Morning:
Thank you, everyone, for the kind words and well wishes during my absence. Even though I wasn't posting, I was with you all in spirit and really appreciated your care and concern. I was especially touched by a lovely message of encouragement from one of our favorite constructors, Dr. Ed Sessa. I'm not entirely up to par yet, but I'm hoping the worst is behind me.
This took a while to fall into place as I was unfamiliar with Jah, Theme Restaurant, Song Dynasty, and Number Line. Even so, I still needed the reveal to see the theme. I, also, questioned Theme as a synonym for tune, but then I thought of TV shows that have a distinct theme song, so I guess it works. My only w/o was In La before Info, thinking 411 referred to a highway. I also thought Indy Car was suspect but post-solve research verified its authenticity.
Thanks, Dylan, and thanks, Splynter, for guiding us once again.
Have a great day.
Knowing little Chinese history, I had Ming before SONG, but had the reveal so SONG had to be it, then MOTTO was right. Wafts before WALTZ, forgetting Ants was ANTZ. Selfcars? No, SELF CARE, making it DEETS instead of dests, which still was unknown to me.
Hand up as a LEFTY. Three children, three lefty’s. CAROL, my first name that I only used professionally, is required by Soc. Sec. so that is who I am to every doctor I see. It is hard enough dealing with medical issues to be called by a seldom used name.
A dreary day today and we are expecting four days of rain and snow. Isn’t this April? Rain, OK(S), but snow? Ten days ago a snow storm knocked out power for 24 hrs. and cable, TV, and telephone for 36 hrs. We actually talked to one another and fireplaces kept us warm. Memories of visiting my grandmother down on the farm before TVA.
Thanks to DS and Splynter!
Happy day, all!
Irish Miss - So happy t have you back!
Irish Miss ☘️ ~ so nice to see you back and hear you are on the mend! You were missed 🤗
Musings
-Fortunately, I made the right guess at OCATAN_/_AO. This math teacher can’t ever remember seeing/using the word OCTANT but “T” is the only thing that seemed reasonable.
-Yes, D-O, the Moon is waning because we can only have an eclipse during a new Moon where the Moon is right in front of the sun.
-A famous TV plot TWIST
-Bright sunshine and the return of Irish. What a day!
The N solved quickly but I hit a snag as I went SW. I had spelt ANTs, so couldn’t get WALTZ and MOTTO was off my radar and didn’t know BETTE. Anyway, I finally figured it all out once the BANSHEE surfaced.
I know we’ve had bialy before, but not often enough for me to remember this totally unknown food reference.
Many years ago I drank black Russians, but because of the drink’s name two different bars refused to make me one.
Welcome back Irish Miss ☘️.
Thank you Waseely for a neat review.
Irish Miss, if I can speak for SS as well as myself, I’d say we’re both “over the moon” to have you back! Blessings!
An enjoyable FIR today, with a nice helping of crunch. I don't really care much for DEETS or RANDO, too curmudgeonly in my old age, I guess! At THEME I immediately thought of "Laras Theme" from Dr. Zhivago. Great recap, Splynter. Nice to see you back. Irish Miss!
Got hung up on the Irish waiver. Once he came out of the woodwork, my desire for WhizZ WANEd and WALTZED right out of here. I also wanted NSa but NSC won out.
I, too, couldn't think of Ms BRADY's first name until WAISTS AND BAGEL appeared. Also didn't know JAH, but perps fixed that.
Not a bad job, Dylan. Nice review, Splynter.
I shall add to the welcome back of Irish Miss. Best wishes for your speedy recovery.
Nothing prepares you for tragedy, except a positive mental attitude.
Bingo.
Would you like to try WAI"L"ER???
The SW quadrant was crunchier than the rest of the puzzle.
Good theme. The thesaurus gives THEME as a synonym for tune and for song. I think all the theme answers are equally valid. The argument that theme is a type of tune could apply to carol, as well.
Ah, number line, I remember it well from teaching elementary math. I haven't thought of it since I retired.
White Russians are popular cocktails here. They taste harmless, so sip carefully. My favorite cat who was dark brown was named Kahlua.
Splynter, please pass me all your sushi. I will eat it up. I eat up your wonderful blogs, too.
Nia Vardalos has appeared here several times.
Our favorite bagel shop has closed after 30+ years. So yummy, fresh from the oven. Store bought bagels? Gah!
The only parts of SNL I like are the cold open and Weekend Update with Che and Jost.
"A banshee is a mythological creature that appears in Irish folklore and fairy tales. Banshees are female spirits that supposedly wail just before a family member dies." Vocabulary.com
When someone realizes they are wrong, hopefully they will change their tune. Of course, some people are never wrong and are often out of tune with reality.
Wiley Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Dylan and Splynter.
Officially a FIW, but I got the musical theme. Was WALTZ an Easter Egg? (Yooper Phil saw it)
Many inkblots today, but I was BESTed at 38 A and 32D. I had Ants and wanted Wafts, but I was sure of SELF. WALTZ would have appeared if I had ANTZ. Ah well. I see Parsan and Monkey join me.
I had guessed at Ming DYNASTY, but changed to SONG. (Hi again Parsan)
Beats changed to BESTS.
I waited for BAGEL (I can never remember Bialy) to decide between Puffs or Muffs (oh not that kind of fan) or BUFFS.
Aeon changed to AGES/ Wiley to CAGEY.
JAH perped. I waited for perp to decide Intend or INTENT.
Striped was too long - the zebra was MANED.
I thought of the Olympic Committee as a body with rings.
Did we all try to fit Avocado into our guacamole before LIME?
We have a Rainforest Cafe in Niagara Falls. Great for the tourists.
I winced with Tinbeni at ICE (but it was the curling surface and not in the ALE or KAHLUA.
Welcome back Irish Miss.
Wishing you all a great day.
Rando is a word with which I am not acquainted, and since it Naticked with a (the?) Rastafarian god, my NE ended up imperfect.
Just for the record, I love beans in chili. And with freshly-made corn bread, nummers!
On another personal note, I taught high school math for years, and never taught my students anything about the forlorn octant.
Lest I sound like I am nit-picking (see51D), I enjoyed your puzzle, Dylan, and overall found it a fun and clever Wednesday-appropriate challenge.
Welcome back, Irish Miss!
change one's tune?
If I was still a Texan, I would add that I'm glad to hear that many Cornerites like eating that bean dish, but it ain't CHILI, partner. (There's a great small CHILI chain named Hard Times Cafe in MD, where you can get the CHILI any way you want it. Deets, Bill?)
DNF. Was convinced it wuz eiher the Wong or Hong Dynasty so the mid west was a mess.
Inkovers: blushed/WINCED, blitz/WALTZ
“Like an (embarrassed) zebra” black and white and red all over…getting used to “rando” and “sesh” but don’t hafta like ‘em 😤
OCTANT? (a high class sextant maybe?)
I remember the “Rainforest” THEMED RESTAURANT on Sanibel Island FL ; besides jungle noises fog would intermittently roll in under the tables. Kids loved it.
BETTE, c’mon, it’s only Wednesday why not “The Divine Miss M” or “actress Davis”
Why won’t I don’t know fit? “IDUNNO” 🤔
Monkeys in the zoo …. CAGEY
Zorba’s belief set …. CRETE
Substitute Bugs for Porky…. CHANGEONESTUNE
Insist on “they” pronouns… BANSHEE
Glad to see you’re back IM☘️
No fun
Irish miss, welcome back, we missed your kind, well thought out, intelligent, reasoning. Hope you are feeling much better. There.was a big piece missing in the middle of the comments.
Greetings! Thanks, Dylan. It took me a while to finish, but after I put it down when the NE and SW were mostly blank, a second look spurred me onto the finish.
An alphabet run helped fill STINT and TETHER with the unknown JAH.
WOs: miNG (the only dynasty I know) -> SONG; NSa -> NSC; torsos -> WAISTS; DEbTS -> DEETS (more kid slang…)
Perps for BETTE, CHE and NOB
WANE: I’ve sadly lost my excitement for events celestial. My experience is that if it’s happening in the sky, it will be cloudy. As long as the sun rises & sets each day, I’m happy. The one thing I can claim is that I’ve watched the International Space Station track several times, a tribute to man’s ingenuity.
LEFTY: I’m one too! (What? No left hand emojis???)
Thanks, Splynter, for all the tunes & INFO.
Several Calculus books use the the word octant.
"Find the volume of the solid situated in the first octant and determined by the planes z = 2, z = 0, x + y = 1, x = 0, and y = 0."
Calculus, Volume 3
I don't pretend to understand calculus. This seems to be beyond high school level. Octant is used in 3D figures.
Research says, an octant is also a passé navigational instrument. "Like earlier instruments based on the quadrant, the octant was used to measure the altitude (height above the horizon) of the sun, usually at noon when the sun had reached its highest point, or other celestial body such as a prominent star at night." My motto is LIU and you more likely will remember it,
Irish Miss, glad you are on the mend. You were missed. I hope you can rejoin us soon.
I think I learned RANDO here. Merriam Webster: " a random person : a person who is not known or recognizable or whose appearance (as in a conversation or narrative) seems unprompted or unwelcome." Kind of like the "stranger, danger" we teach kids.
We always put red kidney beans in our chili. Maybe we are not purists, but we enjoy it that way and it becomes a hearty one dish meal.
P.S. Welcome back, IM☘, I posted before I read the Comments to see your return.
Hola!
What a nice and easy Monday puzzle. Thank you, Dylan Schiff and Splynter!
Of course, for me, it will always be CHILE, either red or green and without beans. Beans are a side dish. Chile beans are from an altogether different recipe.
My late friend, BETTY, and I had many adventures traveling, including to Niagara Falls. And another friend, Betty, chose to keep her religious name, Carmine, after she was laicized. Her family was from the SING DYNASTY.
Irish Miss, I did not know you had been absent because of illness but I hope you are now feeling better. My internet was down all weekend.
We don't have a family MOTTO but if we did, I would choose "always together."
CSO to my niece, CAROL.
Two of my siblings are LEFTYs and one granddaughter. She is also a wonderful artist.
Learning moment for me that a BANSHEE is Irish.
I hope that you are all in good health now. D Otto, kudos to you for helping your neighbor with her taxes.
Have a beautiful day, everyone!
It was a WALTZ to FIR today. Sure, SONG not "Ming," DNK novelist Greene, and not familiar with NOB, but perps did the work. I enjoy reading desper-otto's SELF review, in which he chides himself for his errors, as opposed to the many commenters who take their frustrations out on the author or editor of the puzzle. Age is only a NUMBER and no excuse for ignorance of current culture, and a bad attitude.
Many thanks to Dylan, Patti, and Splynter for the fun. Welcome back to Irish Miss.
RoseE@12:07
Yes, no one is mentioning the possibility that it could be raining cats and dogs during the great solar eclipse this month.
But another reason you might want to keep an eye on the heavens, is that the international space station is dropping junk!
A 2 pound remnant of a pallet load of used batteries just crashed thru two floors of a house not far from me in Naples Florida!
The devil comet can be seen just after sunset with a telescope as it is about to round the sun.
more info here...
But it may become a naked eye object in June on its outbound trip during its closest approach to Earth.
Jinx, Hard Times Cafe has four styles of chili. My favorite is Texas style which is all ground meat. They also have Terlingua, Cincinnati and vegetarian. I'm from DC originally and visiting now so I had some when I flew in from California where I have lived for 35 years. I have been a lurker for 15 years and love reading all the comments here. If I ever get computer savvy enough to create a profile maybe I will emerge from the shadows someday. Also glad to have you back Irish Miss. Anonymous Boy Wonder
CED, Yikes! What are the odds? I've heard there's a lot of space junk up yonder, but to land through a house??? Wow! i hope no one was hurt.
Anon Boy Wonder - they also sell hot sauce under their own label. I bought a few bottles a few years ago, because I don't get to the DC area as often as I would like. Good stuff, but after going through all my stash I was ready to move on. I'm on a Yellow Bird kick now.
Spelling the name of the dynasty as SONG is just wrong, and the fact that this puzzle actually uses it and apparently imagines it to be pronounced as "song," a type of tune, proves it. Imagine adding a "g" to the word "soon" and you get something like "soong" which is about as close to the way it is actually pronounced. It would pretty much rhyme with the name of the German psychiatrist, Jung. In fact, I learned to spell it Sung. If you have ever ordered "xiao long bao" at a dim-sum restaurant you will hear the "long" also rhymes with "Jung." The inventors of the pin-yin spelling system were, IMO, dead wrong, on this and a number of other abominable spellings and execrable misuses of the Roman alphabet.
Hi All!
The top 1/2 the puzzle was a WALTZ, the bottom 1/2 a crunch. Thanks for the grid, Dylan.
Thanks for subbing, Splynter. I got the sense it was you but CAT sealed the deal. Thanks for the music (BOC, Black Sabbath -- you can keep RATT :-))
WOs: started SELF CARE in 31d's squares, Aeon->AGES
ESPs: JAH, BAGEL as clued, INDYCAR, BETTE (the only Greene I know of is Graham)
Fav: NO NAME's clue.
Welcome back IM! We missed you.
Cheers, -T
Thanks to Dylan for the workout. I had to make a few circles before it all came together. THEME was my last get. I seemed to recall eating at a Rainforest Cafe but I could not remember where. However, I remember getting a flattened penny there so I just checked my collection. It was in London (so not a real penny).
Thanks, Splynter, for your musical tour. I'm glad you got this one because of all the music. Lots of good stuff but "Ain't No Sunshine" is always a fav.
Wonderful to read you again, IM!
The Girls loved Galveston's Rainforest Cafe. It was fun for them but, IMHO, overpriced for the quality. The Volcano dessert with a sparkler was their fav. Here's someone's take on another location in the Houston area. Cheers, -T
When Arizona Mills first opened there was a Rainforest Cafe there but for some reason it did not last. It's quite far from me so it's not a place I go to so I have no idea what stores are there now.
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