Theme: You can't have one without the other. Sometimes things just go together, as we shall soon see. Or, if you got the circles, might be seeing already. The near-by ends of the two words in each theme fill feature the same letter.
16. Marine animal that resembles a flower: SEA ANEMONE. These are are a group of predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order Actiniaria. Because of their colorful appearance, they are named after the Anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant. You can read more about it here.
23. Branch of mathematics focused on collections: SET THEORY. Set theory is the branch of mathematical logic that studies sets, which can be informally described as collections of objects. Although objects of any kind can be collected into a set, set theory — as a branch of mathematics — is mostly concerned with those that are relevant to mathematics as a whole. I just barely squeaked through calculus, so that's all I've got. If you want more you can start here.
37. Chance to get together and take shots?: PHOTO OP. This is an arranged opportunity to take a photograph of a politician, a celebrity, or an event.
48. Genre for 1980s hair bands: GLAM METAL. A subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam rock --- performed by male musicians who wore flamboyant and feminine clothing, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter, and female musicians who wore masculine clothing.
59. Kittens who should be adopted together, or what can be found in this puzzle's circles: BONDED PAIR. Two cats that have a special relationship and the adoption center wants to place them in a home together. There are also bonded pair dogs. Separation would be traumatic for them.
Our BONDED PAIRS are the last letter of the first word and the first letter of the second word in each theme entry, as indicated by the circles. This theme has an original concept, and a clever use of the unifier.
Hi gang, JzB here. Theoretically, I guess all the fill in this puzzle would constitute a set. With no further theorizing, let's check it out.
LATE EDIT Just before pushing the Publish button I noticed that the paired letters in sequence are A, T, O, and M, spelling ATOM. So what we have in our bonded pairs are 2 ATOMS. This makes it a chemical bond, and raises it to a whole new level of clever elegance. The long obsolete chemist in me heartily approves. Very impressive!
Across:
1. Retail club similar to Costco: SAM'S. An American chain of membership-only warehouse club retail stores owned and operated by Walmart Inc.
5. Coin flip call: HEADS. This refers to the front side, or obverse surface, of a coin. The other side is the reverse or tails.
10. Pine family tree: FIR. Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus Abies in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to Cedrus (cedar). The genus name is derived from the Latin "to rise" in reference to the height of its species. The common English name originates with the Old Norse, fyri, or the Old Danish, fyr.
13. Sitting on: ATOP. On top of.
14. Arm joint: ELBOW. The joint where your humerus (your upper arm bone) meets your radius and ulna (the two bones in your forearm). It joins your upper arm to your forearm. Your elbow also contains cartilage, ligaments, muscles, nerves and blood vessels. Your elbow moves in two main directions. There is no truth to the rumor that it is named after a macaroni noodle.
15. Singer and civil rights activist Horne: LENA. Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (1917 – 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving on to Hollywood and Broadway. A groundbreaking African-American performer, Horne advocated for civil rights and took part in the March on Washington in August 1963.
18. Possesses: OWNS. Has and holds as property.
19. Open-toed shoe: SANDAL. A low-cut shoe that fastens by an ankle strap
20. Payable now: DUE. Expected at or planned for at a certain time.
21. Dance Dance Revolution move: STEP. A single element of a dance.
22. Term of address that elides a letter: MA'AM. Shart for madam.
25. Creature in Sherpa folklore: YETI. An ape-like creature purported to inhabit the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. In Western popular culture, the creature is commonly referred to as the Abominable Snowman.
27. Virtuous one: SAINT. A person of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization. Less formally, a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence.
28. Contributes: ADDS. Puts in.
31. "Kapow!": BLAM. Catroon sound efects for explosions.
34. Guinness, for one: STOUT. A dark beer that is generally warm fermented.
36. "You stink, ref!": BOO. Common expression of disdain.
39. Slam Dunk Contest org.: NBA. National Basketball Assocoation.
40. Pixy Stix contents: SUGAR. Pixy Stix are sweet and sour colored powdered candy usually packaged in a wrapper that resembles a drinking straw. Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food.
42. Episodic drama: SAGA. The word saga has its origins in the Middle Ages. In those days, a saga was an historical tale of the first families who lived in Norway or Iceland. Today the word is used to describe a very complicated or detailed series of events.
43. "Come on now": JEEZ. An expression of surprise, disappointment or disdain.
44. Underneath: BELOW. Located under or lower than something else.
46. Minor in astronomy?: URSA. The little bear, also known as the little dipper constellation.
51. Parts of plays: ACTS. An act is a major division of a theatre work, including a play, film, opera, ballet, or musical theatre, consisting of one or more scenes.
54. Mother of Apollo and Artemis: LETO. Leto is a Titan and the mother of the gods Apollo and Artemis in classical Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe, and her main legends take place on Delos and Delphi. Leto is known as the goddess of fertility and motherhood, and is also known as Kourotrophos, which means "Rearer of Youths". Leto's story includes being pregnant by Zeus, seeking refuge on Delos to give birth, and suffering misfortunes due to her relationship with Zeus.
55. Thanksgiving, e.g.: Abbr.: THU. Thursday
56. "I'm one of them too!": LIKE ME. having something in common.
58. Lends a helping hand: AIDS. Assists.
61. Catch sight of: SPOT. Eye, espey, obsrve.
62. __ Martin: British car: ASTON. Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with expensive grand touring cars in the 1950s and 1960s, and with the fictional character James Bond following his use of a DB5 model in the 1964 film Goldfinger. Their grand tourers and sports cars are regarded as a British cultural icon.
63. Norway's capital: OSLO. the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of 709,037 in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022. During the Viking Age, the area was part of Viken. Oslo was founded as a city at the end of the Viking Age in 1040 under the name Ánslo, and established as a kaupstad or trading place in 1048 by Harald Hardrada. The city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V of Norway around the year 1300.
64. Go limp: SAG. Droop.
65. Naps, say: RESTS. Ceases work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.
66. Simple tops: TEES. A short-sleeved casual top, generally made of cotton, having the shape of a T when spread out flat.
Down:
5. Coin flip call: HEADS. This refers to the front side, or obverse surface, of a coin. The other side is the reverse or tails.
10. Pine family tree: FIR. Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus Abies in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to Cedrus (cedar). The genus name is derived from the Latin "to rise" in reference to the height of its species. The common English name originates with the Old Norse, fyri, or the Old Danish, fyr.
13. Sitting on: ATOP. On top of.
14. Arm joint: ELBOW. The joint where your humerus (your upper arm bone) meets your radius and ulna (the two bones in your forearm). It joins your upper arm to your forearm. Your elbow also contains cartilage, ligaments, muscles, nerves and blood vessels. Your elbow moves in two main directions. There is no truth to the rumor that it is named after a macaroni noodle.
15. Singer and civil rights activist Horne: LENA. Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (1917 – 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving on to Hollywood and Broadway. A groundbreaking African-American performer, Horne advocated for civil rights and took part in the March on Washington in August 1963.
18. Possesses: OWNS. Has and holds as property.
19. Open-toed shoe: SANDAL. A low-cut shoe that fastens by an ankle strap
20. Payable now: DUE. Expected at or planned for at a certain time.
21. Dance Dance Revolution move: STEP. A single element of a dance.
22. Term of address that elides a letter: MA'AM. Shart for madam.
25. Creature in Sherpa folklore: YETI. An ape-like creature purported to inhabit the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. In Western popular culture, the creature is commonly referred to as the Abominable Snowman.
27. Virtuous one: SAINT. A person of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization. Less formally, a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence.
28. Contributes: ADDS. Puts in.
31. "Kapow!": BLAM. Catroon sound efects for explosions.
34. Guinness, for one: STOUT. A dark beer that is generally warm fermented.
36. "You stink, ref!": BOO. Common expression of disdain.
39. Slam Dunk Contest org.: NBA. National Basketball Assocoation.
40. Pixy Stix contents: SUGAR. Pixy Stix are sweet and sour colored powdered candy usually packaged in a wrapper that resembles a drinking straw. Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food.
42. Episodic drama: SAGA. The word saga has its origins in the Middle Ages. In those days, a saga was an historical tale of the first families who lived in Norway or Iceland. Today the word is used to describe a very complicated or detailed series of events.
43. "Come on now": JEEZ. An expression of surprise, disappointment or disdain.
44. Underneath: BELOW. Located under or lower than something else.
46. Minor in astronomy?: URSA. The little bear, also known as the little dipper constellation.
51. Parts of plays: ACTS. An act is a major division of a theatre work, including a play, film, opera, ballet, or musical theatre, consisting of one or more scenes.
54. Mother of Apollo and Artemis: LETO. Leto is a Titan and the mother of the gods Apollo and Artemis in classical Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe, and her main legends take place on Delos and Delphi. Leto is known as the goddess of fertility and motherhood, and is also known as Kourotrophos, which means "Rearer of Youths". Leto's story includes being pregnant by Zeus, seeking refuge on Delos to give birth, and suffering misfortunes due to her relationship with Zeus.
55. Thanksgiving, e.g.: Abbr.: THU. Thursday
56. "I'm one of them too!": LIKE ME. having something in common.
58. Lends a helping hand: AIDS. Assists.
61. Catch sight of: SPOT. Eye, espey, obsrve.
62. __ Martin: British car: ASTON. Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with expensive grand touring cars in the 1950s and 1960s, and with the fictional character James Bond following his use of a DB5 model in the 1964 film Goldfinger. Their grand tourers and sports cars are regarded as a British cultural icon.
63. Norway's capital: OSLO. the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of 709,037 in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022. During the Viking Age, the area was part of Viken. Oslo was founded as a city at the end of the Viking Age in 1040 under the name Ánslo, and established as a kaupstad or trading place in 1048 by Harald Hardrada. The city was elevated to a bishopric in 1070 and a capital under Haakon V of Norway around the year 1300.
64. Go limp: SAG. Droop.
65. Naps, say: RESTS. Ceases work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.
66. Simple tops: TEES. A short-sleeved casual top, generally made of cotton, having the shape of a T when spread out flat.
Down:
1. Back talk: SASS. Impudence; cheek.
2. Starting five, e.g.: A TEAM. A group consisting of the best members of a larger group; an elite group.
3. Disney heroine who sings "How Far I'll Go": MOANA. An adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui, who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. Together they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds.
4. Some self-care opportunities: SPA DAYS. A day spent on a visit to a spa, which is a place that offers relaxation, luxury, and beauty treatments.
5. Element of high fashion?: HEEL. High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels or pumps, are a type of shoe with an upward-angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wearer appear taller, and accentuate the calf muscle.
6. __ City: New Haven nickname: ELM. New Haven had the first public tree planting program in the U.S., producing a canopy of mature trees (including some large elms) that gave the city the nickname "The Elm City".
7. Place to call home: ABODE. The place where one lives.
8. Breakfast-on-the-run choice: DONUT. a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. The two most common types are the ring doughnut and the filled doughnut, which is injected with fruit preserves, cream, custard, or other sweet fillings.
9. Candy: SWEETS. A confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient.
10. Maybe not any at all: FEW TO NONE. A description of rarity or very long odds.
11. Float in some water rides: INNER TUBE. An inflatable torus that forms the interior of some pneumatic tires. The tube is inflated with a valve stem, and fits inside of the casing of the tire. The inflated inner tube provides structural support and suspension, while the outer tire provides grip and protects the more fragile tube.
12. Coarse-sounding: RASPY. Unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound. I can relate since as I write this, my voice is in the 2nd sub-basement.
15. Succumb to one's emotions: LOSE IT. A temporary inability to control one's emotions, typically in response to anger, fear or sorrow.
17. Title: NAME. These words are synonymous when applied to written works or musical compositions, but not when applied to people.
23. Farm fixtures: SILOS. Structures for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage, not to be confused with a grain bin, which is used to store grains. The typical structure is a right circular cylander.
24. Padlock holder: HASP. A clasp for a door, lid, etc., especially one passing over a staple and fastened by a pin or a padlock.
26. "Candidly," in texting: TBH. To Be Honest.
28. Muscles stretched in cobra pose: ABS. Abdominals.
29. High-ABV hoppy beer: DOUBLE IPA. A type of IPA that contains more hops and malt than a regular IPA:
30. Extremely competitive: DOG EAT DOG. Used to refer to a situation of fierce competition in which people are willing to harm each other in order to succeed.
32. __ snail's pace: AT A. Making distressigly slow progress
33. Bigwig: MOGUL. An important or powerful person, especially in the motion picture or media industry.
35. Toon devil: TAZ. This guy.
37. Gathering for senior partners?: PROM. I guess this is referring to a formal high school dance party, attended by seniors and their dates.
38. Source of water power?: OAR. For powering a canoe.
41. "So close": ALMOST. Missed it by that much.
43. "Bingo!": JACKPOT. The big winner.
45. Mixologist's amenity: WET BAR. A small bar used for mixing and serving alcoholic beverages that includes a sink with running water, as opposed to a "dry bar" that does not include a sink.
47. Uttered: SAID. Spoken.
48. Pane piece: GLASS. A portion of a window.
49. This and that: THOSE. More than one thing.
50. Some godmothers: AUNTS. Moms' sisters.
52. Needle: TEASE. Make fun of or attempt to provoke someone in a playful or pseudo-playful way.
53. Happy face: SMILE. An facial expression denoting pleasure.
56. Binoculars part: LENS. An optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction.
57. God with a bow and arrow: EROS. Eros was the Greek god of carnal love. Eros was the assistant, and according to some the son, of Aprhodite, the goddess of love and fertility. He made people fall in love by shooting an arrow into their heart.
60. Pointillism bit: DOT. Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term "Pointillism" was coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of these artists, but is now used without its earlier pejorative connotation.
Now it's time to set this puzzle aside. Hope you enjoyed the solve.
Cool regards!
JzB
I admit I didn’t understand the reveal until JazzB explained it. And a couple of the fairly long “down” answers took a little thought. Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteWas surprised to see LETO as the mother of Apollo. The only LETO familiar to d-o was LETO Atreides, father of Paul Atreides (Maud'dib). YETI is known today as an over-priced brand of picnic cooler. Thanx for the challenge, Matthew, and for another esoteric expo, JzB.
INNER TUBE: I wonder where folks get those INNER TUBEs for river excursions -- tires no longer use 'em. In my ute we made rubber guns cut out of plywood with clothes-pin triggers. We'd slice up INNER TUBEs as "ammo." The red tubes were more elastic (ie: better) than the black ones.
D-otto. Truck tires still have inner tubes. And I had one put in my Jeeps tire that got a nail in the sidewall that couldn't be repaired
Delete6 down- I thought Eli City since home of Yale and Eli often used for a Yalie. Clever misdirection at least to me.
ReplyDeleteFIR. Not too much trouble today, except for glam metal which was unknown to me. This slowed me down a little at the center bottom, especially after I tried to fit dozes into 65A.
ReplyDeleteI got the theme early, but I too didn't see atom in the answers.
But I enjoyed this puzzle, and it's finished correctly!
D-O @ 5:39
ReplyDelete“Dune” is one of my favorite books of all times. How Frank Herbert wove political and religious themes together is amazing! (Although I do think he drew out the serials to “Dune” quite a bit too long.)
FIW, falling into the ELi/ELM trap. Erased soap for SAGA and espy for SPOT.
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL 529 DAY (every state has one, with varying features. You don’t have to live there to invest)
NATIONAL FLIP FLOP DAY (I used to like these. Then I turned twelve)
NATIONAL PAPERCLIP DAY (waaait a minute – I thought computers were supposed to make paper obsolete)
NATIONAL COQ AU VIN DAY (chicken cooked with wine, salt pork, mushrooms and garlic. Ooh la la)
NATIONAL SENIOR HEALTH & FITNESS DAY (my insurance includes Silver Sneakers)
A girlfriend taught me the benefits of floating together in truck INNER TUBEs instead of individual car-sized ones. My land yacht (think ice boat on wheels) uses tube-type tires.
My all-time favorite radio talk show host, Neil Boortz, used to say that he had his "Barry White voice" whenever he was hoarse.
Here's a hint for those who need it: If you ever need a cure for an overdose of Viagra, just put a pebble in your shoe and walk around. This treatment will make you limp. (A Neil Boortz joke, BTW)
Thanks to Matthew for the fun Wednesday challenge. I liked the ELi / ELM challenge, even though I flunked the test. I also liked the clue for PHOTO OP. And thanks to JzB for the descriptive review.
Took 6:38 today for me to stock this one.
ReplyDelete(Oh, not that kind of bond.)
D-O & SubG, I just watched the remade Dune (Sunday) and Dune Part II (yesterday). Very enjoyable.
Oh joy, circles!
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI had no idea where this theme was headed and the reveal was a phrase I had no heard before, although it makes perfect sense. Sea Anemone and Photo Op were familiar but Set Theory and Glam Metal were not, nor was Double IPA. I tripped over Geez/Jeez and Espy/Spot. Props to the constructor for the ATOM layer, but I'm not sure if this feature would be obvious to the average solver. Even though I completed the solve with no help, I found the difficulty level greater than a typical Wednesday.
Thank you, Matthew, and thanks, JazzB, for another fact-filled review and commentary. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Have a great day.
I used to work in New Haven so Elm City was my only thought, never condsidered Eli.
ReplyDeleteGood Wed puzzle. My least favorite clue was 55 across: Thu never entered my mind. Glam metal is another expression I was not familiar with nor 26 down . Thought 54 across was Lena never heard of Leto.
ReplyDeleteCreative theme - and thanks to JzB for explaining the extra layer of ATOM in the pairs - it would have been really cool if the letters in pairs were actually paired in the world - but only O-O or dioxygen are actually a pair in the natural world. The A,T, and M aren't element symbols
ReplyDeleteFun to go up close to a Seurat painting and see all the DOTs and then move back to see the picture come together. When I lived in Chicago, I enjoyed going to the Art Institute and seeing his masterpiece "A Sunday on LaGrande Jatte"
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/27992/a-sunday-on-la-grande-jatte-1884
Thanks JzB and Matthew for a fun morning!
Bummer! DNF. The SW got me, well and the center. I certainly got the DOUBLE IPA. The best one I ever had was at a micro brewery in Portland, OR. STOUT added for good measure. But missed LETO.
ReplyDeleteI’m ashamed to say I didn’t even get two of the reveals. SEA ANEMONE and SET THEORY showed up, no problem and I got the reveal but I thought the Pixy Stix were a girl band, and didn’t know the hair band genre (?).
Thank you JzB for a terrific write up and for discovering the ATOM.
ReplyDeleteALMOST a DNF in the Midwest/Southwest. Then DOUBLE IPA hit me like a bottle of beer and realized Hera was not the mother of the twin god/godess. Never heard of GLAMMETAL . Besides double letters in circles is there more to the theme? (“You want more?!!) oh I C: BONDED PAIRS 🍐🍐and atoms ⚛️⚛️
Heads or tails: without a perp the answer was a “coin flip”… MOANA sings “How Far I’ll Go” (first base? 😀)….As kids we used old patched up INNERTUBES at the beach. Problem was avoiding that pesky valve stem from sticking in yer side, “OWIE”😲
”Lena Horne singing “Stormy Weather” In the 1940’s her singing would often be edited out of the movie when it was shown in the South.
🤚for dam instead of OAR. Again just me? JEEZ!! At our HS it was the Junior Prom ‘66 and the Senior Ball. ’67.
Jinx @ 7:19 … I thought Flip Flop day referred to politicians? 😉
“Some godmothers?” fairy fit but was wrong. THOSE? You mean like Spanish ¿“esos y esas”?
Wonder how many ELMs are left in ELM city post Dutch Elm disease? Our city was once called “City of Elms”
Poem to the core ….ABODE
Bae…. SWEETS
Dizziness from sitting in the hot tub too long….SPADAYS
Too much Guinness may render one…..STOUT
Happy hump day.
This seemed to me to be a fast Wednesday puzzle. The only fill new to me was GLAM METAL, easily gotten with perps and wags. I saw the last letter of the first word become the first letter of the second word, which sped the solve. I suspected the extra layer. I noted that it spelled ATOM, but not the scientific reason why. Clever.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the informative blog, as usual Jazz B.
I learned LETO from crosswords.
I wondered about THU, but it is the most common three letter abbreviation of Thursday and I have seen it used often. V8 can moment. I use Thur. When one letter abbreviations are used to save space R is used for Thur. to distinguish it from Tue.
I know a kid who defended being selfish by saying, "It's a doggy dog world."
There is another definition of SAINT. "In Christian theology, the communion of saints is the spiritual bond that connects all followers of Christ, living and dead, past, present, and future." It is used in the Apostle's Creed. So all believers are saints, who sometimes fail and are forgiven.
We had Misdirection Central today. There was Elm/Eli, 37A where "take shots" meant photography, Thanksgiving just meant THU, and so forth.
ReplyDeleteI didn't understand either the clue for 48A (something about hair bands) or its answer (GLAMMETAL).
i prefer correct spelling over incorrect. So why do we get DONUT instead of DOUGHNUT? And Pixy Stix!? I thought they'd been banned. If not, they should have been.
So much for my rant. I am not a circle-hater, and appreciated the double atoms and bonded pair. And although I am not a fan of common names in crosswords, you had one we can all honor and cherish, the great Lena Horne.
It is Wednesday, after all, and so we can expect a bit more crunch than, say, a Monday. So overall, Matthew, thanks for a challenging, clever, and overall satisfying puzzle.
Jazzbumpa explained hair band and Glam Metal in his review of the puzzle. Do you read the reviews?
DeleteI'm not sure what made me stick with this puzzle....
ReplyDeleteThank you Matthew for a wonderful Wednesday puzzle, which I found a little crunchy for midweek, but managed a FIR.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you JzB for your, as always, comprehensive review, with each clue/fill deserving an explanation -- solvers may fill a clue using perps, but not really understand what it means. And for pointing out that the circled pairs spelled out ATOM. Some, but not all, molecules consisting of two of the same atom have a COVALENT BOND, aka a DOUBLE BOND -- e.g. H2, O2 and Cl2.
A few favs:
25A YETI. In the US we have a similar creature -- Bigfoot, who inhabits the deep forests of our heartlands.
34A STOUT & 29A DOUBLE IPA -- not the clue/fill, but the beverages themselves!
61A SPOT. A synonym for 60D.
33D MOGUL. Also a big bump on a skiing trail.
Cheers,
Bill
As one whose career involved imaging ATOMs, I loved this BONDED PAIR puzzle. Learning moment about LETO. Stuck with LEDA. FIR.
ReplyDeleteHere is a SEA ANEMONE on the beach near our home.
From Yesterday:
sumdaze Thank you for the kind words about my CHICHEN ITZA photos! My boss at the time called it "Chicken Pizza".
Today’s puzzle had several labored puns in the cluing that soured me on the whole exercise. You can pull a muscle reaching that hard to be clever but merely being imaginative, which is not the same thing. Oddly, though, the theme worked, although I nearly overlooked it.
ReplyDeleteEven the pun I liked (source of water power?) was a stretch. It crossed the PHOTO OP clue, which crossed the PROM clue, which crossed the unknown-to-me texting entry TBH. I ALMOST failed to FIR.
Two other unknowns – SET THEORY and SUGAR – were legit. So were my unusually high volume of ink-overs, such as yew/FIR, taunt/TEASE, Hera/LETO, and espy/SPOT. Actually, the FIR clue was kind of annoying because pine and fir are two distinct types of evergreen conifer, and the clue for STEP turned something simple into something complicated. GLAM METAL didn’t throw me, but I think of hair bands as being groups like Styx and Journey, pretty boys who would have been popular in high school, rather than Boy George and other outlier types – even David Bowie.
And it took me a while to believe JEEZ made the cut.
Enjoyed LENA Horne, SEA ANEMONE, STOUT, and DOUBLE IPA. There was plenty of good fill aside from the annoyances. Kudos to JzB for not seeming annoyed. And now Ray O Sunshine’s got me laughing about how far MOANA might go.
Copy Editor @11:23 AM Have you ever thought of becoming a reviewer? You would bring a completely different perspective to the process and perhaps influence some of the other reviewers to be more critical. You can reach C.C. at this address.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Bill
Greetings! I worked this puzzle (as much as I could) then had to take my car in for an oil change, came back to the puzzle for a second look and still could not finish. Even with alphabet runs of no help. No aha moments.
ReplyDeleteI left a number of blank squares in the center and middle west.
WO: LEda -> LETO. Other than that, what I filled was correct.
Thanks, JazzB. Your summation was top notch
Nice Wednesday puzzle, thank you, Matthew. And thank you for your commentary too, JazzB.
ReplyDeleteWell, when I saw HEADS, HEEL, and ELBOW right on top, I figured we were going to see more body parts in this puzzle. That would also have led us to spending time on SPA DAYS. But 'twas not to be. Still a fun puzzle, so I'm not about to yell BLAM or BOO. I'd rather just get some RESTS now.
Have a good day, everybody.
Musings
ReplyDelete-BONDED PAIR is not “in the language” for me but that was of no concern.
-Caitlan Clark is a wonderful person and player but not a SAINT. She recently got a technical foul because of arguing with a ref and her coach was not happy about it.
-Some critics point out a film/play did not have a third ACT. It wasn’t the third ACT but Godfather III was way worse than I and II
-SILOS are very rarely built these days. Feeders are opting to use bunks on the ground covered in plastic.
-My insurance claim for hail damage is moving AT A snail’s pace and I seem to be doing all the work!
-Senior partners and Water power were fun cluing.
-The best telescopes only use LENSES for viewing. Light is gathered and reflected to them.
-My tubeless snow blower tires need inflating every winter
Hola!
ReplyDeleteSEA ANEMONE brought back memories of high school when we went on field trips to the ocean and found them. Our school was only a few minutes away from the coast so those were frequent trips.
Thank you, JazzBumpa, for your usual comprehensive analysis.
I loved, loved wearing high HEELS every day but after a few years they did a number on my legs and now I can only wear flats or sometimes kitten heels for a short time.
Wearing SANDALs is typical most of the year in these parts.
I miss the SPA DAYS we had years ago; we would travel to CA and join our family there then travel either to Palm Springs or another venue for the SPA experience.
All my AUNTS are now gone but my AUNT Angela who was a riveter, lived to age 90. All the rest died in their 80s.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
No real problems today, but I never saw the theme until pointed out by JazzB. D'oh
ReplyDeleteTBH the WET BAR that was built at my house (DW wanted it, not me) was the dumbest mistake made. We never use the water for any drinks and the sink is so small that is would be messy to wash anything. I would love to have a plumber cap the water supply, plug the drain, and cover it with a slab of granite. DW wants to keep it, why I don't know.
ReplyDelete16 years ago a BONDED PAIR of kittens, maybe 3 months old, appeared in our backyard. We didn't feed them and went to Disney World a couple of days later. We were gone for 10 days and when we drove up they were meowing at us. I found out my granddaughter had fed them before we left. Hateful Hanna stayed around for a few weeks and disappeared; Bandit is still hanging out on the back porch.
ELM City was unknown and I've never heard of a DOUBLE IPA-perps for those.
This seemed like a Monday puzzle for me and I often struggle with ones “you-all” sail through. Didn’t know SET THEORY, DOUBLE IPA or GLAM METAL but they filled in easily and they made sense. Double letters seemed too simple, so thank you JzB for the ATOM that gives it all a deeper meaning. Hardest, TBH/BLAM.
ReplyDeleteTK@9:43 - Words get shorter - even Thursday used to be Thur. not THU. There is a movement to remove all vowels from words.
inanehiker@9:01 - The painting “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte” was replicated in a tableau of volunteer citizens in modern dress in Beloit, Wisconsin in 2006. Photographed by Mark Preuschl, while not exact it is immediately recognizable and is truely remarkable. There are umbrellas/parasols, fishing hat/top hat, blouses and pants/long dresses, a perfectect black dog, but no monkey. Very clever idea.
Oh, and when I had J—Z I hoped it was going to be Jazz JxB?) but INNER TUBE and FEW TO NONE ended that.
ReplyDeleteThanks, JzB, for catching the ATOM part of the gimmick. I missed that. Thanks also for the review, especially Taz and the Mel Brooks clip. I watched "Get Smart" long before I knew who Mel was.
ReplyDeleteAnother clue for ELM in the recent past has been “slippery tree,” but maybe not here.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the theme of bonded pairs. I also appreciate JazzB's write-up.
ReplyDeleteThings I especially liked:
Term of address that elides a letter: MA'AM
JEEZ
INNER TUBE
DOG EAT DOG.
Things I especially disliked:
Thanksgiving, e.g.: Abbr.: THU
Pane piece: GLASS (the glass is the pane, as in "a pane of glass." Maybe I'm wrong.)
I always dislike paraphrases:
"Kapow!": BLAM
"You stink, ref!": BOO
"Come on now": JEEZ
"I'm one of them too!": LIKE ME
"So close": ALMOST
"Bingo!": JACKPOT.
Good wishes to you all.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteThanks Matthew for the fun ATOMic puzzle. Thank you JzB for spotting the ATOM ++your fine expo
WOs: FEW or NONE, hand up for gEEZ.
ESPs: ELM as clued, LETO
Fav: DOUBLE IPA and STOUT
I thought the "?" clues were cute.
SET THEORY - took it for my CS Master's.
YR - DW also thought it was a "doggie dog world."
Waseeley - Bigfoot is Blurry [Mitch Hedberg]
Copy Editor - GLAM METAL is more like RATT, Motley Crue, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, etc. [I linked the one you may have heard from the Geico Commercial).
BigE - our new (to us) house came with a WET BAR. We've never used it but still run the water every month or so to keep the pipes wet.
Gotta run.
Cheers, -T