A WHITER SHADE OF HAIR
Welcome to the second Wednesday in a row with "TURN" as part of the theme
reveal, where the four letters in the reveal, 'PALE', "turn" into three of
16 possible arrangements spanning the theme answers - E,P,A,L, L,E,P,A, and
A,L,E,P.. Two quality 10-letter fills in the Down, NO circles this
week, a paltry 16 TLWs ( compared to 30 four-letter ones ), but way too many proper names again, and because they were rather
vague to boot, I felt they ruined a good puzzle. Sigh. Anyway,
the theme answers and reveal:
17. *Reacting to a "d'oh"
moment: FACE PALMING
Homer Simpson
27. *Reimbursement on the go: MOBILE PAYMENT - PayPal,
Venmo, Zelle, etc.; in the past, I have paid coworkers for lunch via
monetary app - it's convenient, even if my brother thinks it's "dangerous" -
but then again, he's convinced all hybrid electric car batteries are going
to catch fire, too.
I even went out and bought the sunglasses
63. Losing color, or what can literally be found in the answers to the
starred clues: TURNING PALE - and I inadvertently got the
background colors of the above images to "turn" in gradient, too~!
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
And a visual "hint" to 7D.
11. Broken up over a breakup, say: SAD - not been my particular response, just sayin'
14. Interest gatherers: LOANS
15. Exodus mount: SINAI - name #2
16. Making out on a park bench, say, for short: PDA - Public Display (of) Affection
Rosalynn & Jimmy Carter - the former president TURNS 100 Oct 1st
20. "Table for Two" author Towles: AMOR - name #3, didn't have to be one
21. Edge out: BEAT
22. Disapproving look: GLARE
24. "I caught a fish thiiiiis big," e.g.: TALE - any size fish would've been a better choice for the cat
32. Regions: AREAS
33. Astrological lion: LEO
34. Collision reminder: DENT - Cornerite unclefred had a fix for my car's dent last week
37. Took off: RAN - Possibly the best "one-hit wonder" of the 80's
The guitar part is actually quite rocking - even has a solo
42. Brazilian port: RIO - name #4
46. "The L Word" co-creator Chaiken: ILENE - name #5
52. Sculpt: CHISEL
54. Eye piece: IRIS
56. "Buh-bye": "TA-TA" - Snarky
58. "What will __ think of next?": THEY - "They" usually get the weather wrong, too
62. Kimono sash: OBI - had this Monday in C.C.'s grid - it's either the sash one or the Jedi Wan . . . . get it~? See 10D.
66. Org. for Melissa McCarthy's "Spy" character: CIA - no clue, filled via perps; name-ish
67. Tablet read: eZINE - yeah, but meh.
68. Grave danger: PERIL
70. Like Tropicana Field: DOMED - name-ish
DOWN:
1. Italian sports car, briefly: ALFA - name #6, but this one I knew
3. Soft or hard entree: TACO - Dah~! This took too long for me to see
4. Indisposition to change: INERTIA - the physics from Wiki
5. Seer's talent: E.S.P.
6. Reaching REM: ASLEEP
7. Peruvian metropolis: LIMA - trying to change it up with a $2 word for city, still a "name", #7
8. "Consider this handled!": ON IT~!
9. British Gram?: NAN - name-ish
10. Polite response to a bad pun: GIGGLE - as opposed to the more common GROAN
11. Like paint in some abstract art: SPLATTERED
12. Love to pieces: ADORE
13. Saw romantically: DATED
18. Up to perform: ABLE
23. Touch down: LAND - not Touchdown
25. "What's more ... ": ALSO....
26. Clean Air Fund target: SMOG
27. Home to the largest known volcano in the solar system: MARS - from SETI
29. Advantageous: BENEFICIAL
30. Busy with activity: ALIVE
31. Yearning: YEN - Alliteration; welcome, Yes, You are
35. The whole __ yards: NINE - I was under the impression that this was the length of an ammunition belt - Wiki says it came from an earlier source
36. Baby piggies?: TOES - Didn't fool me
39. River to the Caspian Sea: URAL - name #8
40. No-call list no.: TELephone - Too far to go for this abbr., IMHO
41. "Yes! Yes!" in Yucatán: "SI SI~!" - A phonetic shout-out to our host
44. "The Runaway Bunny" writer Margaret __ Brown: WISE - name #9, and it didn't have to be
47. Reward poster subject, maybe: LOST PET
50. Sympathized with: PITIED
51. Persepolis locale: IRAN - name #10
56. Prune: TRIM
57. Poet Sexton: ANNE - name #11
59. Fabulous racer?: HARE - the FABLE of The Tortoise & The Hare
60. Lebanese designer Saab: ELIE - a new clue for this NAME, #12 - his website
61. Holler: YELL
64. "In Treatment" star Aduba: UZO - name #13
65. Map software tech: GPS - a loooong way to go for a TLW
Splynter
41 comments:
It was a little tough to get that first ‘toe hold’ since I’ve never seen “Glee” in my life, but I managed. And I really had no idea what would tie the themed entries together. But after solving the reveal, it all made (some) sense. FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
Second day in a row Firefox generates only an error while attempting to comment. I'm forced to resort to the dreaded A-I assisted Edge browser and watch my cursor jump around like a fart in a mitten. Do we have any Firefox users who aren't seeing issues with the new format? I can't even use the question mark feature to report the problem to the developers -- that doesn't work, either. Grrrrrr.
I don't remember another puzzle with so many names where I didn't recognize any of 'em. Got the grid completely filled without error, so I guess the perps were well-chosen. Noticed the RAN and IRAN pairing. Caught the CSO to Dash-T at 1d. Still, it feels like Friday came a couple of days early. Thanx, Wendy and Splynter.
Despite the SLEW of names that were unknown to me, ELIE, UZO, WISE, ILENE, AMOR and ARTIE, I worked my way through the SMOG for a FIR in under 15, as Anon stated, the perps were especially friendly today. The only Kevin McHale I knew played for the Boston Celtics. “Org” and “Spy” was the Ektorp I needed for CIA, knowing nothing about Melissa McCarthy’s character. Thank you Wendy for today’s grid, and to Splynter for the expo, enjoyed the “I Got Owned” video.
FIR. What a crazy amount of proper names. Yuk! Not in crosswords, please!
The NW gave me fits, especially the crossing of Alfa, Artie, and Amor. Never heard of the author and never watched Glee. And although I know the sports car I have never ever called it just Alfa
I took a wrong "turn" when I threw down ebook before ezine, but got corrected with Uzo? Another ridiculous proper name!
Overall this was not an enjoyable endeavor. But it's done so there's that.
Fairly easy, despite the many names. Plenty of immediate gimmees were TEL, Mars, CIA, Sinai, Alfa, Lima, Rio, Ural, GPS, CIA. I soon recognized with a few perps Ezine, Anne, Iran, tata. New to me, but found with perps and wags were Ilene, Artie, Amor, Wise, Elie, and Uzo. All except Uzo could have had easier clues. I still prefer common nouns over names.
I knew TATA means goodbye. LIU. TA-TA is used widely in England is considered baby talk.
I needed the reveal to see the theme.
The loved the splatter painted tree.
Took 6:27 to leap through this one.
I agree with the consensus (especially my neighbor YooperPhil's list), that there way too many proper names in the cross-name puzzle.
Good Morning:
I agree about the unknown proper names being annoying and today there were five: Artie, Amor, Ilene, Wise and Uzo, two of which, as Splynter noted, that didn't have to be clued that way. Then again, fill-in-the blank clues are usually unnecessary, also, as are multiple words in a clue for a three letter word. However, it seems as though these actions are favored by the editorial staff, based on their continued and frequent usage.
The theme was well hidden, for me, so the reveal was a surprise. The lack of circles was appreciated, particularly because the puzzle was an easy-peasy solve for a Wednesday, despite the unknown names. It was quite fitting to have Alfa at 1D to welcome our dear Tony back and to also help in filling in the unknown Artie!
Thanks, Wendy, and thanks, Splynter, for the fun and facts. Enjoyed the video about the back story on the A Whiter Shade of Pale intro. My two favorite binge series were Better Call Saul and Ted Lasso. Favorite comic was the Lost Pet.
FLN
Welcome back, Tony. Loved the story about the proud dad and his medalist son!
Have a great day.
After a crazy start of the week it was refreshing to complete a more typical Wednesday level puzzle
A plethora of usual unknown-to-the-restivus Proper Nouns like “Towles,” “Margaret ____ Brown,” “Chaiken”, “Sexton,” “Aduba”, “Saab” (not the extinct car). I never became full of “Glee” so needed perps for that too
FINALE EPISODES: Netflix enticement: “Only two more to go!!” Ugh, I’ll stay up 🥱
What breed of sheep produces steel wool 🤔
Henny Yougman: “When Moses reached the top of Mt. SINAI, he said This would make a great place for a hospital!”
SPLATTERED. Jackson Pollock’s middle name. We have one at our art museum.
A Latin palindrome: Roma summus AMOR “Rome supreme love”
David didn’t need a “big bunch” of stones, just one, when he ____ Goliath…SLEW
Tried to ____ me into buying a fake SCULPture….CHISEL
Yes, yes, she is a frequent CW constructor… SISI
“Comfy water shoes” are no protection against ____ CROCS
Took my daughter Catherine to the Utica Zoo yesterday and saw a huge two humped (Bactrian) camel. First thing I thought of was the hump day puzzle. 🙄
Zounds! One day after a particularly feeble crossname puzzle, we get another. Today's included such obscurities as UZO, ILENE, WISE (someone's middle name), AMOR, ARTIE, and ELIE. And some peculiar clues like "edge out" leading to BEAT.
Does anyone know the derivation and pronunciation of the first word in my comments above? The word is archaic, but still used in everything from cartoons to Shakespeare. It was Shakespeare who invented the word; it is an epithet that is short for "God's wounds." It is pronounced "zoonds." It does not rhyme with "sounds."
Good Morning!
Well, I finished and got it right, but I can’t say I had any pleasure along the way. Too many WAGs & obscure names.
WO: runaway -> LOST PET.
Hand up for using my phone to make calls, texts, etc. Not business.
Have I said I don’t like clues ending with a ? - ? Yes, I have. Too obscure a stretch to go from “fabulous” to Fable, IMHO, to get to the answer…
Thanks, Splynter. You made it look so easy in the long run.
Musings
-A cool, wet day. My very flat golf course next to the Platte River is too wet to be open.
-FINAL EPISODES sometimes signal the show’s gimmick has worn thin.
-Interest gathers: We. Have $15,000 of American Family money in an interest-bearing account for our month-old new roof. AmFam say they will wait until the gutters, etc. are installed.
-SLATED to sail on the Titanic but didn’t: Theodore Dreiser, Henry Clay Frick, Milton S. Hershey, Guglielmo Marconi, John Pierpont Morgan, John Mott, George Washington Vanderbilt II, Edgar Selwyn.
-Those horse RACES and boxing used to be a big deal…
-My college built a balloon-DOMED stadium but the fans were on back order for months after the structure was ready
-ON IT! If I don’t get it done immediately…
-Touch down: Neil’s first words from the Moon were “Contact light” when the instrument panel told him the Eagle had landed
-No-call-list: I keep hitting Delete and Report Junk but political stuff keeps coming
Mars and Crocs are also proper nouns. Just saying. Way too many.
WWES about proper names. The only one I knew was AMOR Towles whose “Table for Two” I read last month.
I didn’t know PDA but perps filled it in. DOMED was a good WAG. I left one square blank. UZO crossing EZINE, though in retrospect i should have been able to guess it.
Thanks Splynter for the great recap.
Well, TA TA for now.
Desper-otto @ 6:00 AM, try commenting with your extensions disabled. Press Help in Firefox, and select Troubleshoot Mode
TTP, FLN...😄
FIR, but erased ebook for EZINE.
Patti finally learned that a TACO isn't a snack! She seems to have also found a copy of Cluing Common Clues Obscurely for Dummys at her local bookstore. At least she isn't giving us "the police" for LEO, which, as everyone knows, is slang for the popo.
I rented an ALFA in Italy and it was a diesel econobox. Not sporty at all. I had been so excited when I saw the name on my itinerary. Best think I can say is that it was vastly better than the Renault we rented earlier on the trip.
I usually like Wendy's constructions, but this one wasn't all that. But I did really like "fabulous racer" for HARE. Written by that famous fabulist. Seems like a weird way to spel those words, but I'm the last person on earth who should critique speling. And thanks to Splynter for the fun review, especially the cat on the(crossword favorite) lam.
I'm using Firefox on my Win 11 laptop without any drawbacks except the ones everyone else has noted.
Jinx, so you are also getting the occasional ""An error occurred while trying to publish your comment."
BTW, I was having a different trouble with Firefox on this machine. I couldn't load the newspaper's online image of the hardcopy paper (I almost wrote "paper paper.") I reset Firefox, and that fixed the problem. Google the term for the steps.
No, I used to get that on the old format, but not (yet) on the new.
The thing I really miss is being able to Preview my post before I have to publish.
I use Edge and never have a problem. But I don't use any A-I assistance for anything.
It was an easy puzzle but the A&E fills were all perps. The only Kevin McHale I know about played for the Boston Celtics. WISE, UZO, ELIE, AMOR, ARTIE, ANNE, ILENE,- filled by perps. No idea who they are. With umpteen dozen channels, podcasts, wannabe writers and internet generated channels I find it ridiculous to have a clue referencing obscure people.
Sing-ALONG with Mitch Miller. Follow the bouncing ball.
DOMED stadiums. The Astrodome is still there and the Louisiana Superdome is the oldest in the country still being used. I watched it being built-over 50 years ago. It's in great shape and is now known as Caesar's Superdome since Mercedes dropped their sponsorship last year.
Another day, another crossNAME fun sponge. (Sigh)
TTP, that worked. Does that mean I'll have to use "Troubleshoot Mode" whenever I want to post here?
Gary, me too. I reported the problem as Feedback in early May of 22 when the smartphone users got this new style of commenting. Not just that users didn't like it, but also that it allowed users to publish null comments.
I reported it again on Aug 7th of this year when (it seems) the rest of us got this new UI commenting style on our desktops, laptops and (some) tablet users.
I doubt that they'll change it back to the old UI, but if they are listening to enough Feedback, perhaps they'll add the Preview function back in some form or fashion the future.
The only thing I can suggest is to use the ? button in the upper right section of the comments screen, then use Send Feedback to explain why Preview is important to you.
WEES re names. I DNK most of them, which made the CW a 24 minute struggle to eventually FIR. I have never watched "Glee", so started the CW with 5 open cells. By the time I completed the CW, I was not in the mood to search for the theme. This week I'm not having much fun w/ the CWs, mostly due to the obscure names. Best clue: Reaching REM: I thought of the band first, so it took a while. Thanx anyway for the entertainment, WLB. I really enjoyed your write-up, Splynter, thanx. Especially the videos, all fun to watch. Good music.
I use Firefox on my Samsung tablet and have no trouble,
From Merriam-Webster, it looks like the same pronunciation to me:
zounds
interjection
ˈzau̇n(d)z
sound
1 of 7
noun (1)
ˈsau̇nd
Looks to me like they rhyme
D-O, no. Now, open the Firefox Tools menu and see what Add-Ons are installed on your browser. Selectively disable them one at a time and try to publish. I'm beginning to think that the new UI is having troubles with specific ad-blockers.
I sent in a Feedback about ""An error occurred while trying to publish your comment."
YooperPhil here ~ currently traversing the crystal clear waters of Lake Huron/Georgian Bay aboard the MS Chi-Cheemaun, a car ferry, north from Tobermory, Ontario to Manitoulin Island, the largest fresh water island in the world. Absolute gorgeous day here! 👋🏼 CanadianEh 🇨🇦
This would have been a lovely Wednesday offering if it wasn’t marred by all the names… I counted seven obscure people’s names (one fictional) all of which were unknown to me.
Why constructors feel a need to do this is beyond me. They could at least show a modicum of consideration to the solvers by using commonly-used and spelled names when doing this, but no - we get ILENE and UZO and NWODIM…
It makes me wonder - do some constructors just expect people to look up the answers? As far as I’m concerned, that’s cheating. And where would the fun or satisfaction be in that?!
The U_O/E_INE cross made this an impossible solve. My guesses were either an ‘L’ or a ‘V’ — is an EZINE something I’m supposed to have heard of? Neither ‘ezine’ nor ‘zine’ are in my dictionary FYI.
The use of obscure names feels like pure laziness on the constructors part, or perhaps just a limited vocabulary.
As I was reading Splynter's excellent write-up I kept thinking, "That's exactly how I reacted to that, too!"
Arizona Jim, an e-zine is a magaZINE one reads online.
Lee, on your Samsung Tablet, do you have a rectangular block where you enter comments, or do you have a single line?
Arizona Jim. Totally agree. I never look up anything or go STOG( straight to Google). If I know it, I know it. If not it's a DNF or FIW.
I am testing the new reply method on my iPhone. I can't sign in with my screen name. Moe
Hi All!
Thanks Wendy for the puzzle. It took me a minute to see the PALEs TURNING.
Excellent expo, Splynter. I thought it might be you at Rick Beato (watch him all the time) and Burn Notice (great series!) but I knew it was you at Alfa :-)
WOs: a lot -> SLEW, eBook -> eZINE
ESPs: WEES, names!!!
Fav: HARE's clue was cute.
RosE @9:53 - I disagree. The AHA! after getting a tricky ? clue is worth it. I nailed HARE almost immediately.
Cheers, -T
Thanks to Wendy for her "Wend"essday puzzle! GIGGLE.
FAV: Interest gatherers
FIW. I tried an L at UlO X ElINE. Z does make much more sense.
ARTIE was in the punchbowl. Just needed a couple of perps. He is the character in the wheelchair in Splynter's photo.
I've read a couple of AMOR Towles' books but not this one. Monkey, did you like it?
Thanks to Splynter for another on-the-scenes report! Hand up for loving Michael, Fi, and Sam...Madeline not so much.
sumdaze @8:37. Yes, I liked Towles’ latest, Table for Two. He’s a magical writer.
Thanks, Monkey! I'll add it to my queue.
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