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Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here asking the question of the day: What the H is going on here? Let's try to answer that.
Today's puzzle setter is the prolific and always entertaining Ed Sessa. In today's puzzle, Ed has dropped the H sound from the SH start to the first words of four common two-word expressions and, thereby, morphed the expressions to provide fitting answers to the clues - at least phonetically. Here is where he has done this:
17 Across: Principle behind "speak softly and carry a big stick"?: SUBTLE DIPLOMACY. From Shuttle Diplomacy. Drop the H and we get "SUTTLE". Correct the spelling and we get the answer. Shuttle Diplomacy is the action of an outside party in serving as an intermediary between (or among) principals in a dispute, without direct principal-to-principal contact. Personally, I never thought there was much subtlty involved in TR's advice/approach.
31 Across: Grumblers left holding the bag?: SOUR CADDIES. A golf reference. From Shower Caddies. Drop the H and we get "SOWER" which works phonetically if we retain the pronunciation from SHOWER and don't decide to start a garden, Again, correct the spelling and, well, you get it.
40 Across: Some Lakota winter supplies?: SIOUX STORES. From Shoe Stores. Many moons ago, this reviewer watched a TV sitcom in which an Eastern European and a Native American went into the retail business together. They opened a shop called The Sew And The Jioux. I wonder if Ed saw that same show.
56 Across: Item in a moth-infested closet?: SUIT FULL OF HOLES. From Shoot Full Of Holes.
Here is a look at the completed grid:
Here are the rest of the clues and answers:
Across:
1. Gymnastics event, informally: BARS. (Uneven) parallel bars. As used at the Olympic Games.
5. Soccer star Kelley who hosted a "Just Women's Sports" podcast: OHARA. Might have been clued with a GWTW reference.
10. Cobbler's item: SOLE. Not a baking reference. Cobbler's material would have let this solver first think of something other than AWL (too short, anyhow). Speaking of close but not quite (homophone-wise):
Yardbirds - 1965
14. Cyan kin: AQUA. See also 49 down.
15. Lavender kin: LILAC. A reference to the color (not the plant).
16. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID.
20. When doubled, very affectionate: KISSY.
15. Lavender kin: LILAC. A reference to the color (not the plant).
16. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID.
20. When doubled, very affectionate: KISSY.
21. Superlative ending: EST. Anyone remember Erhard Seminars Training?
22. Perambulates: WALKS. For pleasure.
23. Fictional archaeologist Lara: CROFT.
22. Perambulates: WALKS. For pleasure.
23. Fictional archaeologist Lara: CROFT.
25. Hair salon supply: GEL. DYE would have fit.
26. Church ensemble: CHOIR.
28. Law expert: JURIST. By definition.
34. __ sale: TAG. AKA garage sale.
36. Cartoon corporation: ACME. Wile E Coyote's supplier of choice.
37. Maze features: TURNS.
38. The Met __: annual NYC fundraising event: GALA. Formerly called the Costume Institute Benefit, the Met GALA is the annual fund raising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The GALA has been highly publicized in recent years.
39. Extinct New Zealand bird: MOA. For extinct birds they sure do appear regularly.
42. Peppers used in mole: ANCHOS. Today's Mexican cuisine reference.
44. Gouges: SOAKS. Hand up for first thing of something to do with cutting a groove in a piece of wood. Colloquialism for taking advantage of someone financially as in price gouging.
45. Lady bird: HEN. Not a reference to LBJ's spouse.
46. Fingerprint feature: WHORL.
48. __ New Guinea: PAPUA.
51. Sci. course: BIO. Several to choose from. Thanks, perps.
52. Split up: APART.
59. Long-winged sea eagle: ERNE. Sometimes we see TERN.
60. It means a lot: MUCHO. One of today's Spanish lesson and not the first of several possible answers that came to mind.
61. Lustrous fabric: SILK. Two SILK worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
62. "The Jellicle Ball" musical: CATS.
63. Like a loud crowd: AROAR. A sound often heard in our puzzles.
64. __ Pueblo, New Mexico: TAOS. Located north of the modern city of TAOS, TAOS Pueblo has a thousand-year history.
Down:
The Sunrays
2. Here, in Spanish: AQUI. Another Spanish lesson.
3. Spice blends: RUBS. This confirmed BBQ smoker liked this one.
4. College admission factor: SAT SCORE.
5. Flamenco shout: OLE.
6. Like most TVs: HI DEF. HIgh DEFinition
7. Top tier: A-LIST.
8. Spellbound: RAPT.
9. Knee injury initials: ACL. Anterior Cruciate Ligament
10. Mogadishu resident: SOMALI. Mogadishu is the capital city.
11. Like some rugs: OVAL. There were quite a few possibilities with this one.
12. Guitar riff: LICK. Everybody has thier personal favorites.
13. Ice cream brand: EDY'S.
18. Melodious: LYRIC. Shouldn't this be LYRICal?
19. People in debt: OWERS. Has anyone ever heard this useage?
24. Special delivery?: ORATION. Not a USPS reference. Delivery of a speech.
25. "I suppose": GUESS SO. Something that someone might say, I suppose.
26. Swiss Miss product: COCOA. Not a reference to Heidi.
27. Not perfect: HUMAN. To err is Human....
28. "We said the same thing!": JINX. CSO!
29. Unembellished: STARK. How refreshing to see this clued without a "Game of Thrones" reference.
30. Chaucer collection: TALES.
28. "We said the same thing!": JINX. CSO!
29. Unembellished: STARK. How refreshing to see this clued without a "Game of Thrones" reference.
30. Chaucer collection: TALES.
31. Heughan of "Outlander": SAM. Unknown to this solver. Thanks, perps.
32. Olympic badminton teams, e.g.: DUOS. There are other, less obscure, ways to clue this but (a) it is topical and (b) it is Friday.
33. R&B's __ Hill: DRU.
35. Mini mover: GAS. A bit of a stumper at first. The clue seems to refer to the Mini Cooper automobile.
38. End zone upright: GOAL POST. Often used in a metaphor.
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40. Wheat bundle: SHEAF.
41. Bat mitzvah scroll: TORAH. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
43. Half of a board game: CHUTES. Cute clue.
46. "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" indie band: WILCO. Being unfamiliar with the band this one was a bit difficult. The NATO alphabet and radio lingo answer (Will Comply) seem to go well to gether.
47. Rumpus: HOO-HA. I am pretty certain that I recall this word being used in a quite different context on "Two And A Half Men".
48. Min. fraction: PSEC. Often, we get NSEC. PicoSECond. One trillionth of a second.
49. Energy field: AURA. See also 14 Across. According to ancient Japanese lore, the colour of a person’s aura changes when they leave the room. Cyan-aura.
50. Pub order: PINT.
51. Cloudiness: BLUR. Not sure if the forms of the clue/answer match up? It's a bit of a BLUR.
53. Et __: and others: ALIA. Sometimes we get ALII.
54. Move for one's co., say: RELO. RELOcate.
55. Clucking sounds: TSKS. Sometimes we get TUTS.
57. Thurman of "Red, White & Royal Blue": UMA.
58. Pro: FOR. Not anti / against.
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35 comments:
MalMan @Now - Where the H is my review for August 8th!
Well, I solved it. But I didn’t understand the
theme at all, until MalMan explained it. Duh-ee! But anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Sure glad I wasn't assigned to explain this theme. It made a flapping sound as it flew over my head. Thanx, Mal-Man for splainin' it. Did you figure it out on your own? Got 'er done, and then went looking for the theme...and looking...and looking...and gave up. Too esoteric for d-o, Dr. Ed.
SOAK: There's been lots of SOAKing going on around here in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl -- mainly from fly-by-night tree and debris removal companies. And that was just a category one storm; imagine the havoc a category three could wreak.
FIW with swORL instead of WHORL. DNK WILCO, but should have gotten HOOHA. (I've heard it called a lot of things, but never a "rumpus." Gives a new meaning to "rumpus room.")
Visited Ektorp today, touring EDYS and UMA.
Thanks to Ed for the fun Friday workout, and to our MalMan for the clever tour. You should be especially ashamed of "Cyan-aura." I'm glad I don't have any recent stitches to pull out.
FIR, but the theme completely eluded me. If not for MM's blog here, I would've spent the rest of my day scratching my head, not something my lack of hair can afford!
There were a few learning moments for me, and several unknowns, but thankfully the perps were kind.
Overall a tough Friday puzzle but doable, and very enjoyable.
I see now the theme eluded just about everyone, at least on first viewing. I don’t feel so ‘obtuse’ after all!
Good Morning:
Well, we've been asking for a Friday puzzle that challenges, while still providing tricky wordplay and an enjoyable and satisfying solving experience; I'd say we got one today, in spades, to boot! I was delighted to see Ed's byline, especially on a Friday, as I knew I wouldn't be disappointed and, of course, I wasn't. Flummoxed, yes, disappointed, no. I join my many Cornerites who failed to understand the theme until the brilliant review and explanation by the astute MalMan. Ed outdid himself with this sleight of hand wordplay, much to my surprise and delight! I needed perps for O'Hara, Sam, Dru, and Wilco and I went astray at Area/Oval and Twos/Duo. Other than the clumsy Owers, it was a picture-perfect grid with no dreck and lots of fun, fresh C/As.
Bravo, Dr. Ed, for reminding us what Fridays should be and thanks, MalMan, for explaining Ed's creative talents so succinctly and admirably. I'm glad you were the one who had to decipher this head-scratcher. Kudos! My only nit is that the humor and puns were in short supply today! 😉
Have a great day.
Nice crunchy Friday! Caught the theme at SOIUX for "shoe" and that helped to back fill the other themers. Mini mover = GAS was clever (I wanted ANT or something).
Hardy Boys to the rescue! It's been 50 years since I read one, but back in my yute I read many of them. The detective brothers introduced me to the arches, loops and WHORLs of fingerprints, and it's stayed with me...although I've forgotten many more important things LOL.
I feel doubly successful today as I managed a FIR in 17:22 AND figured out the theme of the dropped “sh” sound. A very well constructed grid from Dr. Ed, not exactly a perambulation in the park, a little crunch, making for a nice Friday feel. (Perambulate seems like a very complicated snobby British way to refer to a WALK). I did notice two other “sh” sounds in CHUTES and SHEAF. First thought “multi” before MUCHO. The main drag by my Florida residence is named AQUI ESTA, translating to the bland “here it is”. Thanks Ed for the Friday fun, and to MalMan for your detailed expo!
I, too, missed the clever theme. Thanks for your excellent blog, Mal Man.
It is difficult to find examples of OWER. Spellcheck flags it.
The very middle section was the hardest. My BIL used to attach -er to every verb in Scrabble. I'm not sure whether it was legit.
The new format doesn't allow me to go back to the original blog or the archive. Will the powers that be change the format if there are enough complaints?
Wow! That’s two so far who figured out the theme. Rusty Brain, you brain is not so rusty after all.
I got lost in the extreme SW. So DNF.
I too was delighted to see Ed Sessa’s name. He didn’t disappoint. A more or less doable CW with some real crunch.
I don’t understand, though I got it right, JINX as clued. Maybe our resident JINX can explain it.🤓
Thank you MM for that great review. I like the What the Heck cat.
Yellowrocks ~ on my iPad if I am on the comments section, the “previous page” arrow takes me back to the blog and archive page. Not sure if the same is true on all devices.
Maybe it’s a regional trope but when two people said the same thing at the same time someone expressed “Jinx, owe me a coke”. Not sure about other regions.
Thanks Yooperphil @10:34. It might be regional. I’ve never heard anyone say this around here, but then I didn’t grow up in the US.
I noticed the SU and realized it was really replacing the SH at SUIT FLL OF HOUSE. Not any real problems solving Ed's puzzle with the unknowns solved by perps. O'HARA, CATS,UMA, SAM, WILCO, CHUTES, & JINX.
Any indie band is a total unknown.
Never heard of CHUTES and Ladders/
JINX meaning "We said the same thing" is new to me.
PSEC- had to wait for PAPUA New Guinea for the fill.
HI DEF- didn't they change it many years ago and all TVs are Hi Def?
d-otto- If I remember correctly, Dr. Ed got hit by a hurricane last year or the year before.
Greetings! I was breezing along and framed the puzzle until I got to the dreaded middle.
Second looks didn’t help but google got me to the finish line with DRU.
I had to come to the Corner to see the theme. Too obtuse for me, but “standing O” to MalMan for seeing it and explaining it!
Perps for OHARA, MOA, CHUTES, WILCO.
TAG sale: I learned that expression from watching Martha Stewart.
COCOA: I never heard anyone pronounce the “A” at the end….
I’m unfamiliar with the expression JINX as clued, but CSO to our poster. When I was a kid, I remember a “celebrity” came to our town by the name of JINX Falkenberg.
Thanks, MalMan, superlative summation of today’s puzzle!
Yellowrocks, on my PC I have always had to open a second window to toggle back to the Blog &/or Archive. No direct link.
I have no previous page icon on my computer. Now I do have to open The Corner in a second window. That wasn't necessary on my computer before the change.
I FIR and enjoyed the puzzle, but I didn’t fully understand the theme until Mr. Manatee explained it. I thought the golf pun was “sour candies,” so I didn’t apply the H in “Shuttle” to “Sioux” and “Suit.”
There were a few irritations. I didn’t understand the Mini-mover/GAS entry. I felt a less obscure SAM should have been clued, because the result was a natick for me. A riff and a LICK aren’t quite the same thing. A riff is more of a composition thing, whereas a LICK is a bit of lead-guitar-playing expertise. And OWERS was a stretch. Maybe people who yelp are OWERS.
I liked the CSO to JINX and its context. WHORL was less a problem for me in today’s puzzle than it was yesterday at the DMV, where I had to appear for license renewal because I’m over 70. My thumb print is barely detectable, but the DMV now uses repeated thumb-printing to keep track of people while they’re going through various phases of the process.
I wasn’t sure it’s P.C. to like KISSY. Ideal used to make a doll named Kissy who somewhat resembled Chatty Cathy. Jingle lyrics: “Go get Kissy if you want a little kiss. Press her arms like this. You get a little kiss.” That product wouldn’t fly today.
HOO-HA has an alternate meaning that makes it a dubious entry. This limerick I submitted to a contest recently (my other entry, about a certain politician, won the contest) illustrates my point.
A trans person living in Utah
Ran afoul of the Beehive State’s new law
Those rules didn’t hinder
His changing of gender,
Creating, in those parts, a hoo-ha.
"Owers" is pretty lame, and I DNK ANCHOS. As for the theme, I thought I figured out the "SH" trick with 17A, the very first theme clue. But SOURCADDIES made me think I must be wrong, as I read it "SHORECADDIES" (Huh?) and SHOWERCADDIES didn't occur to me so I thought my SH substitution theme must be wrong. So, I thought I was wrong, but I was wrong: I was right! As others have mentioned, I have a different definition of HOOHA, and as for the supplied clue definition, I'm not so sure I've ever heard the term mentioned that way. Also, ORATION took forever to fall into place, needed a LOT of perps to finally get the V-8 can to hit. Overall, an appropriately difficult Friday level brain-buster, with a clever theme and many clever clues, thanx ES. MalMan, your write-up is always an enjoyable, informative, fun read. Thanx so much for all the time and effort you put into it.
Thanks, Ed Sessa, for constructing a fun and clever Friday challenge. There were few obscurities, and I appreciated thoughtful clues like "Not perfect" for HUMAN. Chutes and Ladders brought back memories of playing that board game with my kids.
There were a few challenges for me, like OWERS, MOA. DRU, ANCHOS, PSEC, and WILCO. But Ed--and presumably Patti-- made sure that useful perps were lurking in their vicinity.
I hear that there is going to be a Jeopardy! spinoff, Jeopardy! Pop Culture. It occurred to me that since many crosswords today seem to be overloaded with pop culture references (not particularly today's), there should be a collection of pop culture puzzles available for people who enjoy that sort of thing. And then pop culture in the LAT crossword could be verboten.
T Ken @12:33. Super idea!
Hola! Of course, ANCHOS was a sure fill for me but that was the only one. The rest were a struggle all the way. I did not know O'HARA as clued, have never read or seen "Outlander" and SAM could have been clued in a dozen other ways. I learned WHORL from watching CSI. My daughter and her friends loved playing CHUTES AND LADDERS. I'm unfamiliar with LICK as clued. MUCHOS was another easy fill for me. My sisters and I loved visiting TAOS.
Thank you, Ed Sessa, for the challenge. It was a good workout. Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Thanks for the kind comments. I did figure out the theme on my own but much head scratching was involved before enough static electricity was generated to ignite the aha lightbulb. The shower caddy bit was especially perplexing. Now I hope that I do not think of this puzzle every time I "jump" in the shower. What's the cruciverbalism equivalent of an ear worm?
T-Ken, my hand's up for that! A crunchy, FUN, Friday from Dr. Ed. Great clues, fair perps, and a theme that went completely over my head. (Thanks for 'splainin, MM!) Teddy's diplomatic "Big Stick" was the Great White Fleet!
I agree with hoo-ha meaning rumpus. "the media hoo-ha that inevitably occurs when a politician makes a gaffe, no matter how inconsequential." Both the media and the politicians of make a lot of hoo-ha over non essentials.
Yup, UP Phil got it right, I think.
DW recently used the term HOO-HA. I can’t recall the specifics of the conversation but I know it wasn’t referenced in the same context as today’s clue. 😂
They are all digital, but I don't think they are all HD. HD is probably a moving target - the original sets were certainly HD compared to the best analog sets (Sony Trinitron, probably.) 4K was an evolution, followed by Ultra 4K.
YP, I am pretty certain that Charlie's mother, Evelyn, was using the word in the same way on the TV show.
I usually like Master Sessa's puzzles and this one is no exception.
I completed the puzzle on my phone before setting out for a day of bird watching, but the theme went right over my head, just like many of the targets of my search today. Thank goodness for Mal Man's explanation! Many thanks to MM and to Ed Sessa for the mental workout.
BTW, DH and I discuss perambulation so that the dogs won't hear us say "walk," and yes, if two people say the same thing at the same time, they yell JINX! This was a given in grammar school and holds true today! ;-)
Thanks to Ed S. for his Friday toughie! I filled it but I didn't "get it".
FAVs: Clue for GAS and how WILCO paired with its clue.
Saw the CSO to Jinx. I am familiar with saying Jinx as clued and "owing a coke"; but where I'm from, if two friends said the same thing at the same time we said, "Pinch. Poke. You owe me a coke." We gently pinched and poked our friend when we said it.
FLN: Congratulations to inanehiker on your retirement!!! I must have missed the news. Well earned, I have no doubt. Is DH retiring as well?
MUCHas gracias to MalMan for cracking the code on this one. Well done!!
Fun and creative theme as expected from Ed Sessa - getting to this late again, but since I'm an hour west of PDT - expected after a busy day
When I think of Shuttle Diplomacy I think of Henry Kissinger when he was Secretary of State - he logged a lot of air miles between different countries.
Thanks SD and Naomi for the good wishes- DH retired last January - so fun to be gone on an adventure to celebrate!
Just went to an amazing restaurant called The Kincaid Grill in Anchorage with a friend from college who is from here - it looks like a little no name place in a strip mall but it had amazing food and -surprising to me the day after Thursday's puzzle- it had a BURRATA salad on the menu! They cater the winner's dinner at the end of the Iditarod ski race every year
I didn't know Kelley OHara the soccer player , but I do know Kelli O'Hara the Broadway star who has been nominated for Tony awards multiple times and won for the revival of "The King and I' in 2015
Thanks MM for the blog and to Ed for the interesting puzzle!
I forgot AGAIN with the new format to put my name on August 10 12:39 am comment (though it's only 939 pm on August 9th here)
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