Themeless Saturday by Zhouqin (C.C. ) Burnikel
C.C.'s lovely construction was a treat to work and her stacks took up 108 of the 225 cells in the grid. Her wit and wisdom are everywhere. C.C. was good enough to share these pictures with us.
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| Tom Pepper, C.C., Daniel Bodily and Andrea Carla Michaels |
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Andrea and Daniel had authored the NYT puzzle on that day and so Andrea invited some local constructors to stroll around Lake Harriet. |
C.C.'s puzzle contains obscure names or familiar names with obscure cluing that she may or may not have authored and culinary items I'm pretty sure she did. I'll take a "got 'er done".
Across
1. Price-less event: RED TAG SALE 😀 The items are priced-less but not priceless!
11. [You did what?]: GASP -
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| Someone upset Dr. Bailey! |
15. Square deals: EVEN TRADES - The most uneven "trade" in baseball history is said to be the Yankees getting Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for $100,000. Some felt it "cursed" the Red Sox to not win a World Series for 80 years.
16. Actress Shawkat: ALIA.
17. Surprise party request: DON'T BE LATE 😀
18. Lasses: GALS.
19. Two in a million?: ELS - Meta reference to the two "L's" in million
20. Peak performance: A-GAME.
21. Bags: SACKS - We call them sacks around here
22. Tennis great who won 18 Grand Slam singles championships: EVERT.
24. "Queen Sugar" role for Bianca Lawson: DARLA. I remember DARLA from The Little Rascals but have never heard of this one
26. Parabola piece: ARC - Questions on how to find the length of that ARC? 🤔
27. No more than: MERE - Ralph Kramden often told Alice, "It's a MERE bag of shells" when she thought something was too expensive.
28. Blues and bluegrass: GENRES.
29. Quintana __, Mexico: ROO - If you vacation in Cancún at the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, you are in the Mexican state of Quintana ROO. It was named for Andrès Quintana ROO recognizing his efforts in the Mexican War for Independence 1810- 1821.
30. Tool for making eyelet holes: AWL.
32. Some reunión familiar attendees: TIAS - The accented letter indicates Spanish and I correctly chose TIAS over TIOS
33. Trifling amount: TAD.
34. Big play ground: STADIUM. 😀
38. Lead up to: PRECEDE.
40. Many a "Derry Girls" teacher: NUN.
41. Lacking a date: STAG.
43. Casual dating letters: NSA - No Strings Attached. This is how one might apply this idea in the digital world.
44. "Twisted Love" author Huang: ANA.
45. Inside looks: DECORS.
47. Connected notes: SLUR - Sinatra famously slid between notes
51. Super gp.?: PAC - When the National Education Association became a very active Political Action Committee, it lost some members. Our state association passed a law saying you had to join all three, local (FEA), state (NSEA) and national (NEA) or none.
52. Japanese city known as The Nation's Kitchen: OSAKA - Explanation
53. Social media action: SHARE.
54. Tourney format: PRO-AM - These three famous guys were AMateurs who played in a Winter Bob Hope Classic with PROS in his PRO-AM event
58. Free spot: PSA - How about this Public Service Announcement from the 50's?
59. Eternities: EONS.
60. Elote en vaso: CORN IN A CUP - Our foodie moderator continues with her mini theme. It's pretty easy to translate this Mexican dish.
62. Emmy winner who hosts the "Clear+Vivid" podcast: ALDA.
63. Story that gets lost in time: UNTOLD TALE - How'd they build those pyramids?
64. Smack: SLAP.
65. Brenda Song, once: DISNEY STAR - Speaking of the 50's above, Annette would have worked better for me.
Down:
1. Offset, in a way: REDEEM - A FB player who fumbles hopes to REDEEM himself later in the game
2. Change over time: EVOLVE. If you are 8. Not moving: ADAMANT, your opinions do not EVOLVE.
3. More compact: DENSER.
4. Explosive letters: TNT.
5. Ready to swing: AT BAT 😀
6. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" kid: GREG.
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| Greg Heffley |
9. "Don't hold back!": LET 'ER RIP.
11. Totally smitten: GAGA.
12. Separately: ALA CARTE - I just want the sandwich, no fries and no drink.
13. Route that facilitated the spread of Buddhism: SILK ROAD.
14. Face scan alternative: PASS CODE - Do you use any of these most common codes?
21. Gets smart: SASSES - SUSSES? Not so much.
23. Scan: READ - TLDR option.
25. Picks up: LEARNS - The longer we solve the more we pick up.
28. Squat muscles: GLUTES.
31. Sagacity: WISDOM.
34. Chikuzenni vegetables: SNAP PEAS - Chikuzenni or Nishime is a classic Japanese dish of simmered root vegetables and chicken
35. Tekkamaki: TUNA ROLL - Our constructor/foodie continues
36. Amazon predator: ANACONDA.
37. Kraft supply: MACARONI.
39. "Songwriter" country singer: CASH.
42. Small racers: GO KARTS 😀
46. Spoil, as a barbecue: RAIN ON - Barbara Streisand sang "Don't bring around a cloud to RAIN ON my, uh, barbecue" 😀
48. Purr-fect companion: LAP CAT - Lily surprised my son-in-law.
49. "The Little Mermaid" villain: URSULA.
50. Harvesting machine: REAPER - McCormick made the original mechanical one
53. Like used beach towels: SANDY.
55. Urgent letters: ASAP.
57. Rummikub piece: TILE.
60. Ruminant's mouthful: CUD.
61. Mentions on X: ATS - Applicant Tracking System
Today would have been my late brother's 77th birthday. My sibling's birthdays are engrained in my memory.
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Jimmy, Linda and Gary 8/24 10/4 9/11 |
34 comments:
I was glad to see C.C.’s byline attached to a Saturday puzzle. And while this puzzle certainly was a challenge, there were only a few clues that really had me scratching my head. But, in the long run, I persevered and got the win. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Got 'er done...almost. My SNowPEAS got to stand. Bzzzzt! Thanx for playing. Nice one, C.C. and Husker.
It was kind of a slow start up top, not much filled till I got a foothold in the SW, working counter clockwise back to the NW where I got my congratulatory message in 22:38 w/out help. Needed perps for GREG, DARLA, ANA, DISNEY STAR (DNK Brenda Song), and ALIA, which we’ve had before but I hadn’t committed Shakrat to memory, maybe next time. I tried to brush away the acute accent above the O in reunion thinking it was a dust mote, but it got me TIAS. Have been to Cozumel, an island just off the coast of Quintana ROO, less busy than Cancun. NUN was a CSO to dear Lucina. C.C. ~ always a pleasure to see your byline, you never disappoint with either themed or themeless!
HG ~ always appreciate your Saturday insights! The math to figure out an ARC is well beyond my capabilities. We refer to SACKS as “bags” around here, and I prefer four paper ones over twenty five plastic ones, as they are from a renewable resource and will recycle or decompose, plastic not so much.
Yet another close, but no cigar. For the most part this very enjoyable puzzle came together nicely. I thought I was going to FIR in record time. Then I hit a brick wall in the SE corner and had to resort to red letters to fill the few remaining empty squares. All in all, a fun way to start the weekend.
Took 10:08 today.
I had snow peas before snap peas, too.
There were some really good clues/answers today, and some rough ones:
today's actress (Alia); the other actress/singer (Brenda Song); the character, actress, or show (Darla); the writer (Ana) or her work; the podcaster (Alda); the Mexican geography (Roo - you get my point); the French course; Chikuzenni; tekkamaki; and, elote en vaso.
I didn't like the intersection of the unknown movie/show character crossing the French word.
Although I know "Alda," I don't know him "as clued," as we like to say. Podcaster, nowadays, doesn't really narrow anything down much at all.
August 24, 2024 - a date that will live in infamy - a Saturday crossword was correctly filled by the lowly Jinx. Guess that proves the "a monkey hitting keys at random on a keyboard for an infinite amount of time will type War and Peace" theory. (Sorry, Monkey.) But I did erase gosh for GASP, sou for TAD, and let it out for LET ER RIP.
CSO to moi at DENSER.
I guess that Kraft has to have a supply of MACARONI so it can produce mac and cheese. AFAIK, Kraft doesn't market market MACARONI by itself.
There were a bunch of proper and foreign words that I didn't know. handy crosses and good guesses (I thought "mentions on X" might be "Jinx is AT his parole officer's office" and "Jinx is AT the soup kitchen.")
My dad said "pokes" instead of bags or SACKS.
Thanks to CC for letting me play today. And thanks to H.Gary for the fine review. They are more fun when I've actually worked the puzzle.
First, congratulations C.C. I FIW after taking a few wrong guesses on the foods I had zero knowledge of. My SNOW PEAS were SNAP PEAS. WAC didn't make sense because it was wrong. My ANA was ONA for that unknown. I've never used Twitter-X, and I thought maybe there was some type of tweet. I had TS filled and finished with a G, which gave me the incorrect CORNING CUP instead of the right CORN IN A CUP for the unknown food. I had the wrong type of dish.
The rest filled in Saturday time-slowly. Who is Brenda Song? I had no idea but managed to fill DISNEY STAR.
Who is Shawkat? I have no idea but I did fill ALIA..
"Queen Sugar", Bianca Lawson, and DARLA- a trifecta of unknowns that I got.
Podcasts I watch?-none but ALDA was a good guess after a couple of perps.
Biryani and RAITA- never heard of either but I filled it.
Ditto for the 'ships passing in the night' for NSA.
URSULA, GREG, TILE, ESE-those were filled by perps. With -babble as a clue I was thinking PSYCHO-babble- it wouldn't fit.
Well, C.C. brought her A-GAME today when she was AT BAT.
Gary- sounds like a money shakedown for your PAC. It's all about the Benjamins.
FIR, but somewhat of a struggle which is to be expected on a Saturday. But compared to previous weeks a tad easier than most.
I had to take a WAG at the crossing of tile and raita, and corn in a cup looked so wrong, but I went with it and got 'er done.
Overall a most enjoyable puzzle.
I can’t believe I FIR!! I think this may be my first Saturday victory! And in 21:29. I think maybe it was a little easier than most Saturdays, at least for me, but that’s ok..it made my day!
Same here! A Saturday victory!
I’m the poor Monkey that didn’t type enough letters to finish this puzzle. Lots of names I’m not familiar with, though some filled with perps, like ALIA, DARLA, ANA, URSULA, GREG.
I hung on to pet CAT so the SE remained mostly blank. In addition I had CORN IN A can. I’m not a foodie at all, so the SW was missing some fills.
I believe this is the first time I’ve not completed one of CC’s CW.
HG, what a sweet photo of you and your siblings.
Good Morning:
Well, CC brought her A Game this morning, and then some. Despite the many knowns, including clue words, I finished w/o help, although it took about 30 minutes. Darla, Roo, Ana, Slur, Corn in A Cup, Disney Star, Ese, Snap Peas, Tuna Roll, and Ursula all needed perps but, surprisingly, my WAG at Silk Road gave me a much-needed toehold. Alia Shawkut is embedded in my brain because she plays a major part in a recent series, The Old Man, with two favorite actors, Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow. She is also memorable because of her freckle-filled face. I thought the cluing was devious but not devilish or unfair, and the fill was fresh and sparkling.
Thanks, CC, for a satisfying solve-you never disappoint and thanks, HG, for another stellar commentary and great visuals, especially the photo of Darling Lily. Also enjoyed seeing the young HG with his siblings!
FLN
Ray O, get well soon! Hope your symptoms are not too severe.
Have a great day.
So I need to get feverish more often. I finished a Saturday puzzle!! (and by our illustrious CC). Maybe cuz I wasn’t distracted fretting about chores, errands and DW’s honey-do list etc that I can’t do anyway in ice-o-lashun .
Inkovers: agog/GAGA, evenrates/TRADES, USA/PSA, let it rip/Er
Liked “two in a million”. Wanted to try free for all for “priceless event” but didn’t wanna Inkover so many letters if wrong. ESE-babble?. Always fergit (now it’s “actress” not actor) “Shawkat” .
“Chikuzenni”? “Tekkamaki”? Rummikub” “Elote etc”? CC whaddyah doin’ to us! 😫. The plethora of three letter clues (sorry IM, and feeling a lot better today thanks) helped perp out the answers. So next time I go to the market I wanna see the expression on the face of the 19yo produce clerk when I ask “where are your freshest “Chikuzenni” 😂.
Husker I would argue that “Elote” for CORN isn’t obvious, the word in Spanish is maíz. LIU “Elote” is from the Nhuatl for “corn”. But I agree an easy answer for our all our Aztec cornerites 😁
I figured “réunion familiar” was French and could only fit fils (sons) which didn’t perp. (I missed my HS reunion held yesterday 😔)
Small racers, is it a C or a K?GO__ARTS, only the perp OSAKA knows. “Get(s) Smart” KAOS wouldn’t work 😁
“No more than” 7 years bad luck if you break a____….MERE
What impatient gardeners do….PRECEDE
One cow to another, “____ you chew a little quieter? …..CUD
Cyrus McCormick’s first attempt at a mechanical harvesting machine was a failure mangling the crops…. A grim____ …REAPER
Have a nice weekend 😀
Close, but no cigar. Ya got me this morning, CC! An enjoyable struggle, nonetheless.
I'd like to make a (weak) case for the letter P in square 21, where I had pACKS FOR "bags," and pASSES for "gets smart." I realize that passing is not the same as getting smart, but it seemed like a joke my dad would have made.
I also fell into the SNowPEAS trap with desper-otto and BIG EASY, but I had a question mark next to WAC and should have thought harder about it. ANA/oNA was no help.
Congratulations to Adele and to Aubiemom for their winning WISDOM! Ray-O, feel better soon. Thanks, C.C., for a great puzzle and for this forum to SHARE the experience. Thanks, Husker Gary, for explaining it all. I was DENSER than some of you today!
I see what you mean, Ray, and thought a bit about putting that comment in rather than a straight-up translation. However, I thought the picture would give you CUP for Vaso and that CUP seemed to be filled with corn, so… :-) Everything I found online called this a Mexican dish. Thanks for your take on it.
A nice surprise when I see Saturday's puzzle was done by CC. I knew it would be hard but I would be able to do it. I especially liked "get smart" and "leterrip". Well done CC.
I meant to say: “Great write up BTW” it came out . So let me compromise and say: “Great write up, right up there with the greats” 😉
CORN IN A CUP is four words. For many years, I refused to embrace crossword puzzles because, dagnabbit, the clues ought to warn you when the answers are multi-worded. I got over that, but the puzzle was full of them today and the SE corner nearly pulled me back into that rut.
Brenda Song was a DISNEY STAR, eh? I filled it in but wasn’t sure I was right. Ditto for UNTOLD TALE. Several perps made it harder: ATS, TILE, and URSULA, as clued. Even LAP CAT threw me, because I thought we were supposed to name a companion for that cat instead of the cat being the companion.
The NW was no picnic either. Apparently, I’ve never known what a RED TAG SALE entails. I liked LET ‘ER RIP, but it wasn’t easy to discern. And ESE, as clued? Impediments elsewhere, in addition to NSA, included my failure to see the accent in reunions, which indicated espanol, clues containing terms like Chikuzanni and Rummikub, and obscure clues for ALDA, CASH, TILE, URSULA, and DARLA.
I got toeholds from EVERT, SILK ROAD, RAITA, GLUTES, and Quintana ROO, but overall, this wasn’t one of my favorite C.C. puzzles, though it’s always good to see her byline. Thank you, too, Gary.
I enjoyed solving this puzzle.
I’m with you re non-plastic “bags.”
Copy Editor@ 1:28
I first started getting intrigued with CW puzzles in the early 60’s home from school to see my Dad’s completed daily puzzle. Back then if an answer was more than one word in was stated in the clue . Not sure when that became CW taboo. I also miss the themes that were common then that produced an adage or “saying”
Not a single “too many proper names” today. Hmm…
Ray-O @2;24. Once theme we haven’t had in a very long time is a quote running over several long answers.
That’s what I meant. You better said it than me 😁
Hola! So late today. My sister, Yoli, spent the night and we visited, catching up on family news, etc. I made breakfast for us then my niece, her husband and two grandnieces came to collect her. More visiting and more catching up. So much has happened that I was unaware of! Many break-ups, sadly. Ah. The puzzle. For a Saturday, not too difficult but a challenge, nevertheless. I love RED TAG SALES and have acquired some nice clothes at those events. Did not know DARLA, ALIA, DISNEY STAR, BRENDA SONG or ALDA in that role. It's been many, many years since I visited Cancun and Quintana ROO. In 1984, I believe. Wow! 40 years! My niece, Karyn, was 16 at the time and had the waiters going GAGA. Our water glasses were never low and we could have ordered ANYTHING and would be overwhelmed with attention.
My next door neighbor had a number pad installed on her door and so she uses a PASS CODE to unlock her door.
Tonight we plan to celebrate my s-i-l's 50th birthday at a sushi restaurant but I make sure there would be other food as well.
Wishing you all a very pleasant evening!
Ugh. I MADE sure (correction)
I liked today's puzzle -- probably because I like C.C. and I got a FIR. Those put a thumb on the scale.
FAVs: DON'T BE LATE, AT BAT, and -ESE (as clued) and Inside looks
Thanks, C.C.!
Congrats to Adele@8:49 and Aubiemom@9:29!
Thanks to H-Gary! Today I needed your help to understand why NSA, ATS, and PROAM worked.
NaomiZ I thought I had FIR but realized I also had PACKS/PASSES. I think we both deserve PASSES as these answers do make sense.
Here I was at a less famous archaeological site in QUINTANA ROO called Coba.
Hand up mystified by ATS, thinking of @s. Hand up mystified by ESE-BABBLE until perps forced it and the lights slowly came on.
Gary, I forgot to mention the nice photo of you and your siblings. Are they all still alive? I've lost two brothers so I know it happens.
Terrific, delightful puzzle, C.C.--many thanks, we loved it! And thanks for your always helpful commentary, Gary.
Lucina, My sister and our much younger sister still survive.
I’m a day late but returning after three weeks in the upper peninsula! This looked to be pretty quick until the SE corner as well as a bit of time on NE corner due to Alia, gasp and packs (bags/packs?). I still don’t understand slur as connected notes? And never heard of corn in a cup, but once psa finally dawned on me: FIR! And my normal rant on personal names that are fairly obscure.
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