BACK WORDS
Another Wednesday, another crossword with circles, another ton of proper names ( I lost count ) again. Today's puzzle has 21 TLWs, and 20 four-letter ones. I am not familiar with author Prasanna Keshava, last seen here in March 2023. We do get two unique crossword fills, at 22 & 35A. Found inside the circles are the words ORATE, CHAT, UTTER and SAY, "reversed", to define our theme reveal at 56A. The theme answers;
18. Recommendation called to lovebirds: "GET A ROOM~!"
35. Routes taken in some great escapes: SECRET TUNNELS
51. Super simple: AS EASY AS PIE
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Canada's capital city: OTTAWA - Name #1; I know this from watching NHL hockey - the Senators, CanadianEh~!
7. "History of the World, Part II" writer/producer/narrator Brooks: MEL - Name #2; I loved the 1981 movie HotW part ONE, but I am chagrinned to say, I have not watched the new series - tsk tsk tsk.
14. Driver's lic. with added security: REAL ID - I was issued a Real ID by default when I "converted" to CT from NY
15. "__ Maria": AVE - Name(ish) #4; more crosswordese
16. Phobia: FEAR - I am claustrophobic & agoraphobic; some others fears I don't suffer from include dromophobia, triskaidekaphobia, and gephyrophobia - see the end of the blog for these fears defined *
20. Perform penance: ATONE
21. Muse's bestowal, casually: INSPO - 21st century-speak for "inspiration"
25. Word with pocket or socket: HIP - hip pocket, hip socket - it's Hip to be 8D.
Huey Lewis & The News
29. Ergonomic kitchen gadget brand: OXO - learned by doing crosswords
30. Petulant: PEEVISH
32. Tutu fabric: TULLE
34. Baby-voiced red Muppet: ELMO - Name #5
40. Green one, in slang: NEWB - short for newbie, someone just starting out, but willing to learn; NOOB means you're a 'hacker' who doesn't care to improve
41. Brownstone porch: STOOP - strangely, there are TWO front doors on my house; the one I rarely use has a "stoop", while the other, on the sunroom, has a "porch" - and when my brother visits, he always uses the "wrong" one....
42. Car part that helps prevent rollovers: SWAY BAR
47. Unmatched: ODD - like socks
50. Novelist Patchett: ANN - Name #6
54. Zodiac ram: ARIES- technically, a name, but there's only 12 ( or 13, if you believe in them )
55. Relay stick: BATON
59. Large juicy fruits: MELONS
60. "Didn't think you'd be here!": "OH, HI~!"
61. Precious stone: GEM
62. Not off-key: IN TUNE - I am learning how to tune pipe organs - it's way more difficult than you'd think; the first reason being, you have to be partnered, as the 'keyboard' can be hundreds of feet from the pipes
63. Make a profit: GAIN - think stock market
64. Poem of praise: ODE - ODD and ODE in one puzzle
65. Perfume sample: TESTER
DOWN:
1. Briscoe player on "Law & Order": ORBACH - Name #7; I am a huge L&O fan, so I knew this one; he was one of the most convincing TV characters ever; their best seasons ran when he was a cast member
3. Chevrolet SUVs: TAHOES - Name(ish)
4. Dress with flare?: A-LINE
5. Sonoma Valley excursion: WINE TOUR - over the last 10+ years, WINE TOURs have become very popular on the North Fork of Long Island; there are so many wineries and farm stands that traffic on the three one-lane roads during autumn is insane
6. Insert: ADD - the verb, as to add one's opinion
7. Orlando NBA team: MAGIC - Name(ish); not a basketball fan - but football is here, and hockey in a month~!
9. Doesn't disturb: LETS BE
10. Curly hairstyle: AFRO
11. Sign of summer: LEO - one of the "other" twelve names in the Zodiac
12. "__ Te Ching": philosophical text: TAO - Ektorp; the "text" was a hint
13. Radius locale: ARM - I filled in LEG for some ODD reason
24. Victoria __: pen name in gothic romance: HOLT - Name #8, and no clue
25. Sledding spot: HILL - Back in the 80s, when we got snow, my father would take us sledding on the HILLs of St. Georges Country Club, across the way from SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island
27. Soup eaten with a large spoon and chopsticks: PHO - no clue, filled via perps
31. Political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus: VEEP - I did not know this; name(ish)
32. 16 Handles rival: TCBY - I've not heard of 16 Handles - The Country's Best Yogurt - that one I know; name(ish)
33. UFO riders: ETs
35. Stitched up: SEWN
36. Actor McGregor: EWAN - Name #9
37. Great Basin Natives: UTES - it's either OTO or UTE
38. Overly interested in someone's business: NOSY
39. Latin phrase that means "mark well": NOTA BENE
40. Intelligence org.: NSA - oops, not CIA
43. Fourth grader voiced by Nancy Cartwright: BART - Name #10; The Simpsons
44. Italian cheese: ASIAGO - Hah - I tried ROMANO, which did fit, and 33% correct
45. Whirled in confusion: REELED
47. Click "unsubscribe," say: OPT OUT
48. Warwick who sang "Do You Know the Way to San Jose": DIONNE - Name #11
49. More tightly packed: DENSER
52. "Shoot!": "ASK ME~!"
53. Seasons, as popcorn: SALTS
54. Related: AKIN
56. Soggy spot: BOG
57. "I see now!": "A-HA~!"
58. T'ai __ ch'uan: CHI - Oof. On a Wednesday
59. Cambridge sch.: MIT - Ah. Knew this, but I've not seen it in a crossword for a long time
Splynter
* crossing the street, the number 13, and bridges
37 comments:
After the first or second themed answers I knew exactly what was going on and that helped me solve the rest of the puzzle. Not that it was difficult, mind you, rather it was “easy as pie.” FIR, so I’m happy.
27 down. Soup eaten with a large spoon and chopsticks: PHO -
no clue, filled via perps
Pho is the Vietnamese word for soup.
I commented last on 1-1-23 so NEWBs won't know me.
I became an Octogenarian on 05-03-2024 and am doing
as well as I possibly can. I pray that each reader is also doing well.
Ðavið
Good morning! (And welcome back, D4.)
Figured the circled letters were scrambled, so didn't bother with 'em. Noticed the reveal, and finally the puzzle spoke to me. Thanx, Prasanna and our semi-permanent temp, Splynter.
ARM: Managed to break both the radius and ulna...twice. Both times in PhysEd class. That class was a pain in the...arm.
Time for that quarterly dental cleaning. I get to pay a lady for making me miserable and telling me I'm not doing enough.
FIR, but erased men for HES.
Coulda been just "funnyman Brooks."
The dried-up sot in me wanted it to be Tia Maria, (I wonder if there is a Maria Avenue anywhere? Maria Ave?)
INSPO was new to me, and I thought it should have been NOOB 'til Splynter 'splained it.
CSO to C-Eh!
I can't imagine how Splynter (or others) lean all that organ stuff. He must know more about organs than a urologist.
Thanks to Prasanna for the pretty easy Wednesday puzzle, in spite of all the names. And thanks to Splynter for another fun review. I loved those sleazy pickup lines. Wonder if the ever worked, even before they became trite? (Once, when I was young and handsome (at lest by comparison to today's countenance) a lovely young lady walked up to me in a bar and said "what's your sign?" That was the sole time someone used a pickup line on me. Spoiler alert- it worked.)
Well, 1A was a gimme 🇨🇦, 1D not so much as I’m not familiar with ORBACH or the actress ANN Patchett, but I did know all the other names, so that and a few timely perps and a lot of standard CW clues and fill helped me to a FIR in 12 minutes. Would “phophobia” be a fear of Vietnamese soup? And speaking of fears, I happened to pick up a useless piece of info the other day - one of the longest words in the English language is “hippopotomonstrosesquippedallaphobia”, the definition of which ironically ~ the fear of long words 🤦🏼♂️. Thank you Prasanna for your creation and to Splynter for the informative review. I’m a fan of A-Line dresses.
FLN - NaomiZ ~ thanks for identifying me as the Anonymous to HG, I usually post from my tablet but I used my phone which doesn’t have my screen name.
FIR. Typical Wednesday puzzle. I groaned when I saw circles, but soon saw the gimmick and got used to it.
The only area I struggled on was TCBY and secret. I didn't notice the U was in a circle and couldn't suss out tter?
But overall, an enjoyable outing.
Caught the theme early on. Perps were kind. I didn't know 16 Handles. I was surprised when TCBY appeared.
Weren't those cubs cute!
I waitressed at a restaurant connected with a motel. We often wanted to say to couples at the bar, "get a room" or "go to your "room." Too much PDA.
Jinx, my first thought was TIA MARIA, too.
I frequently say, "I'm behind" or "I'm running behind." At 80+ everything takes longer. Even with a full time job, I got more done more quickly after work than I do now.
DO in re the dentist, I hear ya.
David, welcome back. I remember you.
The write-up was much more fun than the puzzle, as well as increasing my appreciation for the A-line dress. Ann Patchett is still an unknown. I never used a pick-up line and was terrible at recognizing any aimed at me; e.g. "I am chilly." Unsaid, put your arms around me.
No more Wednesday words.
Oops, welcome back Dave. Glad you are hanging in and being take care of.
Took 5:23 today for me to get REVILED.
Oh joy, circles!
I didn't know today's writer, the fabric, 16 Handles (we have Handel's here), or whatever the clue was for "chi."
Here are a few cornball pickup lines form the SLEAZY seventies:
Hello. Cupid called. He says to tell you that he needs my heart back.
I hope you know CPR, baby, because you take my breath away.
I think there’s something wrong with my eyes…I can’t take them off of you.
How was heaven when you left it?
Your legs must be tired because you’ve been running through my mind all night.
Are you made of apples, cause you look sweet as pie.
I’ve been wondering, do your lips taste as good as they look?
Hey, can I borrow a map? I keep on getting lost in your eyes.
Pretty easy for a Wednesday….FIR..I don’t understand why some don’t like circles. They never bother me and in fact many times are helpful!🤷🏻♀️
Yes, AS EASY AS PIE, this morning. The names weren’t much of a hindrance this time. I caught on to the theme right away, so that helped complete this CW in no time.
My city almost made an appearance: BATON, the Rouge was missing. I have read almost all of ANN Patchett’s novels.
INSPO and NEWB were not on my radar but perps helped.
Several years ago we used to get MELONS from Pecos, Texas, and I never hesitated buying one, they were invariably super delicious. Unfortunately I haven’t seen them in the stores in quite a while. I found out that since it takes a lot of acreage to grow melons the farmers ended up making more money selling their land for developments. Anyway, that’s what Mr Google told me.
Thanks Splynter for a nice recap.
Good Morning:
I saw the theme after filling in Orate and Chat (thanks to the tell-all circles) but the reveal was still a fun surprise. I initially entered Talk Back until perps corrected it to Back Talk. I didn't know either Tao or Chi, but my guesses of Bart and TCBY proved correct. Thumbs down to Inspo and every other convenient abbreviation in modern (lazy) lingo. Nice CSO to Picard at MIT.
Thanks, Prasanna, and thanks, Splynter, for a fun and informative commentary. What you have learned and are still learning about the intricacies of such a complicated instrument is just amazing to me. I, too, always liked Jerry Orbach, AKA, Lenny Briscoe, in Law and Order. I liked him even more as the principled father in Dirty Dancing. Long before L & O, I saw him sing and dance in 42nd Street on Broadway. He was a multi-talented man.
Welcome back, Dave. Glad to hear from you.
Have a great day.
Good Morning! Nice mid-week puzzle! No “sass” from me!
Good themers -> good 56A fills, & I liked the circles to pinpoint them.
WOs: exit -> AXLE; O -> A for NOTA.
ESP: CHI
I didn’t notice all the names, I guess, because they were familiar.
Thanks, Splynter, for a fun and informative recap.
Did the motel give you a commission for sending them extra business?
Never looked at the circles until I had filled BACK TALK. Puzzle was EASY AS PIE.
ORBACH & VEEP- never saw the shows; ANN & HOLT- learned from crosswords
TCBY- Never heard of 16 Handles. Maybe it's 'half' of the 32 Baskin & Robbins flavors.
Foreign languages today-Chinese, Latin, Techie (NEWB or NOOB?), Vietnamese, Italian
TESTER- I hated it when you would walk into a dept. store and walk anywhere near the cosmetic dept. Girls would spray all types of cologne or perfume from those tester samples. The gave me headaches.
DIONNE and San Jose. How times change. When Bacharach wrote the tune, the place was a backwater. I would hate to pay for real estate there these days. Silicon Valley isn't a cheap place to live.
Musings
-I wonder if an “easter egg hunt” would have been successful to find The gimmicks without the circles
-Triskaidekaphobia was somewhat of a concern for Apollo 13
-I recently posted that the STOOPS were built to escape the awful stuff in the streets including what you get from the south end of a northbound horse.
-EST’s of the cost and time required made us back off from a bathroom renovation
-Does accenting the first syllable of BATON sound pretentious to you?
-The complexity of the pipe organ is staggering, Splynter!
I found today's puzzle by Prasanna to be satisfying and clever, and appropriate for a Wednesday. Too many proper names perhaps, but I'll forego that battle for another day.
I'm not a circles-loather, and I feel that the circles today were useful.
Prasanna, I hope to see more of your work appear here; and maybe next time you could try to discourage editors from overpopulating your puzzle with proper names!
I enjoy the circles because it adds another way to help. I FIR but I had to make 3 or 4 guesses. It was a good Wed. puzzle.
Musings
-Map update: I just added Prof M in Tucson, AZ to our Crossword Corner Map. He taught law at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, got tired of the rain and moved to the desert.
-Last year my starter word for Wordle was the correct word. Today, my second starter word was the answer. My first word showed no correct letters which was disappointing and then I was amazed when the second word was entirely correct.
A fun puzzle with obvious circle words with a surprising reveal. BACK TALK is talk back? Names, URBACH, MEL, EWAN, etc. are. not obscure.
SECRET TUNNELS were made at an upstate NY prison by 2 men (1 killed, 1 captured), that resulted in a massive manhunt and a movie “Escape From Danamora”.
SPLYNTER - Always interesting to read about your work. Have you read the book “Universe of Two” by Stephen P Kieran about
Got the FIR without too much trouble. The perps were very helpful, as some of the clues were not exactly on my frequency. I have to agree with IM on lazy words like INSPO. They don't inspire me. Didn't look for the theme until I got to Splynters inspiring recap.
a man working on the atomic bomb who later works on organs, suggested by the life of Charles Fisk. This is a novel with a love story, at times head-shaking.but mildly interesting.
This format has me very PEEVISH! Parsan
With you on the unsussable “tter.”
FIR in unusually good time of 10 minutes. Lots of names, 18 by my expansive count, but I knew all but 4, so not too bad. I got the theme with the very first theme clue, which was a huge help. I don't find pie all that easy to make, but when I finished the massive house remodel in 1989 the very first thing I did was bake an apple pie, starting with real, fresh apples. I made the dough from scratch, and used a little leftover dough and food coloring to make a twig, green leaf and red apple on the crust. I was very impressed with myself, until I looked at the incredible mess I had made in the process. That was the first and last pie I have ever made. On the CW, the NW was the last to fill, as I DNK ORBACH, and REALID when it finally filled I thought was pretty lame. Other than that, a fun CW, thanx PK. Splynter, thanx for the terrific write-up. I've always wondered how the stops worked on a pipe organ, or even what they did for that matter. The whole thing looks way complicated. Very impressed you would be able to master that complexity.
Enjoyed the BACK TALK theme. It helped with the solve.
Here is my video of our chance to watch a very FAST CHEETAH at the San Diego Safari Park.
Splynter Hand up thanks for NOOB/NEWB explanation. How can you do that organ work in tight places with that PHOBIA? I am in awe of people who can overcome their FEARs.
Irish Miss Thanks for the MIT shout out.
From Yesterday:
AnonT Thanks for the good wishes on my wrist. It may sound crazy, but I am eager for it to heal so that I can lead this challenging hike that got me.
sumdazeGlad you enjoyed my CAMEL miniatures photo! I am still curious when you were there and how you knew to visit that museum? Did you already know about the artist Ikua Hirayama? I had not heard of him before.
Yeah, but sails have battens, with the stress on the first syllable. Boats have other uses for them, as in "batten down the hatches," but the ones used in sails are special and keep the extra material on the back edge of a sail (called, undaintily, the roach) from flopping in the breeze.
When I first saw the “lovebirds” clue, I immediately thought “hold hands” and “great…a Stooges fan!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNoE1iBkC2s
But alas, wrong number of letters.
Anyway, FIR. Good puzzle except for the aforementioned “hes” and “inspo” fills.
Fun Wednesday puzzle, thank you, Prasanna. And I also enjoyed your commentary, Splynter, thanks for that too.
Yes, this puzzle really feels as though it has a story of sorts woven through it. Like a guy MEL living in OTTAWA who doesn't have a REAL ID and is BEHIND on his rent, and so is getting released from his apartment and told to GET A ROOM. Hope he can figure out how to ATONE and maybe move in with his folks, being careful to stay IN TUNE and not be PEEVISH and avoid any BACK TALK. Hope he has time to write an ODE and play with his parents' CHEETAH CUBS and have a good recovery.
Have a lovely sunny afternoon, everybody.
Hola! OTTAWA was a nice start and a CSO to CanadianEh! Circles do not bother me and today they were actually helpful in isolating the theme words.
What does bother me is this format! It's unwieldy and plays havoc with my natural and conditioned way to read!
For a long time I watched Law and Order until it got tiresome. Jerry ORBACH was great in it and I agree with IM. His role in Dirty Dancing gave him a different avenue to show his talent.
Am I the only person who has never watched The Simpsons? Yet, the characters are known to me in CWDS.
Splynter, thank you for continuing to sub and giving us insight into your world of organs. I, too, thought of Picard with MIT.
Have a beautiful day, everyone!
Thank you, Prasanna, and thank you, Splynter. An easy as pie midweek puzzle.
We love ASIAGO cheese.
Parsan, Lucina, et al:
There is a workaround to the new comments format. At least for reading them. If you want to read the comments in strict chronological order:
On the main blog page, scroll down to the Archives and click on today's blog.
The comments will be shown in the old chronological format (oldest first, newest last) at the bottom of the blog.
I solved the puzzle this morning and then went out for a long hike with a friend. I'm popping in to say how much I enjoyed the crossword, which was easy and fun. Yes, I encountered some unfamiliar names, but perpendicular entries were fair. The circles were necessary to see the theme, and were helpful in solving.
What puzzles me most are the folks who solve the crossword daily, don't enjoy it, and rejoice that it's over. You know it's not required, right? In the immortal words of Monty Python, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!
Many thanks to Prasanna! Good job!
Thanks to Prasanna for a fun Wednesday FIR! FAV: "Unmatched" for ODD
I had "Lisa" before BART but I had BACK TALK long before I got there so "Lisa" was quickly replaced.
Welcome back to D4E4H!
Picard@12:49. I was fortunate to have lived about 30 mi from Hiroshima for 3 years. I do not remember how/where I heard of that museum but I am pretty sure I had not heard of Hirayama-san prior to living in the area. I did a lot of researching & exploring so as to experience as much of the area & culture that I could. I had a car and a train card so off I went! I never felt unsafe and the Japanese people were helpful in pointing me in the right direction whenever I was unsure of something. They were patient with my attempts as speaking Japanese.
Thanks to Splynter for the tour! The Tunnel info. was especially interesting. I also liked your SWAYBAR take. IMO, even the worst pick-up line is a good one because it makes everyone laugh and relieves the tension.
Wacky Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Prasana and Splynter.
Officially a FIW, but I did see the BACK TALK.
How could I not like a CW that starts with OTTAWA. I trust that you all got it right.
My downfall was in the far west. I had no idea about NEWB and entered NEWt. I did change CIA to NSA, but had no clue about 16Handles and can never remember TCBY.
I noted ODD and ADD, TAO and CHI.
I saw CHEETAH CUBS on our safari in the Masai Mara. Guide was pleased as it is not easy to find them.
Gotta run. I am BEHIND with supper. Read you all later.
Wishing you all a good evening.
Good to hear from you D4E4H. Congrats on turning 80.
Lucina, add me to the list of never having watched The Simpsons and echo your characters & CWDs. Also, I've never watched any of those animated series. Not "my thing..."
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