Rope Bridges: The Cambridge Dictionary defines a Rope Bridge as: a bridge made of long pieces of rope tied together with knots, and wooden boards for people to walk on". In today's puzzle, the Rope spans and connects each two-word phrase.
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| Me crossing a Rope Bridge in the Peruvian Amazon. |
17-Across. Garage button: DOOR OPENER.
25-Across. Jewelry that hangs just below a lobe: DROP EARRING.
37-Across. Coriander-based sauce: CILANTRO PESTO. I make Basil Pesto.
49-Across. Promotional interest rate, perhaps: ZERO PERCENT.
And the unifier:
59-Across. Rudimentary span suspended over a river, or a span found in 17-, 25-, 37-, and 49-Across: ROPE BRIDGE.
While the video below is not a rope bridge, the bamboo bridge of Kampong Cham in Cambodia spans the Mekong River from the mainland to Koh Pen, an island in the river. We walked across it a couple of years ago. It is probably the most dangerous bridge I have ever crossed. Hubby fell while trying to speed walk and still has the scars on his leg from being cut on the bamboo.
Across:
1. Postinjury support: CRUTCH.
7. Do one's darned best?: SEW. Cute clue.
10. Puts together: ADDS.
14. Like a yes-no question: BINARY. More than you would ever want to know about Binary Responses.
15. "But you can call me ... " letters: AKA. Also Known As.
16. Take in, as crops: REAP.
19. Sandwich spread: MAYO.
20. Jacket wool: TWEED. Everything you wanted to know about Tweed but didn't know to ask.
21. Emoticon eyes, often: COLON.
:-)
22. Ryder Cup org.: PGA. As in the Professional Golfers' Association. Everything you wanted to know about the Ryder Cup but didn't know to ask.
28. Cot settings: BUNKS.
30. Food label letters: RDA. As in the Recommended Daily Allowances.
31. Born: NÉE. Today's French lesson. This word has become a crossword staple.
32. Leave gratified: SATE.
33. Brings down: SADDENS.
41. Take care of: PROTECT.
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| The tiny words at the bottom of the door read: "To Punish and Enslave" |
42. Nothing, in Spanish: NADA. Today's Spanish lesson.
44. Gallery piece: ART.
47. Slice of history: ERA.
48. Tie sometimes worn with an open collar: ASCOT.
54. Find to be mined: ORE.
55. "__ means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten": "Lilo & Stitch": OHANA. Today's Hawaiian language lesson.
56. Like a cheering crowd: AROAR. The dreaded A word.
58. Predetermines the outcome: RIGS.
64. Lake that feeds the Niagara River: ERIE. This reminds me of our old friend Abejo. [Name Adjacent.]
65. Actor's prompt: CUE.
66. Soccer star Messi: LIONEL. Can you believe we made it all the way to clue 66 before encountering a name! Lionel Andrés Messi (b. June 24, 1987) is an Argentine professional soccer player, or as they say in countries outside of the United States, a professional football player. [Name # 1.]
67. Religious offshoot: SECT. Last week the Quakers formed the SECT. (See 64-Across from last week's puzzle.)
68. Broadcast: AIR.
69. State, in Mexico: ESTADO. More of today's Spanish lesson.
Down:
1. Ingredient in some oils, briefly: CBD. As in Cannabidiol, which is the chemical found in marijuana. CBD is legal in many states, including Louisiana.
2. __ Grande: RIO. More of today's Spanish lesson.
3. Mattel card game: UNO.
4. Tangy: TART.
5. Packs together: CROWDS.
6. Link prefix: HYPER.
7. Wall St. "500" index: S AND P. Standard and Poor is more commonly denoted as S&P. The S&P 500 is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 of the largest companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. I hope you didn't try to parse this as SAND P.
8. Barely make (out): EKE.
9. Tug-of-__: WAR.
10. Knight's outer layer: ARMOR.
11. Give a hand?: DEAL IN.
12. Start of a new routine: DAY ONE. School has already started here so many kids have already had their Day One of the new school year.
13. Light cake type: SPONGE. A brief history of the Sponge Cake.
18. Fair-hiring initials: EEO. As in Equal Employment Opportunity.
21. Leggy wader: CRANE. What's the difference between a crane and an egret?
22. "Cosmos" network: PBS. As in Public Broadcasting Service. Cosmos was a television series that aired in 1980-1981 that covered many scientific subjects on the origin of life and our place in the universe. It was written and narrated by Carl Sagan (Nov. 9, 1934 ~ 1996).
23. Nacho dip, briefly: GUAC. As in Guacamole. Yummers!
24. Not supporting: ANTI.
26. One performing CPR, perhaps: ER DOC. As in Emergency Room Doctor.
27. Highly skilled (at): ADEPT.
29. Seaweed superfood: KELP.
33. Saw logs: SNORE.
34. Oil used in some perfume: ATTAR. This makes occasional appearances in the crossword puzzles. Everything you wanted to know about Attar but didn't know to ask.
35. Beats by __: headphones brand: DRE. The Dre in Beats by Dre refers to music producer Dr. Dre (né Andre Romell Young; b. Feb. 18, 1965), who founded the company, Beats Electronics, in 2006. [Name # 2.]
36. IDs on 1040 forms: SSNs. As in Social Security Numbers.
38. Stuffed cornmeal snack: AREPA. I have probably eaten Arepa, but didn't know that was what they were called.
39. Stuffed tortilla snack: TACO. Yummers! More food.
40. Olfactory stimulus: ODOR.
43. Feasted: ATE.
44. Island chain northwest of Morocco: AZORES. I will be traveling to the Azores with my sister next spring. The Azores are a chain of 9.
45. Sign on again: RE-HIRE.
46. Very unfortunate: TRAGIC.
48. Early video game consoles: ATARIS. [Name adjacent.]
50. Commencement: ONSET.
51. Prank: CAPER.
52. Before, poetically: ERE.
53. Having a dignified air: NOBLE.
57. Good-for-a-laugh type: RIOT.
59. Sony Music subsidiary: RCA.
60. French affirmative: OUI. Today's French lesson.
61. Genetic code carrier: DNA.
63. "Mr. Blue Sky" gp.: ELO. As in the Electric Light Orchestra. [Name adjacent]
Here's the grid:
חתולה
45 comments:
The “a” at the end of “ Ohana” and “arepa” was a total WAG. Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Still need Firefox Troubleshoot Mode in order to post.
Crashed and burned this morning. AREPA/OHANA did me in. That final letter could've been most anything...even an I. Bzzzzzzzt! Will it be EEO or EOE? Only the perps know for certain. RCA was a CSO to a couple of cornerites -- you know who you are. Thanx, ZDL and Hahtoolah. (What's the attraction to the Azores? Nature? History? Beaches?)
I guess if you’re Hawaiian familiar with Lilo & Stitch and South American cuisine, OHANA/AREPA would be a gimme, for most of us that second A was probably a WAG. I liked Zach’s puzzle today, shouldn’t warrant any complaints about not being fair. Hahtoolah ~ as always, I enjoyed reading your take on the puzzle, and all the graphics etc :)
FIW; hand up for missing AREPe x OHANe. Erased nas for DRE, exhausting my inventory of rappers I know of.
Like a cheering, or jeering, crowd. Right, Chitown?
Patti is back to insisting that a TACO is a snack.
Except for that Saturday-level Natick, I liked this one a lot. Thanks, Zachary. And thanks to Ha2la for another fine review. (The Bloodline Golf article has one slip-up. They no longer use the term "halve" or "halved." Now they say "tie" and "tied." It was supposed to make Ryder Cup TV coverage more approachable to folks who aren't golf fans.)
Aside to Lucina:
Kim Komando, a computer guru I've followed for 30 years, reports:
In June, the Arkansas attorney general filed a lawsuit against Temu, alleging the app is malware in sheep's clothing. The suit claims Temu “gains unauthorized access to users' personal data, including camera access, location, contacts, text messages and more.”
Be careful.
I didn't know OHANA, but this foodie knew AREPA. Similar to the Mexican gorditas. Just yesterday, I watched Bryan Roof on America's Test Kitchen or Cook's Country make gorditas. They looked good!
We've had AREPA a half dozen or so times in the LA Times the last couple of years, and it also appears fairly often in the USA Today and Universal puzzles. I think Evan Birnholz also had AREPA as an answer in the Washington Post Sunday puzzle. It's a very crossword friendly word.
Hahtoolah, that looks like a long bridge!
D-O, I typed in the comments area and got the error message. So I copied the text, refreshed the tab, pasted and posted. That's been working for me
Also, based on last night, it looks like some people still don't have the new UI
FIR, but had to take a WAG at the crossing of ohana and arepa. Neither was known to me and frankly their crossing was very cruel.
Got the theme with the reveal. I thought it was quite appropo for a Tuesday puzzle.
Overall an enjoyable romp in crossword land!
Good Morning, Crossword friends. I thought people would be happy with today's puzzle since there was only 1 name, and that name, Lionel Messi, has been in the news a lot recently.
I am not keen on this new format. I had been away for the past few weeks, so hadn't actually seen how it works in the comment section. Much more difficult to read for these old eyes.
QOD: Never say “no” to pie. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like pie. If somebody doesn’t like pie, I don’t trust them. ~ Al Roker (né Albert Lincoln Roker, Jr.; b. Aug. 20, 1954), American journalist and television personality
Jinx, it's not just that. Temu avoids import fees by shipping in small quantities, which also avoids inspections at points of entry. Toys that are banned here because of choking hazards or because they contain lead make it through. Experts also believe that the cotton used in clothes comes from an area of China that has been banned for international trade because of forced labor and child labor. You have little to no consumer protection.
Zach Lucas likes pie. Especially chocolate pie.
8 year old Zach Lucas won the pie eating contest at the Iowas State Fair, and was interviewed in this clip.
Took 6:03 today for me to crop edges.
Very few names, and no circles -- nice.
I was able to skip today's French lesson - thank you perps.
I had arepas a couple years ago and I am vaguely familiar with the word ohana, but yeah, that's a dirty intersection.
Good Morning:
This was a fun Tuesday solve with a well-hidden theme, to me, anyway, and a surprise reveal. There was no dreck in this clean, smooth grid, so smooth that the abundant (25) TLWs went mostly unnoticed throughout the solve. Arepa was not an issue for me, as we've seen it many times before. Ohana, though, was a new entry and, along with CBD and Azores, needed the helpful perps. My only w/o was Start/Onset. The absence of circles may mean that Patti is listening to this solving community. Dare we hope?
Thanks, Zachary, for a neat Tuesday treat and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the informative and entertaining review. Loved all the comics but Mayo Clinic wins first prize, hands down in my book. The rope bridge and bamboo bridge are both out of my comfort zone, especially the former because of the height. You are a brave lady!
Have a great day.
Thank you, Zachary, for a compelling puzzle today. It was a model of execution and construction for one thing, and it largely avoided pop culture and peoples' names. The one exception to the latter was Lionel Messi, pride of Argentina, and probably one of the richest athletes in the world.
Still. I do wish to nominate the crossing 38D/55A for the Natick Hall of Fame.
Shades of Indiana Jones, with all those rope bridges in the puzzle!
A culinary question, concerning 37A, "coriander-based sauce," which translates to CILANTROPESTO. The heart of pesto, though, is basil (and pine nuts and other things). Does cilantro pesto substitute cilantro for basil? If so, then it shouldn't be called pesto. But if the cilantro is just added as an addition to normal pesto, then I'm on board. Nummer nummer.
Again, Zachary, I appreciated your smooth, fun, and satisfying challenge today.
Just to clarify, the Ryder Cup (between Europe and the USA) is played on odd-numbered years. The Presidents Cup (between the rest of the world except Europe and the USA) is contested in even-numbered years. Both are played in late September. This year's Presidents Cup will be held in Canada, Eh!
Methinks there are too many cups. I can't keep track of which cup goes with what sport, let alone in which years they are played.
Not bad. But ‘Twould be nice to do a puzzle with “nothing in Spanish” or any foreign language.
Thought “barely make (out)” meant not get to first base 😆.
“link prefix”: was looking for HTTP or HTML, one of those H things. Turned out it was. Had TRY first for “do one’s darned best” (clever misdirection.) Unless yer talkin’ about the Irish county, or the actress Virginia, MAYO is an abbreviation or a “for short”
EEO : When I was a medical resident (1978-80) the eminent “New England Journal of Medicine” would post ads from hospitals offering sub specialty fellowships. The ad would often specify “no foreign medical graduates” even though any resident regardless of where they went to med school who passed a US state licensure exam and completed an accredited residency program was eligible. The post would invariably end with the statement “(insert name) Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer”. I wrote to the journal to point out the discriminatory selection process and the basic ironic misuse of the EEO statement. Received a letter back acknowledging receipt of mine but they continued to run the ads as was.
Hadda perp heron and egret, to get to CRANE. Doesn’t a “cot” have just one “setting”: FLAT
The DAY ONE clue seemed a bit out there for a Tuesday. DROPEARRINGS was a new one.
First I had REfIRE, as firing up a computer to resign onto but OHANA sounded more Polynesian giving me AREPA, WEES, a strange Natick for a Tuesday (“Stuffed cornmeal” and “snack” terms that don’t seem to go together. )
ATTAR suddenly popped out of the CW brain cortex where I store and try to recall stuff learned only from these puzzles.
Don’t even ___ ! You’re still not satisfied?….SATE
A musty rundown textile mill: OLFACTORY
Barnes “dignified” partner….. NOBLE
Temps droppin’, noticed some leaves 🍂 🍁 turnin’
Rope bridges? Rope bridges?? Why does that remind me of pianos??? and monkeys?
Good Morning!
I recall vowing the last time I did a ZDL puzzle that it would be my last, but here we are. I did it, but no joy in completing it. On a Tuesday?? An uphill climb, but with only one WO: 46D: event -> ONSET.
15A: You can call me….Ray. Brings to mind that funny comedy routine - Raymond J Johnson Jr. Some things you never forget!
I found my joy in reading your blog. Thanks, Hah2lah!
What a nice puzzle. Must be the lack of proper names, just one and an easy one at that. At first I had loop EARRINGS, then the theme showed up and changed. The last to fill was the center since I hadn’t heard of CILANTRO PESTO. And of course I left one cel blank, the A of OHANA.
Amazing the number of ways ERIE can be clued.
Thanks Hahtoolah for the neat recap. You’re right that was more than I wanted to know about BINARY answers. LOL.
After the reveal, looking for ROPE helped in the solving. The only word I didn't recall was OHANA, although I must have seen it in novels about Hawaii. We have had arepa before. It has become an English word like taco and sauerkraut.
I dislike seeing S AND P. It is never written like that . S&P. The same for J AND J. J&J.
I have many pairs of drop earrings. I have studs, too, but my hair covers them up, so I stick to drop earrings.
I enjoyed walking on a rope bridge in Costa Rica. The point is you have to trust the builder and the maintenance. Ray, great Laurel and Hardy clip.
Favorite clue was darned best/sew. So cute,
Change QUAC to GUAC to get PGA,
A word well known in one region, might be obscure in another. AREPA is such a word. Everyone I know is familiar with taco and sauerkraut, but none with AREPA.
Good learning moment. I learned arepa on the Corner. From these puzzles, among other things, I am learning place names in California and elsewhere. I won Trivial Pursuit last week knowing words and facts I learned here. One of the goals of the school where I taught was to help the students become life long learners.
What's not to love? Great puzzle, Zachary, and great review, Hahtoolah!
Tehachapi Ken, regarding pesto: "pesto" means crushed (think mortar and *pestle*). Pesto all genovese is usually made with basil, but when basil is out of season, other fresh herbs are substituted. In other regions, recipes vary. I've made pesto from parsley and from carrot tops!
Hahtoolah, my DH and I visited the headwaters of the Amazon in Peru a few years ago, and also crossed a rope bridge in the jungle. What an eye opening trip that was.
Typo above: Pesto ALLA genovese ...
I guessed "O" instead of "A" in you know where. Otherwise very nice, low name puzzle.
NaomiZ, was it hot, steamy, and buggy in the jungle?
Hurrah! A gen-yoo-wine crossWORD puzzle! That said, I managed to FIW at the AREPA. Still, an enjoyable outing, as the rest of the perps were very fair. The "cot setting/BUNK" was the last to fall. Still scratching my head over that one. Ha2la: loved the Mayo Clinic! I'm with Irish Miss on the rope bridge. I'd need something large and nasty chasing me before I would attempt it! Tried walking across the Royal Gorge suspension bridge on a windy day...got about ten feet, and crawled back.
Ken, there are many, many kinds of pesto. Check it out - basil is just the start.
That's what I thought when I was trying to decide whether I wanted to be a catcher or a linebacker. Which cup should I buy?
desper-otto at 10:57 AM -- you have described it perfectly! But the trees were towering, the wildlife was abundant, the human culture along the riverbanks was fascinating, and even the bugs were beautiful!
I went to get my ears lowered. The lady that cuts my hair is originally from Colombia. I asked her if she likes AREPAS. Her face lit up. I told her that I had never had one, but that I have had gorditas. She then told me about a place in a nearby plaza that sells AREPAS. Turns out it is just a couple of blocks from where Abejo lived, and her son gets them from there regularly.
I know exactly where she was talking about. I'm going to try the AREPAS at that place, but not today. I had to get a couple of other errands done, and now I'm miles away.
She told me about the similar Salvadorian pupusas, and the torilla de maiz. I had to look up their spellings when I got home.
Should have been tortilla de maiz
Oofda! Forgot to look for the theme...AGAIN! Did FIR in good time, but W/O: HOOP/LOOP/DROP. WEES the A was a wag. I figured either an A or an O. Guessed right. God Bless ZDL for the complete lack of obscure names. AROAR seems to be showing up a lot lately. Huh! I always thought GED stood for Graduate Equivalency Diploma. Live and learn. Thanx for the terrific Tuesday CW, ZDL. Good one! Thanx too to Hahtoolah for the terrific Tuesday write-up.
Hola! I'm still getting used to this format! It's disconcerting. Thanks to ZDL for the punchy puzzle. I've never heard of CILANTRO PESTO. I liked the pun at "SEW", do one's darned best. However, S and P is new for me. I'm very familiar with DROP EARRINGS and have many, many of them. I love EARRINGS! I've had pierced ears since I was about 13. OHANA is also a new term for me. I did not see "Lilo and Stitch" so missed out on that. Not only is NADA Spanish but MAYO means "May", too, and there is also RIO, river and UNO, meaning "one" and TACO. I'm not familiar with AREPA and I really, really dislike the term, GUAC. i first heard it from a neighbor who informed us she would be bringing "GUAC" to our party. Ugh.
I hope the day is going well for everyone!
Jinx, thank you for the update on TEMU. I've ordered many items from them so they likely have ALL my data!
Hi All:
Many of us seemed to FIW on the same word. Me too but I messed up the beginning with AZaRES | aHANA.
Thanks Zachary for the crunchy Tuesday puzzle. Thank you Hahtoolah for the always humorous & comic-laden review.
WO: Sleep -> SNORE
ESPs: ATTAR, AREPA, AZ_RES|_HANA
Fav: SEW's clue.
In Boy Scouts, we built a ROPE (AKA Monkey) BRIDGE to cross a lake's inlet. Fairly easy to make (once you get a few guys to the other side (a long hike)) and it tears down easily. Being over water made it fun to jump off too :-)
For you RosE - Raymond J Johnson Jr. [0:30 Natural Lite commercial]
Cheers, -T
Did not much care for today's puzzle, but I must acknowledge that it is praiseworthy for the relatively few proper nouns - 12 by my count (PGA, ERIE, LIONEL, RIO, UNO, SANDP, PBS, DRE, AZORES, ATARIS, RCA, and ELO). As at least one other commenter has noted, MAYO is an abbreviation but was not clued as such. The only sense I can make for the BUNKS clue is that a cot might be found in a bunkhouse, but I am not familiar with any type of structure, dwelling, or tent called a "bunk." Nor have I ever heard "cot" used as a synonym for "mattress." Does anyone else have any ideas about BUNKS? And there were too many TLWs.
Finally, a personal pet-peeve. I do realize that in America, "Ascot" is used to describe the article of menswear clued in today's puzzle, so I have to admit that it is a fair clue. However, I dislike the perpetuation of this misuse of the term. An Ascot is the formal necktie worn with traditional morning dress. It is specifically named after the Royal Ascot held at the Ascot Racecourse (think My Fair Lady), at which morning dress was (is?) required. What many in the USA (including our constructor) often call an Ascot should be called a day cravat. And because of the specific provenance of the term Ascot in reference to a type of neckwear, I do not think this should be chalked up to "Americans and Brits have different terms for various types of clothing" (sweater vs. jumper, pants vs. trousers, etc.). There simply is no good reason for an informal, under-the-collar, neckscarf to be called an Ascot.
I do think that the puzzle generally was fairly clued and was the right difficulty-level for a Tuesday, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Anon T, 🤣🤣🤣. Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen that version.
Rats, I forgot to use the REPLY button. I really like that feature in the new version.
Thought the model in the picture just had blue chest hair
I was tired.by the time I arrived at my last open square, at OHAN __ and AREP__, so I did a vowel run with the red letters. Only problem: i started the run with E instead of the customary aeiou, so A was my last choice.
Me, too, RayO. Something off about that pic.
I enjoyed solving this puzzle, filling that A crossing OHANA and AREPA last. HTTPS had to be changed to HYPER, which actually fits the clue better. And SOUR had to be changed to TART.
I put new batteries in our two garage DOOR OPENERS last week to replace the old ones which had gotten very weak.
Would resetting the Cot settings be DEBUNKing them?
Good reading you all.
Thanks to ZDL for a Tuesday gimmick! FAVs: Give a hand? and the comma in the ESTADO clue
Thanks to Hahtoolah for another fun & interesting review! FAVs: ART comic, CRANE video, and CUE comic
Visiting the Azores in on my list, too. Three of my grandparents were born in the U.S. after their parents immigrated from the Azores. I guess that makes me an Azorean-American.
= )
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