CHECK MARK✔
Theme from the Sting (The Entertainer) on Vibraphone
Hump Day~! Another Rebecca Goldstein puzzle - this time she's partnered with Rafael Musa, whose latest LA Times constructions were themeless Saturdays blogged by HuskerG. A 'normal' 15 x15 grid, and what is becoming a "normal" ( for me ) Wednesday occurrence, circles. Today's circles are in a pattern reminiscent of the way a chess knight moves, but skewed 45°, and all four examples use the letters V, I, B & E - The result; a CHECK mark, and a graphic representation of the theme of the puzzle;
57. "How's everybody feeling?," e.g., and an apt description of this puzzle's circled letters: VIBE CHECK - ✔
I have not heard or used this phrase; I guess I am just "OLD". It does sound Millennial, or GenZ, so I'm not surprised. On the flip side, we did have three other solid, nine-letter fills, so I am going to add those at the top of the write-up here, for Cornerites who care to "cheat" ( I used to 'peek' at the Saturday write-up for a little "assistance ). I did not get my "ta-DA~!" after the puzzle was filled; turns out I had a "U" in the cell where the "I" is, highlighted in the solution above, and it was the theme that helped me see my mistake....
16A. "That's my cue to leave": "I BETTER GO." - reminds me of the closing scene from Pulp Fiction - ✔
Vincent and Jules, dressed in T-shirts and shorts, "think they should be leaving now"
3D. Story connectors: ELEVATORS - Dah~! I got caught up thinking story as in tales, novels, movies, etc.
32D. Smarts: INTELLECT
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Swerve: VEER
5. Person in a toque: CHEF
9. Explicit content warning letters: NSFW - Not Suitable For Work
13. Vogue rival: ELLE
14. Short video on Instagram: REEL - new clue for this answer; I don't Instagram - filled via perps
15. "Cloud Atlas" star Berry: HALLE - never saw this movie - sounds intriguing, so I borrowed the book and started reading it this week - name #1
18. Instruments with bell-shaped bottoms: OBOES
19. Field near a volcano: LAVA BED
20. Race in place: REV
22. Go all in, maybe: BET - meh. It's not really a bet so much as a bluff, or desperation call
23. Help: AID
24. Person who doesn't sugarcoat things: REALIST - I consider myself a realist
26. Envelope abbr.: ATTN - ATTENTION - see 35A.
28. Fed a friend's iguana, say: PET SAT - I found another picture of my iguana Zeus - ✔
30. Cranberry farm: BOG
31. Finale: ENDING
35. Microwave aluminum foil, say: ERR - I actually made this error a week ago - I just wanted to take the chill off a protein bar, never noticing the foil package - but the sparks in the zapper got my ATTENTION - ✔
36. Endearing: LOVABLE
38. Word between last names: NÉE - Frawnche
39. "__ learned!": LESSON - I had to learn how to solder a windline joint last week - we are installing the windlines for the new pipe organ at St. Peter's Harwich, MA, this week. Here's a picture of a reed rank laid out so we can modify its wind chest for the Washington National Cathedral - ✔
41. Apple platform: iOS - I'm a PC
42. __-Alt-Del: CTRL - and this is how you FIX PCs
43. Endorses digitally: eSIGNS - Living in CT, I did a lot of eSigning for documents related to NY accounts - I wonder about the legality sometimes, when you take into consideration hackers
46. Takes a nosedive: CRATERS - There have been numerous episodes of Air Disasters where a mechanical failure led to a plane taking a nosedive, resulting in a crater.
49. Election Day mo.: NOVember, and fast approaching
50. Jockey item with straps?: BRA - Jockey, the brand name
55. Cravalho who voices Moana: AULI'I - name #3, did not see the movie, had no clue; her IMDb
59. Plug protrusion: PRONG
61. Hurt: ACHE
62. Jazz legend James: ETTA - name #5, crossword staple
63. Allows: LETS
64. Stash, as a carry-on: STOW
DOWN:
1. Accessory for some brides: VEIL - I was "today years old" when I saw this video - NOT Weird Al's version....
The Greg Kihn Band - Jeopardy
4. Keeps: RETAINS - AND rhyming - 24. Wins back: REGAINS
5. First Nations people: CREE - I WAGed OTOE. Bzzzt~!
6. Bison bunch: HERD
8. Cauliflower cut: FLORET - ah. I missed this on the first pass - broccoli would have clued me in
10. Mess-makers: SLOBS
11. Group of ships: FLEET - ARMADA didn't fit
12. "__ Coast best coast": WEST - WAG for the rhyme
15. Freeway section marked with diamonds: HOV LANE
17. "More info soon": TBD
21. Studio supports: EASELS - Artist's studios, that is
25. "__ be amazing if ... ": IT'D - meh, but necessary
26. Cain's brother: ABEL - name #7
27. Ripped: TORE
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - ✔
33. Make less powerful, in gamer slang: NERF - filled via perps, but it sorta makes sense
34. Coins in a game of dreidel: GELT
36. Got blown out: LOST BIG - especially if you went 'All In'
37. Code for the busiest airport in Massachusetts: BOS - Boston Airport didn't sound right, until I recalled that it's called "Logan" Airport
42. Does a fast-paced Latin dance: CHA-CHAs
44. Colorful stones at the bottom of an aquarium: GRAVEL - uh, well, I guess it is gravel; I had more than one aquarium as a kid - I am thinking about doing another - I can be on the road without worrying about my fish.
46. Pickleball venue: COURT
47. Airstream stopover, for short: RV LOT - meh. RV Park is a more common 'phrase', and based on a website during my search, an RV LOT is a permanent (so to speak) rental spot to park your RV - not really a "stopover"
48. Cul-de-__: SAC - Frawnche
49. Back of the neck: NAPE
51. Notice in passing?: OBITuary
52. Suggestions, for short: RECS - meh. I am guessing "recommendations", but this is something I do not typically use, or hear, in my daily travels
53. Reverberation: ECHO
54. Distort: SKEW - Dah~! Not WARP
56. Cookbook writer Garten: INA - Dah~! I filled in UTA - the "other" three-letter name I always get wrong; Uta is the German actress who frequently appears in crossword puzzles, too
58. Intense anger: IRE
Splynter - ✔
55 comments:
I protest the use of the name “Aulii.” If we had not had the name “Ina” (Garten) many times before, who would have ever gotten that?
Other than that, I didn’t have too much trouble with this puzzle. FIR, so I’m happy.
Noticed the circles, but forgot about 'em during the solve. [Sigh.] Looked sideways at AULII, but the perps (including the Ack Word RV LOT) demanded it. Thanx, Rebecca and Rafael for the amusement. Thanx, too, to sherpa Splynter for sitting in again today.
HOV: Around here they're reversible express lanes with controlled entry points. No "zipper" required. Most new highways in Texas are EZ-Pass-only tollways. Overhead cameras read the tags at 80 MPH. What grates on me is that you have to pay in advance. The toll authority keeps a cushion of your money, and automatically replenishes their cushion when it runs low. Why can't they simply charge-as-you-go?
FIR, erasing ana for INA, solely because the gimmick came to my rescue. Had to wait for erik/ERIC.
Now that the NFL season is upon us, this great Snickers ad" asks us who are the chefs?"
I don't agree that "all in" is usually a bluff or desperation. Maybe at the typical Friday night neighborhood game, but not in card rooms or the WSOP (which would be great crossword fill.)
What happens if you ingest some of that microwaved aluminum? You sheet metal.
I thought that SAL Khan was some kind of cat food, then I remembered it was KAL KAN.
Dallas used zipper lanes when I lived there 30 years ago. Problem was that the zipper machine broke down a lot, making the congestion even worse.
Shouldn't that be "lost bigley?"
I think of TBA to mean "more info soon," and TBD to mean "we haven't figured it out yet."
How rude of me. Thanks to Rebecca and Rafael for the sterling humpday exercise. And thanks to Splynter for laying it all out for us.
You protest? What are you going to do? Make a sign, travel to L.A. and and start a picket line?
I didn't know AULII either, but INA (Garten) was a gimme. Her name, in and of itself is memorable. Other fun memorable names include Ima Hogg, Paige Turner, Joe King, Warren Peace, Robin Hood, Frank Lee (he was a REALIST) - and his brother Brock. Once you hear or read the name, it kinda sticks. I knew a man, Richard Schock. He always preferred Richard.
Some of the women married into these names, but still. And the men? Were their parents stoners, comics, or just oblivious?
Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa was a favorite Food Network program of ours for a while. She always cooked with garden fresh ingredients,and there were occasional scenes of her in a garden getting them. Seemed funny. Garten is German for garden.
Thank you, Rebecca and Rafael. I liked the theme and the visual representation of the VIBE CHECKs. Very creative. Thanks, Splynter. Wind lines? Reed ranks? Those are good examples of specialized jargon.
Good Morning! My VIBES are very well today. Thank you for asking!
It took a bit of pondering to get the south to come together, but it did without a hitch.
Only WO: TBa -> TBD.
Perps for ELBA, SAL, AULII, NERF
Thanks, Splynter. What you said about your soldering was w-a-a-y beyond me! But I know beautiful music will result from it.
Reply to TTP: I'm still looking for JUSTIN TIME! 😄😄😄
TTP: I just remembered another one (and there's no 2nd reply offered - one & done!! bzzzt!) Back to the names. We used to joke that actor Milo O'Shea might have a brother Rick O'Shea
Also "Blazing Saddles" and "Dr. Strangelove" actor Slim Pickens, and several hundred other names at "Car Talk" Staff Credits https://www.cartalk.com/content/staff-credits
Rose, good ones! The son of AOL Chairman Steve Case was glad that he was not named Justin.
True, there isn't a reply (button) to a reply, but you can still reply to the original comment.
Took 6:28 today to get the check mark.
I didn't know today's voice actress (Aulii), but I knew the other actress (Halle). I don't care for the crossing of proper names: Aulii & Ina. Ina may be common to everyday solvers, but there are newbie solvers and folks who don't watch cooking shows (like me). And, I often confuse whether she's "Ida" or "Ina".
I also didn't know the Jewish coins (gelt), the Brazilian singer/songwriter (Elba), or Mr. Kahn's first name (Sal).
Oh joy, circles!
And then there's the worst men's name. Michael Hunt. Think about it.
The mobile RV tech I use frequently is a redheaded guy named Rusty Fender.
Well, it was nice the way the constructors put the VIBEs in place, this puzzle had some weird clues. It was an ultimate FIW because I guessed REQuests for my 'Suggestions', thinking the unknown 'Bana' might have a weird spelling of ERIQ instead of ERIC-a coin toss.
Then there's VIBE CHECK, a new one for me. All perps. Add to that list- REEL, ELBA, NERF. And then there's AULII. All I can say absurd.
BRA-a different type of jock strap.
SAL Kahn- a local kid who went to Grace King HS. The school board closed it this year; not enough students. It opened in 1968.
With Berry, I always guess HALLE. "Cloud Atlas"? 'Atlas Shrugged" to me.
I BETTER GO. I'll CHA CHA out of here.
Oh yeah, anon@8:16. The famous scene from Porky's.
Around here, nearly everyone has some hurricane supplies sitting around for Justin Case.
I always keep hoping that the staff at Zoo Tampa will name one of their alligators Mohammad Ali-gator.
FIR. I groaned when I saw the circles, and groaned louder when I read some of the clues. And when have I ever heard someone say "vibe check". Never!
With garbage answers like NSFW and POV, and add proper names like Sal, Eric, and Auli'i? Who? C'mon!
I get that Wednesdays are more difficult, but this was just plain ridiculous.
Overall, not even close to enjoyable. Thank heavens for perps, and the fact that we have had Ina in puzzles before this.
Good Morning:
I didn't find the solve difficult, despite the unknowns (same exact foursome as RosE listed) but the circled Vibes meant nothing to me, nor did the reveal, Vibe Check. Props to the constructors for the added visual element of a Check Mark but I'm not sure how many solvers, besides eagle-eyed Splynter, would pick up on that. Thumbs down on Recs which is much too vague. (BE, there is an actor who spells his name Eriq, so you weren't off base.)
Thanks, Rebecca and Rafael, and thanks, Splynter, for the excellent review and, most of all, for explaining the visual achievement. I loved the "Mad" Cows ganging up on the boss but the highlight of your expo was the young girl playing the vibraphone. She is extremely talented and showed tremendous poise and confidence for someone so young.
Have a great day.
Thank goodness for perps since there were a few unknowns for me like NERF, AULII, ELBA, ERR as clued, ERIC. I got all the VIBES and the CHECK. All in all not bad.
How about a cardinal whose last name was SIN. There was such a person.
Thanks Splynter for a nice recap.
I would have. Great TV cook/chef
RosE, try jail with Carmen San Diego🙃
Musings
-Read the room!
-Chef Boiardi wore a TOQUE and I’ll bet you know how he changed his name
-Movie makers and theaters rarely use REELS now, so a digital concern picked it up
-We simply called the clergyman next door REV.
-I don’t really sugarcoat things but I did use tact when writing a REC for a mediocre student teacher
-Seeing cranberry BOGS in Oregon really surprised us
-Windline, reed rank and wind chest are jargon new to me, Splynter! :-)
-I’m an IOS person but used Google to help my golf partner with his Android phone yesterday
-Into each puzzle a little AULI’I and obscure cluing for ELBA and SAL must fall
-BONIER: Twiggy was a phenomenon 50 years ago
-Black ___, I went right to SOX
-The birth years in the OBITS are closer to mine more frequently.
There's a famous local NOLA artist with that name. He definitely says his name as Michael.
Speaking of VIBES. The young lady did a very good job on "The Entertainer" on theMARIMBA.
After DW retired from teaching the School Board asked her to evaluate new teachers. One was so bad she vetoed him. He appealed, lost. Then appealed again and somehow got hired. She was doing it as a favor for a few friends who were principals. After that she told them she was through with it.
Young lady playing "The Entertainer" did a very good job. I always have liked the vibes of the MARIMBA. VIBES have metal keys, and a different tonality. Just don't forget to plug them in, or you'll get angry looks from the band director (personal experience e. Good write up Splynter. Enjoyed the punny names.
The bad penny x 5
Meh. Not on my wavelength today. I did manage to figure out 53 down, though! RoseE: there once was a comic strip in our local paper called "Rick O'Shea." He was an old west Marshall, with a friend named "Hipshot Percussion". I think it ran back in the 1960s.
Easiest puzzle so far this week.
The letters of the word VIBE form a check mark. Don’t see how this woulda worked without circles. Sorry all you Trypophobics
Inkovers: the end/FINALE, agates/GRAVEL.
So “Parks & RECS” ? means Parks & Recommendations?
If you microwave a sweet potato wrap a small bit of aluminum foil around the ends and it will cook evenly. The ends won’t dry and harden. No sparks.
Works a movie projector…..REALIST
Ancient predator always making suggestions. Tyranasaurus…. RECS
Someone tell Rafael he spells his name wrong 😀
I have to say this was a brilliant theme, superbly executed. As for the cross of AULII and INA I loved the fact that the VIBE theme solved the impossible crossing. A triumph for those of us who value the theme of a puzzle.
Splynter Thank you for the Hitchhikers POV Gun clip! And, as always, for your titillating illustrations. Knowing you have a PET IGUANA makes me appreciate you even more.
Here is a LAVA BED photo I took that you may enjoy.
Congratulations on the Washington National Cathedral gig.
Once I caught on to the theme (after the 2nd vibe check) I immediately filled in the others. That's too much free real estate for my tastes.
Loved the puzzle. Solving VIBE CHECK before filling the last check mark helped me fill that one in, and I never noticed INA, although I would known it anyway. And the reveal gave me a chuckle, too, on a day when I needed one.
The only answer that grated on me a little was I BETTER GO (instead of I'd better go), but it was still simple to fill.
Thank you, Rebecca and Rafael, for a really good puzzle today, and Splynter, for explaining it all.
Hola! i love a puzzle that has REAL words and not just a jumble. I'll take the exception of NSFW even though it's not something I would use, but I see that it's in common usage. The HOV LANE is a wonderful refuge when traveling during heavy traffic times. Very soon we shall be reading an OBIT for my former son-in-law who died this week of a fatal overdose. It's tragic and sad for his mother and my granddaughter, his daughter, who is only 13. He was a troubled person who was self-destructive in other ways, too.
For me there is only one ELBA.
Splynter, you outdid yourself today! Thank you for the enjoyable review.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
TTP - Ah, yes. I've done that, but forgot. New technology learning curve. If I had used the Reply button under Subgenius it would have followed in sequence following my first reply to you. Thanks for the info.
NaomiZ, I, also, cringe at I BETTER.
Hmmm, a $1.00 sweet potato with dry ends vs. a $100.00+ microwave?? I believe you, but I don't think I'd chance it. : )
. . . and now I've got an "I Lost On Jeopardy" earworm to keep me company...
Husker Gary thought of SOX.
Splynter thought of TIE.
I thought of OPS.
Dash T may have thought of HAT ('cause he was one, once).
Speaking of Dash T, I wonder if he's stoked that the Gallagher brothers are reuniting, 15 years after they split. Cue Wonderwall, because frank lee, the song just hasn't had enough radio air time in the last 29 years.
MalMan, you can get rid of that Lost on Jeopardy earworm by playing the song I just linked in the reply under Husker Gary's comments. :-)
My feelings about this puzzle mostly ECHO what you all have said.
I deny the allegation and I deny the alligator!!
I guess I’ve been living INA cave since I’m apparently the only one who hasn’t heard of INA Garten. Only the theme saved me there. Circles to the rescue!
An “all-in” in poker can technically only be one of three things: a bet, a raise, or a call (even if it’s a bluff that would still be a bet or raise). Since the clue says “maybe” it works just fine.
HOV lane - Can we just call it the carpool lane like we used to?
I’ve been watching and thoroughly enjoying Ina Garten’s cooking shows for years. She seems like such a warm and lovely person. And it seems like she chose the perfect life partner for her. I keep hoping she will call and invite me over for dinner at her place in The Hamptons, but nope.
Great cluing, Rebecca and Rafael.
Slynter, INA was name#8
Splynter, your edifications are always a highlight of the week.
The exact clue, word for word, "Cookbook writer Garten:" has been used 7 times in the last two years in LA Times Crosswords:
LA Times - Aug. 28, 2024
LA Times - April 12, 2024
LA Times - Jan. 19, 2024
LA Times - Jan. 12, 2023
LA Times - Oct. 13, 2022
LA Times - Aug. 11, 2022
LA Times - July 10, 2022
The clue,""Barefoot Contessa" host Garten:" has been used:
Universal Crossword - April 12, 2024
LA Times - Oct. 23, 2023
WSJ Daily - Oct. 27, 2022
LA Times - Aug. 7, 2022
Universal Crossword - March 15, 2021
WSJ Daily - Nov. 23, 2019
LA Times - June 2, 2018
LA Times - March 25, 2017
Washington Post - Dec. 27, 2016
Washington Post - June 24, 2015
LA Times - April 22, 2015
Fireball Crosswords - June 11, 2014
There have been 13 to 15 various OTHER clues (most were used multiple times) with references to Garten (in some form or fashion), with cooking, chef, TV host, cookbook author, kitchen etc in the same and other crossword puzzles.
Nothing impossible about it. Whether you watch cooking shows or not. Even in you live in a cave.
If you solve crosswords, even if you only solve the LA Times crossword, INA should be a given when it's a three letter answer and the clue has Garten in it.
7 times in 2 years is 3.5 times per year, or roughly once every 100 days. Factor in how many other proper names our used in the LA Times puzzle (there were 7 others today) and that not everyone solves every day, then you can see how it would be very possible to forget or confuse her name. I agree that there's nothing impossible about it (and I apparently missed whoever said it was impossible), but there's no shame in someone missing it. I think it was honorable for Splynter and others to share their mistake, and they shouldn't be critiqued for that.
Maybe you should go outside a little more often. Perhaps read a book or two. Watch some movies? Talk to some young people every now and then?
You don't like circles in puzzles? Fine. You don't like themes? Fine. There was nothing ridiculous about this puzzle that warranted your level of criticism. Garbage answers?
Try to have some modicum of decency, or at least, some constructive criticism of the constructor's efforts.
Better yet, why don't you try to construct a crossword puzzle?
All hat, no cattle. You get no props from me.
It's easy to misread a clue or get an answer wrong. No shame there, it's the carping and whining and bitching about it.
OMG! Two names crossed!
"Oh wait, I have something to complain about today!"
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Rebecca and Rafael, and Splynter.
I FIRed and saw the VIBE theme, but missed the CHECK shape.
I WAGged Ella but perps changed to ELBA (and I thought ELLE crossing Ella was notable!).
But I did note POV, NOV, and HOV LANE.
After our discussion the other day, I hope you all thought at 2A that the person in a toque was a Canadian. LOL
I will probably not remember AULII; I hope the perps are just as friendly if we meet up again.
Wishing you all a great day.
C'mon, folks, let's please be civil to one another.
I'm with CanadianEh on AULII.
Dear TTP: Chill out, won't you. We all have different backgrounds and knowledge sets ... they don't deserve sarcasm.
I couldn’t agree with you more TTP. I was the one who wrote that I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle and that I thought it was a great puzzle to people who dissed the constructors until Darren in L.A. got all over my case for doing it. Keep up the great work you do!!
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