Out and Out. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase Out and Out probably originated in Middle English sometime between 1150 and 1500. Yeah, that's a pretty big spread of time. The further alleges that its earliest evidence of the phrase, however, is from about 1300. Go figure. At any rate, the word OUT can follow each of the two words in the theme answers to give us a new concept.
17-Across. * Martial arts achievement: BLACK BELT. Black Out / Belt Out A Black Out may either be a temporary loss of consciousness or a power outage. Belt Out means to sing a song loudly and forcefully.
 |
| Black Out |
23-Across. * Target range in sports betting: POINT SPREAD. Point Out / Spread Out. To Point Out is to direct someone's attention toward, especially by extending one's finger. Spread Out is to move items apart from each other, or to place over a large area. I spread out all my papers whenever I am working at my desk.
35-Across. * Toolmaking period when bronze was replaced with steel: IRON AGE. Iron Out / Age Out. To Iron Out is to resolve or settle differences. To Age Out is to reach an age where an individual is no longer part of a particular group or situation and must leave it. For example, a child may age out of foster care.
49-Across. * Simple drawing of a person: STICK FIGURE. Stick Out / Figure Out. To Stick Out is to be noticable. To attend a fancy gala wearing torn jeans will make you stick out. To Figure Out is to solve a problem.
And the unifier:
58-Across. Complete, or what can follow both parts of the answers to the starred clues: OUT AND OUT. Vocabulary.com defines Out-and-Out as "absolute" or "complete," often in a bad way. For example: What you just told me is an Out and Out lie.
Across:
1. Young fellow: LAD.
4. Did plenty of nothing: IDLED.
9. Firepit remains: ASHES.
14. "__ we good?": ARE.
15. Habitats threatened by coral bleaching:
REEFS. Everything you wanted to know about
Coral Bleaching. Did you know that most of the world's species of coral can be found in Australia's
Great Barrier Reef?
16. Large tree branch: BOUGH. This is a word found in a common childhood lullaby.
Rock a bye baby, on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
19. Burn a bit: SINGE.
20. TV room fixture: SOFA.
21. Sheep sound: BAA.
22. Increased rapidly: SURGED.
26. Tuskegee __: WWII aviators:
AIRMEN. The
Tuskegee Airmen was a group of African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces.
28. Everything pizza, no anchovies, e.g.: ORDER.
29. Ushered through the door: LED IN.
30. Japanese sash that might be tied in tateya musubi style:
OBI. The
style of the knot in the
obi has symbolic meaning.
31. __ opera: SOAP. A soap opera, or daytime drama, is typically a long-running television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated in the 1930s from radio dramas that were originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers.
34. Dollop: GOB.
39. Clickable link: URL. The Uniform Resource Locator has become a crossword staple.
40. Freshly: ANEW.
42. __ de la Cité: Notre-Dame home: ÎLE. The Île de la Cité is one of two natural islands in the Seine, in central Paris. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of the area governor for the Roman Empire. In 508, Clovis I, the first King of the Franks, established his palace on the island. Construction of the Notre-Dame Cathedral began in 1163. Sadly, in April 2019, a fire destroyed much of the Cathedral. It has undergone massive reconstruction and is anticipated to reopen this December.
43. Not quite right: WONKY.
45. "Creed" actress Thompson: TESSA. I am not familiar with Tessa Thompson (née Tessa Lynne Thompson; b. Oct 3, 1983). Apparently, she began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company. Perhaps our friend Keith knew of her. She celebrated her 41st birthday just last week. [Name # 1.]
47. Atonement: AMENDS.
51. Red Icee flavor: CHERRY.
52. D.C. baseballer: NAT. As in the Washington Nationals.
53. Shows understanding: NODS.
57. Pushy crowd: HORDE.
60. Sub-par performance?: EAGLE. A golfing reference. Not as in a poor performance, but rather a score of two strokes under par on a hole. It's a significant accomplishment that demonstrates a golfer's skill and strategic thinking.
61. Controls one's food intake: DIETS.
62. San Diego __ Safari Park: ZOO.
63. Boxer Patterson: FLOYD. Floyd Patterson (Jan. 4, 1935 ~ May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in history to win the title of world heavyweight champion. He was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after losing it. [Name # 2.]
64. On the briny: AT SEA.
65. Clairvoyant's claim: ESP. As in ExtraSensory Perception.
Down:
1. Hands-on classes: LABS.
2. "Collapsed in Sunbeams" singer-songwriter Parks: ARLO. Arlo Parks (née Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, b. Aug. 9, 2000), is an English singer and songwriter. Collapsed in Sunbeams was her debut album. [Name # 3.]
3. Like one who might communicate in ASL or BSL:
DEAF. As in
American
Sign
Language and
British
Sign
Language. Two countries separated by a language. What's the
difference, you ask. ASL focuses more on facial expressions, while BSL relies more on hand and body movements.
4. Vex: IRK.
5. "Little" name in snack cakes:
DEBBIE. The history of the
Little Debbie snack cakes. [Name adjacent.]
6. Country singer Womack: LEE ANN. Lee Ann Womack (b. Aug. 19, 1966) is primarily a country singer, but some of her songs have crossed over to the pop music hits. [Name # 4.]
7. Note in the C minor scale: E FLAT.
8. "Spring forward" hrs.: DST. As in Daylight Saving Time.
9. Wildly impractical: ABSURD.
10. Swanky evening dos: SOIRÉES. Today's French lesson. A Soirée is just another way of saying a fancy evening affair.
11. Lingered: HUNG AROUND.
12. Goaded, with "on": EGGED.
13. Leave behind: SHED.
18. Blue Grotto island: CAPRI. The Blue Grotto is a sea cave on the coast of the island of Capri, southern Italy. Sunlight shining through an underwater cavity is reflected back upward through the seawater below the cavern, giving the water a blue glow that illuminates the cavern.
22. Rosemary piece: SPRIG. I grow Rosemary in my garden.
24. Prefix meaning "all": OMNI-. As in Omnipresent, which means everywhere.
25. Udon alternative:
SOBA. Both
Soba and Udon are Japanese noodles, but are made of different flours.
26. Ages and ages: AEON. Eon is the American version, while Aeon is the British version.
27. "That's my cue to leave": I'D BETTER GO.
29. Queens airport code:
LGA. As in LaGuardia Airport. It's the airport I generally use when I have to go into NYC. The
airport was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. The airport underwent a number of name changes. When it opened, it was known as the New York Air Terminal. Then, it became known as Glenn H Curtiss Airport. A few years later, it became known as North Beach Airport. In 1939, New York City took control of the airport and it became know as the New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field. Finally, in 1953, the airport was renamed La Guardia in honor of former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia (Dec. 11, 1882 ~ Sept. 20, 1947).
30. Dollar bill: ONE.
32. Torah chests: ARKs.
 |
| Torah Ark in the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam. |
33. Tissue layer: PLY.
36. Potentially disastrous: RISKY.
37. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF. Frozen is a Disney animated movie that is based on the fairy tale The Snow Queen. [Name # 5, fictional.]
38. Washbasin jug: EWER.
41. In an odd way: WEIRDLY.
44. Upturned: ONEND.
46. Bitter rant: SCREED. A Screed is a long speech or piece of writing, typically one regarded as tedious.
47. Stripy marbles: AGATES. This word appears with some frequency in the puzzles.
48. Have a life-changing experience?: MUTATE.
49. Mussel habitat:
SHOAL. We had Shoal in a recent Tuesday puzzle. The
Isles of Shoals are a group of Islands between Maine and New Hampshire.
50. Nunatsiavut people:
INUIT. The Nunatsiavummiut are the people of
Nunatsiavut, an autonomous region in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
51. Culinary institute grad: CHEF.
54. Move like slime: OOZE.
55. Pairs: DUOs.
56. "Enough!": STOP!
58. Tennis champion Tokito:
ODA. I do not follow tennis, so was not familiar with
Tokito Oda (b. May 8, 2006). He is a Japanese professional wheelchair tennis player. He has won four major singles titles. In 2023, he won the French Open, becoming the youngest man to win a major tennis tournament. [Name # 6.]
59. Govt. intel org.: NSA. As in the National Security Agency.
And the Grid:
Notes from C.C.:
Happy 83nd birthday to dear Jayce! Can't tell you what a comfort to read his comments all these years. Shēnɡrì Kuàilè, J!
 |
| Jayce and his wife on their wedding day |
23 comments:
Once again, Tuesday’s puzzle seemed easier than Monday’s.
But I have to admit I had no idea what the reveal would be until I got there. It was ultimately satisfying, however. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
D-o failed to suss the theme until the reveal (which he actually read! Really.) I'm always impressed with a theme where both words in the answer fit the theme. Color me impressed. Thanx, Shannon, Will, and Hahtoolah.
OUT AND OUT: Weird that there's evidence of this usage around 1300, but the origin is still listed as 1100-1500.
LEE ANN Womack: I like her style. I've got several of her albums. I've also got a M-o-W client named Womack. I need to has if they're related.
LGA: Began service in 1929, but LaGuardia didn't die until 1947. I had to look that up. Apparently, it wasn't officially named LaGuardia until after his death.
Happy Birthday, Jayce. Hope it's a good one.
Took 5:38 today for me to scratch this one.
Like SubG and d-o, I didn't see the theme while solving.
Oda?
Ile?
I didn't care for the 3LWs today. Not necessarily saying there were too many, but I didn't like the ones we had, such as: Oda, Ile, DST, NSA, nat, gob.....
But, I knew today's actress (Tessa).
Found my way OUT of this one in 9:28, without a time OUT which is required on some days. I’m always impressed how the puzzle makers come up with these themes, I don’t think I carry that creative gene, but Shannon and Will sure do in composing this fine creation. I knew all the names today except ODA, (ODA used to be popular TLW in CW’s but usually clued as ‘harem room’). A SCREED is also a tool to smooth concrete after a pour, before the final finish. I liked the clue for MUTATE. Japanese noodles sure are a popular fare with constructors. REEF and SHOAL are related. SHOALs may be where mussels are found, but Muscle Shoals is where music is found.
Checking in today from Tobermory, Ontario. Hi CanadianEh! 🇨🇦 ~ due to circumstances we didn’t take our normal northern route here, came via the Blue Water Bridge/Sarnia and up the eastern shore of Lake Huron, the colours are lagging but still a very scenic drive. In reference to a CW theme last week, in the Bruce Peninsula there was a road sign with a graphic of a snake, an obvious warning of the existence of the provinces’ only poisonous 🐍.
Jinx ~ nice to hear that you are getting some much needed help with your situation, hopefully alleviating some stress. I admire your devotion.
Happy b/day Jayce! I always enjoy reading your comments 👊🏼
I’m sort of en route to Florida, but that’s on hold for obvious reasons 🙄
Good Morning:
No idea of the theme until the surprising reveal. I took a correct guess at Inuit, but Oda and Arlo required perps. I went astray at Saw In/Led In and Ire/Irk, but the rest was smooth sailing. Some clever cluing and lively fill added to the solving enjoyment.
Thanks, Shannon and Will, for a fun Tuesday and thanks, Hahtoolah, for the entertainment and enlightenment. Today’s standout comic is the Aging Cheese Seminar, with the runner-up being Humpty Dumpty’s “great Fall!”. Sounds as though Notre Dame may be celebrating the completion of the restoration at Christmas. How timely that would be for such a joyous event!
Monkey and Lucina, were you as taken aback as I was at the “predicament” that our intrepid Susan (Moonflower Murders) found herself in during Sunday’s episode? I did not see that scenario coming, at all! 🫣
Happy Birthday, Jayce, hope it’s a special day! 🎂🎊🎈🎁
Have a great day.
Today's puzzle by Shannon and Will proved to be a pretty satisfying and enjoyable exercise. I noticed that the horizontal entries contained only one of the dreaded names, and that was TESSA Thompson. Nearby perps were useful for that. The vertical entries, however, contained a bunch of names, including ARLO (not Guthrie), LEEANN, OLAF, and ODA. Again, perps to the rescue.
The reveal was clever and did not seem forced or gimmicky. When the second half of BLACKBELT became "belt out," it made me think of the legendary Ethel Merman we had the other day.
A couple clues I liked included "sub-par performance" (EAGLE), and "have a life-changing experience" (MUTATE).
It was nice to see Floyd Patterson remembered--one of the few heavyweight champions who I remember as a gentleman.
A friendly and enjoyable Tuesday puzzle; thanks again, Shannon and Will!
FIR. I had no problem with today's Monday style puzzle. Far easier today than yesterday.
I began to see a theme as i went along, but the reveal made everything clear.
One misstep for me was dab before gob. Otherwise a walk in the park puzzle, and very enjoyable.
I stuck with LEt IN not LED IN along with SHOre not SHOAL which had me AT SEA in the SW for awhile. Finally evaded the SHOAL and came ashore
Liked the theme, took a sec to realize BELT OUT referred to singing 😲🎶
I recently obtained a BLACK BELT (from Walmart, it holds up my pants ☺️). ..OBI: an old CW frriend stops by
“When the BOUGH breaks” lullaby describing child neglect and endangerment
Result of overdoing sit-ups…. ABSURD
What did yah do with all them pickles…. IDLED
What ladies do to get ready for SOIRÉES…. DOLLUP
When the “pushy crowd” over-collects… HORDE
All in the path of mega storm Milton be safe.
I'm with D-O - I'm always appreciative of a creative theme using both parts of the theme answers
I've been to Bull SHOALS Lake in the Ozarks on the MO /AR border - much less built up than Table Rock Lake with Branson and Silver Dollar City. Great place for fishing and water sports
I've only seen one of the "Creed" movies - so I don't remember TESSA Thompson from those, but I do remember her as Agent M in the "Men in Black: International" and as Valkyrie in the Thor and Avenger movies in the MCU universe.
Coincidentally, she was the other actress in the movie "Passing" with Ruth NEGGA who was in last week's puzzle - highly recommend the movie, but the polar opposite of the Creed and MCU movies which are full of action.
Thanks Susan for a fun blog and Shannon & Will for the entertaining puzzle
Happy birthday Jayce !
and prayers for Jinx as he goes through more of these challenging times - my dad had multi-stroke dementia for 10 years and the last months hospice care was very helpful to my mom & dad
Terrific Tuesday. Thanks for the fun Shannon and Will, and Hahtoolah.
I FIRed in good time, but needed the reveal to see the OUT AND OUT theme.
Unknown to me names (ODA, TESSA, ARLO) perped.
Several inkblots to change Shell to SHOAL (to go with REEF as YooperPhil already noted), Aggies to AGATES, LEt IN to LED IN (hi Ray-o).
I thought of Limb, but BOUGH fit.
I knew INUIT but not DEBBIE.
I noted ONE and DUOS (and ONE ND if not parsed correctly!).
SCREED crossing the Creed actress was interesting.
Also IRK and ARKS.
Favourites today- EAGLE clue, and the word WONKY.
Happy Birthday Jayce.
Wishing you all a great day.
unclefred - we had a Rosemary SPRIG today to go with yesterday’s parsley, sage and thyme. LOL
Welcome to Canada Yooper Phil. Watch out for those Massassauga rattlers that I mentioned last week.
Good Morning! Altogether a nice Tuesday puzzle. I ran into some crunch as I worked my way south. Clever theme revealed when I paused to review. Until then, I didn’t pick up on the connection. It’s fun when the reveal (58A) is an AHA moment. I’m familiar with the use such as: it was an OUT AND OUT lie.
WOs: daB -> GOB; twOS _> DUOS, and the spelling of HORDE.
Perps for TESSA, ARLO, ODA, nor had I heard of wheelchair tennis. Kudos to him!
Thanks, Hah2lah. Loved the mousetrap toon, and that Humpty Dumpty had a happy turn of events!
I was, and I read the book!
The toughest part of my solve was getting stuck between eons, Ages, and AEON. Couldn't make that section work until 27D fell into place and LGA reared its head.
All the theme clues were easy to suss. I, too, liked WONKY.
A salute to Shannon and Will for their neat construction and to HA2LA for her fine reveal.
Nobody ever said Humpty Dumpty was an egg.
Shaken.
A fun run today. Lots of clever misdirection, and a sparkling recap from Ha2la.
Well, I just noticed I forgot to finish. I was stuck on the LGA/EAGLE conundrum and meant to get back but forgot. Anyway, I enjoyed this CW very much.
One fill says I’D BETTER GO, the other HUNG AROUND. Let’s make up our mind.
Thank you Hahtoolah for your usual informative and fun review.
Happy birthday Jayce. 🎊🎂🎉 You’re 4 months my junior. What a nice photo.
OUT, OUT, damned GOB! Is a dollop more of a dab ("a little dab'll do ya") or a blob? This inquiring mind is too lazy to investigate. My solving experience was much like that of Irish Miss and Lee. FIR without undue toil, so like Subgenius, I am happy.
A very happy birthday to Jayce! I love your take on the puzzles and blog posts. Ad astra!
You know who was *not* lazy? Hahtoolah, who explained the puzzle so thoroughly, and gave us many charming cartoons to illustrate it! Thanks also to Shannon and Will. A lot of today's fill seemed new and fresh to me.
gob
informal
noun
1. (British) A lump or clot of a slimy or viscous substance.
"a gob of phlegm"
2. (North American) A lot of.
"he wants to make gobs of money selling cassettes"
Musings
-Fun gimmick and reveal
-POINT SPREAD: Alabama was a 23.5 pt. favorite against Vanderbilt last Saturday and lost
-SURGED: Hurricane Milton kicked up to a Cat 5. I wonder how Disney is preparing.
-AMENDS is Step 9
-FLOYD insisted on continuing to call Muhammad Ali Cassius Clay. Ali punished him for 12 rounds for that disrespect.
-This was not the usual cwd singer named ARLO
-Just when I have tennis player IGA down, here comes ODA. I would have known Whoopie Goldbergs character from Ghost, ___ Mae Brown.
-HBD, Jayce.
Hey! you missed a cartoon!
The bizarre rock a bye baby lullaby prompted some research, bit theories sway back and forth from gentle breezes in the trees, to the cradle being a coffin. (Ugh!). Moving on...
Happy Birthday Jayce!. Most of the online cakes were suited for babies first birthdays, but this one looked like it might work for you...
And finally, blue lagoon, Capri. How wonderful! I would love to visit it, it seems like such a calm and lovely place. So I took a look at a virtual tour.
OMG! it's a nightmare! I wonder if I brought a boombox with a tape of it's a small world after all, and played it like the Disney ride, if some one would try to overturn our boat...
Good Morning, Crossword friends. I hope all of our friends in Milton's path are safe and have evacuated. May this storm drop in strength before it hits land.
Happy Birthday, Jayce. Hope it is special.
QOD: Time is a created thing. To say “I don’t have time” is like saying “I don’t want to.” ~ Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher
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